1986 Nissan Sentra 2 Door review from North America

This car was a gift and sat for four years before I took ownership. I had to replace the valve cover gasket.

I replaced the rear wheel bearings.

I rebuilt the Hitachi Carb.

I replaced many vacuum lines and PVC hose.

I had to locate parts for the A/C tensioner assembly, as they are not easy to find. It only uses one V Belt for the compressor, so it wears out a belt very fast.

The interior is falling apart. This is typical for a car of its era.

The engine main seals are leaking oil.

The exhaust is rotten.

Performed a full tune up, plugs, wires, dist. cap, and rotor.

Fuel pump died so I converted it to an electric unit.

For a car with 122,000 miles that sat for 4 years, what more could you want?

Parts are not too hard to find for most items, however some hoses are a "Dealer Only" item. Unless you can piece one together like I did.

I have a grand total of 155 dollars invested in this car, as I did all labor myself, and the car was free.

I would steer clear of the early Sentra's, 86 and before, unless you are mechanically inclined, as they are riddled with carburetor and vacuum problems.

The A/C still works, however the car has no power with it turned on.

You should plan on a fuel pump going out, it's fairly common on these cars.

65 MPH is about all this car wants to do, any higher and it feels like it's screaming for mercy.

The clutch is very easy to master, this car is an easy one to learn on if you have never driven a standard before.

Visibility isn't bad, there are no blind spots.

This car isn't very comfortable, and I really don't think its all that safe either.

However with proper up-keep, they will run for many years.