1998 Nissan Sentra GXE from North America - Comments

Evaporator valve at about 50000 miles.

Engine front oil seal at about 50000 miles.

The only other expenses I have had have been routine maintenance and replacement items such as tires, brake pads and an exhaust pipe.

I would highly recommend this series of Sentra (96-99) if you are in the market for a car this size. I did a lot of research before buying and had narrowed my choices to: Mazda Protege; Toyota Corolla; and Honda Civic. The Sentra was the first of the list I found from a reliable source with verifiable maintenance records so I bought it.

It is not quite as smooth and refined as the Civic; as large as the Protege; or as smooth and highly regarded as the Corolla, but I don't regret for a minute buying it. It's like the EveReady rabbit... it just keeps going and going!!

I have a friend who is an honest and exceptionally talented mechanic and he advised me that Nissan engine and transmissions are about the best available. So far he was right on the money in recommending the Sentra. He gives me a good rate, but even so, the only repairs I've needed, the oil seal and evap. valve were less than $350.00. That's pretty good after 100,000 miles of service to me and 110,000 total miles!!!

I get about 32 mpg in all around driving (about half city and half highway) and 36-38 mpg on trips. The engine does not use a drop of oil between changes and basically runs and drives just about like it did at 10,000 miles when I bought it. It has a timing chain rather than a belt which saves having that maintenance expense also.

Front end parts and rear brakes are all original and still tight at 110,000. I just had them checked. Ditto for all the struts and shocks. The battery was still good at 6yrs. old, but I replaced it before winter just as a precaution.

I'll pass on a few tips I picked up from mechanics and speaking to Nissan service personnel to keep your Sentra purring along: Air filter every 15,000 miles; do not add slick 50; coolant change on time each 2-3 years or 30,000 (check owner's manual for schedule, I can't remember for sure) this helps lubricate the engine and water pump; avoid BP gasoline (too many additives) regular oil changes at no more than 3,750 miles.

Paint and rust resistance have been excellent.

If you can find one that has been well maintained you should be happy with this car. I'm hoping to get at least 150,000-200,000 miles use out of mine.

They are not fast or fancy. In fact they're kind of plain and utilitarian when compared to the "best in class", but I enjoy just chugging along in mine going from point A to point B with such a good record of low cost reliability.

As of recently I was looking for something to replace my dear 84' Monte <--- still runs great, no problems as of yet, at about 84K.

Anyway back to the Sentra, I purchased this car at a dealership here locally, and while I was looking for a cheap car (I only have a summer job), when I found this car for 5500. I couldn't help but go in and get it. Rides great, as always, it always comes down to the previous owner, and from the looks of it... they took care of it.

If taken care of, I am almost positive 150K is very possible to obtain on this foreign make. Fuel wise, the car is getting about 28mpg, of course that is combined highway/town mileage. Oil... doesn't eat oil at all, so the usual oil change does it well every time. No extra electronic nightmares (locks, windows, etc.), simply a car that runs top-notch for the intended use.