1984 Nissan Sentra LX review from North America

Nothing out of the ordinary has gone wrong with this great little car. Since I got the car from my brother (who bought it new) I've changed the exhaust system, the rear shocks, the battery and the alternator and all four tires. My other brother rebuilt the carburetor. All routine service for a car with 175000+ miles on it. Everything else is still the original factory parts.

Overall, this car is very dependable and a joy to drive. It always starts up in the morning and gets me where I need to go. It's never died on me on the highway.

It's a pretty tame motor with little torque, especially on uphill stretches. But on the highway it'll still get up to 40 miles/gallon. Can't complain!

The handling is superb and the braking excellent. No squeals on sudden turns and the "power assist" steering is nice on highways when you want the steering to be stiff and not soft.

The gears still shift nicely with no grinding or howling.

The inside is ergonomically perfect. For my 6'2" frame, there's lots of leg room for the driver and the seats are comfortable; I never feel sore or creaky after long trips. The dashboard is well-designed with everything in clear view (except for the defroster switch). And there's plenty of headroom. The back is, of course, a little cramped, but this is a subcompact.

The only complaint I have about this car is that while driving along it may suddenly die on me. And it won't start up immediately even if the engine is turning. But if I wait about 30 minutes it'll start right up again as if nothing had happened. I still haven't figured out if it's an electrical or fuel problem.