Used 2003 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V for Sale near Chicago, IL

This car is great... I was looking for a nice sporty sedan with a couple requirements. One was it needed a sunroof (check) and another was a manual tranny (check). I looked around at a Mazda Protege5, but it wasn't very fast with the 130hp engine. Found a bright yellow SE-R Spec V Sentra for sale for about the same price as that Mazda. Test drove it and realized that it had been taken care of. The QR25DE 2.5L engine with 175hp and 180lb/ft of torque combined with the low gearing makes for some great acceleration. The car has so much low end torque that I can leave it in 6th gear when slowing down to 50km/h (32MPH) for a town and not have to shift down to accelerate back to highway speed. However, due to the low gearing, high speeds and fuel economyaren't high points. The 6 speed manual with it's double overdrive (4th is 1:1, 5th and 6th are both overdrives) can't manage more than 27 MPG with my wife driving or 25 MPG with me driving. In contrast, I had a faster SVT Contour with a V6 of the same capacity that could outrun this and acheived better fuel economy. The build quality is about par for a Japanese car, lots of durable but hard plastics and other materials. Due to the factory 17" wheels, the turning circle is VERY large for a car this size, but hey, this car definitely has the looks. Gets stares EVERYWHERE you go because of the "look-at-me-yellow" paintjob. This is definitely a super fun car to drive, but with my back I wish it had more lumbar support. It now has about 100,000 miles on it, and it hasn't needed any repairs beyond normal wear and tear items. This is a GREAT car for the price!

I like the fact that the car is the last edition on the Sentra, it comes with a 2.5 engine with a 4 cylinder and is very economical in gas. Very low maintenance needs it for this type of cars. I don't like that sometimes with out realizing I am going over the speed limits.

The QR25 makes a lot of low end torque making this car a lot of fun driving around town. Six-speed manual transmission with LSD is standard for the spec-v and optional on the SE-R. The seats are very supportive and good for "swift" driving and sharp turns but are still comfortable enough for road trips. Decent amount of room in the back seat and trunk.

Performance: Acceleration is great...Braking could use an upgrade but I haven't the need to get a big brake kit...Handling could also use an upgrade if your tires can keep up. Build Quality: Only in recent years have things started to go wrong on it, but it is getting old (replaced flex pipe, currently has an air leak). Before all this happened nothing was wrong with it. Cost of Ownership: Good but not great gas mileage and maintenance has never been that much of an issue. Fun Factor: I absolutely love this car, but I'm looking to sell it. I can finally afford a Z, but I need to sell this car first.

I love my Sentra. Rick drives it now, but he loves it too. It has great pickup and is very quick. Only car I have ever gotten caught speeding in. Fun to drive and very sporty looking. Handles very well.