# I want to buy a SER or SPEC V



## Guest (Apr 25, 2003)

Hi,

This is my first post at this site but ive been reading the forums w/ out posting for about 1-1.5 hours. I finally have the basics. Im buying a car in the near future and want to ask you guys, the spec v and ser owners, if this car can beat a 2000 civic SI?

The reason im asking is that is my other option. To be honest, the 2k2 has kind of made me hestitant towards Nissan as a whole considering all the problems tht come w/ it. 

I read some where on this forum that the 2k3 is much better, ie the bugs have been ironed out but still kind of iffy. 

Please clearify what some minor, major or any problems im probably going to face if i buy a spec v or ser model from 2k2?

Thank you.


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## jblaze (Jan 30, 2003)

i have an 02 with absolutely no problems. IMO I think its all in how you break in your car. And also how you maintain it. My 02 has 23,500 miles and i havent had one problem. As far as the 00 Civic Si. You should be able to smoke one stock for stock. they only came with 127hp...from what i have read, but they do weigh approx. 200 lbs. lighter than the specs.


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## chimmike (Oct 17, 2002)

whu??? 2000 civic SI's came with 160hp, but absolutely JACK for torque. you can beat an SI.


BREAK IN IS IMPORTANT!


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## jblaze (Jan 30, 2003)

sorry chimmike...i was looking through a site on the web to try and see how much hp the SI came with and it told me 126. I didnt know for sure.


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## chimmike (Oct 17, 2002)

that's the SI in Canada I'm pretty sure.


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## Silvspec86 (Apr 4, 2003)

i think its mostly because people try to drive it like a honda...meaning that they carnt driving to meet the car's potential and needs... and that dumbasses try to race and screw things up. i have a 02 and the only problem i have with the car is that it grinds with fast 2nd to 3rd shift at higher RPMs and even then, it is neglegible. i usually driven consevatively and i have no problems what so ever.....only when i try to have some fun, the 3rd gear synchro screws me over...but I'm gonna get the Dealer to replace it with the 03 tranny for free after Final Exams are over and then it should be as bulletproof as any other Nissan


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## Guest (Apr 25, 2003)

> *meaning that they carnt driving to meet the car's potential and needs... and that dumbasses try to race and screw things up. *


So you can't drive this car fast? Is that what your saying>? What exactly is wrong w/ the "tranny"? Is it the gear grinding scenario for most people? 

Im most likely getting 2k2 but don't want the bad tranny...I like the 2k3's considering they are rid of the old engine as a whole. 

Man i love this car. Btw...i have a 2000 sentra gxe. It's pretty cool. I'll post some pics for you guys if you like. 

I haven't had any problems w/ that. Im ready to go for something faster w/ a reasonable price tag.


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## jblaze (Jan 30, 2003)

You can drive this car very fast...but you would want it broken in properly. I wouldnt buy a used 02...just b/c some asshole probably beat the shit out of it and now its having problems, so they are tryin to get rid of it. I drive my car everyday...accelerate on and off ramps and like i said i have no problems since the start. but i also didnt beat it for the first 2000 miles either. You treat a car like anything else you appreciate. If you dont take care of it, it wont take care of you.


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## Guest (Apr 25, 2003)

true, true. Man i love this car.


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## cortrim1 (May 1, 2002)

the problems with the 02-03 spec v's have are blown out of proportion. I have a 02 with a oct 01 build date I have had no problems. Also It dynoed at 163whp and 180lbft recently.


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## Guest (Apr 25, 2003)

Althought the Civic Si is a well built car... it doesn't have the "bang-for-the-buck" that the SER or SER-V have. Either Nissan can blow the Honda away in a race. As far as 02 or 03... we have seen some horror stories out here about the 02 Spec-V transmission. I'm not sure that these stories aren't a result of plain old abuse. I have a 02 Spec-V and have had no problems. I think you can ruin any car if you try hard enough... lol


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## muphasta (Aug 12, 2002)

I have had no problems w/my '02 either. Minor inconveniece w/the damn "get it in reverse" thing, but no problems. The 02 and 03 have the same engine, so I don't know what you meant by 


vbp6us said:


> *I like the 2k3's considering they are rid of the old engine as a whole. *


I love my 02, and I like the seats better. Front seats anyway.


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## lo-specV (Apr 7, 2003)

i was also considering getting '03, only because all the stories i here about the '02s. I was able to find an '02 with 5k miles on it and fell in love with the car and bought it on the spot. paid 13k for it and just hope that owner before me took care of it.


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## BlackoutSpecV (May 8, 2002)

I have had no issues with my 02, I've had it since Feb02. The break in on an aluminum motor is crutial, i kept my foot out of it for the frist 3k, then got a little more agressive till 5k, only raced once and that was at about 8k, Since 10k i have been driving it pretty hard about half the time.
Truth be told, we blew up a totaly built Mustang because we did'nt break it in right. My 90 integra is driven like its stolen, i use the rev limmiter as a shift point, and it still runs strong. It was broken in very very well to the tune of 5,000 miles of soft driving and 2k oil changes. It makes all the diffrence on all the cars i've owned/worked on.

\\\Edit:

regarding the 00 si. They are 160hp, and they are always driven by $tupid little kids, i think i could beat half of them on foot! I used to have a friend who had one, they are fun and fast, but they have no low end, we (SE-R's) walk all over them.


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## Guest (Apr 25, 2003)

I cant really remember where i heard this but, "Horsepower sells cars, Torque wins races". And i believe in this 100%

A se-r or spec V will definitley beat an 00 si in every type of race out there


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## 7SPEED (Mar 24, 2003)

If u find a used 02 w/ low miles u should be o.k, like somebody said I think the problems were overblown. Some people say they have rattles or grind in tranny but some don't and if car is still under warranty then u can always go to the dealer.

As far as faster than 00 Si...well at the track I beat a guy w/ i/h/e and my only mod is intake.


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## speedz19 (Apr 18, 2003)

My girlfriend has a '00 Civic SI, and while it is a wonderful car, with great reliability, it would not stand up to an SE-R. If your Nissan was/is taken care of, you should be fine.


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## GIANNI (Apr 28, 2003)

A 00 CIVIC SI ONLY HAS 111 LBS TORQUE ITS NOT EVEN A CONTEST! I RACED A PORCHE BOXSTER 3 DAYS AGO AND WE WERE HEAD TO HEAD.


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## jblaze (Jan 30, 2003)

TAKE OFF YOUR CAPS...You are full of shit about the Porsche.


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## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

not necessarily, car-stats lists the 01 Boxter manual at 14.7, and the 03 at 14.6, if GIANNI had some mods and the boxter was an auto he could hang with that pretty easily.


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## SilvrSpec619 (Apr 12, 2003)

I've got an '02 Spec V and its all that and more. While it was stock I raced lots of SI's(honda is one of my main compatitions) and everytime I looked at who was driving it I saw high school kids. I smoked every SI(1999-2000) that came near me and would disapoint these kids( hell, I even smoked a 2001 prelude type SH once). They always wanted to know what kind of car I had and always thought it was just a sentra with a 1.8L engine in it with nos or turbo/supercharger. That was when my car was stock. Granted I did wait for the break-in period(1k-1.2k) and didn't start putting on aftermarket parts until my car reached 5k. But now I've calmed down allot and even though I've got aftermarket parts on my car that probably upped my hp and tq to around 185-190 or so(at the crank), I barely race anymore but once in a while there's a v6 mustang or a v6 camaro that wants to go at it and I take on the challenge. I just don't see the point in racing cars that I've beaten while I was stock(too much stress on the engine). And I guess seeing how I've got aftermarket parts, I'm more careful cause I don't want them to break(they cost a grip and I could put on another mod instead of blowing the same one over and over and spending money on that part).

But my car runs smoothly and everything(knock on wood). I'm very happy with my car...granted I'd like the new Subaru WRX STI coming out this summer. But hey...who wouldn't?!! 300 hp and tq on a car almost identical in size and weight to my spec V is always a turn on.:banana:


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## Nismoist (Oct 18, 2002)

*RE: Muphasta*

This is a bit late..I noticed your confusion about the comment of Nissan "changing" the engines. While the actual engine (QR25) wasn't changed, there were modifications made after the '02 June-July models (somewhere in there). When the car went into production, there was a J-Spec version of the QR25 and the ever and always crappy version, that being the American. In short, we got the crap internal parts. This caused the issues with the oil leakage (due to a ring not sealing properly, or as quickly). Once Nissan reviewed the issues and differences, they decided to convert all American destined engines to the Japanese spec parts, thus doing what should have been done in the first place.

Sorry if this response is a bit vague. If you're interested in learning more, I suggest looking it up on google. There were a couple articles I saw on it.


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## SilvrSpec619 (Apr 12, 2003)

First year cars will always have problems be it minor or major. The '02 owners of the Spec's and Ser's like myself are nothing but giunneau(ignore the spelling) pigs of nissan. That's the price we have to pay to "have the new car model on the block". Every car company has those problems. And people lets not forget that there are "duds" out there. I mean, it is a mass produced vehicle and there will always be a dud or 2 out there. In my opinion, the spec's and ser's did exactly what R&D scientists at nissan designed it to do. And time through time A/F companies are cracking the QR25 motor. Soon enough there will be 2 turbo setups(JWT & Forced Induction Racing) available for it. Cam gears should be coming out soon. And they're cracking the ECU as we speak about this.

C'mon people, think of how many problems there will be from the new WRX STI coming out this summer. A factory turbo pumping that much power through an engine the size of our cars engine. That's why they have factory warrenties and extended warrenties out there when you buy a new car.


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## Guest (May 1, 2003)

SE-R_V-Spec said:


> *I cant really remember where i heard this but, "Horsepower sells cars, Torque wins races". And i believe in this 100%
> 
> A se-r or spec V will definitley beat an 00 si in every type of race out there *




i dunno about that man take a look at a new rsx [email protected]
and [email protected]

And it will take a spec V no problem [email protected] [email protected]


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## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

haha, it won't take a spec-v no problem, it's a very close race and with equal drivers the rsx-s will barely take it. If the spec driver is ever so slightly better than the rsx driver then the spec will win.


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## Guest (May 1, 2003)

no way man i know of stock rsx's that pull 6.5 0-60, and do the quarter with high 14's low 15's, you would need boltons to beat it.
i have never heard of spec v doing high 14's stock


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## Guest (May 1, 2003)

there i just went to a rsx forum and found this guy who was there online and talked to him and stock rsx typeS's can run high 14's, mid 14's with just intake 14.584...at 95.98(aem intake)
and they run low 14's with intake and exhaust any other mods and your in 13's thats faster then a spec


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## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

You said stock, you also just said they run high 14's to low 15's, well there are people with spec-v's that run 15 flat stock. I said the rsx is slightly faster, that's why they can pull a 14.9 stock and we can only get a 15.0 stock. It takes a very good driver to get either car down that low, and the average joe is only going to be pulling a 15.3 or so in each car, that's why it's a driver's race.


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## Guest (May 1, 2003)

not driverss race man sorry rsx wins, its more race inspired, if there were 2 equal drivers and they weren't skilled drivers the rsx would win, have u ever been in a rsx, anything abour 4000rpm and it just screams.


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## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

Well how do you explain the tons and tons of spec drivers who have beat rsx-s's, including the video I saw of a spec beating an rsx-s?

Bottom line, rsx with very good driver runs 14.9, spec with very good driver runs 15.0. Any two cars that close makes it a driver's race


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## jblaze (Jan 30, 2003)

I have raced a friend with a stock rsx type s against my, then stock, 02 spec v. From light to light I beat him. In a quarter mile race he barely beat me. I am talking like 1/2 to 3/4 car length.


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## FletchSpecV (Nov 26, 2002)

vbp6us said:


> *So you can't drive this car fast? Is that what your saying>? What exactly is wrong w/ the "tranny"? Is it the gear grinding scenario for most people?
> 
> Im most likely getting 2k2 but don't want the bad tranny...I like the 2k3's considering they are rid of the old engine as a whole.
> 
> ...


Let's see some pics of that bad boy.


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## FletchSpecV (Nov 26, 2002)

muphasta said:


> *I have had no problems w/my '02 either. Minor inconveniece w/the damn "get it in reverse" thing, but no problems. *


I have an 03 and I've got about 5K miles on it right now. Never had one problem. Broke it in easy until about 3K miles and oil change at scheduled 3750. It runs great now, the only thing is when it's cold, it's sometimes hard to get in reverse and the gears are stiff in general, but I think that's something you run into on most cars. I love it!


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## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

Synthetic tranny fluid can really help with that stiff shifting in cold weather. A lot of people like redline MTL and MT-90, you might want to check it out.


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## Guest (May 2, 2003)

I need to find my digital camera first. I can't believe i lost the damn thing. 

Is there a certain month IN the 2k2 model which they addressed the problem(s) w/ the transmission? 

Thanks.


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## jblaze (Jan 30, 2003)

my spec was built in may of 02 and i havent had any problems.


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## FletchSpecV (Nov 26, 2002)

sr20dem0n said:


> *Synthetic tranny fluid can really help with that stiff shifting in cold weather. A lot of people like redline MTL and MT-90, you might want to check it out. *


Thanks! I will.


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## mycarisaser (May 17, 2003)

back to the origanal question . the base se-r has a low key interior (imo it doest look as cheep as the spec ) /softer ride (easer for every day driveing )/ 16in rims(they're ugly)/ lack of a limited slip. the spec v is more of a spots car.better handleing/nicer rims/skyline inspired interior(softer seats)
it all dependes on what your looking for ride or performance
I like the specs rims/ 6 speed/ limited slip but i also like the ride and the interior of the se-r 
hope this helps


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## mycarisaser (May 17, 2003)

(imo it doest look as cheep as the spec ) i mean mainly the door panels. damn they look cheep


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## FletchSpecV (Nov 26, 2002)

I own a spec but I just test drove an se-r last weekend just out of curiousity and I found that the spec is a bargain for the price. The Se-r seems really cheap and really slow compared to the spec. That 6 speed and the 17's are much worth the little bit of extra money. It just adds to the feel. The se-r feels slow and really cheap. Just my 2 cents. Later,
Fletch


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## Lazarus_023 (Jun 3, 2003)

Huh.... if you're a nissan man, it's a tough choice... buy an ser or an ser v-spec....

v-spec = more 'spensive... think about it. 
-if you don't care about the car's "rarity," if you have no concern for the car's value, good, 'cause there is none... you'll lose money on a spec-v. if'n you plan on "moddin'", don't waste time on the spec-v 'cause you're gonna replace everything that makes it a spec-v anyway... (suspension, wheels, etc.)
-however, if'n you're not gonna fuck with it, it's a MARGINALLY better deal (if you get it FAR below MSRP, and you better, damn it. every nissan dealership in the country has at least 5 of 'em...) to get the spec-v...

ser = good base platform fer "modding..." 
ser-v = ok if you're NOT gonna "mod" it...

if you're not a nissan man, go buy a frickin' Neon SRT-4. bang-fer-buck-four-banger, there's no beating it. don't waste your time thinking.


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## dwill9578 (Jan 13, 2003)

Suspension, wheels, etc is all that makes it a spec-v----not so. what are you going to do take out the 6 speed, diffrent ECU and interior? There are diffrences but not many, depends on what you want to spend.


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## Lurker Above (Apr 21, 2003)

also, if you choose the se-r and want the abs and side impact airbag package, you're stuck with the auto tranny. this was a deciding factor for me


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## UnderDog (Jul 14, 2002)

I notice all the numbers on the Hondas all over this thread. Sure an RSX has 200 hp but it's at such rediculously high RPMs. They're totally gutless down low. Like the S2K, 240 hp @ like, 7K+ RPM and 150 lbs of torque. Get real. The QR may have less hp but it has more torque and it's all in a usable range. These Hondas get more credit than they deserve sometimes.


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## Lazarus_023 (Jun 3, 2003)

dwill9578 said:


> *Suspension, wheels, etc is all that makes it a spec-v----not so. what are you going to do take out the 6 speed, diffrent ECU and interior? There are diffrences but not many, depends on what you want to spend. *


sorry... suspension, wheels, ETC... oh, wait that *was* there... what's your point again? i'll go down the list, then...

1) wheels: you're gonna buy some fatty bling w/ sly-sticky sneakers, so don't waste your time/$$ on the spec-v.

2) suspension: you're gonna buy the hottest, dropped-est setta hi-po coils on the market today, so don't waste your time/$$ on the spec-v.

3) ECU: 10 hps? fer fucksakes, man!! for the thousands o' dollars extra for the spec-v, you can get one hella-badass big-badda tanka NAAAAAWS, so don't waste your time/$$ on the spec-v.

4) Interior: huh. last i knew the spec-v seats still didn't say se-r on them, and if you don't like the fabric, the leather-trimmed seats are a DIO..., so don't waste your time/$$ on the spec-v.

5) 6-speed: The only defect of the non-spec-v that can't be overcome... or can it? damn, man! with all the mad-ass extra power that NAAAAWS (or any other decent engine mod) is gonna give you, your torque curve is gonna change, and the benefit of having a nice, close-ratio 6-speed is gonna be lost anyway... go buy the 6-speed shift knob from the parts dept, have them install it with your leather-trimmed seats, and don't waste your time/$$ on the spec-v.

MY ORIGINAL STATEMENT STANDS. If you're gonna mod the hell outta your car, it's not much of an advantage to start with the spec-v. you can spend the dough you save on mods.

THE REASONS TO BUY a spec-v? 
-if you aren't going to do much to it, but want a sweet, well-balanced ride with good suspension and power, or 
-you're willing to cough up some extra green for a status symbol...


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## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

Lazarus_023 - you forgot the lsd


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## Lazarus_023 (Jun 3, 2003)

sr20dem0n said:


> *Lazarus_023 - you forgot the lsd  *


crap.


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## Lurker Above (Apr 21, 2003)

nobody cares about the abs...  

and lazarus_023, that's exactly $ 1,000 difference in base msrp between se-r and spec v: $ 16,199 vs $ 17,199. if you don't care for the abs, sunroof, or af packages, basically you're getting the drivetrain differences for a grand. it only gets expensive on the spec v when you pick abs, because the other two options come with it; on the se-r you can get abs by itself, but like i said you end up with an automatic. price difference between se-r with abs and automatic vice spec v with abs/sunroof/af: $ 17,748 vs $ 19,196, or only $ 1,448...and the spec driver basks in their sunroof, and has the 6-speed stick and hlsd to boot


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## FletchSpecV (Nov 26, 2002)

Lazarus_023 said:


> *Huh.... if you're a nissan man, it's a tough choice... buy an ser or an ser v-spec....
> 
> v-spec = more 'spensive... think about it.
> -if you don't care about the car's "rarity," if you have no concern for the car's value, good, 'cause there is none... you'll lose money on a spec-v. if'n you plan on "moddin'", don't waste time on the spec-v 'cause you're gonna replace everything that makes it a spec-v anyway... (suspension, wheels, etc.)
> ...


The only thing I can say about the spec versus the regular se-r is that that 6 speed makes a huge difference. If you are going to entirely mod the car, including transmission, shifter, etc, then I would just get an se-r but if you are going to do exterior show mods and like I/H/E and just other minimal things without replacing the whole shifter then I would say spec v all the way. I don't know that much about cars but I want to do a little bit of modifications without changing every single thing on the car, so I bought a spec. It's about what you will do with it in the future. Just my 2 cents. later,
Fletch


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## Lazarus_023 (Jun 3, 2003)

Lurker Above said:


> *nobody cares about the abs...  *


yeah. i test drove one with abs... stopped like a pig on a hardwood floor. i prefer the non-abs and a little controlled- braking....
i don't care for/about the abs.



Lurker Above said:


> *and lazarus_023, that's exactly $ 1,000 difference in base msrp between se-r and spec v: $ 16,199 vs $ 17,199. if you don't care for the abs, sunroof, or af packages, basically you're getting the drivetrain differences for a grand. it only gets expensive on the spec v when you pick abs, because the other two options come with it; on the se-r you can get abs by itself, but like i said you end up with an automatic. price difference between se-r with abs and automatic vice spec v with abs/sunroof/af: $ 17,748 vs $ 19,196, or only $ 1,448...and the spec driver basks in their sunroof, and has the 6-speed stick and hlsd to boot  *


msrp, man. not the "real" prices... with all the non-specs sitting on lots around here, i'd hope you can get a better deal on an ser than that. and yeah, if you *need* a manual, and you *need* abs, there's not really any decision to be made, is there? spec it is.


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