[CheckMyVitals]

Hey guys. New to Nissan, looking for a new car. Just for fun, I took a 2002 SE-R for a spin today... and my god... that was incredible. unfortunatly, they were asking 16K... and i've capped off at 10K.. so I THINK i'm looking for a 2001 SE. Quite honestly... i know NOTHING about these cars. I'm only leaning towards the SE for the 2.0. I need a manual, need a quick and fun car (I had fun in a 2.0 Protege today... so thats about all the power i need) would like to mod a little at least. Any suggestions?

 

[Jarek]

Hey guys. New to Nissan, looking for a new car. Just for fun, I took a 2002 SE-R for a spin today... and my god... that was incredible. unfortunatly, they were asking 16K... and i've capped off at 10K.. so I THINK i'm looking for a 2001 SE. Quite honestly... i know NOTHING about these cars. I'm only leaning towards the SE for the 2.0. I need a manual, need a quick and fun car (I had fun in a 2.0 Protege today... so thats about all the power i need) would like to mod a little at least. Any suggestions?

whats your budget? because here where i live in central California 16k will get you an almost brand new 2004 if your lucky a 05 Sentra SE-R. Any sentra below the SE-R, has a weak 1.8 liter, (which is what i have, whats worst i was dumb enough to get the automatic.) so if your looking for a fun car... get it in a manual. Whether it be the 1.8 or the SE-R get it in a manual. Both vehicles can be tweaked for higher peformance, it just depends if you have the $$$ evidently.

PS: i bought my sentra 1.8s for 13500:
has 15 inch wheels, with wheel covers (i wanted rims :lame: ) , with bridgestone potenza tires
inside loaded... CD Player, AC, Auto, Cruise, Power everything only thing it doesnt have is a sun roof,
comes with keyless entry and panic button

hope that helps ya out

 

[rselah25]

is it just me or is 16k for a 2002...may i repeat >2002< sentra overpriced by at least 4-5 grand?...my 2001 SE was like 11200...got it back in 2004...you might as well by a 2004 SE-R for 16K brand new!! 10k should get u an SE-R...get the KBB price and go back to the dealer...

 

[CheckMyVitals]

yeah... i was fairly certiain it was overpriced.

this year anyway, i was hoping to keep whatever mods i do under $500 or so a piece... like chips... custom exhaust (by me), CAI... i dunno. What about the 2.0? or is that a dud as far as modding goes?

The SE-R was a blast... but unfortunatly I can't justify the insurance... when i can mod and have just as much fun. Not a racer or anything... just fun to giv'er everynow and then
definatly gonna be a manual. my first car that I sold not too long ago was an auto Ford Escape (GREAT car btw) but i don't think i could ever have auto in a car. Auto in a truck just cause they aren't sporty to begin with... but with a car, you gotta have that clutch.
Drove a 2.0 Protege as well today... and me and my buddy had a blast... if that gives you any idea of my low expectations.

EDIT: Oh guys, btw, I'm Canadian... these are Canadian prices. Though I still think 16K for the 2001 SE-R is pretty ridiculous

 

[Jarek]

yeah... i was fairly certiain it was overpriced.

this year anyway, i was hoping to keep whatever mods i do under $500 or so a piece... like chips... custom exhaust (by me), CAI... i dunno. What about the 2.0? or is that a dud as far as modding goes?

The 2001 SE your talking about... has the SR20 motor... as far as mods go? omg theres an infinate amount.. best bang for your buck performance? http://nissanperformancemag.com/installs/sr20ve/

just look through that.. and watch the dyno video.

 

[CheckMyVitals]

hm... not too shabby. so the SE isn't too bad eh? is that the only model the 2.0 came on? sorry... i don't know dick about nissan. i have no clue what brought me to test drive it... but now i love it.

 

[Jarek]

hm... not too shabby. so the SE isn't too bad eh? is that the only model the 2.0 came on? sorry... i don't know dick about nissan. i have no clue what brought me to test drive it... but now i love it.

Find out the price, and how many miles, and if you can post an actual pic of the car... i m kinda curious now. :showpics:

 

[Conner]

You can get an early nineties (91-94), first generation "Classic" Sentra SE-R with the legendary SR20DE 2 liter engine and the B13 chasis for a few grand. Look around and you should be able to find a car that has been well cared for.
This car is a ton of fun to drive, has a near-cult following, and, as mentioned above, has a near limitless aftermarket. They are also very reliable. If you buy one of these you should have plenty left in your $10k budget for modifications.

http://classifieds.se-r.net/ForSale/fsAll.asp?CategoryType=Cars&SubCategoryType=SR20DE+Powered+Cars&MachineTypeID=CC1&Description=Sentra+SE-R

http://www.sr20forum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=61

 

[Zac]

You can get a 2002 SE-R for under 10 grand. You can get a new Spec V for 16.

 

[matt123]

How many and what types of mods are you thinking? What's your goal? You mention you're looking to have some fun behind the wheel, how much and what type?

Are you going to spend money on mods that don't accomplish much but look like they could? Or are you after some real performance?

Have you considered cars other than the Sentra? Or other than Nissan?

I like my Sentra (04 1.8S)...it's proven to be reliable, great on gas mileage, and gets the job done.

But it's not the 1st car I think of when I think of "fun" and "mods", although I know some folks here have done a good job of upgrading their cars.

You mentioned that you're on a 10K budget...will this be your year round car? If it's a year round car, then my next suggestion may not work for you. But for about 5K you can get an older Miata and for another 5K you can put a full turbo setup (or supercharger) into it as well as some suspension upgrades and a rollbar and get upwards of 225 HP at the wheels on a frame that weighs under 2500 pounds...that's about 11.1 pounds / HP on a rear wheel drive car with one of the best 5 speed trannies around.

If you want to have some fun, give that a go. The aftermarket community is populated with experience and helpful people that know their stuff versus a bunch of 18 year old kids that think ricing Hondas equates to performance. If you like the notion of four wheel drifts, kicking the back end out, and throttle oversteer it's a great way to go.

But like I said, if this is your only car it may not be the best option for you. Just something to kick around. Don't be afraid to think outside the box, good luck!

 

[CheckMyVitals]

hey guys, thanks a lot for the replies.
i'm really interested in the newer body style... not a huge fan of previous gens.
as far as modding goes, unless i find a turbo used for under 1K... that's out of the question, i'm looking at chip, intake, exhaust basically... however high that'll get me. Short shifter and sport suspension will definatly keep me very happy. then after that, some asthetics, subtle body kit... i'm gonna stay as far away from rice as i can.

Right now, i'm a huge Audi A4 fan, gotta love turbos. I've reciently finally found one for 10K near me.... so if that works out it's a go, but i'm getting REALLY frusterated with trying to find one, and am looking around at others. should this A4 not be a go, i will be turning to the sentra, 2.0 protege, markIII jetta, or markIII golf

I'm looking to spend 10K on the car as a base, mods after that are going to be extra as I get into it. being a univeristy student i have to budget wisely.

this is going to be my year round car in the snow here in canada (thus my passion for audi... quattro) so yeah, something like a miata wouldn't go so well with me.

thanks a lot guys, i'm here to learn as much as i can before i take the plunge.

on a sidenote, can anyone direct me to performance parts and body kit websites for the sentra?

 

[NoTTaSIN]

why dont you buy an old school sentra body, or 240, for under 5k, and drop 5k in mods.

 

[CheckMyVitals]

don't like the old body and a 240 is impractical for me

 

[chimmike]

the 98-99 SE-Limited had the SR20 and is 4door

 

[jcasebeer]

i got my 2001 1.8 sentra with 20k miles for $8.5k last year at this time. just look around and you'll be able to find a good deal.

 

[CheckMyVitals]

how's the 1.8 compare to the 2.0?

 

[chimmike]

it has less power. But it is still being made whereas the sr20 production ceased in mid 2001.

 

[CheckMyVitals]

hm... how's the aftermarket?

that explains why i'm having a hard time finding 2001 2.0s

 

[Zac]

hm... how's the aftermarket?

that explains why i'm having a hard time finding 2001 2.0s

For the 2.0? It is comparable so Honda B series engines.

 

[Xer0]

i bought my manual 2004 Sentra 1.8 for $11k on september 2004 with 7k miles at a dealership here in Houston, TX. i really like my car but im thinking of putting some better suspension in it cuz its a lil bumpy and lacks stability at speeds over 80 mph... im new with the modifications and stuff so if someone could give me some suggestions on this, or refer me to a previous thread where i could find this info it would be really nice

btw, im new to the forum and this is my first post :cheers: