19th Oct 2002, 09:09

I've owned a 1989 Sentra for a little over a year now and I have to say, I've never been more impressed. At 300,000 kms it seems to run just find, however the head gasket has blown on me. I've put minor repairs into it, aside from your standard brake pads, tire rotation & oil changes. I drive this car on the highway 75% of the time, and it purrs like a kitten. It will over heat, but doesn't every car? I would advise anyone to purchase this vehicle.

22nd Aug 2007, 12:46

Ranting about my experience:

I have a 1989 Sentra 4 doors sedan, automatic transmission. I got it from some friends of mine for free since they were getting a new car. I am very impressed by the sturdiness of this vehicle. I drove it around for six moths without opening the hood once (not even to check the fluids). The first major problem was with steering. I took it to a shop and found out that the power steering fluid was gone, the brake fluid was almost gone, and the motor oil was very low. I put in those fluids and the car ran fine for a few moths. I took it to a lube shop a couple of months ago and they said they checked all fluids and tire pressure and all that normal stuff and everything was fine. A few weeks ago the car started to behave strangely in traffic. It would tend to stall at a red light, and when I applied the brakes and almost came to a full stop the car would surge forward a bit as if I tapped the accelerator pedal. It would also change gears in a unpredictable way with loss of traction and sudden lurches forward. Yesterday I decided to check the transmission oil level and sure enough it was very low. I topped it off and all those symptoms are gone. now I'm just waiting to see if I'm loosing transmission fluid, or if the lube shop people did not actually check the level.

(they also said that both my brake lights bulbs were burned and offered to replace them - I refused, drove home, and sure enough they worked properly)

My main point is I abused - not used, ABUSED - this car and it still runs and I use it every day for commuting to work.

Great car.