Nissan Sentra (2000 - 2006) Reviews, Pricing & Specs

I've had this car for 8 years. I got it with 7,000 miles from a very good friend who got it brand new from the dealership. Up to that point I had only driven Nissan cars. This Sentra was my second Sentra, and my 5th Nissan. I love the way the Nissan handles. It's smooth to drive, even if it is underpowered. I love the fact that in the 8 years I had it I only had to call for assistance once, as my battery died in the middle of a very hot summer. Apart from that, it never ever had any engine trouble. The one thing I do not love is the gas mileage -- the 1997 Sentra I had before had much better mileage: this car usually gets 24-26 mpg, while my husband's Accord does between 28 and 31. What I love best about the car is its visibility and the way it handles -- it is very easy to drive, compact and you can pretty much fit it anywhere.Nov 12, 2013

A wonderful car for those looking for cheap reliable transportation. Easily comparable to a Civic or Corolla but with lower prices. Not a car you'd buy for it's performance (126 hp) but it has good acceleration and handles solid for it's class with no major body roll. It's exterior is nothing notable but the interior design is above average. The build quality is good and there is some attention to detail not always seen in modern cars.Fuel economy is very good so far and it has required no major repairs in 104,000 miles. To sum it up- solid cheap transportation for those who want something more interesting than a Civic or Corolla. Aug 20, 2010

The Nissan Sentra has been in my family since it was new, and I can say it has been a good car. Although having a few normal repairs done on it (brakes, shocks, etc.) it has been pretty reliable. It has decent acceleration at low speeds, but is more slugish on the highway when passing. All in all a good driving experience although not very exciting. May 30, 2010

My Spec-V was the first car I found when looking for a car to replace my archaic '89 Taurus wagon, and I couldn't have been happier with it. It came with everyone I wanted and nothing I did not; the 2.5 liter engine provide ample power, it handled the corners with ease thanks to the slick tired, added limited slip differential and upgraded shocks/dampers- without compromising ride quality-, the interior was basic but functional and well-designed, the exterior was attractive without being too conspicuous, and it was overall a great car to own. It wasn't as economical as other small sedans, due to the larger engine, but the low-end torque helped it maintain decent fuel economy. Overall the Sentra SE-R Spec-V is a great car for anyone who wants a sporty economy sedan. Unfortunately, I got in a hit and run- a driver in a F-150 hit me and ran off-, which resulted in my car being totaled, so my time with this machine was cut short. Still, the passenger and I sustained no injuries despite the speed the F-150 hit us at- rear end collision-, which is a testament to the Sentra's build quality and safety.Jan 08, 2010

The Spec V overall is a great car in the sport-compact class. It's well styled inside and out, has peppy performance, and a very reasonable price tag. Gas mileage is not what you would expect from such a small car, averaging 23 miles per gallon. The build quality overall seems pretty solid, with little to no rattles/squeaks. The performance overall is good. Acceleration is brisk from 1st to 3rd gear, after that this car feels like it falls flat on it's face. Braking and handling are comparable to most any other performance based sport compact car on the market. All in all, this is a fun, quick, sporty compact four door to drive. I'd recommend this vehicle to others.Sep 24, 2009

Acceleration, braking, and handling all good. Has great maneuverability. The only repairs it ever needed were from hail damage and being rear ended. No interior or exterior problems. Appearance similar to SpecV. Gas milage varies. Usually get 300 miles out of 11 gallon tank. Maintenance...just oil changes so far. And the check-ups with the manufacturer. This car is very fun to drive. Great for racing. Got alot of torque for a little car.Aug 15, 2009

Has very good acceleration for an N/A I-4. Some of the interior feels flimsy and seems to break rather easily. The design on the seats leaves something to be desired. All in all a great car to drive, good on gas mileage if you're not too hard on the throttle. It's really nice having the extra doors/seating for driving your friends around at all hours of the night, and the fact that you don't have to sacrifice performance for those extra doors is one of my favorite things about this car and cars like it. Most importantly, it's fun to drive! Unfortunately having a pocket-rocket like this can cause you to drive unsafely, so exercise some caution while driving it.Aug 06, 2009

The '03 Sentra SE-R is a good little car. The exterior styling has an aggressive look, but the interior is essentially the same rental car feel of the normal Sentra. There is too much hard plastic in the interior, and there are some minor squeaks that come from the dome light and the occasional rattle in the doors from excess bass in the stereo. As far as mechanicals are concerned, the car has been very reliable, with the only real problem I have had being a leaky A/C hose. There is a big issue that I was able to take care of before any problems arose. The stock exhaust header has a catalytic converter built in, and the catalyst substrate material tends to break up and can get sucked back into the motor. An after-market header takes care of this problem. In it's stock form, the SE-R is pretty quick, and is fun to toss around on the back roads. With my added header and catback exhaust, however, there is some real power to the car. The gas mileage is fairly decent, I average about 23 MPG driving on mostly back roads. Overall, this is a fun little car, and despite some interior quality issues, is well worth looking at. Just make sure to get rid of the stock header and the pre-catalyst of death.Jul 07, 2009

Overall has tons of power right off the line, but the wheel hop seems to have lots of pull through first and second gear. First gear only lasts 10 mph too. Overall a great car to drive and fun to drive across town every day. A steal for 6,000 dollars. Comes with a rather flashy red/black interior with a Rockford Fosgate deck and 10" sub. 6 speed manual keeps you happy too. Only major problems I have heard about involve pushing the car beyond what it was meant to do, and doing so has a rather terrible costs of the blown engine kind.Apr 13, 2009

The Sentra SE-R Spec V is a great performance 4 door. Has an option to get brembo breaks, sunroof, and rockford fosgate stereo system. The car is built to take corners and turns very well, great acceleration. The appearence is a nice clash between sporty and evey day driver. This car gets really good gas mileage around 28 in town and 30 highway. the fun factor of this car is 10 out of 10Mar 09, 2009

It's a surprisingly quick little sedan with the six speed and 2.5. It handles like its on rails but isn't too stiff to be comfortable. It seems to be pretty solidly built, but does make extensive use of plastic in the interior. I think it's a pretty good looking little car, and so do most people I come into contact with. It is an economy car, although not as much as, say, a Prius. It gets around thirty miles per gallon and I have had no maintenance issues so far, and I've had it for over a year. It is a fun little car to drive. Its small, light, and very nimble in the curves, plus the six speed makes it feel much faster than it really is. But be warned, you will speed EASILY in this car because it pulls pretty good even in top gear. Over all, a fun car to drive that actually isn't over the top boy racer looking and gets good milage with minimal maintenance. Feb 03, 2009

I Recently bought and 06 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V. I havent owned it for long, but here is my knowledge on this subject. Performance: This car has alot to offer for a decent price ( 0-60 7.2 sec. w/ 6- Speed manual) Thats what Nissan says anyway, But I tell you it feels a whole hell of alot faster than that. The reason for that is that The (2.5L I-4 engine) produces ( 175 HP and 180 Tor.) in a car that has a curb weight of (2710 lbs) which is pretty dam light. and the high quality tires help deliver all that torque and Horse Power to the ground, which in turn launches you forward. The thing that is really amazing about this car is how it handls. This car has very ridged suspension which helps it corner like it was on rails. Also My car came with the Brimbo Break kit which drastically improves its stopping power, which I believe is very important. Build Quality: Its a Nissan Enough said Appearance:I think it looks very stylish, But I dont really care for the front. I wish Nissan had kept the same front from the 01-03 models their front end looks 10x more aggressive. But for the most part I love it. Cost of Ownership: Its list price New was around 20-21K, and the maintenace is very low on this model anyway. It gets decent Gas Mileage with about(20-21 city) and (29-32 Highway) Fun Factor: Oh Hell yes! it has to be the most fun car I have ever driven for 20K. I mean I do own one after all :)Sep 12, 2008

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!Sep 11, 2008