2006-07 Honda Accord V6 Manual or 2004-06 Nissan Maxima SE?

My wife wants us to replace our 1990 Nissan Maxima SE manual with something newer; she's saying year 2000 or later. To me, our '90 Maxima is a beautiful classic, but to her, it's just an old car.

What we like about our '90 Maxima:
-- Seats 5 comfortably
-- Manual transmission
-- Sporty
-- Luxuriously comfortable
-- Very reliable

I'm leaning toward two models:
-- 2006-07 Honda Accord V6 manual
-- 2004-06 Nissan Maxima SE manual

Accord advantages:
-- Even more reliable than Maxima
-- For 2007, the V6 manual was available in the light blue that my wife would like best
-- Nicer interior
-- None of the design weirdness of the 2004-08 Maxima

Maxima advantages:
-- Better handling?
-- Roomier rear seat?
-- None of the design blandness of the 2003-07 Accord

Other models I've considered:
-- 2000-03 Audi A6 Manual. A very nice car, and the AWD would be nice, but reliability is very low and maintenance costs are very high. Also, have to choose from the slower 2.8 or the 2.7 turbo with super-high maintenance costs (have to pull the engine to replace the unreliable twin turbos!).
-- 2005+ Subaru Legacy 2.5i. The AWD would be nice, and it would be easy to find a light blue that my wife like best, and reliability would be very good. But not as roomy rear seat for 5 adults, and not as sporty.

If you've had experience with both, what are your thoughts and suggestions?

A Maxima is a full sized car and an Accord is a midsized one. It really depends on what your priorities are. Hondas of the last 10 years have been hideously ugly. Subarus have always had quirky styling. Nissan seems to actually care about styling but give off a feeling of slightly sloppier build quality when compared to Honda or Subaru once the vehicle ages. Both Nissan and Honda have gone downhill when compared to the days of the 90s. Subaru has dealt with its scrappy image and is now much better. As for VW/Audi they are shiny turds you should avoid at all costs if you care about reliability. It's hard to go seriously wrong with anything on your list except for Audi. I would also suggest you add the Mazda 6 to your list.

If you're so attached with your old Maxima, I would stick with it - it's a great ride! The Maxima remains one of the best combinations of performance, luxury and value in the midsize sedan segment. He Nissan Maxima blends the best traits that drivers want in a sedan without any pretense. The Maxima "is what it is", which is a high-performing, efficient, and stylish car that can rise to any occasion. It is also packed with the power and handling to leave an impression, but the techno-savvy advantages its drivers have is what really gets attention.

Those would be good cars but I would look at the Mazda 6 for a roomy car with a stick shift as well and if you can find a Toyota Camry with a manual that would work too.