My dad has bought 5 camrys and 1 maxima, and he only buys new (he knows nothing about fixing cars and just wants something he doesn't need to worry about.)
in 98 he bought a maxima because they had a $7000 off sale (nissan was at their low point, nobody was buying and their credit rating was horrible, so my dad jumped on the deal)
in feb 05 he bought a camry.
I've driven both (i drive the maxima now, he got the camry so i could take his old car) the old maxima is more fun to drive, and has been plenty reliable.
that being said, why did he go back to the camry after driving a maxima for 7 years? the price difference. My dad's a firm believer in not wasting money on frivolous stuff: bigger engine, more styling, um. stuff like that. He actually enjoyed driving the altima we test drove, but the 05 camry le ended up being just shy of 16k out the door.
anyways, long story short, buy what you enjoy driving more. the maxima and camry aren't exactly the same quality of car. The camry is a family sedan that's designed towards comfort, and the maxima is a sports sedan. If you do a lot of driving people around in the back seat, I'd recommend the camry. Even my dad's old 88 camry handles bumps more smoothly than the maxima (different suspension types)
if you're looking at a maxima vs a v4 camry, you gotta realize the loss in power also relates to a decent bump in MPG
rambling post conclusion: i'd get a maxima if the price was the same as a camry. The additional performance isn't worth a large price difference in a car that would be used as a commuter car 95% of the time.