# test drove 2001 Sentra 2.0 MT, what to look for?



## kjbula (Feb 13, 2011)

Hey guys, I'm new to Nissan so I came here for help. I've been reading posts for about 2 hrs. now and I must admit, I'm thinking these cars aren't very reliable. (no offense to you die hards, I love all the Z's)
The car in question is a 2001 Sentra SE with a 2.0L (SR20DE) with 5 sp. manual trans 97k miles. All power options seem to work fine except 1 rear window motor is weak.
Dealer showed me receipts for new rotors and pads at all 4 and new calipers in rear. Also 1 new rear wheel hub and new battery.
He's asking $5000 but he says he will take my offer of $4200. I'm going back Monday to pick it up and bring it back to my garage for a quick once over, he said he was fine with that. 
So, What should I be looking for? I didn't notice any fluid leaks but it was so cold today I didn't spend much time looking. The clutch didn't slip but the pedel isn't as stiff as I would like. No dummy lights on dash.
What I did notice was a rattle kinda like a loose heat shield on the exhaust, and also got vibration in the brake pedel during heavy braking.
So what do u guys think? What are the common problems with these cars that I might be able to identify?
Thanks in advance! sorry for rambling.

Oh, this will be my wifes car, no racin', haha.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

kjbula said:


> Dealer showed me receipts for new rotors and pads at all 4 and new calipers in rear......
> also got vibration in the brake pedel during heavy braking.


Ask that rip-off artist if those receipts are actually from this particular vehicle or if he just pulled them out of his ass...


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## kjbula (Feb 13, 2011)

JD,
1. I looked at the receipts and they had "2001 Nissan Sentra" on them. Could they be from another Sentra with the same miles, sure but thats unlikely.
2. Stop posting then. I don't need a FSM at this time.
3. Obvious things like fluids, belts, filters, tires, ect., ect., no shit!
4. I agree, some people shouldn't breed, some shouldn't post if they have nothing intelligent to say.
5. There are NO dummy lights on.
6. Google?? Whats that. haha

So, not to turn this into a bitch session, but does anyone have something useful to say?
What is going to break on this car when it reaches 100k? Ball joints? Lower control arms?
Alloy wheels? 
I saw TSB's for wheels and LCA bolts, so I'll call a Nissan dealer when I get the car home BEFORE I purchase the car and find out if they where done on this one.


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## kjbula (Feb 13, 2011)

JD,
Let me apoligize now. I didn't realize that was your sig. I should stop assuming everyone is ready to fight on these forums.:balls:

I want to believe the 2.0l w/MT is a great, reliable setup but what about the rest of the car? Are there alot of electrical problems? That is the worst thing to track down.

Thanks again.:cheers:


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

They're a pretty good car and the SR20DE, IMO, is the best engine to have out of all of the engines that have been put into Sentras over the years. Obviously, past maintenance is the key to any used car. The wheel issue applied to only those with steel wheels. If you have the 2.0L, you likely have an SE with alloys, so this won't affect you. As far as the control arm bolts, it applied to only Mexican made Sentras ( VIN # starts with "3" ) and Nissan corrected the issue by installing new bolts via a recall. They were not known for any other major issues or electical problems.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

kjbula said:


> JD,
> Let me apoligize now. I didn't realize that was your sig. I should stop assuming everyone is ready to fight on these forums.:balls:


FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!  ok, not so much...
That rear window might be as simple as a case of needing a bit of lube in the tracks or maybe just cleaning out the tracks that the window rides in.
Other than that (disclaimer: I don't own one, never have), the 2.0 engine seems like it's one of those solid engines that doesn't go bad unless somebody dicks with it in the wrong way.


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## IanH (Feb 11, 2003)

viration umder heavy braking... sounds like the rotor to me.

SR20 is much better than the 1.8 ....

this was the upmarket Sentra SE, and doesn't have the problems of the 2.5 or 1.8
But its not particularly good on gas (comparing my SE-R w-SR20 to Sentra w-GA1.6)

Sound like a good buy to me. make them fix the brakes.


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## IanH (Feb 11, 2003)

BTW my SE-R was still on the original clutch at 110K+ when it was written off.


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