Hey whats up everyone, I'm new and hope you guys can help me decide on what to do,here. I have the oppurtunity to buy my dad's 94 Nissan sentra Limited Edition or XE. Its an automatic, which I hate. It has some problems such as needing new cv joints which im hoping to get fixed soon. I was wondering if i should get it and either fix up the ga16de engine or save up for a FWD BlueBird sr20det swap and change it to a manual trans.
I am also 17 and this would be my first car. I know a good amount about the b13 sentra's. I was originally going to get a 240sx but the insurance would rape me and I wouldnt even have money to do a sr20det swap since the insurance would be so high.
So do you think it could have potential? and should I get it?
I remember when I first bought my car, my insurance rate looked like it was a joke. Your dad's sentra will be a great car to start with. You're still young and you can always buy a better car when you are older with more $$$. Anyways... Welcome to the Nissan world. Enjoy the Ride!
Heck yeah, it's got potential! We've got a turbo for the GA16DE now, as well as cams, so you can build a nice little sleeper. B13s are the best anyways . Take some pics for us!
How much are you going to be able to buy it for? Rather than buying that car and having to change everything out of it, I'd recommend just looking for a 91-94 SE-R instead. The price difference should be minimal, and when you start with an SE-R you have a lot more options... for one thing you can get a 5-speed, and for another the turbo options for the SR20 are many and varied. Even if you do a DET swap it'll be a whole lot easier... SR20DET engines bolt right into SE-Rs, no wiring modifications, no mount modifications... it's almost a completely straight swap.
And then there's the SE-R suspension, better seats, the LSD... the list keeps going on and on. Look into pricing on used SE-Rs, like on Autotrader and in the SE-R.net classifieds for example.
I have thought about getting an SE-R, but the only one i found in my area the guy took great care of the car and he wants $3500. So, there is no way I am getting that.
I was going to get my dads car for $1500,but so far I save uped a little over $1100 and since the cv joints have to be replaced i was talking to my dad about selling it to me for $1000, so i can fix the cv joints . So basically I should be getting it for a $1000, but either way its a cheap and a good running car. I'll let you know how much im getting the car for. Right now my dad is thinking about it and he is out off town right now , but I'll let you know.
If I get the car I'll try to take some pics and scan them at my grandfathers house. Thanks for the replies.
I don't know how car prices work in the US but both our 1995 Canadian B13 Sentra Coupe's retail for around $4500 CDN or more. Most '95 Honda Civic's are prices around $5500 CDN or more. Import cars have excellent resell value. I've seen a '94 or '95 Mercury Topaz sell for only $2400 CDN.
Unless the car was already appraised for $1500 then that is a decent price. Again, it's your father's car so he's trying to give you a break. $3500 seems like a decent deal for a SE-R depending on the year but I've seen them cheaper. Just visit SE-R.net and check out the classifieds.
It wouldn't hurt to check the blue book value I guess it's called and "The Lemonaid Guide to Cars 2003" for resell value.
Like the guys/gals mentioned, you can have lots of fun with the GA16DE engine with all the potential it has. You just have to work harder than Civic owners for example to get the parts you need (although you probably already know the right stuff to buy). Being different is part of the fun, showing people what you car has making them think twice about Nissan or the older econo box Sentra anyway.
As for Automatic vs. Manual, both are nice. I have an Automatic as well and love the launch I get from a stopped position. I can easily beat out many cars unintentionally. I was just taking off from a red light(turned green) one nite and a guy in a Celica thought I was dragging with him...LOL. Yeah, right...in a 1995 B13 Base Model Sentra w/94 whp, I don't think so; I was in the lead for a while though until he got pi$$ed and gave her the gas.
There is a 4 or 5 page thread on Auto to Manual. In the end it's tied 50/50. If you have an Auto, I'd stick with it. Of course a 5 speed can be more fun, being in control of the car although an auto can be more relaxing or boring I suppose. Overall, they both go the same speed and both are good for racing.
Since money is an issue then get the car and do some free and cheap mods on it so you can get a feel for working on cars in general if that's a new thing to you. I've spanked many a car that one would think could beat me, in my XE. $1000 sounds like a hell of a deal, assuming the car isn't beat to crap and has decent mileage. I'd get it because it's cheap and reliable, and you can work to save up money and buy an SE-R when you can afford to. I wouldn't go all out on the XE though. It has limited potential and there are guys that will tell you otherwise, but IMHO they're just being stubborn about getting a different car, either because they got in too deep with their GA16DE that there's no turning back or they simply refuse to acknowledge the general concensus. If you can get used stuff like an intake and header that'd be worth doing, but I wouldn't save up for the turbo for it, it's too damn expensive. You can always resell the header and intake if you don't sell them with the car later on. It's just not cost effective to build up a GA16DE IMHO or to swap into a GA16DE powered car. Switching from auto to manual is also a lot of work and you have to change out ECU's to do that as well IIRC. You need reliable transportation and a heavily modded car is rarely that. Like I said, maybe do intake and header and if the exhaust ever needs replacing, do a decent exhaust but don't go apeshit, it's just not going to give you as much bang for your buck. (Guys blow good money on exhausts all the time for measly HP gains. The only time you need to do exhaust IMO is if your's is crapped out or you've got a turbo) Check www.edmunds.com for the most accurate resell value of your dad's car.
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Rob '93 SE-R
PM or e-mail me for Progress swaybars $190 shipped, B13 Progress coilovers $1300 shipped and B13 Progress LCA brace $160 shipped.
Why are the axles so expensive??? I got a set of re-man axles for $130 and put them in myself in one day.
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I had a '93 Sentra Classic (B12)
Mom's got an '03 Altima 2.5S
Dad had a '98 Sentra GXE
Current "rides": 2000 Kona Caldera "Callie", 1996 Specialized Hard Rock "Betty"
I dunno, mine cost me about that much as well. Problem is that B13's are known for splitting boots, and the warranty doesn't cover the boot. So I'd just tell them the joint is shot when I take them in to get them swapped out under warrantly. Throw some sand in the joint grease if you have to. Like I'm going to drive on split joints until they go completely out, risking damage, injury and being stranded, in need of a tow. Not because some jackass shaft manufacturer doesn't want to cover the boot under their warranty.
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Rob '93 SE-R
PM or e-mail me for Progress swaybars $190 shipped, B13 Progress coilovers $1300 shipped and B13 Progress LCA brace $160 shipped.
Well they dont cost alot. I just got back from a tire shop, "Discount Tire" and I asked them to fix a leak in my passenger side rear tire. One of the lock nuts were frozen because the last place my parents took the car to had put them on improperly. So i know i have to buy some $5 peice and my cv joints are shot and torn apart. I also need to change the oil becuase its 2 months overdue.
I guess my dad took bad care of this car becuase not too long ago the battery went out and i was stranded at a store. The battery was supposed to be replaced about 6 months before i got stranded and he never got one. This weekend before work i plan one doing everything to get it back to normal again.
If its your first car I would not worry too much about modding it. Get it running good and reliable first, also make sure your suspension components are good as well as the tires. The reason I say this is you are better off learning how to drive well with your car stock then tossing a 300whp DET into it and wrecking it. Learn your cars handeling charicteristics(sp) first, many times these same traits will still be there when the car is modded, but you will have to be goin alot faster when you find them and this could be scary..
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Patrick Scott
Yeah, thats a roll cage in there.
I shall call him...Mini-Me
Yo dude I myself have a 94 GA16DE......(this is what I have done ever since I bought my car brand new before and during the time that Ive added all my parts...)
- Always change oil every 3,000 Miles (I myself like to change mine between every 500 and 1,000 miles, but thats just me Im picky, pulling out the dip stick my oil looks like light yellow honey its so clean)(the closer the oil change intervals the more gunk you get out of your engine)
-Replace the Fuel filter every 30,000 miles(I myself do it every 15,000)
-Replace your Ignition Wires with fresh ones( I myself have blue NGK wires which I have replaced with brand new blue NGK ignition wires.) I give em bout three years and replace em.
-Replace your Cap, and Rotor and sparkplugs......stay with the factory NGKs! trust me there the best!
-If you have the stock air filter, replace it. If you have a stillen or JWT POP charger....clean it.
have your transmission fluid flushed and refilled ( believe me just changing does not do the entire job, flushing pumps two quarts through the ENTIRE system....flushing out the torque converter as well. Youll feel smoother shifts as well.
-Flush and fill your radiator once or twice a year once early in the year once late in the year.....this will prevent water pump failure and over heating.
-flush your power steering fluid, youll feel that new crisp steering responsiveness that was there from the beginning.
May sound like a lot but really its not that much for getting her back in shape for go fast goodies! hope this helps!
As soon as you get her back in shape, heres a starter list of go fast goodies that have been proven to make power for the GA16DE. Have Fun!
-Stillen Hi Flow intake, or JWT POP charger (same thing)
-HotShot, Place Racing Cold air intakes....makes more power than the POP chargers but combine them with the POP chargers and theyll make even more power than the filters that come with the CAI.
-Hotshot Racing header- forget paceshitter its junk....youll pay more but you get what you pay for it terms of quality, and performance.
-Random Technology Cat Converter....frees up the exhaust just a tad.
-(me personally am getting the Greddy SP catback exhaust, I hear Stromung is making one now. Stick with 2.0 Inch piping for the GA16DE. The Greddy and Stromung both have mandrel bends for smooth exhaust flow.
-Unorthodox Underdrive crank pulley. (Motor revs a little freely, and when everything is working together youll feel a little more power due to slightly underdriving the assessories that bog us down.
-JWT camshafts( improve the breathing a little further by keeping the valves open just a little longer. Not a wild wild Cam but its a street cam that works well with our valve trains.
-JWT ECU brings the redline up to I believe 7300 RPM.
-NGK ignition wires and fresh NGK plugs.....gives you a good clean spark......there ya go! and with only half the calories!
-Oh yeah you could go all out and Go with Hot Shots turbo kit and completely waste hondas! Happy Honda Hunting!
Originally posted by Sentra GTR-1
Stillen Hi Flow intake, or JWT POP charger (same thing)
HotShot, Place Racing Cold air intakes....makes more power than the POP chargers but combine them with the POP chargers and theyll make even more power than the filters that come with the CAI.
What's the difference in a POP charger and just a cone K&N filter? Putting CAI aside, is there anything that makes the POP special/better then that cone filter?
I've read articles on this and posts in the forum and can't seem to figure it out.
Any help would be appreciated. I want to design my own CAI but would like to use a POP or cone filter in the winter.
. Take some pics for us!
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