1985 Nissan Sentra XE 1.6 I4 from North America

Summary:

Good little car for kids on a budget

Faults:

The only thing that went wrong with the car while I owned it was the voltage regulator. Since this was my first car which I bought for $150, I didn't bother to fix it.

This car had been in an accident, so the impact had caused the alternator bolt to sheer. This made the alternator hang funny and created belt squeal and breakage. I removed the sheered bolt myself and replaced it, after that everything ran fine.

General Comments:

This car was simple and not very luxurious.

Serious lack of power, very slow up hills.

Started up every time without hesitation.

Gas mileage was not as good as expectd for such a small engine.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd February, 2005

1985 Nissan Sentra XE Wagon 1.6 liter L 4 from North America

Summary:

A comfortable, reliable, car

Faults:

Not many things have gone wrong with the car. When we first bought it the blower fan for the heater/air conditioner made a very loud moaning sound and still produced little air. We removed the the blower fan to find a thick amount of dirt and leaves inside the air ducts and on the fan.

Also the washer fluid pump leaked so we sealed it off. The rear wiper also stopped working shortly after we bought it.

Now recently at about 177,000 miles the washer pump started leaking again, now I can't stop it, and I also had to replace the alternator and a six year old battery.

Also when it starts cold it idles really rough to the point of stalling, if it doesn't start in High Idle, until it warms up to about 100 degrees.

General Comments:

The car handles very well, even though it has no power steering.

The air conditioner is ice cold and the engine is very quiet. Even at 75-80 mph the little car still gets better than 35 miles per gallon on the highway.

The manual transmition practically glides in and out of gear.

A perfect low maintenence first car!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th August, 2002

1985 Nissan Sentra 1.6L from North America

Summary:

Trusty and economical

Faults:

Front axles, radiator, windshield fluid pump, rear defrost, rear windsheild wiper, horn, hazard lights, clock, and the sensor light was always on.

General Comments:

Got this car from a friend. He'd kept it in good repair. Ran beautifully in the spring, summer, early autumn. 30+mpg. Great pick-up for it's age and mileage. Shook at 70mph. Only reason I don't have it now is a friend crashed it. Else I wouldn't be getting another car. Tended to eat a little oil though.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 7th July, 2000

1985 Nissan Sentra 1.6 from North America

Faults:

Well basically everything you could ever imagine has went wrong with it. Engine problems, transmission, CV joints twice, A/C electrical problems big time. The radio went out. The power steering went out.

General Comments:

This car was passed down through 3 people in my family, I was the last one to get it and that was when everything fell apart literally. It was a nightmare, I never had to push something so much in my life. This car accomplished HIGH miles but if not for constant repairs it wouldn't have made it. I would not buy another one - the parts are too high and these cars are overrated.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 3rd September, 1999

30th Jul 2001, 21:53

You're one of only four people on this site who is not happy with this car. And there are 41 reviews combined of all the production years listed from 1985 to now. Which means that this car has a satisfaction rate of above 90 percent. My sister has one and couldn't be happier with it. Absolutely no problems, even with 126,000 miles on it except for a front end accident that took out a headlight and punctured a radiator hose.

5th Jul 2007, 20:36

My family had one purchased in 1994 in Peru. Previous cars: Ford Taunus, Volkswagen Beetle, Volkswagen Brasilia, Fiat 128, Daihatsu Charade, Toyota Cressida, Lada 2106. Until the date it was stolen for the second time in front of my house (2002), the best. (The first time it was recovered, maybe because of the insurance). Parts are easy to get in my country, and I think they are also easy to get in the countries near to the manufacturing plant in Mexico, and cannot complain about the prices. This is one of the cars most likely to be stolen in my country. Perhaps your dealer or mechanic is charging you too much. If that is the case I suggest trying to change your mechanic or to sell it to someone who will appreciate it more. The only weak point of this car would be safety in case of a crash.

1985 Nissan Sentra 1.6 from North America

Faults:

CV joints went out at about 90,000, car's electricals dealing with the A/C were screwed up real bad so that when you switched on the a/c the fuse box would catch fire.

The tie rod ends went out, after that the carb was a disaster, it was always having problems from about 60,000 miles.

The manufacturer's radio went out twice. Then for the big boom the timing belt broke right after Nissan has supposedly replaced. It blew the head after I got that fixed, the radiator busted not once but twice...

General Comments:

I bought this car in 85' new, it was a good car up until a certain age, I must say though I kept it till it had 256,000 miles on it then I gave it to my son who is still driving it so I guess it's not that bad a car.

I must say though this is no racer its lucky to even pull itself L'.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 3rd August, 1999