thanks for the help im def gonna take a look into these. and thanks for everyone else who pitched in as well. i've just noticed the sentra se-r and spec-v, so anyone care to give me some insight on that as well? they look pretty good to me. i'd thought about the TL's but i dont know if i wanna drive a v6 with todays gas prices. i dont mind premium gas though.

^you should be more worried about the glass auto tranny exploding on you.. :P if you were to consider the 3.2TL

That is what im hoping for :)

I'd go Altima or Maxima

^Maxima>Altima.. VQ30de-k + made in japan ftw..

I have 2004 Saab 9-3 ARC 2.0T (210 HP) for sale,
Quick sale, leaving country

PM me for more details and pics
http://s52.radikal.ru/i136/0807/81/6e3b305e8e7a.jpg

yura u got pm. would like more info on the car!

anyone know about the sentra spec V? or se-r?!

too_slow, i've been researching the vw's but it seems like alot of them have reliability issues, and kinda outta my price range! which is a shame they're friggin nice

ser is not bad if it has header mod, retighten butterfly valve screws.

There's the SE-R, then the SE-R Spec V. The only sure thing I know is that the Spec V takes premium.

nope it is in owners manual. you only need 87 octane if you don't care about your performance. If you cant afford premium for your vehicle, i would suggest not to own a vehicle at all.

Not sure about the previous gen sentra SE-R's but I can vouch for mine, I love it

Good low end torque, awesome gas mileage, fun to drive.

^ exactly the low end torque was the only reason i brought it in the first place ( all the previous cars i have owned are turboed) and the spec v has useful powerband for a daily. I am getting 26-28mpg mostly city driving.

3 common problems on MK4 VW's:

-coilpacks
-window regulators
-brake light switch
-rattles

#1 and #2 have been corrected on MY2002.5+
#3 there is a recall on this (the stealership will fix it for free)
#4 it has to do with your luck really... mine has been rattle free, and i had a system in it :P

draft: so which year is your sentra? i cant seem to find many on sale right now.
too_slow: thanks for the info bro, really appreciate
im still having a hard time finding a car i really like although the sentra se-r does intrigue me. possibly the mazda 3 2.3, did find a couple of is300 for about 15000.... anyways this is frustrating! lol
thanks for the all help thus far. hopefully i make a decision and post what i bought

Mine's an 08, but Im sure you can find older SE-R's in yoru range

If you don't mind RHD, or a little older vehicle, you could look into a Skyline Sedan, or an EVO1.

the later mk4 GLIs are better apparently, if you buy the early ones (i believe pre-2004 or 2003) they're problem filled, it's from what ive heard, so pre-2003/4 emkay owners don't get mad at me

the VR6 GLI is a good choice, you will love that engine

^I've owned an early model MK4, and a later model MK4 GTI.. Both were trouble free... If anything, the earlier model was built better (one's in Germany, the other in Brazil :S) .. You can tell with the textured dash, and the sound when you slam the door.. LOL

But yeah, if you do some research online, most of the problems u see with a MK4 were on the earlier models (00-02)

i had an 03 ser spec V before. i got it brand new. only problem i had was a crappy crank angle sensor that went on me twice. both times replaced under warranty. 6 months b4 the warranty ended, the engine all the sudden burned gobs of oil. like 4-ish liters every 2000k's. i was getting a new engine from nissan under warranty, then i got into an accident and my car got written off.

anyway. those things are pretty well built. 2 other guys in the sentra club got into an accident. 1 walked away, the other spent a couple weeks in the hospital with a mild concussion, couldnt remember the accident, but eveything else was fine. all of our cars were totaled. we shouldn't have walked away kinda thing.

difference in ser and spec v. if you want a sunroof, all the sers will be auto(part of the option package). now, other than different seats spec v, with rockford fosgate option includes, sunroof, 300 watt audio system, helical slip differential, abs(iirc). standard spec v's also have 17" wheels, 6 speed manual. its argued that the suspension is also different from the ser. i dunno, depends who you ask.

if you want to look at one, make sure all the recalls are done. 03+ will include, crank angle sensor, butterfly screw adjustment, precat sensor, ecu foam delete and possibly engine replacement recall. you should consider buying off someone from the b15sentra forums. they will at least have a header on, which eliminated the excessive oil burn. most guys even went as far as getting a new engine under warranty and taking the stock precat exhaust header off and putting an aftertmarket one on immediately.

Sorry im wondering if you got a car personally there are alot of mazda out there not sure of the year specification but my car was just over 10 grand 2002 mazda protege 5 , my sister got a mazda 3 gt for like 15 , but there not bad cars there havent been any problems with min yet, my parents have a protege 5 also and nothing wrong with it yet i would asy there fairly reliable but if you got a car already what kind did you buy? you might be able to fidn the mazda mp3 somewhere 2001 car though.

alright car.... BUT SHIT IN SNOW! took us about 1 hour and 30 minutes to dig my friend out of the snow lol

I'll recommend the Mazda6..you can find a fully loaded one fairly cheap, I've owned a 04 Mazda6 for 5 years and I can say its the best handling car in this segment. no problem what so ever, oil change and maintenance are fairly cheap too

This thread is like 5 months old......I think the OP probably bought his car already.

I wonder what the OP bought..?