# 2004 1.8s vs. 2005 base model



## slhaas (May 1, 2005)

Hey everyone. I'm new here, but have been a very active member of several forums over the years for my various non Nissan cars. I'm picking up a new Sentra on Monday, so I figured I'd get started in a Nissan forum, and this one looks the best. I'm not sure which car to take, though, so I thought I'd put the options out there for you guys and see if thee are any major differences or likes/dislikes between my two options. I've got the dealer down to the same price for both cars, so now it's just my decision.

Option 1 is the entry level 2005 Sentra that they're trying to clear out. Brand new, with all the standard factory warranty and protection policies. It's bare bones with a manual transmission, CD player, accessory plug and air conditioning. Nothing more.

Option 2 is a 2004 1.8s. It has 17000 miles on it and was used for one year as a rental in Indiana. The carfax report is clean, but it WAS a rental. It has keyless entry, power locks, power windows, a nicer (leather?) steering wheel and dashboard, CD player, air conditioning, automatic transmission, accessory plug and cigarette lighter, and a few other little bells & whistles. It doesn't, however, have cruise control or fog lamps. I have the remainder of the 3 year bumper to bumper warranty, the remainder of the 60,000 mile drive/power warranty, and I got them to certify it for a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty. This was not an option for me because of it having been a rental, so they added the extra years/miles. 

They both run great, and I actually prefer manual over automatic. The 05 engine runs quieter. I can't hear a difference in the car, but with the hood open I can hear a slight click on the 04. Of course the dealer says that it's normal because any brand new engine will run quieter than one with 17,000 miles, and that if I am worried that it's something more, that it'll manifest itself prior to 100,000 miles, and will be repaired or replaced free of charge. I have read that on an 03 Sentra Nissan used a timing chain instead of a belt which made the engine a little noisy outside. Is this true in the 04 and 05 as well? Is this possibly what I'm hearing? 

Which car would you choose, and are there any differences between the 04 and 05 other than the ones I pointed out myself? Thanks in advance for any help and suggestions.


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## AsianJKim (Dec 15, 2004)

slhaas said:


> Which car would you choose, and are there any differences between the 04 and 05 other than the ones I pointed out myself? Thanks in advance for any help and suggestions.


Personally I think you should get the 05. Brand new and so you know how your car has been treated. Who knows what happened to the car from the rental place. lol.


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## Jarek (Mar 29, 2005)

AsianJKim said:


> Personally I think you should get the 05. Brand new and so you know how your car has been treated. Who knows what happened to the car from the rental place. lol.


I agree, go for the 05, even though the 04 is highly equipped ( i drive a 1.8s of the same year.. its an auto as well, i bought brand new off the lot, you can add on whatever the 05 doesnt have later on.) but the only down side of the auto in the 04 is that its rather lacking in performance compared to the manual, in fact im considering trading it in for manual just because im a performance driver. if it were me... the 05 is the vehicle of choice.



> I have read that on an 03 Sentra Nissan used a timing chain instead of a belt which made the engine a little noisy outside. Is this true in the 04 and 05 as well? Is this possibly what I'm hearing?


All sentras 2000 and up with the xe, GXE and 1.8 trim have the same motor, (qg18de) and comes with a timing chain, this click is normal with these vehicles and goes away after vehicle reaches operating temperature

Good luck on your choice! :cheers:


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## crunchie (Apr 29, 2005)

Depends on what you plan to do with the car. If you like to mod, I'd go with the 2004 simply cos I always feel it's a waste to mod a brand new car (but that's just me). If you plan to do little to no mods on the car then go with the new one. Don't forget to KBB the 2005 car. Even though it's new, always good to check. Dealers will show you all kinds of papers/invoices that will have whatever numbers they want you to believe.


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## NIUPonyBoy (Mar 11, 2005)

Get the new car, keep her stock and enjoy the gas milage.


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## matt123 (Dec 2, 2004)

It would help if you posted the prices for the two cars so we could compare.


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## slhaas (May 1, 2005)

They were the same price. $11,400.00. I was able to get a better warranty on the used one for free because the dealer was trying to move a certain number of used cars by the end of the month, so I went with the '04. With that said, how hard would it be for me to add cruise control and fog lamps? Also, do any of you guys know where I can get a spare key made for my car for less than the $67.00 the dealer wants? No local hardware or department store around here has the key or machine to do it. A locksmith perhaps, or is there a better/cheaper option?


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## Jarek (Mar 29, 2005)

slhaas said:


> They were the same price. $11,400.00. I was able to get a better warranty on the used one for free because the dealer was trying to move a certain number of used cars by the end of the month, so I went with the '04. With that said, how hard would it be for me to add cruise control and fog lamps? Also, do any of you guys know where I can get a spare key made for my car for less than the $67.00 the dealer wants? No local hardware or department store around here has the key or machine to do it. A locksmith perhaps, or is there a better/cheaper option?


Get the new car, save up money for better fog lamps and stuff.. cruise control? who uses that crap lol... nah its like a 1000$ add on though.. but why would you want to add cruise control on a manual? also if im not mistaken... dealerships are the only ones who can make keys? because locksmiths arent allowed to copy "master" keys.. i might be wrong .. dont quote me on that.

in the end... 11400 for a brand new freakin nissan!!! thats a cool deal!!! damn it.. i payed 13500! grrr!!


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## Blank (Aug 21, 2003)

go for the 05, peace of mind because of the ticking sound, plus sticks are more fun, and give you a helpful little boost when driving in traffic with the 1.8 ltr moter... keys should be like 5 bucks at dealer.. we are talking the sentra right? unless it has a security chip, then its gonna ber 60 bux and dealer only...hell tell them you will only buy tghe car if they throw in the key for ytou...


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## NIUPonyBoy (Mar 11, 2005)

Did he not say he got the 04 already?


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## Jarek (Mar 29, 2005)

slhaas said:


> so I went with the '04.


yep he already did.. didnt read that... well enjoy your nissan!  :thumbup:


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## sukebegigi (Mar 5, 2005)

slhaas said:


> Also, do any of you guys know where I can get a spare key made for my car for less than the $67.00 the dealer wants? No local hardware or department store around here has the key or machine to do it. A locksmith perhaps, or is there a better/cheaper option?


I believe NVIS keys can only be bought at the dealership (assuming you have a NVIS key). So 67 bucks it is. The main question is, did you really only get 1 key? I'd ask the Service Manager about it then I'd contact Nissan Customer Service directly if need be. I got 3 with my car. 2 regular NVIS keys and 1 special valet key. I'd be surprised if american customers got treated different. Don't take any guff from these swine!


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## crunchie (Apr 29, 2005)

sukebegigi said:


> I believe NVIS keys can only be bought at the dealership (assuming you have a NVIS key). So 67 bucks it is. The main question is, did you really only get 1 key? I'd ask the Service Manager about it then I'd contact Nissan Customer Service directly if need be. I got 3 with my car. 2 regular NVIS keys and 1 special valet key. I'd be surprised if american customers got treated different. Don't take any guff from these swine!


Depends. If you get a used car, chances are you'll get one key and one remote. I know lots of folks who don't turn in all their keys when selling their used car then throwing them away later. The sales folks often don't ask for the either (like they'd care about anything). That said, you can and definitely should ask the sales guy to provide the extra key even if you didn't buy from a Nissan dealer. They can get it at a lower price but most importantly, you don't have to pay. 

If you think not getting keys are bad, I know of 2 sales guys in TX who got arrested for harrassing a customer who changed her mind about buying and preventing her from leaving the lot.


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## slhaas (May 1, 2005)

crunchie said:


> Depends. If you get a used car, chances are you'll get one key and one remote. I know lots of folks who don't turn in all their keys when selling their used car then throwing them away later. The sales folks often don't ask for the either (like they'd care about anything). That said, you can and definitely should ask the sales guy to provide the extra key even if you didn't buy from a Nissan dealer. They can get it at a lower price but most importantly, you don't have to pay.
> 
> If you think not getting keys are bad, I know of 2 sales guys in TX who got arrested for harrassing a customer who changed her mind about buying and preventing her from leaving the lot.


I tried, and they wont give me another free key. I should've asked for it before signing the papers, but I didn't know it was a special key, so I didn't think to ask for it. I did get an extra keyfob, though, so that would get me in in case of a lockout with the key in the car, but if I lose the key, I'm screwed out of $67.00.


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