There has been so little to go wrong with this car, it is truly amazing. I have replaced the clutch once - at around 150,000. The alternator went out a few months back; but there has never been any significant failure with the car.
The reliability of the car has been unbelievable. Now, with 364,000 miles, I still drive it every day in metropolitan traffic; my commute to work one way is 34 miles.
In terms of comfort, it is much better than one would expect. The AC still works - really everything still works on the car except the fuel gauge. It is surprisingly quiet and smooth out on the open road. Around town on rough streets, I get a lot of squeaks inside the car; it almost sounds like many of the joints where the plastic comes together is squeaking.
The other amazing thing about this car is the way it deals with slick roads. I don't know why, but I'm assuming it has something to do with way the weight of the engine is distributed over the front wheels (front wheel drive). But I know there have been many times I've been able to keep driving during heavy rains, or on icy roads, where many other cars were pulled over.
These older Nissan Sentras truly are an amazing ownership experience. My 1984 Sentra Wagon has a tiny mileage compared to your vehicle. Currently I am at 154k miles on a 1984 DX Wagon. Rust is almost zero because I am in Texas. I have owned my Nissan from 2002,yet I have put an incredible 33k miles on her in only 18 months of driving. It has been so reliable it was used as a delivery vehicle. I did replace both Front Axles, Carburetor, and upgraded the Mechanical Fuel Pump to an Electric Unit. The Fuel pump upgrade certainly gives a little more acceleration. I regularly change my Oil, and these cars benefit immensely from having Carburetor Cleaner sprayed down the Throat of the Carburetor on a regular basis. Now it needs a Steering rack and some Balljoints. Yet I shall spend the money gladly as I know it has many many Thousands of reliable service left to give me. It make look dated, but at least I will always arrive at my chosen destination while more expensive transportaion lies idle at the roadside due to the latest design fault.I would buy another in a heartbeat.
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