Faults:

At about 200k miles the timing chain broke and the engine had to be replaced. But up until then there was no major fixes that needed to be done. Granted, the cost to replace that was more than the car was worth, but it was such a well built car. It turned out that the dealer said there was a recall on the engine and if it was within 30k miles then it would have been free anyway.

General Comments:

This car is small and does well even in bad weather with the front wheel drive.

The inside is a bit cracked, but it was my problem for not keeping the windows shielded.

The car handles quite well for how small the engine is.

Faults:

The starter trip switch in the clutch pedal shattered; it cost me 0.99 to replace it myself.

The driver seat is wearing badly, due to the seat belt attached to the door. New seat covers will solve that problem for about $40. From what I've read and seen, all Sentras from this era have that little flaw.

The oil pressure will drop and needs oil added about once a week to keep it running. I'm looking at $600 to repair that leak, or the usual $3 per week to keep filling it.

Front end alignment is failing and I need to buy new tires after 2 years; this will cost me $140.00.

General Comments:

Most every part that can be replaced on this car is very inexpensive.

There isn't much power to it sometimes, but when it's tuned up and fueled up it really will keep up and pass traffic.

Despite the mileage, it will still make road trips across a couple of states.

I am only the second owner of this car, and the first owner never really drove it over 50mph. I was the first to take it to near red-line, and it held up very well at 90mph on the interstate.

This is a base-model, so it came to me in that condition: that meant no a/c, no cigarette lighter or port, and no stereo. I fixed that last part for about $300 and have been happy since. But without any a/c in the Southern States??? I must be nuts.

It's been a very reliable and great car, and it still has lots of life in it.

Faults:

Muffler replaced only twice.

Tailpipe system middle section replaced twice.

Alternator replaced only after over 186,000 miles.

At 219,00 miles control arm bushings require replacement. Uneconomical at this point to repair. Still driveable.

Gaskets in the water pump area repaired at around 196,000 miles.

General Comments:

No major mechanical defects.

Have mainly replaced oil, tires, and spark plugs.

This car has never left me stranded.

Has been a great car for me. I am seriously looking for a used one now.

Faults:

My battery died, but I was told it looked old and probably hadn't been replaced in a long time.

I had to replace the alternator at the same time the battery died (August 2003).

I had the clutch replaced at 96,000 miles (Feb. 2004).

My driver's seat was ripping on the side close to the door.

It attained an exhaust leak under the hood, but only affected the emissions. I only needed to replace a valve and hose, but decided to just weld the leak closed (slightly illegal in NY state).

For a reason yet to be determined, the bright head lights would not work.

The speedometer lights burned out and needed to be replaced.

General Comments:

My father bought the car for $300 and used it to drive to and from work for about 1 year. He then gave it to me, and I drove it from June 2003 to February 2004. My car was put to rest when I was hit in the passenger door by a car which ran a red light. The chassie was bent and is irreparable. My passenger didn't even receive a scratch, and the medics said it looked as though she possibly should have died. So I say, the body held up well under the impact.

When I first got the car, I had new tires put on it. It ran great, and I drove it back and forth between Long Island, NY and Columbus, OH. I averaged between 25-30 mpg. We topped the speed at 105 mph.

The car always ran very cool!

The acceleration was very slow until I replaced the clutch. After that, it accellerated very quickly and smoothly. It was a 4 speed manual, but I rode it often in what should have been fifth gear, and it never had a problem.

The seats were VERY comfortable, and for the car's small size, I managed to pack it with almost everything I owned during my trek to and from college in Ohio, including a trunk mounted mountain bike.

I do have a few complaints about the car. The windows always fogged up, and made it very hard to see out of.

Because there was no power steering, turning the car was difficult, and making three point turns or parallel parking would wear out (I'm an athletic 20 year old).

The gears or clutch, or something would grind briefly when I tried to put the car ion reverse, but I think it just sounded worse than it was.

The car was fairly easy to modify. I added a stereo, seat covers to front and rear seats, mounted a toggle switch for lighted racing pedals, etc.

Overall, the car was awesome. I am so upset I had to part with it. It was fast, smooth, and reliable. It looked great and ran wonderfully. I would recommend this car to anyone looking for an affordable vehicle, but I would look into getting a model higher than the basic sedan. I will miss my baby!