I have owned some great cars in my 30 years, but none of them can outshine the Nissan Maxima. In 1996 my husband drove a Dodge Stealth and I drove a Toyota Celica Convertible. We found out that we were going to be parents in November, so we knew one of us had to give up our play car. We wanted a family car that was stylish and luxurious, but practical and affordable. We test drove the Maxima and fell in love. Many critics of the car told me that I could get the same car for a lot cheaper in a Camry, but that just isn't true. You get what you pay for, and in this case, the extra money is worth the splurge. We bought the GLE model.

I'll tell you now that I don't know enough about cars to tell you about engine size, tire size, torque's, etc., so I will write about what I do know...this car has some get up and go! My husband was worried that he would miss the power of the Stealth when driving this car, but it really does have great pick up. The engine has never given us one days worth of trouble and we have never had it serviced, except for oil changes and tire rotation. It still runs as smoothly as the day we bought it.

The interior is absolutely beautiful. We picked the black with tan leather interior and it absolutely looks as good as a Lexus. The dash is a mahogany woodgrain that is very stylish looking, with climate control air conditioner and a digital clock. The sound system that came with the car is Bose so it sounds magnificent and ours came with a CD player. It is the kind into which that you feed one CD at a time. We also have cruise control and that does have one little thing that I don't like. You must turn it on before engaging it. The others I've used are automatically on, you just pressed the "Set" button. A redeeming factor is that the controls for the cruise mechanism are on the steering wheel.

The biggest selling point for me was the size of this car. It is so roomy inside, I'd say it is the most comfortable car I've ever driven. The windows are large so you don't feel closed up and my child (now 4) can see outside easily. The seat in the back is a bench, which I like because it is easy to put your child in the middle, the safest place in the car. The windows also have childproof locks that can be engaged my the driver and only go to the halfway point in the back-seat for safety. The back doors have child locks on them that you can switch when your child is older. The trunk is huge, too. My husband keeps an enormous golf bag in there all the time, and I still have room for groceries. You can open the trunk, roll down the front windows, lock and unlock the doors and set off the security system with the keyless entry device.

If you are looking for a mid-line luxury car, go test drive the Maxima. It has outperformed every car I've ever had. Nissan has earned a wonderful reputation with this car.