92 Nissan Sentra SE-R

Any car with that kind of mileage is a gamble. When I hear "female owned" I consider it a negative rather than a positive due to poor maintenance. I know, it's a stereotype either way.

It all depends on what maintenance has been done. Are there maintenance records available? I've got a 1987 Sentra with 328,000 miles that is driven daily and runs great. I bought it with 101,000 miles. But the oil has been changed religiously every 2000 miles. The cooling and power steering system has been flushed routinely etc. etc. If it's automatic transmission has it been flushed - and I mean flushed, not just drain and refill - every few years. If it's a manual, when was the clutch replaced? When were things like the axle shafts replaced? Ditto for the alternator, water pump and struts. If all these parts are relatively new AND if the fluid maintenance has been excellent, then it may be a winner. Otherwise, expect a lot of weekends spent in the garage. Good luck. Al

Al, she did mention she kept up the regular maintenance. The clutch has been replaced twice and she said she got regular oil changes. I plan a test drive today where I will be able to check the condition of the oil, clutch, CV joints, etc. She is asking $1500 which is reasonable, especially here in Florida where cars with working A/C command a pretty good price.

Thanks for reply>> William Michael Greene wrote:

Let's see, a 15 year old Nissan with over 200K miles and you want to know if it could be trouble?

For sure it has pretty much returned it's original value to the owners. I wouldn't pay anymore than $1,000.00 if it looks and drives well and there is some evidence that it has been maintained properly and that it has never been crash repaired.

IMO, the fact that it has been female driven is not a plus.

Butch, first it is an SE-R, not just the run of the mill Sentra. I too feel most females will not service a car as well as men do but the point I am making about it being female driven is that most SE-R's are modified. This on is still original. 200K is a lot of miles but I am willing to rebuild the engine if necessary. Kelly Blue Book and Intellichoice both access the value of the car between $1400 - $1800 and that is with the 200K mileage deduction. I am mechanically able and can change out a starter, a/c compressor, alternator, brakes, fuel filter, oil, filter, rack and pinion assemblies, shocks, struts, etc. I was more worried if there were problem areas with the car that others have had and were willing to share. I realize that at 200K there will be maintenance items to take care of and I am willing to accept that. I was more worried about something like for say, rust prone areas, electrical gremlins, that sort of thing.

Thanks for the response tough.

I have a '92 Nissan NX2000...basically the same car, same engine, with a fastback body. I now have 240,000km's and have owned it from new. I have had great service out of it, and suddenly one day 2 years ago it had no power and developed a rattle upon more than 1/2 way acceleration. I was told the "bottom end" had gone, and it wasn't through abuse or lack of maintenance. My mechanic said it'd be worth it to get a near-new engine as all components would be fairly worn anyway and my plan was to keep the vehicle.

So, I had my mechanic put in an engine imported from Japan...only 60,000km on it and very healthy...even better than new.

Here's the complete history: I bought it new in '93 (on the lot for a year because it had an Auto trans. no T tops, no air conditioning) and just before the warranty expired, I had the transmission rebuilt free from Nissan. Then, fast forward to many years later (4 years ago) and the transmission went again ($2k Canadian). Then 2 years ago the bottom end problem and a new-used engine.(a bit over $2K) I had a coolant hose burst last year, but that was kind of expected. Also, the back shocks needed replacing...again because they were originals I wasn't surprised.

I love the willing nature of the engine to rev to redline and the "non-Japanese" nature of it to have low end torque. But, at this mileage, expect to invest some cash if the owner hasn't already.

Thanks for the post. It sounds like I can only expect another 50k or so before I can expect to have engine problems. Even if it was taken care of. This is the kind of information I needed to make a decision.

Thanks again.

Mike G.

William,

Sounds like your mind was made up before you asked the question on usenet. Good luck and enjoy the car. Pardon my ignorance, but just what is so special about an SE-R as compared to a "run of the mill" Sentra?

That car is still an old high mileage car.

SE-R is "Racing" per the "R" I think.... Or as someone else once said, "The difference is zoom, zoom, zoom." :)

SE-R probably has more HP/Torque and a better suspension and/or wheel/tire set-up stock.

Joe in Northern, NJ - V#8013-R

Currently Riding The "Mother Ship"

the se-r has a 2.0liter 140hp motor the std sentra has a 1.6 liter 116hp motor (I think)

the se-r was popular as a track racer (among other things...)

there are a number of other differences to go with it.

Wow!! Pretty underwhelming.

Actually, the 1991 thorugh 94 Sentra SER, better known as the B13, is probably the most famous SER in Nissan's line. Before emissions rules took a toll on the SR20DE motor, in that Sentra, it was a pocket rocket. Don't let the numbers fool you. It was a very fun car. Peruse these links and you'll get an idea;

CD

Actually, I was wrong about the mileage...

The car now has 285,500 kilometers...haven't driven it for a week. I replaced the engine at 260,000. I still say I'd do it all again - I love the economy (28mpg easily if I can keep my foot off the accelerator!) and great handling, and with the NX the good looks. New ones to replace it (like the Acura (Honda for those in Europe) RSX) are $30,000 + with all the goodies I have on it.

If it has a good history, I'd say go for it. If you don't know what you're getting with an old car, then as they say - "buyer beware".

John

Butch, I would have to say your input to this newsgroup adds no value. But, I am sure if you peruse newsgroups a lot, you have already heard that before.

Good luck in life.