Congrats.
I had the previous gen Maxima, and it treated me very well, and even kept me and my friend safe after I totaled it when it spun out on a twisty and sandy road.
Not sure about the new models, but the used ones are an incredible bargain, if I would have waited a bit, I would have bought one instead of my DD Chevy Malibu (which is a great car in its own right, but no Maxima).
My old Maxima had 265 HP I believe, and even that was almost uncontrollable at hard throttle off the line, lots of torque going to those front wheel/s. The Maxima could really fulfill its true potential by going RWD.
I will say though, after driving the new Altima's, and the new Sentra, I can't stand the CVT tranny. Unrefined and gives me a headache when driving at low speeds.