Anyone who is versed in the inherent awesomeness of the Isuzu Stylus or Mercury Tracer LTS or Toyota Corolla FX-16 understands the concept of the Nissan Sentra SE-R. Take a big four-cylinder engine, stuff it into a small sedan, tune the suspension to within an inch of its life so that it runs rings around most sports cars, make it cheap, and then sell it to a few — and we do mean few — geeked-out enthusiasts.
It was a formula for success back then, but with horsepower figures and curb weights swelling with each subsequent generation, we had to wonder: Does the formula still work today? Nissan has a new Sentra SE-R on the market, so we arranged for 2008 Sentra SE-R Spec V and a 1991 original to see if it still held water...
I think every manual Nissan has a six-speed these days.
I looked at the site and was surprised to see that even Base Sentras and the Versas have a 6 speed manual. I think, in the end, it was the engine that took away the fun from the (new) SE-R. The chassis got too big for the aging SR20DE so they used the 2.5 from the Altima. But like the Scion tC, it doesn't take long to realize that the engine was built for practicality and not performance.
Also, I think the Motive guys should have looked harder for a better example of the original. There are still B13s out there in decent shape.
Quote, originally posted by Big Morgan »
This is TCL, the bastion of hatred and ill feelings.
Also, I think the Motive guys should have looked harder for a better example of the original. There are still B13s out there in decent shape.
No kidding. The article is a joke - I've never seen a rusty SE-R except this one and one owned by someone else here (TehAndy?). Mine was 198,000 miles and rust-free. But, you know, it wouldn't have made a good enough butt for jokes about OMG JAPONEEZ RUST!!!
Splinter - Team Post-Killing Ninja My decantering is delicate and courageous.
I test drove a '91 SE-R when they came out. I remember being extremely underwhelmed. The car mags had talked it up so much that it couldn't hope to live up to the hype. Of course, I was pretty young at the time, so subtle competence wasn't really a quality that was going to sell me on anything. /$0.02
Fox News: “The sky is green.” ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN: “Is the sky green? Our team of experts investigates.” Local news: “Is the sky green? We hit the street to find out what YOU think!” Online media/blogosphere: “It is well known that Al Gore and Dick Cheney conspired in 1998 to turn the sky red.”
I test drove a '91 SE-R when they came out. I remember being extremely underwhelmed.
Just curious...if that was extremely underwhelming, what did you find whelming at that time?
The B13 S-ER was leagues ahead of its competition when it came out.
1993 Sentra SE-R | 2002 SVT Focus 2006 Cummins Ram 4x4 6MT | 2008 Passat Wagon 6MT Old cars for increased street cred... 2006 MINI Cooper S | 1990 BMW M3 | 1988 BMW M3
All I know is you could not get me to buy another Nissan powered by ANY iteration of the QR25 four cylinders. Those motors are nothing but ticking time bombs with both oil consumption and pre-cat failures. My SE-R had TWO whole motors replaced under warranty due to these flaws...and thus I would never recommend them to anyone.
The B13 and the early B15 SE's with the SR20 are epic win however...
Quote, originally posted by vwlarry »
They also said the Titanic would never blow up and the Hindenburg would never sink, too.
Quote, originally posted by jackboots »
I hereby annex this thread in the name of the MX-5 Miata Roadster, the single most important invention in the history of mankind.
I really would have enjoyed seeing a full comparison that included track/autocross time between the two (if the '91 was in good shape suspension-wise). I'm not surprised at the results. A light car has a certain crispness to it that heavier cars can't emulate by adding more horsepower and bigger brakes.
Quote, originally posted by axe »
Honda threads are like dubber douchebag flypaper
Quote, originally posted by nachtmusik »
while humans might be the most intelligent species on the planet, simply being human is no guarantee of being intelligent...
No kidding. The article is a joke - I've never seen a rusty SE-R except this one and one owned by someone else here (TehAndy?). Mine was 198,000 miles and rust-free. But, you know, it wouldn't have made a good enough butt for jokes about OMG JAPONEEZ RUST!!!
You must not have seen very many SE-R Classics then. Look on serforum, they are always for sale and most have either rocker or serious doorjam/fender rust. These things were water traps. While I do agree that the example in this article is not typical, the typical SE-R does contain a fairly high amount of rust, depending on where it has spent it's life. Also has 5th gear pop-out
Quote, originally posted by GiacGtiAgain »
What do you mean its not giving you boost. A hose could have just blown off. What does the car sound like? If you want help, you need to approach the situation with a little more transparency. Maybe its not giving you boost because its keeping it all for itself, because of your attitude.
You must not have seen very many SE-R Classics then. Look on serforum, they are always for sale and most have either rocker or serious doorjam/fender rust. These things were water traps. While I do agree that the example in this article is not typical, the typical SE-R does contain a fairly high amount of rust, depending on where it has spent it's life. Also has 5th gear pop-out
Mine didn't have that either. Also everything worked except the moonroof would only pop up, not slide. The EGR was clogged, though, they do all do that.
Splinter - Team Post-Killing Ninja My decantering is delicate and courageous.
Your article says "2001" instead of "1991". I was about to say, that doesn't look like a 2001 and if it is, it certainly shouldn't have that much rust.
Just curious...if that was extremely underwhelming, what did you find whelming at that time?
Basically, I remember thinking that the contemporary Corollas I was driving regularly for work didn't feel much slower, and that with some simple suspension tuning they'd be just about as fun.
Of course I was 18-19 at the time and still into American V8's, so like I said, subtletly and refinement weren't exactly at the top of my list. But I do think the magazines overhyped the SE-R a bit. I was expecting it to feel quicker based on the reviews.
Fox News: “The sky is green.” ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN: “Is the sky green? Our team of experts investigates.” Local news: “Is the sky green? We hit the street to find out what YOU think!” Online media/blogosphere: “It is well known that Al Gore and Dick Cheney conspired in 1998 to turn the sky red.”
Basically, I remember thinking that the contemporary Corollas I was driving regularly for work didn't feel much slower, and that with some simple suspension tuning they'd be just about as fun.
Having exposure to both: they were that much slower, and they wouldn't. The AE92 Corolla GT-S coupes weren't bad, though the US versions were down on power (especially compared to the supercharged models in Japan). The AE100 Corolla sedans that came out in 1992 suffered suspension-wise because Toyota put all the effort into the quasi-double-wishbone "Super Strut" suspension that was only available in JDM coupes.
Though really the genius of the SE-R was that it was "all of a piece" - unlike those Corollas it wasn't wanting of slightly more power or a better suspension. It had them. It was a total package.
Splinter - Team Post-Killing Ninja My decantering is delicate and courageous.
I had a dark red 91 with a sunroof. Bought it with 45K on it in 1996. The car was stock except for a CAI and a magnaflow muffler. This car was amazing, very quiet and composed and it would just pull and pull to the redline.
At 80Km the infamous 5th gear problem cropped up. The car would pop out of fifth gear. From what I knew then, 70% of them had the issue. At that point Nissan wouldn't pay a dime towards the repair even though it was obvious that the gear had been redesigned. On one of the websites, side by side pics made it clear.
The repair would have cost me $1500 which at the time I didnt have. Ended up selling the car.
i just wished it had a tiny bit more power, 240ish... does seemed to me like a very very good comeptitor..
VIP master Modified by kyokoris. at 11:07 PM 1-1-2007
Quote, originally posted by zero666cool »
as for the Boster, HELL NO, i chose a volvo s60 over a boxter (when i had to chose between the two as a daily car) cuz honestly i don't consider the boxter to be a porsh (to me it's ugly and very slow, it's just for the name people buy it. )
I had a dark red 91 with a sunroof. Bought it with 45K on it in 1996. The car was stock except for a CAI and a magnaflow muffler. This car was amazing, very quiet and composed and it would just pull and pull to the redline.
At 80Km the infamous 5th gear problem cropped up. The car would pop out of fifth gear. From what I knew then, 70% of them had the issue. At that point Nissan wouldn't pay a dime towards the repair even though it was obvious that the gear had been redesigned. On one of the websites, side by side pics made it clear.
The repair would have cost me $1500 which at the time I didnt have. Ended up selling the car.
No Nissans for me.
Ok flame on...now I drive vdubs
Mine doesn't pop out of 5th. I don't have SE-R but a Infiniti G20 with the SR20DE. Maybe mine was fixed before I bought it or it never developed this problem.
No kidding. The article is a joke - I've never seen a rusty SE-R except this one and one owned by someone else here (TehAndy?). Mine was 198,000 miles and rust-free. But, you know, it wouldn't have made a good enough butt for jokes about OMG JAPONEEZ RUST!!!
I cannot speak directly for Motive, but you my friend need to take a sedative.
Motive doesn't exactly have limitless resources. I am sure they made the decision to do the article, and decided to go get an SE-R (ANY SE-R) to do a comparo with. THey found what they found, just like they used my Focus for their retrospective, and my friend Ken's Grand National for the GN retrospective. Its what was available at the time.
Also, I have it on good authority that the condition of this SE-R was considered to be something that added to the article. In short, it was for subtle comedic value.
Finally, here in Chicago, they use road salt like Richard Pryor used cocaine. EVERYTHING is rusty, and even compared to VA and MD, we have colder winters, more snow, and more road salt than you do. Its not uncommon to see 6 and 7 year old cars with cancer around here - especially Hondas, Toyotas, and Nissans.
In short, lighten up.
Modified by Download_Complete at 2:06 PM 9-23-2008
Coming soon: A tow vehicle with some real firepower. 1986 Bayliner 2450 Ciera Sportcruiser / Volvo Penta AQ260A/275SP
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)
, I hope it helps.
