My nephew has recently entered the real world and is looking to get a coupe or compact car. What do you guys think of the Nissan Sentra? In terms of appearance, quality, features, price, etc.
He likes the looks/features it has, and it's a decent price, at around $17K for the type R (2.5L, 165 hp) version. However, he is worried about the lack of cachet the car carries...it doesn't really have any prestige factor to speak of like other Nissan cars.
Any opinions out there?

 

I'd say its cooler than a Civic, although the Civic does have HUGE aftermarket support. The new Sentra SE-R comes in 6sp, 180 HP, and a 260 Watt Rockford Fosgate sound system. I wonder if stock Civics can beat that...

 

another opinion would be to find a Sentra board and post there... Maxima is a different car with different "goods and bads."

 

My family and extended family has owned 3 sentras and a 200SX (same damn thing). All experiences have been very good. One family member managed to "accidently" drive into a large tree with theirs and the airbag deployed perfectly...just as a testament to safety features.

You might get some good feedback on http://www.b15sentra.net.

 

The SE-R is just like a baby maxima. Look hot, drives nice. The interior is: "I like or I don't like", they is no in between. Am not sure if there's a coupe???
If it's built like the older SE-R them quality is great, your nephew will get a good sound car.

 

more people that dont like my civic, now i'm sad

j/k

anywho, i was considering the sentra before i bought the civic. my dad drives the maxima now, and he wanted to get me a new car since he doesn't like buying used cars. he basically narrowed my choices down for me, civic, sentra, corolla, or lancer. the corolla was last on my list, it was bland and i didn't care for it much, plus the toyota guys were acting dumb when we went there. lancer was next, looks decent, but not really a japanese car in my opinion, it felt more like an american car, and i wasn't too sure on its reliability. next was civic, the coupe looked nice, in and out, good service and it is known for reliability. i didn't want one because so many people have them, but it was second on my list. first was sentra se-r(not the spec-v version) i needed an automagic so other members of the family can drive it to. in looks, the se-r had my vote, 16" rims and spoiler, looks nice. inside wasn't as appealing as the civic, but it definately didn't feel cheap. for 165hp and an auto, it had a lot "GO" when you hit the gas, but because it is a sports model, it was a bit loud, especially on the interstate. and since i was looking at the cheapest model sentra, the one without the nice rockford stereo, it was comparable to the civic. at the end i chose the civic, its a good car, the new ones dont have as much aftermarket as the older ones do, but i think they will sooner or later.
sorry for the long *** post, just trying to help, i recommend driving all the cars that you are considering, drive them on the highway, heck take one to another dealer to compare the cars one on one(like take a civic to a nissan dealer and park next to a sentra)

 

Have him look at the Acura RSX-S or RSX. I am worried about Nissan these days. If he wants a strong aftermarket go Honda/Acura.

Mark

 

I agree. We (my fiancee and I) were torn between the civic and sentra. But since I knew we were not going to mod (only she will drive it) we went with the SE-R. Staying stock it is definitely the vehicle to consider. We love everything about it except the interior.

 

my opinion is the back seat is VERY small, smaller than civic / other compacts. I would go with the civic sedan if yr nephew doesn't care abt power

 

What else is there to care about then?

 

personally i would go with the SR20DE motor in it, you get to play more with it, not the 2.5 since it was tested on SCC and i felt dissappointed with the results

 

it is better than the civic. The civic started to lose its "coolness" after this latest generation. I like the Sentra or Protegé. Next time, post it on a Sentra board.

 

I would get a used bmw....

 

Well Blue,

I can speak on this here as a previous owner of 2 Sentras. Had a 1990 4-speed with over 122,000 miles when it was hit while parked in my front yard. Guy ran off the road while drunk and totalled it out. He made out like a charm since he was in his brother's car. This was in '96, and it still ran great. I buried the needle on it more than once and it never studdered. I didn't blink twice when I bought my second sentra. It was a used 1989 automatic. It too was a very nice car for me. It had over 115,000 miles when I finally sold it to get my 2001 Maxima in Sept. of 2000. I didn't hesitate when looking for a new car to look at the Nissans. They have been nothing but good and reliable to me and my family. My little sister drove a '92 sentra until '98, and she had over 100,000 miles on it. She now wishes she still had that sentra as opposed to her very problematic Grand Am.... Not too sure about the newer models, don't know much about the quality and reliability nowadays. I just know that I like and was very pleased with the ones I owned. The SE-R is a really nice car.

Hey,,,,here's a bug for ya...have you guys looked any at the new Altimas?? I think they look pretty good, and the motor is quite juicy. Don't know much about prices or quality.

Good Luck!!!....D-MAN