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Comments
I hate to see the SE disappear as it was quite anonymous w/o spoiler and did not advertise its speed capability.
What kind of dog? A Greyhound or something slower such as a Basset?
The Sentra SE 0-60 MPH is 8.3 seconds and this equals the 2001 1.8T VW Jetta 0-60 MPH of 8.3 seconds. It stops nearly as well as Jetta also. Sentra 60-0 MPH in 130 ft. (w/o) ABS compared to Jetta 60-0 MPH in 127 ft.. The Sentra SE is only 2 seconds slower than Ford Mustang with 260 HP and 5spd which does 0-60 MPH in 6.4 seconds.
Hmmm...IMHO the SE is pretty fast.
The Jetta never came into my statements about the Sentra and I find it queer that you would pull a random car into the discussion.
As for the October thing, I was only working off the published Nissan reports.
The Jetta was relevant as IMHO it was nearly identical for the quoted performance figures. It also is a small sedan like the Sentra although it costs thousands more. It also should be relevant to you as it is your current vehicle.
Your comments are entertaining but are also very ambiguous. What specs. are required to be met by the Sentra to not be a dog?
SE-R model is more a "mainstream" car, instead of a special edition sporty model. But, at least the Spec-V will fill the bill!
There is no data on earth that can prove or disprove my very clearly state opinion. To someone who drives a 911 Turbo daily, a Mustang would feel like a dog. To someone weaned on the M3, a regular 3 series can be a bloated hog of a vehicle. For what I desire from a vehicle, the Sentra feels nearly dead.
"roadholding in g's would be a better indication of handling than sloppy."
This isn't really true. In roadholding the IS300 is listed as one exceptional car. Have you driven one? It felt soft, pliant and not very well ground to me. Why would the numbers matter? Shouldn't the final word be based on what FEELS right to the driver. You ever read those magazine articles comparing 3 or 4 cars? Sometime the one with the best numbers still loses...why? Because to the drivers the numerical winner doesn't always feel like the best car.
"What is acceptable in your opinion?"
Handling like a Porsche, BMW M3, last gen RX-7, 300ZX TT, Miata, etc. Yes, the Sentra is 15k all loaded up. Great. In the scheme of world cars it ranks about a 70% of what I think a car should be, regardless of price. There is the ultimate...and by that measuring stick all other cars are compared.
"[The Jetta] also should be relevant to you as it is your current vehicle."
We were discussing the Sentra. My current accursed vehicle is not the topic. What I drive really has no bearing on how I view the Sentra. Even if I didn't own my 1.8T (which hopefully I won't quite soon), my views of the Sentra would not change.
"What specs. are required to be met by the Sentra to not be a dog? "
Do you realize how subjective those "stats" are? MT pulled a Sentra SE to 60 in 7.7. While Edmunds did it in 8.6 seconds. I've seen people post that the Jetta hits 60 in 7.3 and others say 8.5. Who is right? Who is wrong?
If the Spec-V pulls strongly with the new engine (something the underpowered current SE's 2.0 doesn't do) and if the car transmits road feel, doesn't break loose easily on corners and stays level while cornering hard, then it would move up to the level of acceptable from my point of view. Actual hard numbers? Nope. My experience with cars shows numbers are a misleading way to really gauge the "feel" of a vehicle.
For its class the Sentra is pretty much tops. But on the whole, for my needs, it can't provide the grins I desire when behind the wheel.
Here's to hoping the Spec-V is fun though!
So the question: Why are you hanging around the Sentra topic? I'm not trying to flame you, I'm just curious. You're obviously a performance car fan (as am I, but I have to settle for what I can afford), and I'm not sure why you'd even be interested in following the Sentra discussion if you don't own one. (I wouldn't be here if I didn't have one.) It doesn't seem like this topic would be interesting to you. Again, no offense intended...just wondering.
And if the Spec-V offers the performance I seek for the right price, I will quite possibly trade my Jetta for one. Tonight I'm testing a Jag X-type.
Believe me, I'm wrestling with the "trade the SE for a Spec-V" question myself. I just wish it didn't look so boy-racerish...I'd take the Jetta's styling over it any day. But performance can be persuasive...
The Sentra is a dog if you're stepping down from a Maxima, but it's plenty fast in its class. And why are you testing a Jag X-type if you're in the market for a Sentra SER? Test driving faster cars like the X-type and the IS300 are messing with your perception of the car you can actually afford.
If you consider yourself a Sentra Fan, you wouldn't be slamming it so hard here. And don't hold your breath for the SE-R. It has the same suspension components as the SE (like the front strut and rear beam axle), so if you're concerned about whether the "car transmits road feel, doesn't break loose easily on corners and stays level while cornering hard" it's going to behave similarly to the SE. It'll corner better, but it's not going to go upto "Handling like a Porsche, BMW M3, last gen RX-7, 300ZX TT, Miata." Those are not fair comparisons to the Sentra SE. Those are ridiculous comparisons. Maybe you can get a really used Porsche or M3 for the price of a Sentra. Although the beam axle is old technology and Nissan really should bite the bullet and put together an independent rear suspension for both the Sentra and Maxima, it still allows for among the best handling in its economy class. The next best handling car in its price range is probably the Mazda Protege. Anyway, I've said more than enough here.
I test drove the X-Type yesterday because it's among the cars I'm considering. I see a difference between the payments for say an X-Type style vehicle and a Sentra SE-R Spec V and that would be taken into account when I decide which car to go with - but my budget is not limited to the Sentra as much as what I'm willing to fork over for a toy. As a sidenote the X-type's suspension feels divine, 5 speed moved smartly, the interior felt wonderful and the throttle-by-wire is sensational...too bad I am unable to physically open the hood (thus the car is off my list).
You compare cars by class. That's fair. In its class the Sentra SE is pretty darn good - tops really. The Spec-V from published reports looks to really up the ante. I wish Nissan would shorehorn that 2.5 into the G20 - give us great handling, speed and style for once. I look forward to trying on the Spec V though. When making a price to performance comparison, I may very well go for the Sentra over say Infiniti's upcoming G35. I don't know until I try. But understand that there is, for me, one holy grail of cars and by that measure, for me, all other cars are compared. You may whine it's ridiculous or unfair or unrealistic. Great.
You remind me of the personality types that say "For an action movie it's good" or "For a girl with one leg and a love of Ben & Jerry's she's cute." I don't like to qualify my assessments of cars. The current Sentra SE falls short of what I personally think a car should be. Deal with it. I didn't blast any owner of a Sentra or belittle anyone else for liking the Sentra's performance.
Since you can get almost the same power in a mundane car like a Hyundai Elantra (140HP 2.0L), it becomes harder to justify the SE's 145HP as being anything other than decent.
Mdriver -- I compared the features of the Sentra to other cars before buying and found that, in fact, it has plenty of thoughtful features. Like the battery protection feature that kicks in if you accidentally leave the lights on, or the innovative center-dash compartment (I use mine every day), or the rear drink holder for passengers in the back, or the in-cabin micro-filter, etc. It may not have door stops, but that doesn't mean it lacks substance, not by a long shot.
Now, to the point of this post. I've only had one quality issue with my Sentra, an annoying "snap, crackle, pop" that comes from the passenger side dash. Well, I finally decided to take it to the dealer, not really believing they could fix it, but willing to give it a try. Imagine my surprise when they called and said the problem was fixed! From the service report --
"Cause: Dash rubbing on A-pillar. Removed glove box and found dash came loose. Re-secured dash. Test drove and verified noise was gone."
Man, I'm loving this car all over again! Also, I recently painted my brake calipers. If you want to see a pic, check it out here:
http://sentrafan.freeservers.com/images/sentra.jpg
Your painted brake calipers look pretty cool. They go well with the white SE.
Finally, thanks for the tip on the dash noise solution. Mine has some intermittent, annoying noises around the glove box/dash area, so maybe the dealer can do something about it.
Hope the tip on the dash noise helps. That's why I posted it -- I know others have heard similar sounds, and like me have been reluctant to go to the dealer. But in this case it worked out great.
I didnt go and check them out cause im doing a 10 page paper this weekend, but I thought you guys would like to know
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
And Nissan wonders why it's market share won't grow?
would it be mexico or japan?
Let me know if that does not work for you, or if you still can't find it that way.
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
http://www.edmunds.com/new/2002/nissan/#sentra
or is there another?
Look on the left side of this page. You will see a blue stripe that starts at the top (you may have to scroll all the way up to see it) and comes down a ways. Towards the bottom of that blue stripe is a white box titled "Additional Resources". In that Additional Resources box is a link to the recent article. You can click on that link, and the article should pop up in a separate window.
These Additional Resources boxes are a relatively new feature that allows us (your hosts) to include links that may be of interest over a period of time, rather than just putting them in one post which won't be seen again several months later.
Shoot me an email if you are still having trouble finding it, and we'll work it out.
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
When I asked him why it was marked up in the first place, he said "Well, we got this $7000 trade-in thing so we got to make our money somehow." I am not lying when I say this, I was astounded.
I then asked him about the SE-R and he quoted me BASE prices of 19,000 and 22,000. When I ssid that those pices were 4-5 thousand over what people were expecting, he simply repied "Well, that's what we're going to sell them for." He expected the SE-R's to arrive in mid-October.
This may be one dealer here in Baltimore, but it still makes me mad.
Joelb, how are you able to get $1000-2000 below INVOICE on a 2002? That's a really good deal. Are you sure you don't mean $1000-2000 below sticker price?