1997 Nissan Maxima S Touring review from Australia and New Zealand

Radiator blew up within a week of buying it (due to faulty thermostat). Completely buckled the radiator core, so $800 later I had a new radiator and hoses and thermostat.

Also, belt tensioner needed replacement, as did alternator belt, as did the alternator. This happened three weeks after buying it, and cost just on $1,000.

Other than this, has been a joy to drive.

Have owned seven maximas over my life, and assuming they're maintained properly, you can't go too far wrong with this model. If they're not well maintained, they tend to be expensive to repair.

This experience with my current maxima is due I suspect to the fact that the car wasn't used a great deal over the past year or so prior to me buying it, and when I bough it and started using it on a daily basis, the problems came to the fore.

My only complaint re this series maxima is that the seats are too hard and 'park bench' like. Note the most comfortable seats for a car that cost around 38k when new.