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I feel it can be lower. #158 (sentra4me) got a lower price even with all those extra stuff added.
by the way, sentra4me, is yours auto or manual?
what else did you get with your car?
man i feel jipped.
model, maybe I can help. (Especially since the 2000 and 2001 models are identical.)
I got the 5-speed SE in Heatwave (red) with the Performance Package and sunroof, and I absolutely love it! After all the research and dealer comparison I did, I was able to get my car for the no-hassle price of $15,750 (w/ floor mats and wind deflector, too)... thank you Edmunds! I actually might have been able to go lower, but I had them searching the East Coast for a very specific car that was practically sold out everywhere. (Of the few they did locate, many of the other dealers weren't willing to part with them b/c they were the only ones they had.) My dealer definitely earned the little bit of profit they got out of me! Also, Nissan was doing a test drive promo, so for just test driving a new Sentra, I got a $50,
high-quality, sporty brief bag for free... it's my
current school bag!
Anyway... in regards to the midnight interior, I
too was worried about having a dark interior like that and was wishing I could have gotten the stone color. But, the Perf Pkg was more important to me than the cloth color. When I got my car, I was pleasantly surprised with the interior. It actually is not black as the pictures imply... instead, it is kind of a dark gray. (Think a darker version of the stone color with a hint of midnight blue in the dark gray.) And actually, the trim on everything from the bottom of the windows up to the ceiling is not as dark as the trim on the lower part of the car and the floor. There are about 2 or 3 shades of this midnight blue-gray color used throughout the interior. I think it is very pretty and elegant looking and I am very happy with it.
As for the seat cloth, it is a very dark gray (almost black but not quite) with flecks of colors in it (mostly dark red, dark blue, and I think some dark green). It is kind of sporty-looking and I am happy with it. I got my car at the end of July, so I have had it through some hot summer days and I honestly have not noticed that the car gets any hotter than a car with a light-colored interior after sitting outside in the sun. (My mom got a 2000 Maxima SE with tan-colored leather and I think
her interior got hotter than mine ever did.) I
know what they taught us in physics class about dark colors absorbing more heat, but what difference does a couple of degrees make once you're up to 100 degrees or more anyway? :-)
Someone mentioned that they found the Sentra to be noisy at high speeds when there was a sunroof... I haven't had this be the case. It is possible that that particular sunroof was not installed properly. I did notice during the first week that I had my car (when I was waiting for the wind deflector to come in) that the wind was rather noisy when the sunroof was open, but I never had a problem with it closed, and I hardly ever close the cloth panel. After I got the deflector, the wind noise was much decreased... I highly recommend the $50 accessory. (See if they will throw it in!) By the way, the sunroof is tinted, so you don't get baked by the sun like you do in a Maxima.
The sound system is great! Mine has the 6-speaker system... one of the, like, two things they changed in the 2001's is that the premium sound system gets a 7-speaker system (a subwoofer was added). This is like the Maxima. (Oh well... I am not sure I would notice the difference anyway!) I love the CD player... I never really used a cassette player, so I don't miss that at all. The only thing I ever used one for was to plug in a portable CD player... what a hassle that was!!
I actually never got to test drive a manual SE.
All the dealer had were auto GXE's. But in that
drive, I realized right away that I wanted the SE
with the bigger engine. My old Prizm only had a 1.6L-4 cyl., so I thought moving up to 1.8L-4 would be a marked improvement. But, as soon as I came off the interstate entrance ramp and tried to quickly speed up and merge with traffic, I noticed that even the 1.8L engine was a little sluggish. I am not sure I would have experienced this if it weren't for the fact that there were 4 adults in the car, one of those being my 6'5", 260 lb. brother! (Yes, he did fit in this compact car!) So, with that, I knew I wanted the SE. I couldn't be happier with my decision. The SE has great pickup and is very nimble.
(By the way, for those of you who have yet to test drive, I would suggest doing one with a full car load. First of all, you really get a feel for the size of the interior that way and secondly, you can really test out the engine. Then, if you want, you can do a second test with just the driver and the salesman, so you can see how the car will most likely feel with only one person in the car. I was actually worried about the Sentra being too small after my test drive... with my brother in the car, it did seem that way... but once I drove it by myself, it felt much bigger.)
Well, I guess that wraps it up... (congrats for
making it to the end of this epic!) I apologize
for this post being so long, but I just love my new car so much, it is hard not to gush about it! :-) Good luck to all you would-be Sentra owners out there... hope this post helps!
-eschrad
I have not experienced a buzzy shifter... mine has been just fine. So, I guess that is kind of a random thing and not a widespread problem. I actually find the shifter to be very smooth and easy to use.
That's all!
-eschrad
Just added real wood trim to the door rings that circumvent the handles. It looks great, and does a nice job of adding an upscale look to the already impressive interior.
Been running synthetic oil and a high performance oil filter for the last few weeks. Of course, I can't tell a difference, but am looking forward to the long term and cold weather benefits synthetic oil provides. Also have an increased peace-of-mind feeling associated with it, particularly when I'm revving the engine beyond 6000 rpms ;-)
Going to get one last wax job in before the cold weather hits -- don't forget to wax those pretty alloy wheels.
At least one person has mentioned the air conditioning, and ours worked throughout the cross-country trip -- 8-10 hours a day for four days. It did have a little trouble keeping up in Nevada, but it seems understandable when the outside temperature is over 105 degrees.
There have been a few little issues, but they haven't been enough of a problem to mention to the dealer yet. Here's the list of every problem we've had with the car since delivery:
- Climate control knob won't turn all the way to Defrost, altough the defroster comes on just fine;
- The center console trim piece (below the radio, above the shifter) won't seat properly on the right side, leaving a small visible gap;
- The black interior trim piece backing the left-hand mirror came loose, but snapped back into place with a good shove;
- The driver's seat fabric came loose under the front edge of the seat, but snapped back into place with a little effort;
- There's an occasional 'clunk' coming from the steering column when parking.
That's it, folks. The clunk started a few weeks ago, and I will inform the dealer when I drop it off for service. I'll also have the climate control knob looked at. The remaining problems seem to be related to the early build date; the factory workers were probably getting used to putting the interior together.
In the meantime, it's quick, it's economical, it's comfortable, and continues to be a great car -- enough so that we're looking at buying another Nissan as our second car.
Thanks in advance.
My last car (95 Sentra GLE) was black, and so I did not want to get the same color again for variety's sake. Also, it is perhaps the most difficult color to keep up with, because it so easily shows dirt, dust, and scratches/swirls. However, when it's cleaned and polished it looks awesome. I'd recommend a weekly wash and adherence to a consistent wax routine, and I think you'll find you made the right choice. Let us know how the negotiations go, and good luck!
I did quite a bit of research, comparison and test drove Honda civic Ex 2001, Toyota Corolla LE 2001, Mazda Protege ES 2000 and Nissan Sentra GXE 2001. I really liked Nissan GXE 2001. What do you all think? Did I make the right decision? I am getting both the convenience and luxury package and I am paying $14,720. I am paying too much? After reading some postings here I am a little worried about the air conditioning problems and some noise problems above 65mph. Do I need to go for the SE model? Do the above problems exists in the SE model as well? If I should choose the SE model, how much more should I pay on top of $14,720? I also have another question regarding exterior color. I am going for Granite. Does this look good?
Thanks in advance for your comments/suggestions.
As far as GXE or SE goes, the GXE 5 sp. would probably have plenty of power. We live in Denver which the altitude really affects the perfomance of cars, so we opted for the SE. If you have an extra $1500 you can spare I would recommend the SE. We are getting our SE automatic with sunroof, and performance package which includes a spoiler(very sweet), sport tuned suspension, and all the other options included in a GXE Luxury and comfort and convenience package. Our price which includes the Ad fee and the Dealer prep fee is 16,695. The invoice is 16,045 plus $300 ad fee, plus 275 dealer prep(in colorado a dealer has to charge everyone that fee). Your price on the GXE sounds good. If you are OK with the pickup and power on a GXE then get it, if you can afford an SE and would like a little more sporty look I definetely think it is worth the price difference. Dont settle for less than at least $1000 off of MSRP.
In regards to color, the Granite looks awesome in the brochure, but I have not been impressed with its look on the lot. I think the Radium would look better if you are inclined towards the gray/ silver colors, otherwise I think the black and white one look the best. Obviously that is a personal preference. Anyway good luck. You are definitely on the right trak.
I found the “base” SE at the dealer I had leased the Maxima from (Endicott in Pompano Beach - not affiliated with Autonation, thank God). Other than missing the ABS, I think I got a way better deal (in fact,the 1 or 2 SE’s with the perf. Pkg that I’ve recently seen on the street looked kind of gaudy in the surrounding traffic). Anyway, I can always upgrade the wheels or stereo, but in the meantime I got a helluva car at a great price. It’s as much fun to drive as my old Maxima (at ½ the price), reasonably quiet and luxurious, and I haven’t noticed a buzzing problem, but then I don’t use the gear shift as a handrest, either. The A/C is fine for S. Florida in the summer, the ride is not too stiff considering the handling, and the brakes are excellent. The back seat doesn’t have a ton of room, nor the trunk, but my 6' frame fits perfectly in the bolstered seat, and there is plenty of leg and head room. And the gas mileage is great.
Moral of the story: unless you’re going for broke, look into the SE w/o all the add-ons. The dealers seem to be gouging folks for the doo-dads that really are unnecessary on a car this good. But if you go to a dealer, something tells me you’ll see more loaded SE’s than not.
However, there's no denying that even a base XE is a good car.....
-quark
(2000 SE 5-speed w/perf package and sunroof)
Thanks for the input on the color, we decided to go with the Black One. Why did you decide never to own a white one? Also I am wavering on the performance package with the stiffer suspension. Does it make the ride to rough over bumps? Anyone's input would be great. I definitely like the SE suspension over the GXE, as you get less body lean in turns, but I don't wont to jar my bones every time I hit a bump in the pavement.
Biff4bd,
I noticed after my post about price you mentioned how you couldn't believe how much people were paying for their Sentra's. I think I got a very good price. Considering the invoice(not Sticker0 for the options I added over yours are ($606 for the Perf Pack, $730 for the Auto, and 519 for the Sunroof) You add the 1855 for those options to your price of 14,900 and you end up with 16,755 which is $60 more than I paid. We both got great deals, but the Invoice on you SE 5 sp no options is $13624 plus 520 delivery gives you an invoice of 14124, so thier invoice probably included an ad fee and a dealer prep fee if you got it for 14900 and that was 200 over invoice. If you were simply referring to the price others mentioned earlier than please disregard this, and I hope it gives helpful input to others.
I think it is very misleading that Nissan advertises a rear bar for Maxima & Sentra. They DO NOT have one and badly need one.
I purchased a rear bar from Stillen for both cars. They take about 2 hours to install. The difference is apparent as soon as you pull out of the garage and turn into the street! The back end feels much more tied down and considerably more stable. Both cars benefit greatly but I think the effect is more pronounced on the Sentra.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Thanks again,
-quark
The bar connects to the rear axle control arms with two brackets on each arm... a total of 8 bolts to tighten. It actually took longer to unpackage the bar, jack up the car, and remove the wheels, than it did to bolt up the bar. All in all an easy install and money very well spent. It make a noticeable difference in handling. Really calms down the rear end.
Was told that the Nissans don't have the adjustment for Camber (I think). so they cheated. Inserted a metal thing into the control arm to force it to turn moreleft. Works wonderfully. Still pulls slightly, but not as much. Was also told, NissanUSA doesn't endorse what he did, but the mech said he worked at a body shop before and he'll do what it takes because it works..the other 2 guys were amazed because they didn't know about it.
Thanks again,
-quark
I've used my defroster many times, and inspected it last night for discoloration, but found none.
I ended up with the Sentra GXE and am quite happy with it. I have heard that the factories are just as good in Mexico as they would be elsewhere. But I don't have any proof of it. I guess we'll see with so many cars being built down there now.
$15100 that includes tax, lic and doc fee. Not bad. I negotiated everything over the phone.
Has any one notice any problems with the air conditioning mode. When I put in bi level a funny sound (rattling sound) comes from the duct. I have finally gotten it take care. they have to replace the eehater core, and now I smell anti-freeze. Is this normal? Now I have some rstting sounds in the dash, since they has to take the whole dash apart to repair the the air conditioning. it took a month before they finally got the part in, but it is fixed. At the sametime my horn went out. That was replaced. Still having little problems, just concerns if the car is a lemon.
1. Canadian Sentra SE Automatic (2001) is claimed to get 29/39 city/highway (Nissan Canada) as compared to our 24/30 - what's up with that?
2. Variable timing available only on 1.8 engines, not on the 2.0 - huh? Variable timing 2.0 available all over the rest of the world, at 187 HP - why not in US? (BTW, the New Zeland 200sx is one evil car.)
3. Canadian models get day time running lights - don't care, but still - hey now! Are we second rate?
4. Nissan Canada claims metal chain timing belts come on both 1.8 and 2.0. USA Nissan touts feature only on 1.8 - did we get gypped again?
5. 1.8 is distributorless - not so w/ 2.0 - it also achieves peak torque at lower, more drag happy RPM - why not remodify the 2.0 to do the same?
Still like the SE - fun little sucker, but hey, why is America last on the list?
I would take it back at the soonest available time!!!
As for a lemon. you should have been given a booklet that shows the lemon laws in your state. Here in FL, if the car has been brought in 3 times for the same problem, or been out of service for more than 30days due to a repair in the 1st yr, its considered a lemon.
If you didn't get the booklet, go to the dealer and ask for one...