i also looked at the maxima when i was car shopping but never test drove it when it so i can't comment in that area. i would say that the maxima is the better performer with the bigger engine and more HP and torque, and both cars being about the same weight (maybe about 500 lb difference?). but i think the accord has the better build quality. something about honda that gives you the peace of mind over a nissan. i'm sure all cars have their little break downs, but the accord probably has less of it (minus the auto transmission). my friends parents bought an altima like about a year ago and she says it's falling apart. something about the moonroof deciding that it doesn't wanna work and the dummy lights on the dash lighting up like a christmas tree. i dunno which car has more bang for their buck because there are somethings that the accord has that the maxima doesn't (an actual moonroof instead of a sky panel, and LED tail lights on the 06) while there are somethings on the maxima that the accord doesn't have (like HIDs on the SE model). i think the maxima looks a lot better than the somewhat bland accord, but i would rather drive a bland car knowing the peace of mind it would come with. the maxima is built to compete with the ford 500 and avalons. i read somewhere that they classify car size through interior space (is that true) and i also read that the maxima is just shy of being a full size sedan. so technically you can compare it with the accord, but it was really made to be compared with the full size category
