2015 Civic Si

The Civic Si is what is called a "sensible" Sports Car. It is relatively reliable, especially with a manual transmission although this automatic is not bad. It is fairly sporty with over 200 hp on hand and a 0-60 in the upper 6 seconds, so it is not slow (but the Type R is faster with 306 hp and a 0-60 time in the 5 second range).

Nissan's are not as reliable as Hondas anymore because of the close alliance with Renault these days. They are not the worst on the market but they are not as good reliablity as they were 15 years ago when they were not sharing part design with anyone. If you are looking at the Maxima and the Civic Si that is not a contest and I would get the Civic Si.


Audi TT is far more expense but a luxury sports car that is fun to drive. Since not in your price range I look at that as a dream of yours.

Best of luck.

If you like the Civic Si, then you should get it. I wouldn't get the Maxima. The Jetta GLI or Golf GTI will have the features you are looking for and provide a more premium and refined experience than a Civic Si, but you will be paying for repairs more often.

Both the Civic and the Golf are fine cars.
Having owned a number of iterations of the Civics -- mostly hatchbacks - I can say none of them have disappointed whether it be utility or reliablilty. However, now owning a 2017 Golf Wolfsburg, I can say that it more than matches the utility with a flair for comfort and driving dynamics that the Civics never achieved. I realize that a Golf is unlikely to match the Civics reliablity, but its other attributes have convinced me that if necessary I can tolerate the reliablity risk. Relatively low mileage 2015 Golfs (latest generation) are readily available (at least in the Seattle area) in the $15K range.
Have fun deciding!