Great to look at, but even greater to drive!

Let¡¯s go back to about a year ago. I had just received my drivers permit and was excited to start driving. My dad let me choose what car I wanted to learn to drive in. A 1984 Mercedes Benz or a 1992 Nissan Maxima. It didn't take me long to decide but they both had their positives and negatives. The Mercedes was an automatic so that was definitely a plus. It also was very luxurious. But the Maxima is so much more sportier, I love its looks. So I told my dad that I'll drive the Maxima. He said alright and handed me the keys. It took me a little while to get the hang of the whole clutch thing but after an hour I had it pretty much down. Flash forward to today. I have my driver¡¯s license and my dad gave me the Maxima as a birthday present. Sure it has 160,000 miles on it, but I think I can easily get another 40,000 out of it.

First let me cover the actual car. The exterior looks really nice. I actually think the 3rd generation Maximas look much nicer than the new ones. My car is a very vibrant red. They paint is not easy to chip because I don¡¯t see a scratch on it. The interior is roomy. It can hold 5 pretty comfortably. The driver¡¯s seat is good also. It¡¯s easy to adjust the seat. The stereo gets the job done, although on mine the back left speaker crapped out on me. All the controls are easily reached and visible. One thing that does bother me though is the cup holders. There are only 2 of them and the one on the left is so small I have never been able to fit anything in there. Not even child size drinks. The left and right mirrors are adjusted by a motor that you control from in the car. The back mirror is also admirable. It is neither to big or small and gives plenty of visibility to the back. There¡¯s good leg room and I'm over 6'. Air conditioning and heating are superb. I can heat up or cool down the car within a minute or so. The back trunk provides plenty of room, but all I put in there is my backpack. Both the interior and exterior of this car is wonderful.

Next is driving this vehicle. Let me say that this car is a pure pleasure to drive. I frequently take this baby out for a joy ride, and it doesn't cost me an arm and a leg since it gets a very respectable 25mpg for this kind of power. This is the only stick shift car I've driven but I can tell it shifts better than most. As long as you know what you¡¯re doing, this car will give you a very smooth ride. The acceleration is exceptional and you could smoke most cars on the road. Just driving it makes you want to floor the accelerator and crank up the rpms. The turning is first-rate. I was driving a friends car the other day and tried to do a U-turn but couldn¡¯t because his cars turning radius sucked. The Maxima could probably turn on a dime. I really enjoy driving stick shifts thanks to this car and automatics are actually boring to me. And plus I love pulling up to a red light to see some "hot shot" next to me with his fancy automatic BMW with his hood down. I just push in the clutch and rev the engine to show of this cars power. This car is truly a thrill to drive and creates a great experience.

By all means if you have the opportunity to purchase this car, do it! You will not regret it. It is very reliable, and embarrasses all other cars on the road.