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VERDICT · A GENUINELY CONFIDENT SPORT SEDAN CHOICE

Nissan Maxima 3.5L
is it a safe used buy?

Nissan's flagship sedan, paired with the same well-regarded V6 found across Infiniti's lineup — genuinely strong performance with a reliability reputation to match.

GENERATION8th gen (2016–2020)
ENGINE3.5L VQ35DE
POWER300 hp
USED PRICE$16,000–25,000

How the engine fits this car

The Maxima's sport sedan positioning is a genuinely good match for this V6's character — the same engine found across Infiniti's G, FX and related models, here in Nissan's flagship.

This generation uses a conventional automatic rather than Nissan's CVT, which sidesteps that transmission's documented concerns entirely — a meaningful point in this car's favour versus the Altima or Rogue covered elsewhere.

Nissan Maxima-specific pros and cons

This is about the car itself — for engine-specific failure points, see the dedicated engine page below.

WHAT HOLDS UP WELL

  • VQ35's strong reliability reputation, shared with related Infiniti applications, carries through fully here
  • Conventional automatic transmission avoids the CVT concerns found on other Nissan models
  • Genuinely sporty, well-equipped flagship sedan positioning with strong performance
  • Strong specialist knowledge given this engine's extensive use across Nissan and Infiniti's lineups

WHAT TO WATCH

  • Fuel economy is modest for the class, typical of a naturally aspirated V6 sport sedan
  • Purchase price runs higher than the Altima, reflecting the car's flagship positioning
  • Interior tech feels less cutting-edge than the newest sport sedan rivals
  • Resale value trails some German sport sedan rivals despite the strong reliability reputation

Pricing on the used market

Mileage band
Typical price
What to expect
Under 50,000 mi
$21,000–25,000
Lower-mileage, often still under warranty
50,000–90,000 mi
$18,000–21,000
Sweet spot, minimal additional risk
90,000+ mi
$16,000–18,000
Still a confident buy with documented maintenance

The engine itself

This Maxima shares its 3.5L VQ35DE with several related Infiniti applications. Full detail on this engine's strong reliability track record lives on the shared engine page.

FULL ENGINE BREAKDOWNInfiniti 3.5L VQ35DE V6 — Reliable or Not →

Pre-purchase checklist for this generation

Beyond general maintenance history, there's genuinely little engine-specific risk to flag on this combination.

Ask for documented oil change history, since this high-revving engine is less forgiving of extended intervals.

Confirm the transmission is the conventional automatic rather than a CVT, since this generation avoided that transmission entirely.