Luke Aker was just trying to sell his car when he got the surprise of a lifetime. After posting an ad on Craiglist, along with a nifty video of the Maxima, Aker was astonished to see that the automaker itself was interested in taking the car off Aker's hands. Nissan then restored the Maxima to all its mid-nineties glory.
It's been a long road since Aker first posted the ad and its video online. Aker, who owns Ikonik Films in Orlando, Florida, needed to sell his beloved, though beat up, Maxima "land ship yacht." He decided the best way to do it would be to make a funny video that might entice someone to buy. And boy was he right, after the video went viral, Nissan noticed the spot and decided to buy the Maxima themselves. They then decided to restore the Maxima and put out their own video that showed the "brand-new" Maxima.
Both spots are incredibly charming and funny, and the newly restored Maxima is quite lovely. Aker has not asked for the car back, with him happily leaving it at its current home in the lobby of Nissan headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee.
Check out the two videos below. The first is Aker's original Maxima ad and the second is the ad showing off the newly restored version. And if you'd like to take a look at some brand-new 2015 Nissan Maximas in Phoenix, then had down to Midway Nissan and test drive this true luxury "land ship yacht" today!