Test drove an 03 sentra SER v-spec tonite..

[datsunlover]

Well the girlfriend is tired of her 'crappy' 02' Grand Am (base model) that is starting to get.. old. 72000Ks, it's noisy, rattles/clunks, and handels like poo-poo. So we drive up to the GM dealer she got the car from, and I spot this little sentra on the lot.. hmmm.. hell.. it couldn't hurt to check it out.. The girl seems to like it, and the salesman (she's friends with him) says they 'could' work something out to get her into it.. I go over to have a closer look at it.. it's loaded with power evrything, 17" 5 spokes, 4 wheel disk, SIX speed! it has a sunroof and a rockford-fosgate stereo system (dealer instaled) which is LOUD! cruise and A/C, ect. The salesman looks at me and says "um.. maybe YOU should drive.. you drive stick right?" heh heh..

So off we go.. WOW this little thing MOVES!! I mean, it wasn't total but'hole puckering, but I was really impressed with the grunt down low, and it pulled hard on the highway even from 2k RPM in 5th! It's a bit of a rush getting through the gears, as 1st to 5th are VERY close ratio, and 6th is a little tricky to find (I touched reverse a little the first try.. ) but overall it wasn't to hard to drive. At 100K it's turning 2500rpm in 6th! I can imagine the awesome fuel milage... Suspension felt good and firm, and the brakes were better than I expected. I'd love to drive this thing evry day, but I think it's a bit 'too much car' for the girlfriend.. and she isn't very good with a standard tranny either.. still, it was a fun 30 mins either way!

[GrayZee]

I went for a ride in one of those a couple of months ago.. I always thought of the Sentra as being Nissan's little crap-box, but I was quite impressed with the SpecV. It's as if they brought back the glory days of the 510

[randy 77zt]

my girl friend's son has an 2002 ser(not spec v).the 2.4 is really a truck engine-the drive by wire throttle is programmed to make the car touchy at low rpm.do not lower the car if you want it to ride normal-the front struts dont have much travel to start with.car only has 12 gallon tank and doesnt seem to get very far before fill ups.5th gear need more overdrive ratio-its spiining at 80 mph and the engine has enough torque to carry a taller gear.the ser websites say the 6 speed is weak but i would bet that is because of driver abuse.reliabilty good.eats front tires becuase of the drive by wire throttle programmed to make people think its a hot rod.if i was out to buy an econo-hot rod i would probably test drive a turbo neon or a suburu wrx.

[lifegrddude]

Hey, I've driven an 03 spec V before, since my lil bro has one. They are pretty decent cars for the price, and are good overall/daily drivers. They actually come with a 2.5 liter motor and the six speed is the same tranny used in the newer six speed maximas. They handle pretty good too...IMO they are the 4 door Type-r's (with more low-end tq) that never made it to our shores. Other than a notchy tranny, I think they are a good buy for those looking for a daily driver with some power and handling behind it.

[Guest bastaad525]

the current 2.5L nissan motor is well known for it's wonderful down low torque. While I can't stand the look of the new Sentra's, I would love to drive one (you dont actually have to look at it while you're driving it). The SE-R Spec V blows the Civic Si out of the water....

 

 

Sentras are not crapboxes the SE-R I drive right now was very well recieved and acclaimed by anyone and everyone who drove one... they were among the top most performing cars in their day especially compared to any other front driver or econobox at the time, had a 0-60 just short of the same-era 300zx (non turbo of course) and handled like they came from the factory made for the track. They are about as light as a first gen Z and set up with a very neutral handling balance, not that any of you would believe this possibly from FWD. They are to this day VERY popular track cars even though they are very limited in number. They may not look like much but they are great cars.