Nissan Sentra 2006 and earlier

skid3 · October 2002

Bought a 91 SE-R new with the SR20D engine. Sold it last summer with 152,000 miles. Still strong at the time. Still had all the original accessories, such as water pump. The engine was a major factor in my choice of a replacement. A 2001 Sentra SE with the SR20D engine.

rbrooks3 · October 2002

A friend of mine here at the office has a 93 4 dr Sentra with 80,000 and change on it. She does not recall ever changing the timing belt. I checked the Edmunds section for maintenance but didn't see the suggested mileage for changeing the t-belt. Of course she does not have the owner's manual. Anyone know for sure?

Thanks,

Ron Brooks

th83 · October 2002

Does anybody know how much power the '88 Sentra sedan had? Thanks!

lngtonge18 · October 2002

Her Sentra has a timing chain, not a belt. No need to change it.

gucci3 · November 2002

Last time I was at a dealer service dept. for 20,000 maintenance, I was told that my 2000 GXE needed a micron filter change.
I was not even aware mine came with one and declined the service.
Does anyone know how I can find out if mine has one or not, and how to change it myself?

wgr · November 2002

Does anyone know when the Sentra is due for a re-design ?

wgr · November 2002

I sent an e-mail to Nissan North America. They replied that a re-design probably would take place in 3-4 years. Also, they said no concept picutres or info are available now.

nyyace · November 2002

Hi All,
I need to order a new headlight assembly for a 2001 Sentra GXE and was wondering if anybody knows a good discount website to use. Thanks.

tomcat630 · November 2002

Some sources say the next Sentra is aimed for the 2005 model year, or an early '06

pleasantcc · November 2002

Anyone know of a reasonably priced source for 14" rims for a 2002 Sentra GXE? I want to put snows on the car for the winter but can't find rims other than at the dealer ($80 ea!). Tirerack doesn't carry the 14" steel rims for this model year.

gucci3 · November 2002

I have a 2000 GXE.
Occasionaly on the way to work, at the same stop sighn which is the end of a very slight decline (there're no hills in Chicago), braking causes grinding noise. Once this happens the noise pursists for next few brakings and then disapears.

The spot the noise starts is more than five minutes away from home and I would have applied brakes several times before I come to that point without any problem. Brakes seem to pulsate a little before this happens.

I've taken the car to the dealer twice when this happened, but they couldn't find anything wrong.

Does anyone know what's going on? I'm a bit worried.

need2know2 · November 2002

Hi all...I'm in the market for a used car and I found a 1998 Nissan Sentra GXE with 77,000 miles on it. The car is pretty good when in 1st,2nd,3rd and 4th gears, but at 60mph+ and 5th gear, it wobbles. I was told by a mechanic that it would be fixed if i did a wheel alignment and balance. What do you think? Do I make/break the deal? Thanks.

syncope78 · December 2002

Mechanic sounds pretty accurate. It's probably a bad wheel alignment/wheel balance. I'd double check the struts and shocks too...cuz that sometimes will cause that problem. Also, Nissan Sentras are pretty infamous for the CV Boots going bad fairly quickly. Double check to make sure you won't need to replace those!

berkelyblue · December 2002

just wondering, I'm looking at one that's red, 2001, GXE, with auto, cd and etc. The price is $7000, is that a good price? the Owner told me he was in a accident, but the repair job was pretty good I can't tell the difference.

add: forgot it's got 15k miles on it.

redracer1 · December 2002

I have a 98 sentra that has 98,000 miles on it and it is great except for that now it has developed an oil leak. It just started and is small but the spots on the driveway are already getting old. So before I put it in for service I was wonder has anyone else had this problem.

carlmoorejr · December 2002

My 94 Sentra had an oil leak that would drip oil down on a/c compressor then onto ground. It started out slow but progressed to drip more and more. Dealer replaced front oil seal and it stopped dripping.I think about $125.00 dollars for repair.Look and see if there is oil on bottom of your a/c compressor.

retiredguy · January 2003

My 91 Sentra automatic transmission (83k)just lost the speedometer..looking behind the engine seems what looks like the cable in a hard to reach space (without removing stuff)..

Does anyone have experience with cable replacement..does the speedometer have to be removed, or can it be accessed under the dash?
Is there a possibility that something else has failed? How much would a mechanic charge for this? TIA

retiredguy · January 2003

I bit the bullet and took the car to a Nissan dealer...$148.00..this car does have a speed sensor...wonder what it does better than the old metal cable..other than cost 10x more...

jeff186 · January 2003

A solid econocar but outclassed by the Civic, Protege, etc... Anyone know if Nissan is planning a redesign of the Sentra and when?

truby92 · January 2003

I am looking at an 01 Sentra SE with 23K miles for $10,000. From what I have read it sounds like a good car with decent acceleration. This one has automatic. Does anyone have any feedback or advice?

carlmoorejr · January 2003

Nissan dealers in my area are selling new 03 Sentrass with p/w p/dl cassette for $9995.00 dollars. Do not know about transmission though.

alpha01 · January 2003

I felt exactly as you did up until a week ago, when I purchased a new Sentra 2.5LE. For my driving purposes, the only thing this car gives up to both the Civic and Protege is rear seat room, and fuel economy to the Civic . With 165hp my Sentra is much quicker than the Civic EX and Protege LX that I test drove, has nicely weighted steering, a classy cockpit (I especially dont like the white gauges on the Civic, clearly a personal preference... but still), and a less flinty ride than the Pro. Cornering, in my limited experience, seems flat, and I like that I have all wheel disc brakes ( you need to get the ES Protege to get that). Ultimately I chose the Sentra 2.5LE because I felt it represented a great combination of performance, quality, comfort, and value. Including factory to dealer rebates, I got mine for 900 UNDER INVOICE, plus 2.9 financing. As a 21 year old, value plays a big part. One of my friends even remarked that she was glad that I got something that not everyone else seemed to have. (coughcoughCiviccough).
Happy Motoring,
alpha

to answer your question- the Sentra should be completely redesigned for the 2005 model year, based on its history of 5 year term redesigns. the current model was introduced for the 2000 MY.

dinu01 · January 2003

But not that great either. Personally I have a 2001 Protege ES w/31.000 flawless miles on it. I was considering the Sentra, but the "Made in Mexico" label and the PRO's superior handling won me over. And don't forget the standard 48mths/50.000miles warranty.

Good acceleration - city or highway; car has been to 105mph a few times and is regularily driven 80-85mph w/out a problem.

The ride is different than in other cars in this price range. Some call it harsh, others call it firm, depending on how much you value cornering ability and complete stability as opposed to a comfy, yet not so thrilling ride.

The ES comes w/a beautiful black interior (think baby-BMW), 16" alloys, all power stuff, CD w/4 speakers and tweeters (the tweeters maybe only in Canada?), spoiler, ABS.

Great braking w/standard ABD w/EBD on the ES.

Twin-trapezoidal-link (TTL) rear suspension!

Better looking than the Sentra at the rear IMO, front and sides are ok on both cars.

Reliability: PRO - Made in Japan, recommended by Consumers Report and won a 10-car comparison over the Civic, Corolla, Sentra, etc in Nov 2002 - for the second time, 3rd best-selling car in Canada - although sales #s don't mean a thing!

Driving fun: PRO

Price: PRO. 0% financing in the US from what I heard!

Looks: PRO - subjective

Comfort: PRO has a larger rear seat and room, Sentra a more forgiving ride.

As a driving and car enthusiast the choice is clear. As an A->B type of person, it's still cloudy...

Dinu

pennylover · February 2003

I bought a nissan sentra on jan. 15th and a week later it was in the shop for a bad catyalitic converter.I had to ,or have to buy an exhust manifold also,because the two comes in one piece.Its going to cost me $901.37 to have repaired.I didn`t get a chance to drive my 1998 nissan sentra but 5 five days.Eastern Carolina nissan did not want to fix it because I didn`t purchase the extended warranty.Right now Nissan Dealer here in New Bern do not have a happy customer.That was my first time and last time going there

carlmoorejr · February 2003

Car manufacturers are required by federal law to give you a 5 year/50,000 mile emission waranty. If you fall within this category research it. Good Luck.

alpha01 · February 2003

Not for anything, but the Sentra 2.5LE (similar in price to an ES) comes with an attractive interior, comparable to the Pro's, 4 wheel discs with ABS, (so the Pro has no advantage there), side airbags standard, a 180 watt 7 speaker CD audio system (better than the Pro's), and an extra 35 hp (sure contributes to driving fun, by my definition). The bumper to bumper warranty is shorter than Mazda's, but the Sentra's powertrain warranty is 5 years/60,000, which compares favorably. Yes, the Pro handles better. But in my eyes, thats about it.
~alpha

sentraowner3 · March 2003

After having my brand new car 5 days it rained. Terrible "barfing" noises started. After three visits to service they finally "roughed up" the rotors and that noise let up (it's still there when it's wet out), but then the grinding started, metal against metal, sometimes a screech in reverse. Service says they don't hear anything, partly because when I get there the car has warmed up and it gets softer and because they don't want to hear it--but it's there--especially in reverse, when I pull out of the garage and when it's wet and in the morning. It sounds like I need brake pads. They refuse to do anything. I have 550 miles on the car. Am I doing damage by driving it this way? Any suggestions? any solutions?

narenji · March 2003

my wife and i have a 01 protege ES (i used to own a 01 sentra se that i traded in for a WRX), but I can tell you that handling and rear seat are the only places the protege has the sentra clearly beat. If I could do a comparison myself:

Acceleration: Sentra was clearly better, and the engine sounded good doing it. The Pro's 2.0L hates to go above 4000 rpm. it whines and it's gruff. Very much unlike the 2.0L of my old 93 MX6.

Interior: The pro interior has nicer materials, but the Sentra interior is more modern. The sentra stereo was definitely better than the lame Protege stereo (the US doesn't get tweets). Its esp. lame because Mazda chose this whack 2.25 din size that no one has a proper aftermarket kit for.

Braking: Sentra's brakes more powerful, but Pro's brakes have ABS w/ EBD

Handling: Protege slightly better due to TTL, but on smooth surfaces Sentra dynamically had higher limit.

Reliability: Both equal, no problems with either one having owned them both 1 year...

Driving Fun: Sentra, great engine combined with reasonably good handling.. Pro's engine ruins it for me, though handling is good.

Looks: probably Protege, a bit more crisp than Sentra

Price: Protege; Mazda can't sell them here, i got 0% for 4 yrs, now it's 0% for 5 yrs.

Comfort: Pro; TTL helps w/ that and rear seat is comfortable. Sentra beam susp made for rough ride on all but smoothest roads.

Bottom Line: I wish the Protege had an engine to match the rest of the package. It needs an engine that like to rev, esp because the gearing is so short.

dinu01 · March 2003

Good comparo!

You might wanna post it in the PRO-vs-Sentra board. It is a balanced comparo from someone that owns both cars.

Dinu

giant56 · April 2003

My wife and I just purchased 03 Sentra LE. Traded Chevy Cavalier (wife's college car) and I must say that we really like the Sentra. Of course it has a lot more options than the Cavalier (RS model). Any other 03 LE owners out there that would like to share there experience thus far (likes/dislikes)??

alpha01 · April 2003

I love my 2.5LE. I have had it just over two months and have put nearly 5700 miles on it thus far. Great car for the price- unbeatable power, side airbags (which protect the head, not just torso as in the Corolla, for example), ABS, supportive front buckets, decent fuel economy-I avg. 26 MPG in a mix of highway, and highway stop and go traffic. Did I mention the engine? I was a bit skeptical of the car's Mexican point of assembly, but have thus far no reason to be disappointed.

Things I dont like
ABSURD/USELESS cupholders.
Wish it had fog lights standard, too.
Back seat way too small- (in this one aspect, you can tell the car was designed in the late 90s.)
Does not shift as smoothly as our Toyota's, but much smoother than my 94 Civic.
Engine sounds "boomy" between 2000-2500 RPM under load.

After incentives (1000 cash back at the time, and 2.9 financing to boot!), I paid 15,090+ tax, title, license. I was happy that I got it for invoice minus the rebate. MSRP was $17,366.

I test drove many cars in its class. I did not waste time at Saturn though, after sitting in the ION and feeling/seeing its interior quality/appearance.

~alpha

william21 · May 2003

Have a 93 Sentra that has a problem with the seat belt indicator light going off at different times even though the belts seem to be intact. Can this light be disconnected or at least the sound it makes when it goes off? I figure it is probably part of some computer related part that will cost a lot to fix.

malibu_jack · May 2003

anyone have any tidbits on what to expect for 2005? I am curious if the car will go through another model change / look.

sandman46 · May 2003

I am very seriously considering buying a '03 Sentra but would really like a '04. Does anyone know when the next generation Sentra will be released? Being an avid Toyota fan since 1988 with 2 Corollas and 2 Camrys, I was quite skeptical when the wife bought a '01 Altima. But, I hate to admit it, it does drive very nicely, hence the idea of purchasing a new Sentra.
Thanks in advance to anyone who can answer my question.

The Sandman :-)

alpha01 · May 2003

The 04 models will feature a freshening of front and rear end styling, the front receiving a 7/8s version of the Maxima grille. The SE-R models and the regular Sentra will share the same grille/front end styling for 04, unlike 02/03 models. The 04 Sentras will wear new model designations, with the XE becoming the 1.8, and the GXE becoming the 1.8 S. The Altima engine will be once again available in the non SE-R Sentra, though it wont be called the 2.5LE, it will be the 2.5 S, and I'm not sure what it will get in terms of standard equipment. Expect a few new colors as well, though there dont seem to be any interior enhancements.

I would expect a full dress redo for 2005, though no word as yet.
~alpha

malibu_jack · May 2003

Where did you get your information from?

lmp180psu · May 2003

go to http://www.nissannews.com ,and there will be a link under Nissan Motor news (not corporate). I didn't see anything there about the new naming system, but maybe I wasn't looking hard enough, but there are a good number of pics of the 04 SE-R.

Alpha01, please post where you found your info.

bigdaddycoats · May 2003

All of the info is available at www.theautochannel.com

alpha01 · May 2003

I dont know if these were intended for release yet- I got it from a box at the NY Int't Auto Show. The brochure is not marked either 2003 or 2004, but the ONLY Maxima shown, in a 4 page spread, is 2004 MY. Both the Armada and 2004 Quest are both shown in the back, though no information is provided.

I can copy the pages of the Sentra and fax them to anybody who wants to see what I am talking about.

~alpha

alpha01 · May 2003

go to www.nissannews.com, on the lower portion of the page, there is a headline, which links to the full story and pricing information.

~alpha

carman54 · May 2003

I hear the new 2004 will hit May 15..The pricing will be similar to 2003. They are freshening it up a a bit...new colors, new model names..1.8, 1.8S, 2.5S.. some new features..I will wait. I was going to buy 2003 2.5 LE. I suppose I should wait, but the 2003 has a $1500 rebate. I doubt if 2004 will and probably not at invoice either.

sandman46 · May 2003

I'd like to see what you found. I e-mailed you earlier, did you get it?

The Sandman :-)

alpha01 · May 2003

Actually, I dont believe I did. Would you try resending it, and please explicitly state "04 Sentra-edmunds.com" in the title, so I don't delete it (which may have happened the first time).

-alpha

rthsho · May 2003

What is the deal with that? I want an manual transmission with ABS on my car, but found out that on the Sentra, they offer this combination only on the V-Spec. In addition to that you need to get the sunroof and audio package, an additional $1248.00.
ABS is not available with a 5-speed on any other Sentra.
$19,736.00 MSPR for the most economical Nissan with Manual Transmission and ABS. Little steep isn't it?

gotb · May 2003

I was seriously considering getting a 2003 Sentra LE for $14,100 ($3100 off MSRP with $1500 rebate) but I'm not so sure after I found about this recall...

NHTSA recall info:
ON CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 2.5 LITER ENGINE, THE EXHAUST PIPE HANGER PIN MAY CATCH DEBRIS FROM THE ROAD THAT COULD BE IGNITED BY CONTACT WITH THE MAIN CATALYST. THIS CONDITION COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.

ALSO ON 2002 ALTIMA AND SENTRA VEHICLES, CERTAIN ENGINE OPERATING CONDITIONS MAY CAUSE THE PRE-CATALYST TO OVERHEAT AND DAMAGE THE CATALYST SUBSTRATE. IF SUBSTRATE PARTICLES ENTER THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER, THEY COULD SCORE THE CYLINDER WALLS, RESULTING IN INCREASED OIL CONSUMPTION. IF THE ENGINE OIL LEVEL IS NOT CHECKED ON A PERIODIC BASIS AND DROPS BELOW THE LOW LEVEL, AND THE DRIVER CONTINUES TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE IGNORING NOTICEABLE ENGINE NOISE, ENGINE DAMAGE MAY OCCUR WHICH COULD RESULT IN A FIRE. NISSAN IS STILL DEVELOPING A REMEDY FOR THE PRE-CATALYST PROBLEM. CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

malibu_jack · May 2003

I just brought my 01 Sentra in for warrenty work and a brake inspection. The car sat on the lot for over 9 hours without being looked at, When they did manage to look at it, they could not re-produce the issues I was having problems with and told me that I needed new Rotors and Brake pads (at a cost of approx $500). The fishy part is that they claimed the rotors were warped, when I know they are not. Also, I had new rotors put on the car under warrenty about 8 months ago! How could rotors that are less than a year old need replacing? Some wierd is going on here.

roger619 · May 2003

My '02 GXE makes a low, steady hooting or droning noise when I turn off the engine after my daily commute (35 miles each way). At first I thought it was a distant siren or factory whistle, then I realized my car was the source of the noise. The noise usually lasts about ten minutes. My working theories at the moment are a) pressure in the gas tank or b) contraction (or expansion) of the catalytic converter. I'd welcome any shared experiences or tips.

alpha01 · May 2003

I dont have the hooting noise, but after I turn the car off, man! it sure does make a racket- ping pop clank.... very uncool, our Toyotas and Hondas never made sounds after turning them off like this vehicle does. I have the 2.5L engine.
I'm going to inquire about it when I next have the vehicle in for servicing.
~alpha

roger619 · May 2003

The other day, while my '02 GXE was in mid-hoot (see my previous posting on this subject) I happened to be at a filling station and opened the gas-tank filler cap. Result: after an initial rush of gas pressure being released from the fuel tank, the hooting noise stopped completely. Well, I'm glad to have identified the source of this annoyance, but now my question is: Can it be good for a car to have such a high level of pressure build-up in the gas tank? Is it anything to do with the quality of gasoline, octane levels, heat, etc.? Again, tips much appreciated.

sandman46 · May 2003

Test drove a '03 GXE yessterday and found it quite nice with powerful brakes and then drove the Corolla right after. The Corolla brakes are as mushy as my '96 Corolla but the fit and finish of the '03 Corolla was quite remarkable, making the Sentra look 2nd class. Also drove the Protege, but is out of contention, just not that great.
The Sentra will be cheaper to get into but am afraid I will be sorry about not getting the Corolla, thus my quandry.
Help!!!

the Sandman :-)

Nissan Sentra 2006 and earlier

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