Used Car of the Day: 2002 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec-V

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

Today's UCOTD is 2002 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec-V that the author has loved for a long time but must part with due to family needs.

Many of us can relate to that.


This Canadian car has 270,000 kilometers on the clock, a Nissan Z OEM clutch, BC coilovers, Stillen lightweight flywheel, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires on NISMO rims, an upgraded radiator, LED fog lights, Nokian winter tires, a roof rack, and the ECU out of a 2005 350Z, among other mods.

The seller says it runs and drives well, though it does have some cosmetic issues, mostly because it is now more than 20 years old.

Click here to check it out. The asking price is $7,300.

[Images: Seller]

Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by  subscribing to our newsletter.

Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

More by Tim Healey

Comments
Join the conversation
6 of 18 comments
  • Lou_BC Lou_BC on Oct 05, 2023

    @Tim Healy - how about some early 80's compact trucks like Ranger, S10, Luv, Toyota etc.?


    • See 2 previous
    • Kwik_Shift_Pro4X Kwik_Shift_Pro4X on Oct 06, 2023

      I would love to see a found 1989 Nissan Hard Body King Cab DLX with manual. That was my first, in black.


  • Lorenzo Lorenzo on Oct 06, 2023

    Not a word about how this generation Sentra folds like a cheap suit, even in a low speed crash? The 1999-2006 models are ones to avoid if you want to keep the car awhile. My sister's 3 year old 2005 Sentra was totaled by her insurance company after it was rear-ended in a parking lot, at under 20 mph.

    She couldn't believe it, but the insurance agent said it was policy for that model. The damage always exceeded the estimate once they started repair, so they just wrote them off.

    • 2ACL 2ACL on Oct 07, 2023

      I was trying to be nice, but. . .

      I looked at an SE-R Spec V of this generation some years ago and ultimately walked away. I liked the engine's flexibility, and the underlying chassis was satisfying, if somewhat crude due to the torsion beam. However, the interior quality killed my enthusiasm. Fit was okay, finish wasn't. Some of the plastics were reminiscent of early 90's Ford right down to having stress cracks made worse when the owner tried to fix full breaks with screws. The only reasons I didn't walk away before putting the key into the ignition is that I knew Texas summers are unmerciful to anything that isn't regularly put in the shade and I'd never driven a B15.

      Nice to drive, but the interior imparted a widespread impression of it being brittle, even for an econobox. Never really looked back afterward.












  • Tassos You can answer your own question for yourself, Tim, if you ask instead"Have Japanese (or Korean) Automakers Eaten Everyone's Lunch"?I am sure you can answer it without my help.
  • Tassos WHile this IS a legitimate used car, unlike the vast majority of Tim's obsolete 30 and 40 year old pieces of junk, the price is ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. It is not even a Hellcat. WHat are you paying for? The low miles? I wish it had DOUBLE the miles, which would guarantee it was regularly driven AND well maintained these 10 years, and they were easy highway miles, not damaging stop-go city miles!!!
  • Tassos Silly and RIdiculous.The REAL Tassos.
  • Lostboy If you can stay home when it's bad out in winter, then maybe your 3 season tire WILL be an "ALL-SEASON" tire as your just not going to get winters and make do? I guess tire rotations and alignments just because a whole lot more important!
  • Mike My wife has a ‘20 Mazda3 w/the Premium Package; before that she had a ‘15 Mazda3 i GT; before THAT she had an ‘06 Mazda Tribute S V6, ie: Ford Escape with a Mazda-tuned suspension. (I’ve also had two Miata NAs, a ‘94 & a ‘97M, but that’s another story.) We’ve gotten excellent service out of them all. Her 2020, like the others before it, is our road trip car - gets 38mpg highway, it’s been from NC to Florida, Texas, Newfoundland, & many places in between. Comfortable, sporty, well-appointed, spacious, & reliable. Sure, we’d look at a Mazda hybrid, but not anytime soon.😎
Next