From the Honda Civic Kind R to the Hyundai Elantra N, Toyota GR Corolla and even the Subaru WRX, we reside in a time the place mainstream compacts provide actually unimaginable efficiency in your greenback. Nissan, nonetheless, is not even within the dialog and hasn’t been for years. I imply, it kind of tried again in 2017 with the Sentra Nismo, instantly obtained beat at its personal sport by the Elantra Sport after which gave up. However again within the day, the Sentra was a reliable sport compact, and the perfect of the bunch was the Sentra SE-R Spec V. And now there’s one on the market on Vehicles & Bids.
With a 2.5-liter inline-four below the hood making 175 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque, you will not be successful any drag races on this automobile, except the particular person racing you drives, I do not know, a Toyota Echo. However there’s additionally extra to sporty automobiles than straight-line velocity, and this factor has autocross champ written throughout it. That is partly as a result of the Spec Vs obtained sportier suspension setups than the common Sentra SE-R, however Nissan additionally caught a helical limited-slip differential in there, which was nonetheless a giant deal again within the early 2000s. Not unhealthy for a automobile that price about $18,000 when it was new.
So yeah, it could nonetheless be a front-wheel-drive Nissan Sentra that is down on energy in comparison with a brand new Prius and nonetheless has a Sentra inside, nevertheless it’s nonetheless the Cool Sentra, comparatively uncommon and set as much as be an absolute hoot on an autocross course. Oh, and you may’t neglect the six-speed guide transmission. As MotorTrend mentioned on the time:
The Spec V’s customary Torsen-type limited-slip differential makes the entrance finish really feel as if it is actually digging for traction, irrespective of how a lot throttle pedal you throw at it. Whip the steering wheel forwards and backwards, and the ability help retains up together with your enthusiasm (a uncommon factor on this class). The brakes are efficient, and the optionally available ABS does not intervene too quickly.
Lower than 1,500 miles a 12 months
Nonetheless, we’re speaking a couple of two-decade-old Nissan Sentra right here, so it is comprehensible when you’re involved about the way it held up. The excellent news is, whereas there may all the time be a couple of gremlins in there that you simply’d need to take care of, it appears to be like completely unimaginable for its age. There are a couple of scratches and chips within the paint, some inside put on and somewhat rust right here and there, however the earlier homeowners took unimaginable care of this automobile (contemplating it is nonetheless a Sentra on the finish of the day).
A part of that has to do with the truth that it solely has 31,100 miles on it, which works out to rather less than 1,500 miles a 12 months. In addition they saved the inside about as near showroom situation as you are going to discover on a 22-year-old Sentra. That mentioned, it is not completely inventory. In line with the itemizing, it now comes with an aftermarket air consumption, a cat-back exhaust, an engine oil catch can and LED bulbs within the headlights and foglights. Fortunately, a minimum of primarily based on what you possibly can hear within the video the vendor included, the brand new exhaust did not fully damage the automobile. Nonetheless, you’d most likely a minimum of need to have the headlights checked out so you do not blind oncoming drivers with the LED bulb swap.
As for the inside, it could have felt low-cost again in 2004, however somewhat nostalgia goes a great distance in 2025, particularly when you’re uninterested in screens and contact controls. There is a small show that exhibits the time and the radio station, in addition to a digital odometer, however that is about it for screens. Even higher, there’s an precise, bodily management for each single perform. Need to flip up the radio quantity? Flip the knob. Need colder air blowing out of the vents? Simply flip the knob. Need instructions to that new restaurant? Print ’em off your laptop or carry your cellphone, as a result of this pet positive as hell does not have a navigation system.
Is that this automobile going to be for everyone? In no way. However when you’ve been in search of a usually inexpensive autocross automobile, you possibly can positively do a complete lot worse than this 2004 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V. In spite of everything, odds are, this factor will not even hit $10,000 by the point the public sale ends.
