Hi, I'm Oliver, and I just wanted to show my car, a 93 Nissan Sentra E. Don't really know where I should start.
Ok. My uncle, who I live with, used to own a Datsun 210. It finally broke down on him when he got rammed by a big rig in the rear end. Thankfully, he was fine, but the car wasn't the way it used to be anymore. It then broke down from an overheated engine. So in 1993, he was looking around to buy a new car. He really liked the Datsun/Nissan designs, and he liked stick-shifts because of their durability, so he opted for his next car to be a Nissan. He just wanted a reliable car, so looking around, he bought a Nissan Sentra E. He didn't want/need air conditioning, power steering, etc. etc...he just got a bone stock car. It didn't have a radio either. So this was his daily beater.
I remember, I was 5 at the time, I really liked the look of the car. In fact, I liked it so much, that on my plastic car toy which was a Ford Mustang, that I wrote on it the way everything was on the Nissan...like I wrote with a Sharpie the words "Sentra" and "E" and tried to draw the Nissan logo along with the license plate. I don't really know what it was about it, but I just really liked the way it looked.
Over the years, simple things had to be replaced such as the alternator, and battery, but that was the only time my uncle ever opened the hood of the car. He drove it very simply, never revved it over 3000 rpms (I know this because he would just go in 1st up to 10-15 mph, and skip to third, making the car shake and drag the engine), and he rarely slipped the clutch (I know this from the rough rides =P) but the car just kept on hauling with no problems.
Eventually in 2001, the car failed to start. After replacing the alternator and battery, the car still would not start. The car would barely crank, and if it did, it would be fine, but stop and start it again, and the battery would be dead and it would not start again. I do not know the reason why, but he just left it there in our driveway, as bought another car. There it sat for 4 years. He would sometimes charge the battery, and try cranking it again, but still nothing. But I knew in my mind, I would want to have that car and fix it in time for college. I remember times where I would ask my mom why won't he fix it, and she would just say she doesn't know.
Senior year, I did not buy a car or anything, because I wanted that Nissan Sentra. I was determined to fix it. So eventually, my uncle, as a graduation present (I don't get anything from father, and uncle and mom don't give anything either, but at least they are giving me shelter, food, etc.) gave it to me. I offered to pay for it, but he said it was ok.
I was out of high school, and summer had dawned on me. I then began reading the Haynes Manual and started to ponder on what was wrong with the car. I figured, well why not change the starter? It doesn't even crank, so the problem is something BEFORE the engine, something electrical. I tried to explain this to my uncle, but he just kept insisting it was something else, I don't know why. He said it might have been the fuel pump not pumping. I was like 'uhh no, you can clearly hear it going'. So he was like fed up and gave in, so we looked at the starter, and sure enough it was. The problem with the starter was that the bushing was worn down, which made the shaft touch the body of the starter, grounding it, causing a short, and discharging the battery. He substituted it for another bushing, calling it a temporary fix. Sure, enough, once he did that, and we fired it up, it started IMMEDIATELY. So, he pretty much left the car things up to me.
Here are things I have done to the car in the 3 months (a lot more for what he ever did in all the years of owning it!):
-CV boots replaced (I refused to drive the car with a ripped one and no grease)
-installed passenger side mirror (it did not have one originally)
-replaced sparkplugs, air filter, oil, coolant
-installed radio
-installed tachometer
-rebuff the car
-restore plastic bumper finish
-replace one brake light
-rotate tires
-repaint rims
-clean engine
-semi-Cold Air Intake: reroute air intake to the fenderwell and removed lower resonator box (i still used the T shaped intake, but put two perfectly sized hoses, one straight down where the resonator used to be on the bottom, and a curved hose where the original air intake scoop was behind the headlights directed downward into the fenderwell) I noticed a difference, that the engine is deeper at higher RPMs, throttle response is slightly better, engine doesn't sound so restricted at higher RPMs. Hot days, engine is still responsive and not sluggish.
I only did this to HOPEFULLY improve the EFFICIENCY of the engine, especially in warmer temperatures. Just giving the engine some more fresher air than the air inside the engine bay. I understand that it may not help PERFORMANCE at all. I would need to dyno in order to really see if it works. Just my observations. Take it with a grain of salt please!
-fuel filter and fuel hose replaced
-cleaned the interior, removed plastic trim pieces and removed debris
-replaced front/rear brakes
-bought new starter (the original starter finally broke)
So yea, now that I take it college with me, it's been a great reliable car! I commute to USC, and recently I went to San Luis Obispo for a cross country invitational. Needless to say, I had no problems, and it ran great! I am getting 42 mpg highway, and 35-37 mpg city. I went to San Luis Obispo, and 223 miles (one way), and the fuel guage didn't even show half tank yet! I was able to come back home, just to stop for gas at home! =D Great car, and I hope it will treat me well because I will treat it well too =)
Here's the lowdown on the car:
1993 Nissan Sentra E
-5 speed stick
-no AC
-no power steering
-no power windows
-no cruise control
-no intermittent windshield wipers
-as of today, 144444 miles on the odometer
-no oil leaks, none whatsoever
Hope you enjoyed the story, here are the pictures!
Comments, thoughts appreciated! Thanks!
reminds me soooo much of my car. id suggest looking into 2" exhaust from the manifold back. i got a 2" crush bend exhaust put on a few monthes ago and i think its the best thing i've done to the car yet. good luck!! 
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