Great value, cute car

After you read my first impressions of the car below, be sure to read my comment in the comments section to see how I feel about it a year and a half later.

Well, I had a 1997 sentra that I really liked. When it finally rusted out thanks to all the salt from many Vermont winters, I thoroughly investigated many new compact cars. I wanted the fuel efficiency of my sentra and the reliability of my sentra. After spending too much time at too may dealerships I realized I just wanted another sentra.

The price was a strong selling point. If you can, go toward the end of the month because they have quotas that they try to meet. They are more flexible in price on the 29th than they are on the 2nd. Eventually I negotiated a price that made my monthly payments for the new car even lower than they were for the 1997 car (which I had bought two years used) and one whole year shorter to pay it off.

I bought the 1.8 S model. Not the bare bones model, but not the sport package. What's the point of a spoiler on a sentra anyway?? The 1.8 S has everything I need and more - lots of storage spots, a cd player that is even better than my boyfriend's 2003 honda accord cd player, a tripometer that tells me all sorts of cool things like the outside temperature, how many mile to the gallon I'm getting, and how many miles I can go before I run out of gas. Speaking of gas, I get great gas mileage and pretty good performance too. In cities, I get 26-29 mpg and on highways I get way over 30. In fact, if I stay below the speed limit I get over 40 mpg. With gas prices as crazy as they are, I'm very happy with that.

On the down side, I am not crazy about the upholstery options available. There are 3 options - dark gray mesh, tan mesh, and tan velouresque fabrics. Certain color cars only come with certain color interiors. For example, I had wanted one of the shades of silver for my car, but they only come with the mesh style fabric. That mesh stuff is really cheap looking and it also looks like it would get pulled very easily. I almost didn't buy the car because of that. I got the "bronze shimmer" - the lest ugly color that offered the velourish stuff. I'm not crazy about this fabric either. It's sort of like a cordoroy that criss-crosses so you end up with tiny squares. These tiny squares leave tiny squares embossed in the back of your thighs if you are wearing shorts and it's not very comfortable. If you wear pants though, it's fine.

The seats adjust pretty well. There is even lumbar support. The headrests are not very comfortable. They angle in at the top so that if you rest your head on it, your head points down. I don't know why they designed them that way. Test drive one though - maybe you'll like it.

For the price, you can't beat it. A good reliable car with great gas mileage and some perks to make you feel luxurious. If you plan on hauling people in the backseat often though, this may not be the best bet for you since it's not too big.