I hate the 97 Sentra

[MrCodeDude]

I'm going to have a car at college this year, I thought I would be keeping the car I've driven at home for three years (a 93 Accord) but my dad decided to go out and buy a 1997 Nissan Sentra. I've driven the Sentra a handful of times and I absolutely hate it and I'd much rather drive the Accord.

First and foremost, the Sentra has horrible accelleration. Getting onto the freeway makes me feel like an old person. It has a horrible time getting up to 60 and then once it gets to 60, it seems to have more trouble going any faster (I'm not a speed demon, but I like to drive 65-70 on the highway).

The seat is either not broken in or horribly uncomfortable.

The steering wheel is pretty stubborn, but my mom's Maxima is the same way, so it might be a Nissan thing. One reason I don't like driving my mom's Maxima is the pedal placement, I'm not sure if it's me or Nissan, but I think the accellerator is too far separated from the break.

No ABS.

There is no passenger room in the back. My Accord could comfortably fit 4 people, there is no legroom in the Sentra in the back. And I think the rear doors on the Sentra are funky, they don't seem to open fully.

Some of the more cosmetic stuff, the 97 Sentra's are pretty ugly. My Sentra is white. I've never been a fan of white cars and this car certainly doesn't pull it off. I don't like the dashboard and the clock is part of the radio and is hard to see in the daylight. The rear-view mirror is pretty low on the windshield so it actually blocks part of my vision (it's glued on, so I can probably remove it and glue it higher). It lacks a few things I like about my Accord (armrest, moon-roof, etc.)

The thing is, I don't think I should have my dad keep this car. I can't find one thing I like about it and I don't forsee myself liking it in the near future. My dad keeps telling me that the Sentra is more reliable (Accord has 160k, Sentra has 60k), but I've had no problems with the Accord and it appears to be all speculation my dad's part (apparently the AC compressor is busted though, but my dad didn't decide to tell me until yesterday--I drive with the windows open). Should I have him return/resell it?

And before anyone replies about how I should be lucky I'm getting a car for free, I didn't ask for anything. I have never once complained about driving the Accord and have never asked for a newer car. I will not be proposing my dad to return the Sentra and getting a different one, I am perfectly happy with my Accord.

 

[psteng19]

My '96 has been perfectly reliable with 165k on the odo.

It's an A -> B commuter car and has not needed any major repairs since I got it with 120k.
Do you have the auto or 5 speed? The auto is pretty slow, but I find the 5 speed to be adequate.
45 mpg pure highway is definitely a plus :thumbsup:

If the '97 is unchaged, expect some of the interior bits to start falling apart.
I picked it up for $1500, I'm not complaining.

Text

 

[MrCodeDude]

Originally posted by: psteng19
My '96 has been perfectly reliable with 165k on the odo.

It's an A -> B commuter car and has not needed any major repairs since I got it with 120k.
Do you have the auto or 5 speed? The auto is pretty slow, but I find the 5 speed to be adequate.
45 mpg pure highway is definitely a plus :thumbsup:

If the '97 is unchaged, expect some of the interior bits to start falling apart.
I picked it up for $1500, I'm not complaining.

Text

Your Sentra looks a lot nicer than the Sentra my dad came home with. I think we paid $3900 for it. I would much rather use that $3900 and put it towards a nicer car for when I get out of college.

Yes, it is an automatic.

 

[VirginiaDonkey]

why can't you just be thankful your dad bought you a car, you ungrateful little sh!t?

 

[mb]

Originally posted by: VirginiaDonkey
why can't you just be thankful your dad bought you a car, you ungrateful little sh!t?

I hope you're joking.

 

[thomsbrain]

Originally posted by: VirginiaDonkey
why can't you just be thankful your dad bought you a car, you ungrateful little sh!t?

if he prefers to drive an older car that is probably worth less (or at most, about the same), how is that ungrateful? and you can't fault him for wanting to drive the superior car he already has.

i think the only question is if he is going to be driving a lot. if that's the case, he may want to take the lower-mileage car while its being offered. if not, he should try to keep the accord.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain

Originally posted by: VirginiaDonkey
why can't you just be thankful your dad bought you a car, you ungrateful little sh!t?

if he prefers to drive an older car that is probably worth less (or at most, about the same), how is that ungrateful? and you can't fault him for wanting to drive the superior car he already has.

i think the only question is if he is going to be driving a lot. if that's the case, he may want to take the lower-mileage car while its being offered. if not, he should try to keep the accord.

The Accord should be perfectly reliable for the next few years.

ZV

 

[psteng19]

Originally posted by: MrCodeDude

Originally posted by: psteng19
My '96 has been perfectly reliable with 165k on the odo.

It's an A -> B commuter car and has not needed any major repairs since I got it with 120k.
Do you have the auto or 5 speed? The auto is pretty slow, but I find the 5 speed to be adequate.
45 mpg pure highway is definitely a plus :thumbsup:

If the '97 is unchaged, expect some of the interior bits to start falling apart.
I picked it up for $1500, I'm not complaining.

Text

Your Sentra looks a lot nicer than the Sentra my dad came home with. I think we paid $3900 for it. I would much rather use that $3900 and put it towards a nicer car for when I get out of college.

Yes, it is an automatic.

Ughhh... the auto is a dog. I had a '95 and gave it to my sister.
The manual is like night and day when it comes to pickup.

Yeah, appearance mods help out the car a lot.
Mine has:
1.5" drop courtesy Eibach Pro-Kit springs KYB AGX struts
20% tint
clear corners
OEM look spoiler
15" rims w/low profile tires (stocks are 13" or 14" w/really skinny tires)
'98 honey comb grill
window vents
bra (top piece only)
red turn signals on rear (opposed to amber)
fog lamps

Performance mod? K&N Air filter, lol.

 

[Shaotai]

too bad it wasn't a 98 SE, with a SR20DE... You're stuck with a GA16DE which doesn't have much giddy up...
But there are a lot of mods you could do, like intake, headers, exhaust...

I used to have a 98SE, it was nice...

 

[MrCodeDude]

Originally posted by: Shaotai
too bad it wasn't a 98 SE, with a SR20DE... You're stuck with a GA16DE which doesn't have much giddy up...
But there are a lot of mods you could do, like intake, headers, exhaust...

I used to have a 98SE, it was nice...

I'm not a big car guy, I'm not really interested in putting money into a car I don't like to begin with. It's not so much the aesthetics of it either, I could live with an ugly car if I liked how it drove and such; but I don't.

Earlier this summer I was looking at purchasing a 6th generation Celica (I've always liked the Celica for some reason), but I was talked out of it by my dad because he told me buying even the latest 6th gen (1999) would be almost 8 years old and I should just wait until I'm out of college and get a lease return of something newer. Then he goes out and buys a 97 Sentra.

 

[cherrytwist]

You're lucky you have a car to drive at all.

 

[MrCodeDude]

Originally posted by: cherrytwist
You're lucky you have a car to drive at all.

That's not the point, I have a perfectly fine car in the 93 Accord.

 

[AaronB]

Who does the Accord belong to?

 

[MrCodeDude]

Originally posted by: AaronB
Who does the Accord belong to?

My parents own all of the cars.

 

[AaronB]

Did they give a reason for buying the Sentra? Maybe I missed something in this thread.

Edt: I see, it's a reliability issue.

 

[udonoogen]

60k is decent mileage for a 97. shouldnt have any problem offloading it. white isnt such a bad color, my car is white and i like it because i dont have to wash it as much

 

[MrCodeDude]

Originally posted by: AaronB
Did they give a reason for buying the Sentra? Maybe I missed something in this thread.

Edt: I see, it's a reliability issue.

I go to college three hours away from home, my mom has always told me the car is going to break down and/or die on me. I'm not a big car person, I can do minimal stuff, but I could never diagnose a problem or such. I also wouldn't know if a mechanic were screwing me over or not. All that said and done, I've driven this car for a good part of three years and the only problem I've had with it was sometimes when I start it up, it'll turn over and then instantly die. (I've been told that the engine floods itself) I then have to wait a couple minutes before it'll turn on. It's a small inconvenience, but it rarely happens.

 

[soccerballtux]

Just so you have some perspective, my thought was "you have a car to drive." You said you didn't want to here this, but here you are complaining that you might not get a car you like/might not get the non-newer but better car...so, heh...beggers can't be choosers.

Now aside from that, I don't like sentra's either. Pretty ugly looking.
When you're paying for the gas, you may appreciate the lower powered engine (low acceleration). Although I can't imagine the sentra gets substantially better mileage or anything. Also, most of the cities I've been in...most of the time savings you gain is from sustained speed....not accellerating fast. If you just acellerated then chances are sooner rather than later you're going to be decellerating. So go for the fuel savings.

Hondas are better cars, too IMO.

Worst comes to worst you have to drive the sentra...just realize that it'll help build some character.

 

[MrCodeDude]

Originally posted by: udonoogen
60k is decent mileage for a 97. shouldnt have any problem offloading it. white isnt such a bad color, my car is white and i like it because i dont have to wash it as much

Some cars look good in white, the Sentra does not. The Sentra doesn't look good in any color, but it looks horrid in white. I picked up my friend today (in my Accord) and I showed him the Sentra and he agreed that it is very ugly.

 

[DurocShark]

Originally posted by: psteng19

Originally posted by: MrCodeDude

Originally posted by: psteng19
My '96 has been perfectly reliable with 165k on the odo.

It's an A -> B commuter car and has not needed any major repairs since I got it with 120k.
Do you have the auto or 5 speed? The auto is pretty slow, but I find the 5 speed to be adequate.
45 mpg pure highway is definitely a plus :thumbsup:

If the '97 is unchaged, expect some of the interior bits to start falling apart.
I picked it up for $1500, I'm not complaining.

Text

Your Sentra looks a lot nicer than the Sentra my dad came home with. I think we paid $3900 for it. I would much rather use that $3900 and put it towards a nicer car for when I get out of college.

Yes, it is an automatic.

Ughhh... the auto is a dog. I had a '95 and gave it to my sister.
The manual is like night and day when it comes to pickup.

Yeah, appearance mods help out the car a lot.
Mine has:
1.5" drop courtesy Eibach Pro-Kit springs KYB AGX struts
20% tint
clear corners
OEM look spoiler
15" rims w/low profile tires (stocks are 13" or 14" w/really skinny tires)
'98 honey comb grill
window vents
bra (top piece only)
red turn signals on rear (opposed to amber)
fog lamps

Performance mod? K&N Air filter, lol.

Ricer.




(You *had* to know that was coming...)

 

[jagec]

If you prefer the accord, drive the accord. It should be perfectly fine for the next few years. Finding a tactful way to tell your dad without stepping on anyone's toes, now...that might be a little trickier.

 

[MrCodeDude]

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
Although I can't imagine the sentra gets substantially better mileage or anything. Also, most of the cities I've been in...most of the time savings you gain is from sustained speed....not accellerating fast.

I drove 200 miles roundtrip in my Accord on ~6 gallons of gas this summer. That's about 34mpg, granted it's all highway, but the majority of my driving in college will be driving back home.

I think the Sentra has something like 37mpg highway. But every 5mph you go over 60, you're not getting prime fuel efficiency, so they count it as each 5mph increase as $.20 more per gallon.

And I'm not a stop and go driver, I don't accellerate on city streets or anything. But when you're merging onto the freeway, it's a little nice not to have to gun it to reach 60.

 

[MrCodeDude]

Originally posted by: jagec
If you prefer the accord, drive the accord. It should be perfectly fine for the next few years. Finding a tactful way to tell your dad without stepping on anyone's toes, now...that might be a little trickier.

That's pretty much what I've concluded. He already knows I don't like it; I told him after the first time driving it.

I thought some of the negative aspects of the car could have been because of me being accustomed to my Accord, but multiple posters have told me that the (automatic) Sentra is slow.

 

[udonoogen]

Originally posted by: MrCodeDude

Originally posted by: udonoogen
60k is decent mileage for a 97. shouldnt have any problem offloading it. white isnt such a bad color, my car is white and i like it because i dont have to wash it as much

Some cars look good in white, the Sentra does not. The Sentra doesn't look good in any color, but it looks horrid in white. I picked up my friend today (in my Accord) and I showed him the Sentra and he agreed that it is very ugly.

ok i just looked up more pictures of the nissan sentra and i realized hate that model. its still a japanese car with low mileage, though, so you should be able to sell it for at least what your dad got it for. unfortunately since your dad probably paid tax, you may need to sell it for a little more to break even.

 

[m2kewl]

'93 Accord FTW! i had a '91 accord ex way back and the 2nd gen honda's were great cars. it had the boxy honda look and typical honda big instrument gauges.

my roommate still has his '90 accord lx w/over 190k, still running like a champ! take the accord over the sentra!