Car buying help

I was looking for some help in buying a car for around $6000-$7000. I was trying to get a car with considerably more power than my geo prizm and very reliable with low maintenance costs and good gas mileage

I recommend a used Maxima. The VQ30DE (1995-1999) and VQ30DE-K (2000-2001) engines are very smooth and refined. They're very quick (especially with the 5-speed) but the auto gets better mileage. They're also reliable and if you want to mod them there are a bunch of aftermarket suppliers available. Max's are also cheap to insure.

1995-1999
190hp, 205lb-ft of torque
0-60mph in 6.6 seconds
21 mpg city, 28 mpg highway (4-speed auto)

2000-2001
222hp (227hp in 2001 for the 20th Anniversary model), 217lb-ft of torque
0-60mph around 7 seconds (b/c it's slightly heavier than the previous gen.)
20 mpg city, 28 mpg highway (4-speed auto)

Ok where in the world is he gonna find a 2000-2001 Maxima for 6-7000 dollars? For that price you could only find a 95 Maxima with 200,000 miles.

For that price, the best car to get would be a 2000+ Sunfire GT or Cavalier Z24. You may even be able to find a 2003 or newer for that price, which have the Ecotec engine, But even a 2000-2002 would be okay, they have 2.4L and 150hp and 155 lb/ft and the increase in speed compared to a Geo Prism would be astronomical while fuel economy is still very good.

I know what I'm talking about. See link -

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/searchresults.jsp?advanced=&bkms=1147899027915&certified=&isp=y&search=y&lang=&search_type=used&make=NISSAN&model=MAX&start_year=1995&end_year=2001&min_price=1&max_price=7000&distance=0&address=92155&x=55&y=10

And by the way, the Sunfire/Cavalier you recommended has had 14 recalls from 1995-2005. To me that hardly seems like a better choice. In fact the APA (Automobile Protection Agency) rated the twin cam engine as a lemon and Consumer Reports has rated it as below average.

The Maxima VQ series engine (VQ30DE, VQ30DE-K, VQ35DE) has been rated as one of the 10 best engines in production since 1995, something no Cavalier/Sunfire can claim. The J-Body platform that the Cavailer and Sunfire are based on was first introduced in 1982 - meaning a 2000 is riding on an 18 year old platform. The prizm is a better car than that.

Thanks for the input guys, I really appreciate it. Does the Nissan Maxima (1995-1999) use premium gasoline. My dad came up with that theory last night when I was talking to him and I was just curious.

My Maxima has 220,000km on it and I only use regular. The previous owner only used regular as well. For absolute peak performance Nissan asks for premium, but in the owners manual it states that 87 octane is fine. I've noticed no adverse effect on performance and my fuel economy is great. Take one for a test drive. My VQ V6 with 220,000 km is smoother than almost anything available.