Reliability, dependability.
Fuel economy (I still get 42mpg)

Not very roomy and passenger seat not very comfortable on long trips.

Right away I knew that the "E" stood for "Essentials" (lol), because this car had absolutely no bells or whistles on it - not even a radio. It's the 4-door, 4-cyl 1.8 liter, 5-speed manual transmission model; and, all in all this car was (and still is) an absolutely
"super reliable" vehicle! I bought it with 182,000 kms three years ago (it was supposed to be my 1-year winter beater) and it now has 305,000 kms. I've replaced only the normal wear and tear and other common items: tires, brakes, muffler, shocks, alternator and starter. I've always changed the oil & filter every 5000 kms or so and it still runs like a top. It doesn't burn any oil, and this morning in the -25 C temperatures it didn't even hesitate to go. My only regret is that I didn't undercoat it to prevent the east coast road salt from eating it up, because I'm certain that mechanically speaking it could reach the 500,000 km mark. I look at the big picture like this:
$1900 + $1100 (maintenance)= $3000 and $3000/36 mos = $84/month . . . way cheaper than any car payment. This car owes me absolutely nothing!!

Similar Products Used:

Honda Civic
Toyota Tercel Wagon

Comfortable front seats; reasonably quiet ride after tire upgrade. Excellent body integrity. No loose parts or problems with electronics.

Rear of the car is no place for an adult, unless a midget. I take back the no-problem report. The seatbelt light sometimes flashes when the seatbelt is fastened. Very unpredictable.

I purchased this car with 35,000 miles on it while it was still under warantee. It was in immaculate condition. After four years and 75,000 additional miles the vehicle has been flawless--no maintenance besides oil change, air filter, radiator flush, and a new set of tires. Nothing has gone wrong. No brake or muffler service. It could not be a more dependable car. Standard transmission.

Similar Products Used:

Chevy Prism
Pontiac Vibe

165HP/175TQ engine - 0 to 60MPH in about 7 sec (Auto Transmission). Good brakes. OK handling(SE-R and SE-R spec V should be better), Good mileage - 26-27MPG (70% highway 30% city), Very cheap for so many options

cheap interior, door panels rattle (had to put some dyno pad to eliminate the rattle).

This was my first car and I was mainly looking for a cheap car with many options. I looked at Hyundai Elantra GT and I was about to buy that car before I looked at Sentra 2.5LE and found out that it was actually cheaper than Elantra! Sentra 2.5LE's MSRP was about $17,500 but there was a $1500 rebate and the dealership I bought was selling it for $14,100.

Basically all the options are included except the sunroof. Alloy wheels, Alarm, fold down seats, power windows/doors, ABS, 4 disc brakes, Upgraded sound system, side air bags, etc.

My car is now 3 1/2 yrs old with 37k miles and never had a problem. I do the maintenance myself and never had to bring my car to a dealership except for 3 recalls.

Similar Products Used:

none- my first car but I drove my friends' civics, corollas, focus and elantras.

165HP/175TQ engine - 0 to 60MPH in about 7 sec (Auto Transmission). Good brakes. OK handling(SE-R and SE-R spec V should be better), Good mileage - 26-27MPG (70% highway 30% city), Very cheap for so many options

cheap interior, door panels rattle (had to put some dyno pad to eliminate the rattle).

This was my first car and I was mainly looking for a cheap car with many options. I looked at Hyundai Elantra GT and I was about to buy that car before I looked at Sentra 2.5LE and found out that it was actually cheaper than Elantra! Sentra 2.5LE's MSRP was about $17,500 but there was a $1500 rebate and the dealership I bought was selling it for $14,100.

Basically all the options are included except the sunroof. Alloy wheels, Alarm, fold down seats, power windows/doors, ABS, 4 disc brakes, Upgraded sound system, side air bags, etc.

My car is now 3 1/2 yrs old with 37k miles and never had a problem. I do the maintenance myself and never had to bring my car to a dealership except for 3 recalls.

Similar Products Used:

none- my first car but I drove my friends' civics, corollas, focus and elantras.

165HP/175TQ engine - 0 to 60MPH in about 7 sec (Auto Transmission). Good brakes. OK handling(SE-R and SE-R spec V should be better), Good mileage - 26-27MPG (70% highway 30% city), Very cheap for so many options

cheap interior, door panels rattle (had to put some dyno pad to eliminate the rattle).

This was my first car and I was mainly looking for a cheap car with many options. I looked at Hyundai Elantra GT and I was about to buy that car before I looked at Sentra 2.5LE and found out that it was actually cheaper than Elantra! Sentra 2.5LE's MSRP was about $17,500 but there was a $1500 rebate and the dealership I bought was selling it for $14,100.

Basically all the options are included except the sunroof. Alloy wheels, Alarm, fold down seats, power windows/doors, ABS, 4 disc brakes, Upgraded sound system, side air bags, etc.

My car is now 3 1/2 yrs old with 37k miles and never had a problem. I do the maintenance myself and never had to bring my car to a dealership except for 3 recalls.

Similar Products Used:

none- my first car but I drove my friends' civics, corollas, focus and elantras.

Performance - a fwd car w/ a limited slip differnetial! 0-60 in 7.4 sec.

Build quality / fit and finish

I loved the performance of this decent looking little car. However, I became very frustrated and the problems with build quality. I was back to the dealer 5 times within the year for warranty repairs on interior bits and pieces.

Similar Products Used:

'81 Celica -- less power but built better. '87 Porsche 924S -- just as quick but MUCH more costly to maintain.

Not Much

Everything!!!!!!!!!!

The car was originally $21,000, but they had many discounts and rebates. This is the worst car we have ever purchased. The interior is quite comfortable but it is small. We only had it for a few weeks and stuff started to rattle when i stareted the car and make funny noises when i drove it. I now have a brand new Honda Accord that i reccomend to everyone who is having the same problem.

REMEMBER: NEVER BUY AN AMERICAN MADE CAR!

Similar Products Used:

Nissan Altima, Chevrolet Equinox,
Nissan Murano, Subaru Outback, and the list goes on.

the interior and overall style design

anything that's not the interior or overall style design:
i.e.:
engine
exhaust manifold
e-brake
rear trunk leaks
replacing carpet in trunk 3 times
crank
starter
computer
paint chips/clear coat
brake dust
eats tires! 3rd set with only 52k miles
and on, and on, and on...

STAY AWAY FROM THIS CAR. It's not just mine, it's at least 90% of them. I had less than 50k miles on it when I had to have the engine replaced and a new manifold. Ridiculous. This car has been in the shop more than it's been out. Between the computer, leaks in the trunk, replacing the carpets, the crank sensor, the starter, the engine, the exhaust manifold, the emergency brake and a million other things to mention. Oh yeah, and EVERY repair was a fight with the dealer and I've been to 8 different dealers. I actually had one mechanic tell me that my mobile speedpass caused the computer to fail!! Are you serious?! I wouldn't take this car again for free

Similar Products Used:

honda civic
ford bronco eddie bauer
nissan altima
nissan sentra (pre new design)
honda crx

Great gas mileage Lots of power with 5 speed engine LOVE THE COLD AC

NOISEY ENGINE computer malfunction sensor recalls

I used to love my Sentra until the engine sensors recalled . I had that fixed under recall (along with foam removal for ECM.) The computer went dead a few months later. I think Nissan knows the computers would malfunction because of the sulfric acid gas emitted from the foam They told my mechanic they NEVER had computer problems even though he figured that right away.

Similar Products Used:

none

Reliable, Affordable, Nice little powerful engine, Quiet engine, great for trips.

backseat space and those crappy hubcaps the xe's come with (but with some money you can just buy you some nice rims ).

I have done nothing but love my Sentra sinceI have got it. I have had no problems with my Sentra other than the crank sensor needing to be replaced. That was understandable since I didn't pay attention to the recall nissan made for them. The back seat space could be better. I love driving my car I have also done some modifications to my cars audio and tires and wheels.