My daughter is working on getting her drivers license so I'm looking for a 1st car for her. She want's a 4 door (can't go to the mall or movies without 1/2 the neighborhood going along!)Can anyone comment on the 91 - 93 Sentra's? Did they hold up well, anything to be worried about etc.? Any comments would be appreciated.

In case any of your are wondering... untill she gets a CDL, she is NOT driving my Maxima!

'00 Icelanding Pearl GXE

 

I'd go for a 89-94 maxima. YOu can get them for nearly the same price as the sentra and they have more options, power, and style. I think the early 90's sentras hold up well though. there are lots of them in my school parking lot.

 

The Maxima and Sentra are not the same price. Even if the trims are not identical, you will not get a sentra and a maxima for the same price, all other variables constant. Here are some Kelly Blue Book prices FYI:

1992 Nissan Sentra XE Sedan 4D

Engine: 4-Cyl. 1.6 Liter
Trans: 4 Speed Manual
Drive: Front Wheel Drive
Mileage: 100,000

Equipment
Air Conditioning
Power Steering
Tilt Wheel
AM/FM Stereo

Retail Value $3,560

----------------------------
1992 Nissan Maxima SE Sedan 4D




Engine: V6 3.0 Liter
Trans: Automatic
Drive: Front Wheel Drive
Mileage: 100,000


Equipment
Air Conditioning
Power Steering
Power Windows
Power Door Locks
Tilt Wheel
Cruise Control
AM/FM Stereo
Cassette
Premium Sound
Alloy Wheels

Retail Value $6,480

 

which has a 190 hp DOHC engine and will smoked that Sentra. A lot of that price raise is the VE engine and the automatic trannsmission. Get a GXE if you want a lower price, I doubt your daughted would car to have a less-powerful engine. The VG still has more then enough power.

PJ

 

In the day first car meant $200-$700, guess those days are gone. Kinda like a show where T.'s tire is flat, and the kid says "call the auto club." He says in our house we change tires.

Anyway, I say let her drive the Maxima and let her have a car that is junk (but inspectable and safe). A car that can get her to and from school daily, and for the longer trips your '00 Maxima. If you can't trust her with that I don't think you can trust her with any car.

But if you do want to spend over $3500 for her first car, it may be a good idea to go outside of Nissan just to get a good perspective on things. Problem is you may have to go 1996 if you want German, namely the Golf and $2000 more. What's nice about German cars is that they feel so different from Japanese. Everything is much stiffer in a good way, especially the steering. Clutch is a matter of opinion. Think the Sentra you're considering is reliable, just that I don't think Nissan offers much value for the buck when they're used.

 

My last sentence about her not driving the Maxima was my attempt at a joke. I want to get her something affordable but yet reliable so that it's not "nickle & diming me to death" with repairs. Let me ask a question - is it realistic to find her a decent car ie: a/c works, doesn't burn oil etc, for a 1k - 2k? In searching the newspaper ads I need to be looking at the 86-89 year models.

 

My first car was a 1990 Accord, it was slow as all hell. However, it was very reliable and perfect for around town. I sold that car for $3000 when I got my Max, I'm sure you could find something similar. One thing though, if you're planning on letting her go any kind of distances, get a bigger car than that.

 

i say go with honda or toyota cars. hehehehe. i have more faith in em' but if she wants a coupe i say MR2 or maybe a four door integ?

 

mingo is right, the best overall realibility lies within the honda and toyota line. Personally I think toyota's are the most realible, but I would go with a honda for her.

Honda civic's are great 1st time cars, chances are she'll be driving more than truck driver, and honda gas mileage is amazing. A 4-door civic is simply a perfect kid car. The only problem with them, is they hold their price value a little too well, it's like you have to get quite a bit older model to get into some price ranges.

Also if you do get her a civic, she probably wouldn't wanta drive the maxima. Girls seem to love the 'cute' civic and the maxima is kinda a blander car.

I'd say go to carmax.com and look for older civic's, they'll be labeled as valumax car's. That way you'll be getting a realible car, from a realibe dealer.

-Nate

 

i say go with an accord. the last generation is perfect if you can find on in the right price range. if not the generation before that is also great. my parents had a 1991 4dr accord lx and lasted 227xxx miles. they sold it for another car but im sure it would have gone easily to 300xxx miles. the accord is stylsh, even the 1992ish generation and is as reliable as you can hope for. its power is nothing compared to a maximas but its also not underpowered. just my 2 cents. good luck in shopping

 

I say a Honda Accord, I sold an 83 Hatchback about 2 yrs ago for 1500 bux and everything worked with around 90K miles and maintenance records. Try to get maintenance records which will affirm the vehicle mileage or get a carfax report. Biggest problem with pre 95 cars with A/C is that when the A/C does go, you'll most likely have to convert it over to R134 and a Freon R22 system will not cool as well when converted to R134.

Get the best one for 2K you can; may take a while but don't hurry.

 

My daughter just got a fire engine with a real working siren for under $100. But, since she's 2 and it's plastic, she's cool with that.

Seriously, I have to agree with the Accord folks. They're slow (advantage: Dad), insurance is cheap (advantage: Dad) and they tend to last a long time without major work done if you can find one that's been relatively well taken care of (again: You). For her, it won't be a bad ride. The other option that some folks I know have is a late 80's, early 90's Mazda 626. They're pretty roomy inside and ride like the Accord. Easy to work on, too, except for some of the middle years with the alternator stuck under the intake manifold and you have to drop the right front strut a few inches to get clearance to get it out, but I digress. Best bets: anything Japanese that's been serviced and taken care of. Good luck!

-kev

 

Civic when compared to a corrola or tercel, I'd pick civic.
Accord compared to camry, I'd pick camry, but camry's are pricy.

Civic's are cheaper than accords, and I'd say going with an slightly earlier model civic than an older model accord to fit into your price range would be better (imo).


Also, I know this isn't any of my business, but almost every kid I knew in highschool in which thier car was bought for them, it was in an accident. Having her pay for part of the car will help in the long and short run. Short run because it will teach her responsibility, and long run because it could keep insurance rates down if this responsibility prevents careless mistakes. Just my opinion though.

BTW, you said it has to be 4-door, I'd try to add ABS & dual airbags to that list too (if possible).

-Nate

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by TX2KMAX
[I]My daughter is working on getting her drivers license so I'm looking for a 1st car for her. She want's a 4 door (can't go to the mall or movies without 1/2 the neighborhood going along!)Can anyone comment on the 91 - 93 Sentra's? Did they hold up well, anything to be worried about etc.? Any comments would be appreciated.

I bought my 18yr old daughter a '95 Altima GXE w/ 5-spd, rear deck spoiler, and sunroof and would recommend it highly. It has good acceleration for a four banger and so far, w/ 72K miles on it, it has been totally reliable (of course it has....it's a Nissan!).

My 16 yr old son insisted on a '92 Honda Prelude SH, and of course he likes it too. Good luck! So many choices, so little cash!

 

My brother got a 94 XE 5 speed sentra form the original owner with 57,000 for only $3500
He is very happy with the car.

You should go with the sentra, cause for little monay you can have a nice car

you can probably find a nice one 91-94 for around 2K

check out the http://www.sentra.net forum if you have any other questions, they will help you out

[Edited by Maximum Performance on 02-19-2001 at 05:14 PM]

 

I would imagine it would be easier to find honda's and you would have more to choose from. Plus they are very reliable, and last a long time, also low maint.

 

I would go after the civic or the accord. I, personally don't like being in cars smaller than accords because I feel unsafe if someone were to hit me. If you decide to go for a bigger car, you might also want to look into the older model altimas. If I were to choose, I would go for the accord. There are lots of them around to chose from.