my son wants to buy one.they a good car?

All Nissan products are good, I have never had a bad experience with Nissan products.

mexico

Should last a long time if he doesnt rag the piss out of it.

its a wannabe performance car.  a run of the mill sentra will be fine.



 

They're pretty hot little sedans. 175 HP. Have it checked over thoroughly to make sure that it hasn't had the piss run out of it completely. I think they're prone ot engine failures from poor lubrication.

My Nissan truck was made in Smyrna, TN in 1987 and still runs strong.

Spec V is rated at 200 hp.

I'd hope so. The Mazda 3 and Subaru Impreza are 170hp standard.

How old is he? Insurance will flag it as a "fast" car, and if he is under 24 insurance will probably be more than the monthly payment. Its not a bad car, but there are better options for fwd fun cars, or under 24 driver fast enough to still kill yourself cars.



 

it will be in my name,insurance will be high,and the thing was made in meeheco

Great car but...... Make sure the recall was done on the catalytic converter. They tend to fall apart and pull material back into the engine scoring the cylinder walls.

you know when the recall was sent out?

It was the 02-03 models. If it had under 60k when the recall was done you should be good to go. Many people that bought that car gave it the cone filter / header and high flow cat mods. If it's stock and has more that 60k on it I would definitely check for any oil consumption.

What year?

I've got a 2003 Sentra 2.5LE. Its had some issues. Enough so that I am unlikely to ever buy another Nissan.

Edit: You should IM Pthfndr. He's a Nissan mechanic. He's helped me out a few times.

Depends on the year.

it is a 2003 model.with 68000 miles on it,it has ALL the nismo modifications on it. i test drove it.it runs great.lots of pep.its a one owner car.

So is the Sentra 2.5LE and Sentra SE-R.

Yep. My 2003 2.5LE cost more to insure than my wifes 2010 Fusion.

Might as well get a WRX.

Mine is a 2.5LE, not a Spec-V but the same year and many common parts including the engine.

Issues I have had:
The paint sucks. Chips easily. its so thin that UV light gets through the pigment and oxidizes the metal underneath. Lots of Nissans with pealing/flaking paint. Especially the grey/silver mettallic colors.

The CD player got a CD stuck inside twice, replaced under warranty. Third time it was out of warranty so i never fixed it.

Two of the 6? speakers no longer work.

The headlights are fogged/yellowed.

Pre-cat Recall in late 2003.

ECM Case recall in early 2004.

ECM Reprogram recall in 2006.

Check engine light came on at 34K. ECM reflashed under warranty.

Battery needed replacement at 5 year mark.

Center console hinge broke at 52K

Rack & Pino leak at 56K.

Front brakes needed replacement at 57K

Check engine light on at 59K. $244.00 to replace crankshaft position sensor.
(coworker just had to have the same part in his 2.5L Altima replaced, but he got hit for over $600.00)

Rear brakes needed replacement at 60K.

Flimsey particle board spare tire cover warps/breaks if you put anything heavy in the trunk.


The good news. I got 55K out of the OEM tires, the trans has never had any issues and its more fun to drive than my 1997 Pontiac formula WS6.

That said the 2.5L sentras are not worth the price. I would rather have a base model Fusion, Accord or Ultima for a couple grand more or a Civic LX for a couple grand less if i had it to do over.

If he really wants a Sentra the 2002 Sentra 2.0 with the titanium gauges is really cool.

New ones are. Original ones were 175. I assumed OP's son was buying a used one.





 

OP says he's looking at a 2003.

2.5LE 170HP
SE-R 175HP
Spec-V 175HP

all three are surprisingly quick light weight little cars.

that is really good

My pontiac went 7. My wifes van went 6. My truck went 8. I didnt think 5 was particularly good.

Excellent cars, great motor, good suspension and not many issues with them. I had an '02 put 175k on it before the head gasket failed, but that's not a common problem really. I sold it to a friend, he sealed the block & it's still chugging along. Make sure the cat-converter was fixed in the recall if it's an 02/03.











About the only gripe I had was the turning radius was horrendous...like a school bus, which is shameful for such a small car. But beyond that it was a rock solid car and a superb handling jap/sport. A good bargain too, considering what a Civic SI or Subaru runs.





 

only thing wrong with it is all the extra coin your son will have to shell out for the various bells, whistles, and badges of a performance vehicle, on what is essentially a FWD econobox...

Sure, they're reliable, but don't spend performance money unless you're actually getting a performance car.

Very sharp car. I always liked the looks of those and the idea of a 6 speed in a small sedan.



 

Fixed.