29th May 2002, 20:33

I have a 1990 Nissan Sentra and I have to say it is the best vehicle I have ever owned. Mine now has 206k miles and has never really let me down. I drove it across the country 15k miles in one month and only had two flat tires. This is an amazing car.

The only major work has been 3 replacement clutches and one generator. I did not even have to put water in the radiator for 5 years!

I am going to keep it for my kids to drive in 16 years.

BTW I also change the oil maybe once every 20k miles and have had no problems.

Daniel.

9th Aug 2002, 13:05

My nissan sentra is also a 1989 has 267,997 miles on it. Only thing that you have to do with this car is replace the parts that will eventually wear out. Anyone that owns a nissan sentra should be able to get 300,000 to 500,000 miles out their vehicle. Make sure you do the basic maintenance on the vehicle. Keeping up the oil changes every 3000 miles has kept this car running well. And I haven't even changed the timing chain yet.

17th Sep 2002, 22:22

I have owned an 89 Sentra for about 2 years now. It has 150k on it and I have been using lately for delivering pizza. It has never had a problem except recently. I just replaced the alternator. It took all of about 1 hour to do, but the part cost $150 bucks!!! Expensive Hitachi parts. Anyway, the one I removed was stock so I think I got my money's worth out of it. Bought it for $1200. It has a one broken strut right now, but I drive it like that and have no problems other than a minor thud noise from time to time. I change the oil religiously and as a result it doesn't burn any.

19th Nov 2002, 00:28

I have a 1990 Nissan that I bought 2nd hand. It is at approximately 190,000 miles, with only normal wear and tear (tires, battery, belts, etc.). It developed an oil leak which I had fixed last week. The mechanic HAD suggested changing the timing belt while the car was in the shop, but after seeing the good condition of the chain, said it wasn't needed. I average about 30 miles to the gallon.

I own the base 2 door, and the only thing I wish for is intermittent wiper control!

22nd Nov 2002, 12:43

I have a 1989 Sentra that I have had since Febuary. I got it with 143,000 miles on it and it runs like a champ. It now has over 145,000 miles. Starts everyday and runs smooth. I have a leak somewhere under the distributor, but other than that the car runs and drives perfect. It's just my second car so it's not heavily relied on. These are nice cars.

22nd Feb 2003, 01:44

Hello,

I need some help. I have an 89 Nissan Sentra and I mistakenly unplugged what seems to be the ecu. It is located underneath the passenger seat. The car will not start now. I was wondering if you have to reset the ecu (if it is the ecu) and how this would be accomplished?

You can email me at michaeljamesgeorge@yahoo.com

Thank you very much in advance.

22nd Feb 2003, 09:44

I bought my 1989 Sentra in September of 2002. I paid $1500 for it. I have been pleased with it up till now (2-22-03). I had it break down on me when I was out of town with a timing chain problem. Is is going to cost over $1000 to get it fixed at the local dealership in Tuscaloosa, Al. The timing chain has eaten a hole in the housing and oil was going everywhere. I hope from what I am reading that this will be my last big expense with it. The mechanic told me that this year has had a history of problems with the chain.

1st Apr 2004, 13:15

Just sold my 1989 Nissan Sentra 2D Sedan 5-speed for $500. Needed the money fast to pay the tax collector. 185,000 miles, only burned a little oil. Owned since 2000, and it ran like a champ, with only minimal maintenance required. Only replaced the alternator, spark plugs, and spark plug wires--I did it myself, because there is lots of room under the hood to work on it. Oil changes a breeze, as easy to access the filter and drain plug, no jacking necessary. Now I have a 1990 Honda Civic EX--nicer looking than the Sentra, but a bear to work on under that low profile hood. I changed the oil, and scraped up my knuckles; don't like crawling around under cars w/o good place to do it (not an oily parking lot).

17th Apr 2004, 15:18

I have owned my 1989 Nissan Sentra since she was brand new. I drove her off the lot Memorial day 1989 with 5 miles on the odometer. She now has 112000 miles and rarely gives me any problems. I have had to have an oil seal replaced, the fuel pump in the gas tank, the brakes done and recently the timing chain. The only other costs have been basic maintenance (ie. headlight bulbs, oil changes and tune ups) I have not put that many miles on her over the last 15 years, so with the past performance and the comments here, I guess I will plan to own her at least another 15 years!

25th Aug 2004, 19:52

I bought this 89 new and have had two major repairs over the years. One was when the transmission seal blew and I didn't catch it in time and lost the transmission. But the replacement one has been good.

The second repair was a freak accident, the timing chain guide actually snapped off and broke the chain causing some valve damage. Lucky for me none of the pistons were damaged.

You definitely have to keep those oil changes regular, I keep mine at 7000-10000 km. It sure loves it when you do.

This car has gone through a lot during its life including being in storage for a couple of years. Walked into the garage and just started her up with no problem. She has always been peppy and fun to drive. I would recommend this car to anyone who wants a solid little car, with great gas mileage.

2nd Feb 2005, 20:43

One of my friends bought a 1989 Nissan Sentra 4-door, they are great beater cars full of power. We used this car in a compact car demolition derby. It did great and we won first place with it, not bad for one-hundred dollars.Right?

5th Apr 2006, 14:55

I bought an 89 Sentra for my g-friend in april of 05, and aside from minor regular maintenance it has been great to us. It had 68k miles on it, and we drove it a lot in the past year, and she is wonderful.

I now have a problem with the distributor housing o-ring. It leaks some oil, and I'm worried the electrical plug on the side might succumb to it. I wouldn't mind, because its easy to fix, but the housings are so expensive (300).

Other than that, It's a gem, and an engineering marvel.

2nd Jun 2008, 21:20

I bought a 89 Sentra in 1988. The timing chain broke ten years later. The car sat on a lot for seven years. Trust me, I was surprised when I put on a battery, and the good little car turned. It did not start since the fuel pump in the tank was bad. I am in the process of restoring the tank, replacing the fuel pump. I will keep all updated.

3rd Feb 2012, 04:15

Have a 1990 Nissan Sentra 2 door 1.6 liters. It's a great car, had it since new, has had regular maintenance; oil, tires, spark plugs, etc., has 325K miles.

All of a sudden, the brake fluid container became empty, looked for leaks along the lines, didn't find one, replaced twice the master cylinder, container still getting empty (overnight and while not in use). Am I missing something?

If anybody knows something on how stop this, it will be greatly appreciated. You can contact me by email at nomo925@gmail.com

Thanks.