Haha too true. My sis paid $5000 for a 2011 sentra with 100,000 miles. In 3 months, the cvt was starting to go. Sometimes the power steering wouldn't work too. It usually required two to three start ups to get the p.s to work again. I'm just happy she traded that thing in for $2000 at Toyota for a Camry.
@@carplay5454 not covering for Nissan since those CVTs are trash but it does say in the manual they are to be serviced every 30k miles... and i guarantee almost nobody actually followed that lmao... so 100k miles with zero service on the trans, kind of expected especially with them
@@silfocus84 im looking at my 2020 versa maintenance schedule now, because my biggest fear is the cvt crapping out eventually, and it says to only inspect the fluid now every 15k miles and replace at 60k "IF NECESSARY" ..and I dont like that. Because who determines that? The dealership you take it to? will they actually be honest and replace or it let it go because they know you'll be back to have the cvt replaced when it blows?
I used to work at a Nissan dealer. We had a shop tech whose only job was to replace or rebuild CVTs and he never had an empty bay. I heard stories of CVTs failing before customers could even make it home.
They never got the issues fixed. It's considered heroic for a CVT to last 100,000km at best. Now it is difficult to know for certain, most nissan owners DO NOT do regular maintenance, but I did see a good number who, in fact, did have the service done in the CVT, and it still had broken chain links and the cones fractured or exploded. I literally don't get it 😂
@@A-classic-smithy back when I worked there was when nissan was having a lot of issues with jatco sourced transmissions. I don't know if they're still a problem, but I just don't think CVTs belong in road cars period
@@HumbleHonkingEnthusiastthe funny thing is Nissan used to have a reliable foolproof design for the CVT, back in the 90’s and early 2000’s they had a Toroidal CVT. Basically it’s two regular CVTs fused together, so they can handle double the hp and double or even triple the amount of torque compared to a single CVT. Why they stopped making them I don’t know but maybe they should have stuck with that design. Because they could handle high amounts of power and torque, the parts used in them were stronger than the parts they use nowadays and on top of that, they didn’t need maintenance nearly as often as a Nissan CVT does now (which is a transmission fluid and a CVT paper filter change every 20k to 30k miles).
I've got a 2011 Maxima SV. Had it since 9K/6 months old. My mother in law drives it now. I've had the CVT serviced every 60K and it's about to be at 150K miles. No trouble yet. Other than the power steering leaks and AC, it's been a pretty good car. Motor still doesn't burn a drop of oil.
@@BlueAvenger09Same with I-25 and I-70 here in Colorado 😅. At the end of the day, Nissan drivers will continue to show the world why their poor driving reputation is deserved.
@@TheHamburgler123I’ve seen them sentras haul ass (100+) on highways. I’m surprised them little shitboxes get up so fast. I rode in one and even at 80 mph it felt sketchy
The only person I have even known to actually own a Nissan. Angry rich girl who crashed her G35 when she was "changing her contact lenses" while driving. So her Dad gave her an Altima as a punishment.
The Altima isn't really a punishment...if it's not the third generation or newer. I think the 1st and 2nd generation models are pretty decent ones with the 2.4 4 cylinder engine and torque converter automatic transmission (or manual transmission if that's your thing). Those engines hardly had catastrophic problems unlike the 2.5 that replaced it (head gasket problems), the build quality was quite decent (not as great as Honda, but not as bad as Hyundai/Kia and Daewoo of the 90's), the transmissions were pretty reliable, and when people say "Big Altima Energy", they usually don't think of those first two generations. Third generation Maximas (2000-2003) aren't bad either.
I like that Toyota didn't put their cars in racing games for a while because the CEO said they didn't want to be known as a company that used to make cool cars. Nissan seems to have embraced being that very same thing.
Modern cars are so disappointing lol EDIT: Just went to Chevy’s website. The Cars (plural) section has one car in it. A Malibu. “SUV” section has like 8 nearly identical shitboxes. Bleak stuff.
But then, Toyota used to make cool cars too... Then they stopped, making their fear true. At least they have finally come back with the GR Yaris & Corolla.
Recently I think I have actually seen more recklessly driven Sentras than Altimas. They're just blending into the same car nightmare at this point. This was a wonderful video, thank you Roman.
I've always maintained that Sentra drivers are much worse than Altima drivers. They all drive like they have a death wish despite probably not having insurance
Old Gen X life advise to you young zoomers out there: make a mistake in your relationship and your gf will eventually forgive you, or a really bad mistake walk out. Make a mistake and buy a Sentra and you'll have to relive that the concequences of your actions for the next 96 mo at 11.25% interest.
Getting run off the road by another sentra has that same energy of that video of the cop nearly getting pancaked by a BMW that lost control-- while he was giving a ticket to another BMW of the same model series.
I rented one of these once. After 10 minutes I turned around and took it back to the rental counter, looked at the guy, handed him the key and just said....."no" That CVT........my god....
Yeah that CVT is trash, I sadly own one. For some reason it always slip at around 35-40 mph when accelerating even when it's well kept/maintained with the right fluid and filter.
Finally a car my wife and I own. Can't wait to show her this😂. Had the trans replaced at 40K under warranty. Just 5K miles after we bought it. Been replacing the cvt fluid every 25K miles since then. Currently has 110K miles with no issues. Probably also the only sentra with katzkin leather. Yes yes I went nuts and the seats hooked up. Also had more padding added to the drivers seat. Other than that I haven't had any other problems with it.
@@phdep1 Makes a huge difference and the guys that did my car also did the door cloth. If you're stuck driving a turd, might as well double down and drive in style.
I live in the Carolinas. I actually think cloth feels better but definitely aint as durable. Leather is so cold or hot in winter. But again very practical.
Nissan. The national car brand of “I can see at night because I’ve never cleaned my windshield SO ENJOY MY HIGH BEAMS BEING ON ALL THE TIME” That’s ALL Nissans. Either they have their highbeams on or their headlights off at night. There is no in between.
Honestly for me, 9/10 times I'm *blinded* by high beams, it's a Honda/Acura driver, with Jeep or Nissan being a very far away 2nd/3rd. I see plenty of cars with foggy/yellowed headlights with high beams on but they don't typically blind me. But yeah, there does seem to be a lot of NIssans with their headlights off. Honda needs to get their shit together. Stop trying to make your headlights look sleek and actually make them work.
I flashed my lights at someone who not only had their high beams on, but also had them aimed horribly. They immediately did a u-turn and chased me down the street and drove up next to me on the opposite side of the road, yelled something incoherent at me, then sped off, running a stop sign and almost took out a family trying to cross the street. People are nuts.
@@Toastmaster_5000 the accord and civic drivers are bad about that. It used to be more them than anybody else but now it’s more altimas, sentras, rogues, and the newer Versas blinding you and refusing to dim their lights even when you blind them right back. It’s like they don’t know how they work
The Nissan Sentra carries the title of the first and so far only car my good non car liking friend ever complained about or hated on. He had to ride in the back and said it was not only uncomfortable but lacked headroom and his mom even commented on how it was a cheap dreadful car to rent. THAT'S impressive.
For the love of god, I need an Arlo revenge story ASAP. Like maybe his newly widowed wife taking up the sword and training for years before clawing her way up the castle to butcher the king
Nissan Sentra: the offical car of "I don't know anything about cars, did I buy a good car?" Then when you go into the known issues they get defensive and say "well mine has been reliable (for the 3 months they've had it) so therefore its a good car." I swear, the people who buy sentras, versas, and altimas, are the people who only ask for advice with the intention of not following it & the ones who want an opinion after a decision has been made.
People who buy sentras, versa, or altimas likely don't even ask if they're buying a good car in the first place. It's a car made exclusively for people who make poor decisions. It costs nearly the same amount of money to insure a high trim subaru outback (which borders on luxery car) than it does a base model altima. There is a reason why. It's the same reason it costs more money to insure a base model ram 1500. Only stupid people who make bad decisions pick those vehicles.
@@domenik8339 both nissan and dodge vehicles are built for fleet use. My company ram1500 (2022) is awful. The old 2012 F150 w/ 250K on it drove better than this truck. Nissans are the same way. I did just buy an older frontier though, so maybe I'm also a dumbass lol.
My aunt bought a 2008? Sentra with 50k miles. Lmao the A/C went out after she bought it and it stalled twice in heavy traffic! Made it to 93k miles until she dumped it on a used car lot. Piece of shit junk car!
This is LITERALLY the exact car I currently own, 2015 sentra SV. I've owned it since 2016 and it was a rental before I bought it. I was in my 20s, broke, and knew nothing about cars or buying a car. I've since pumped 120k miles into it. The AC compressor & condenser went out at 80k miles with a $1300 estimate (parts and labor). The shifter gets stuck in park each time it's put in park, use shift lock release regularly. Door got smashed into overnight, I went to a junk yard and found my exact car and color to switch doors, it's really convenient having a car so common in junk yards. The engine has held up and CVT has surprisingly held up. It has no power, the transmission is choppy on downshifting sometimes. Surprisingly no CVT whine yet. I am 100% saving for a new car and looking at Mazda. That being said, my sentra has never left me stranded. So, I have no problem getting a nissan for myself in the future.
STOP. i got mine in 2016, shifter broke and kept getting stuck in park. replaced the transmission, and as iw as getting the ac compressor fixed the engine gave out…. i ended up getting a chevy malibu a couple days ago and love it
@fathen4972 yea, I 100% know I'm on borrowed time. Saving up and fixing the sentra up as fast and cheap as possible to sell. Don't want to be caught with a 3000lb paper weight once the CVT blows.
yes I had a first-gen Infiniti g20 - it had the same sr20 engine that the se-r came with my g20 also had the 5-speed manual which was the optimal setup. a quirk - in 3rd gear the sweep of the speedo and tach synced up, all the way to its 7500 rpm redline. matching revs when downshifting to pass was a snap!
I owned an '02 SE-R. It was a decent little whip. One thing Nissan should have done with it was give it a better grille. I modified mine and made it to look like a Skyline GTR grille but with an SE-R badge instead of a GT-R badge. Gotta say it looked nice and should have come out of the factory that way. Did a few other mods like cold air intake and high flow exhaust. That little car actually cooked and it sounded incredible with the mods.
I rented one of this while my 2019 Jetta was in the shop and agree with all of this. Closing the doors felt like you were challenging the structural integrity of this car
Subaru outbacks CVT system is under far, far more strain and it has "lifetime fluid" that never needs to be changed and virtually never has issues past the 1st Gen.
Yup. If you don't change transmission fluid and filters, even non-CVTs die early. Just, CVTs die...earlier. Mine made it 190k on just fluid changes (because the dealer service writers didn't think filter changes were a thing on my car, and I was dumb enough to let them refuse to do it). New transmission installed, hoping for another 13 years -- or more, since it will get filters every 30k now.
I've sometimes found The Roman's reviews too long, poorly edited and too self-deprecating (Race To The Roman?) -- but when he's good, he's GREAT. This review is great. It's Peak Roman. "The Story Of Arlo The Baker" is quite possibly the best thing he's ever done and one of the best things to ever appear on RCR. Thank you for this!
I'm making a point as I go forward to be less self-deprecating. Half the time, I'm not even aware I'm doing it. But looking back, half of my videos are just me ragging on myself when I don't really deserve it. I think I was scared straight by everything going on with Boogie2988. He's self-deprecating too, and hot damn, I do NOT want to turn into that guy. I'd rather just build straw-men to rip on than keep going at myself for easy jabs when I know I'm way better than that.
Also, I have always been a big fan of RCR Car Stories and this Nissan review has a lot of that deep mojo. Might it be serving as a preview of the next Car Stories?@@LimitedTimeRoman
@@davecullen4343 Not quite, although I do want the one after the next one to focus on Carlos Ghosn and Nissan. Either that or Detroit: The Rise and Fall of the Motor City. But I definitely have plenty of stories to tell.
I'll be there for all of them. I usually dig your other work on this channel and I love your writing. The car-show vids and the last car roast were A-1 -- but RCR Car Stories is your natural vehicle. It's your AMC Eagle, on whose wings you truly soar. Many thanks to you and Mr. Regular for all your dedication and hard work. I'm sure it must be harder than you make it look. God bless ye, Merry Gentlemen!@@LimitedTimeRoman
@@Grimm-Gaming I have a second gen rn, bought it at 115k now it’s at 147k little to no issues, unlike any Nissan product with at those miles the CVT would already be falling apart
2015 Nissan Sentra SV: This is your Uber ride...in Hell. Complete with peeled tinting, baked in vape, McDonalds wrappers and Wawa coffee cups everywhere. There's one area where Roman is very wrong. Nissan DID make an excellent economy car. The B13 Sentra was an excellent Sentra with high quality materials, decent space for small cars at the time, and gave us the magical three letters: SE-R. They did have some rust issues though... But they felt and drove far more expensive than what they really were. Starting in 1996, corners started to be really cut, and over the future generations, it's been a death by 1,000 cuts to keep the price down. Now it just feels cheap. I've had some as rentals, and while they are loaded with tech and are roomy, it just felt cheap. I miss the old Nissan, but I don't think that's ever coming back.
I had the B13. The engine was good, the electronics all failed with intense gremlins and needed individual-parts replacing over time. Paint peeled off even though garaged. Manual transmission. Engine was good, but that's it.
Nissan merged with Renault around 2000 and their quality instantly took a dive. I'm honestly surprised the merger _still_ hasn't been mentioned in RCR. Hell, Carlos Ghosn's life and escape from Japan would make a pretty good story episode.
I still stand by the B14 I dailyed. Yeah, Nissan was performance above all else back then, but it was still reliable for that. I had no issue taking it anywhere I wanted to go across the country, and it delivered exceedingly well.
It's totally the CVT. I had a 2002 Sentra with a manual. I was a reliable car, never had any issues. It was the SE-R trim back when it was actually sporty and fairly quick for its class. I don't think you can even get any Nissan in a manual any longer. The Frontier was the last vehicle i knew of that they still made with a conventional automatic transmission. I have a '13 and it's great. Most of their other vehicles are junk now unfortunately.
2018 is the last year to get one with a manual transmission on the base, SR Turbo and Nismo models in the US. Canada still offers one in the new one to this day
Yeah the Frontier and the Titan both have traditional autos, though they're the new style "can't have too many forward gears" types. Believe the Frontier is a 9spd.
yeah i feel that. My mom had a fourth gen white '96 sentra it when i was younger. It was a pretty dang nice car for what it was. it was a higher end version of it too. It was a manual that had some good pick up, and was pretty safe for the time. (even saved us in a car crash once) was sadly totaled that day tooo. RIP Angel (that was the cars name lmao)
@@kclefthanded427 I believe you can get a brand new one equipped with a manual still in the US, just a base model though. EDIT: lied, that's the versa.
I’ve had my 2015 Sentra since 2017, had about 16k miles at the time. I’m currently at 107k miles with the same transmission - only had to change the CVT fluid twice so far. Idk if it’s because I do mostly highway driving or because I’m always in “Eco” mode with less throttle response, but I’ve never had any problems. Definitely one of the cars of all time.
And the only reason I do is ‘cause my dad’s a mechanic w/ a shop and a lift (so no excuse not to) and would beat my ass if I didn’t. They don’t make the transmissions easy to service because the filler neck on the CVT is tucked deep in the engine underneath the ECU and has a sealed cap that you have to BREAK to put any fluid in. They fully expect you to bring it to a dealer service tech I suppose, but I’ve been outta warranty for a while now and I’m still saving for a Hardbody so I gotta keep this thing alive one way or another.
I've been waiting for this review! When I first moved to the US in 2018 I bought a Sentra of that same generation with a salvage title from flood damage for 4000 dollars 😂. I put 100 miles a day on it for 2 years until the transmission started rattling like it's going to fall off. Then I took it to a dealership that offered 4000 for the Sentra on a trade-in for a Hyundai Elantra! The salesman probably got fired
@@autochatter These economy car features are hilarious. Like the Hyundai Sonata/Elantra that have burned-out rear lights standard. They're the official car of "how many brake lights and tail lights do you really need?"
I've owned three cars in my 15 years of driving. A 1990 Nissan D21/Hardbody 5MT that was my dads, a 2007 Nissan Versa 6MT, and now a 2016 Scion iM 6MT. The Hardbody was a tank. In the 5 years I had it before a drunk driver totaled it, it had 1 oil change(I was a poor college student who didn't know anything about car maintenance). The Versa was pretty reliable as well . For the majority of the 7 years I had it, I did basic maintenance my self. I put about 150k miles on it(235k total) before I sold it and got the iM. The iM has been a big step up in every department. I had been hearing how Nissan had been going down hill for years, so I decided to go with a Toyota. Definitely a good choice!
No way !! The next candidate has to be The Ford F150 Lightning EV truck. $100,000 for a pick up that can't haul a serious load but you still have to recharge it because of crappy range. What does the HHR have that's makes it a better candidate for Race to the Bottom ????
@@terminallygray The HHR has NO redeeming qualities. The Ford lightning at least has a nice interior, is comfortable and is fast. Besides most people that own pickup tricks don’t haul or do any work that warrants having one anyway.
It was Carlos though who really pushed CVTs in as many models as possible. I'm pretty sure it was because they wanted to have more Jatco units on the road more than anything.
@@scott8919 Jatco makes many transmissions for many cars... So that with the numbers sounds about right. Although my additional theory on this is always: They wanted it in almost everything: Over one million were build every year, almost one millions fail= Manufacturers make money out of repairing things, spare parts...
Honestly, I know it's popular to rag on Sentras. But I owned a car from this generation... It was the SR Turbo with the manual transmission and it was easily one of the best cars I ever owned.
Arlo did the right thing, his father was wrong and his request was stupid and if he was so concerned about his lineage why was Arlo an only child? Arlo lived a lot more meaningful life then his father ever did. His father died alone except for Arlo while Arlo died beloved by his whole village. Arlo lived a beautiful life.
The Versa of the same generation is sucky, but the Versa of the previous generation is actually OK (except for the base 1.6 and auto sedan. That one sucks).
@jessebrook1688 my ex-fiance bought one brand new that year the transmission failed at 30k. Nissan replaced it under warranty and so far with the car at 105k miles she said it's still working.
I drove a manual one they kept the large Flywheel from the auto so it rev Haaaaanged like crazy, other than that its no more bland than a corolla to drive. We called them Nissan Pulsars here. Our Equivalent here is BRZ/86 and ford ranger drivers. At least it's A/C is freezing, it feels light, actually feels like a 90's lancer a bit, not in a bad way, the CVT probably makes it feel bad CVT's make everything bad.
Corollas in the US get a 170hp 2.0l Dynamic Force engine and have a vastly superior suspension that’s actually quite corner happy in the SE/XSE trims with the fuel economy underrated on the sticker. Is this the same as your market?
@@adeedaas8966 In 2015 we had the last gen with the 1.8, after driving both, the corolla CVT, "sentra" here called pulsar manual, I would say interior looks Toyota, quality of materials Nissan, A/C in the summer 100 percent Nissan, freezing A/C. Chassis response, Nissan, Steering Nissan, Engine reliability, equal maybe nissan as the engine is bulletproof the CVT is trash, I would never buy any CVT of any brand. I only purchase manual transmissions. I am personally happy with my Skoda Octavia, you guys dont get them there but it was the same price as the Toyota but with far better build quality and drive and especially fuel economy. Toyota lies so much about their fuel economy. Hiace 13l per 100, camry 9l, Skoda Octavia 4.8l to 5.6l. Friend worked at Toyota so gets 21 percent off every car all have been deceptive and had warranty denied and or parts fitted incorrectly, clips missing from factory.
@@tacomas9602 Utes especially older ones usually have allot of rev hang maybe it's for a smoother transition not to disrupt the load? I drove an older navara hanged pretty bad. My Nissan n15 pulsar sr20de had such a small flywheel it would launch you into the steering wheel if you let go too quick haha. 500,000l still strong not a drop burnt.
@@Userxxx840 yeah, although honestly I still thought the accent felt at least a little sportier to drive than the Sentra 😂 my least favorite non-Nissan was the Corolla
@@sunshinelolipops1 Anything Toyota felt like a step above the sea of Nissans, Hyundais, and the Americans that we usually had. Sitting inside, it felt like more effort was put into them.
My mother had a 14 Base model Sentra that she got brand new, literally the last 14 model year left on the lot in December of 14. It was absolutely gutless and the most bog standard vehicle to ever exist. Damn thing didn't even have cruise control. However, she bent the dealership over backwards and REAMED them on the price lmao, I think it was like $150 a month for 5 or so years? It was amazing on fuel economy, and only had 33k miles when she traded it in for a 16 Frontier in early 2019. I remember taking that turd on a trip from Texas to Connecticut, and my mother decided to try to beat out a semi truck on the interstate. Pedal to the floor downhill on the entrance ramp and the speedo was crawling up slower than a 90 year old's erection. Genuinely thought we were gonna lose that race and die. Almost sad we didn't
Every time Big Altima Energy gets mentioned I can't help but laugh. The facebook page is hilarious, but what most of the posters there don't realize is that THEY are the meme, not the content they post. They'll post a nice low mileage Altima without any damage and say something like "Just waiting for a CNA to hit a fire hydrant with it" or ANY car with the slightest damage saying "bIg AlTiMa eNeRgY aM i RiGhT?!" Although more on topic here, Back in 2014 I test drove an Altima and a Sentra. They felt like they were made by two different car companies. The Altima, believe it or not, with those "zero gravity seats" was VERY comfortable, reasonably quiet, felt well put together for a new car. The Sentra... not so much. Noisy, jittery, and materials looked and felt like something from the 90's someone would tell you "but it's recycled material!".
That's the difference between a Smyrna-built Nissan and an Aguascalientes-built Nissan, imo. Similar quality shift noted between my Oppama-built cube and the Aguascalientes-built Versa that was its platform-mate.
Your "no power" stuff very much reminds me of the Nissan Kicks I had in Arizona, which was "fun" (terrifying) to try passing with on two-lane highways in middle of nowhere Nevada
I’ve become conditioned to avoid any Nissan Altima/Sentra/Maxima while on the road here in SoCal. Heavy traffic across 6 lanes and a someone is approaching at excessive speed, zipping back and fourth across your rear view… Nissan Sentra. Doing the speed limit in a residential area known for having children playing in the street and someone races up behind you so close that you can’t see their headlights, then they start swerving as if they’re going to slingshot around you… Nissan Sentra. Trying to zipper merge and someone jumps the line, cutting you off and throws you the bird… Nissan Sentra. There really needs to be a cognitive behavioral science research paper written about people who drive these cars.
This has been the best RCR video I’ve seen in a long time. Nick, you’re a comedy genius. The writing and timing here is top notch. I loled out loud several times. More nick reviews please!
My brother ended up buying one of these - when we were at the dealer there was an automatic and a 6 speed manual. Previous car was a manual so I strongly recommended he go for the manual and I'm so glad he did - it is the most regular of regular cars out there, but it has never put a foot wrong. So glad we dodged the CVT bullet.
Why do French automakers think making crummy cars is a badge of honor? Peugeot in addition to Renault has a history of taking great cars and ruining them. I guess they must have great ad firms in their employ to keep selling rubbish to Europeans.
“…Nissan being a brand at the low point of your life.” Jesus, Roman. I traded in a Caliber for a used Frontier. Then 3 days later, I had to ditch the Frontier. I took a $7500 bite out of my ass to do it. And what was the car…the ONLY car…I could get to roll in the negative equity? Another Nissan. The low economic point of my life. To be fair, it was a Rogue, and it’s fine. It’s nothing special, but it’s also nothing abysmal. But at the time, it was a low point. Man, you hit the nail on the head. Love the Race to the Bottom series. You crack me up!
Had one as a rental car during a trip to California. The rear door seal came off on the highway and was knocking against the body and it struggled to go up hills. It had such less torque that it would roll back while stopped on a hill as if it's a manual car.
I've dealt with bunches of this generation of Sentra when they were young enough to be rental cars, but I've never spent an extended amount of time with them. Thank you so very much for such an in-depth and thought-invoking review of the Nissan Sentra.
Spend a week in Memphis on I 240 you will undoubtably have an appreciation for Altimas that have expired temporary tags and bumpers hanging half off, traveling at 100 mph. Every day, all day long.
I get the Sentra line up has never really been eye catching but it would of been nice comparing the previous sentras that did have that soul. The b13 se-r is a death trap but it looks great and it handled amazing and it had an sr20.
I dont understand. My friend has this car, and its got heated leather seats, bose speaker system, rides decent and gets great mpg. Like the car is fine. For the price its honestly pretty excellent. No its nothing special, but the price doesnt get you something special.
One conflict of reviewing user cars, the individual vehicle won’t reflect the whole experience of the model name. Nor would 1 afternoon of driving offer the ability to develop strong objective conclusions
Had one of these as a rental for two weeks during a trip to the US from the UK in 2016. It was so bad I googled reviews in my hotel room to see if I was just given a lemon by the rental company or were all Sentras the same.The opening review started with “There’s a belief nobody manufactures a bad car anymore, with the Sentra Nissan has set out to disprove that myth, and they’ve succeeded”. That said it all, it was a miserable driving experience.
I had an 02 sentra SE R for 2 years, albeit she was an automatic, but ive never had so much fun in a 4 door sedan. It ripped corners like a miata and hit 60 in 7 seconds stock. Such a fall from grace.
Honestly so much of what was said here can be applied to my 2018 Honda Fit. I have only had the car for a few months but it has become a huge source of stress for me. It is without a doubt the most unreliable car I ever bought. Had a oil leak at 90k and a loud metalic noise from bushings disintegrating arpund the heat shield making a terrible noise. The "magic seats" broke on me. Well one of them. Now it wont fold flat. I worry greatly about the sealing and if water will get into it. It has without a doubt the worst seats I ever sat in. I have to use a lumbar pillow from Wal Mart. I am weird and like the feeling of the CVT but I am so scared it or the engine will blow on me. I dont really have any issues with performance because I drive like a grandpa. I am getting 41 miles average right now. Huge selling point. I have huge concerns about safety. My insurance skyrocleted because apparently small cars are statically more likely to have an accident. And I know I have very little room the play around and thus drive very slow and cautious. Lots of the trim and build feels very ehhh. I worry the awesome orange paint will start degrading at this rate so only wash the thing by hand. Just so much of what has been said about the Sentra is exactly what I think of my Fit. I am afraid to push it. Its very structure feels so fragile. The uncertainty in reliability. The CVT. The terrible seats. I do like it for some reason still. The mpv shape. The infotainment. A few other things. But I would say its been a negative experience more over all. I truely expected better from Honda. I regret leaving Toyota. But I wanted at least one hatchback. Wish I could have found a Scion tC. And I will never buy a small cheap car again. Just like it was said at the end of the video. Cheap cars cut so many corners. You cannot get good quality for a low price. At leat not in 2023. I understand why so many people just dont buy sub compacts anymore. Cheap cars means cheap effort on automakers part. Not worth buying. The whole experience definitely sapped my joy for cars a lot. Just money pits. I understand why there is a huge anti car pro public transportation movement online now. Cars are just such a financial drain in a era where we cannot afford such costs.
Hondas are good cars, but it sounds like you got an abused example. The earlier Fits were made in Japan, the recently discontinued generation was made in Mexico so quality has decreased
This summer I found myself faced with a terrible choice: the choice between an Altima and a Sentra. Being just a week long rental, and having poor affinity with larger cars, I initially picked the sentra. Simple enough, cheap, and basically just a smaller altima, I figured. But the instant my ass hit the seat, it became apparent that this trip would only last if I embraced the B.A.E. Needless to say, I find myself far more... understanding of Altima drivers these days.
I used to have this car. Same color but 2013. Transmission failed at 90k. Paid 1800 labor for Nissan to replace. You are spot on with everything you said. And loved the Arlo story.
I thought my 2010 Elantra was bad, the Sentra makes it look like a golden egg. Oh, like many other have said, race to the bottom is fantastic, keep it up Nick.
I knew someone who had one of thoes Sentras SE-r from the early 90's. That thing was freeking awsome. I think it was even Car and Drivers car of the year at some point.
The stretch of road that they film on isn't really a highway, it's got several traffic lights on it. It fits their purpose because the traffic on it isn't terrible and they can have two cars ostensibly following each other without much of a chance for another car to sneak between.
Nissan Sentra: the official car of thinking a vehicle is reliable because you hit 30k miles without a catastrophic failure
Haha too true. My sis paid $5000 for a 2011 sentra with 100,000 miles. In 3 months, the cvt was starting to go. Sometimes the power steering wouldn't work too. It usually required two to three start ups to get the p.s to work again. I'm just happy she traded that thing in for $2000 at Toyota for a Camry.
@@carplay5454 not covering for Nissan since those CVTs are trash but it does say in the manual they are to be serviced every 30k miles... and i guarantee almost nobody actually followed that lmao... so 100k miles with zero service on the trans, kind of expected especially with them
I hit 131k miles without failure
I think GM also has become that with most of thier models.
@@silfocus84 im looking at my 2020 versa maintenance schedule now, because my biggest fear is the cvt crapping out eventually, and it says to only inspect the fluid now every 15k miles and replace at 60k "IF NECESSARY" ..and I dont like that. Because who determines that? The dealership you take it to? will they actually be honest and replace or it let it go because they know you'll be back to have the cvt replaced when it blows?
Nissan Sentra. The official car of Amazon Basics.
Damn, I have a Versa with a manual transmission. 😂
Did you know Amazon Basics sells synthetic motor oil?
Nissan owners don’t.
Or perhaps the official car of Walmart Great Value?
Nissan Sentra. The official car of at least its not Hyundai
Not even Amazon Basics. The official car of Amazon SIXTLR "brands" that clog the USPTO.
I used to work at a Nissan dealer. We had a shop tech whose only job was to replace or rebuild CVTs and he never had an empty bay. I heard stories of CVTs failing before customers could even make it home.
They never got the issues fixed. It's considered heroic for a CVT to last 100,000km at best. Now it is difficult to know for certain, most nissan owners DO NOT do regular maintenance, but I did see a good number who, in fact, did have the service done in the CVT, and it still had broken chain links and the cones fractured or exploded. I literally don't get it 😂
@@A-classic-smithy back when I worked there was when nissan was having a lot of issues with jatco sourced transmissions. I don't know if they're still a problem, but I just don't think CVTs belong in road cars period
@@HumbleHonkingEnthusiastthe funny thing is Nissan used to have a reliable foolproof design for the CVT, back in the 90’s and early 2000’s they had a Toroidal CVT. Basically it’s two regular CVTs fused together, so they can handle double the hp and double or even triple the amount of torque compared to a single CVT.
Why they stopped making them I don’t know but maybe they should have stuck with that design. Because they could handle high amounts of power and torque, the parts used in them were stronger than the parts they use nowadays and on top of that, they didn’t need maintenance nearly as often as a Nissan CVT does now (which is a transmission fluid and a CVT paper filter change every 20k to 30k miles).
@@original__gmebvy That reads like "Nissan Engieering", you know, the type of thing that Carlos Ghosn put an end to.
I've got a 2011 Maxima SV. Had it since 9K/6 months old. My mother in law drives it now. I've had the CVT serviced every 60K and it's about to be at 150K miles. No trouble yet. Other than the power steering leaks and AC, it's been a pretty good car. Motor still doesn't burn a drop of oil.
The story of Arlo is perhaps the most engaging story I've ever heard and it was all done to prove a point about the Nissan Sentra
Agreed! Roman, I really have been enjoying your race to the bottom series, some of the best car reviewing related content I've seen on youtube.
I completely forgot we were in the middle of a car review for a minute there...
It was beautifully well done. The hopes and dreams bit with swift tickets made me lol
Roman put more effort into that story than Nissan did during the entire development period of the seventh generation Sentra.
Hearing Brian's voice quietly in the background made me laugh out loud
The fact it has an 160 MPH speedometer is absurd. This deserves a 1980s "85 MPH" speedometer.
Maybe 120. I see these things weaving in and out of traffic @100 on I-95 on the regular. 😂
@@BlueAvenger09Same with I-25 and I-70 here in Colorado 😅. At the end of the day, Nissan drivers will continue to show the world why their poor driving reputation is deserved.
Bait & switch
These can do any speed as long as its a rental or the owner's credit is below 450. They flash tune it at the dealer when they run your credit.
@@TheHamburgler123I’ve seen them sentras haul ass (100+) on highways. I’m surprised them little shitboxes get up so fast. I rode in one and even at 80 mph it felt sketchy
The only person I have even known to actually own a Nissan. Angry rich girl who crashed her G35 when she was "changing her contact lenses" while driving. So her Dad gave her an Altima as a punishment.
not enough of a punishment, should've given her a PT Cruiser
@@Fay7666 Cruisers are too reliable
@Fay7666 she sounds exactly like the kind of woman to drive a PT Cruiser.
@pootispiker2866 and they're not even reliable
The Altima isn't really a punishment...if it's not the third generation or newer. I think the 1st and 2nd generation models are pretty decent ones with the 2.4 4 cylinder engine and torque converter automatic transmission (or manual transmission if that's your thing). Those engines hardly had catastrophic problems unlike the 2.5 that replaced it (head gasket problems), the build quality was quite decent (not as great as Honda, but not as bad as Hyundai/Kia and Daewoo of the 90's), the transmissions were pretty reliable, and when people say "Big Altima Energy", they usually don't think of those first two generations. Third generation Maximas (2000-2003) aren't bad either.
When big altima energy gets nerfed by an unexpected pregnancy.
I like that Toyota didn't put their cars in racing games for a while because the CEO said they didn't want to be known as a company that used to make cool cars. Nissan seems to have embraced being that very same thing.
Modern cars are so disappointing lol
EDIT: Just went to Chevy’s website. The Cars (plural) section has one car in it. A Malibu. “SUV” section has like 8 nearly identical shitboxes. Bleak stuff.
But then, Toyota used to make cool cars too... Then they stopped, making their fear true. At least they have finally come back with the GR Yaris & Corolla.
@@kvltiztThose shitboxes sell, that’s the reality of the world today
@@kvltiztAnd to add to the Malibu, it’s such a soulless driving experience with no character. So much I’d like to see this channel do a review on it.
@@Fay7666 and now they are back in racing games haha
Recently I think I have actually seen more recklessly driven Sentras than Altimas. They're just blending into the same car nightmare at this point. This was a wonderful video, thank you Roman.
People buy these new when they have bad credit. That’s the only reason why.
I've always maintained that Sentra drivers are much worse than Altima drivers. They all drive like they have a death wish despite probably not having insurance
Not only that people stop suddenly and then people easily smash right into them.
@@nathanlong8295 Yes this, they affect the other people around them that is not only you, but other drivers around you.
The Altima is the only car you can get after your Hellcat gets repo'd
The subtle racism 😁😁😁😁
@@wpww3343 i think that's just you projecting .
@@grizzly311tr Nah, it's your denial 🥹
Old Gen X life advise to you young zoomers out there: make a mistake in your relationship and your gf will eventually forgive you, or a really bad mistake walk out. Make a mistake and buy a Sentra and you'll have to relive that the concequences of your actions for the next 96 mo at 11.25% interest.
Getting run off the road by another sentra has that same energy of that video of the cop nearly getting pancaked by a BMW that lost control-- while he was giving a ticket to another BMW of the same model series.
The one where that car crossed the highway? Yeah that video is harrowing as hell
I rented one of these once. After 10 minutes I turned around and took it back to the rental counter, looked at the guy, handed him the key and just said....."no"
That CVT........my god....
Hey, me too! Way to value yourself my dude!
I ended up in a Chrysler 300, what did you get?
@@RJEvans44 I'm not %100 sure, maybe a ford focus? (Which was actually pretty speedy on the highway)
I actually like my Honda Fit CVT. Smooth af.
@@senseicorey9979 I bet it was a Fiesta.
Yeah that CVT is trash, I sadly own one. For some reason it always slip at around 35-40 mph when accelerating even when it's well kept/maintained with the right fluid and filter.
Arlo was the perfect analogy for the modern Nissan owner:
They all deserve better
Finally a car my wife and I own. Can't wait to show her this😂. Had the trans replaced at 40K under warranty. Just 5K miles after we bought it. Been replacing the cvt fluid every 25K miles since then. Currently has 110K miles with no issues. Probably also the only sentra with katzkin leather. Yes yes I went nuts and the seats hooked up. Also had more padding added to the drivers seat. Other than that I haven't had any other problems with it.
I had to put a pillow on mine cuz I needed the lumbar support😂
@@damian4628 Having my seats re upholstered was the best $2K I spent. Driving to the Carolinas with cloth was hell. New seats are so comfortable.
I just Katskined my Acura Legend for $1700. Came out aamazing!
@@phdep1 Makes a huge difference and the guys that did my car also did the door cloth. If you're stuck driving a turd, might as well double down and drive in style.
I live in the Carolinas. I actually think cloth feels better but definitely aint as durable. Leather is so cold or hot in winter. But again very practical.
Nissan. The national car brand of “I can see at night because I’ve never cleaned my windshield SO ENJOY MY HIGH BEAMS BEING ON ALL THE TIME”
That’s ALL Nissans. Either they have their highbeams on or their headlights off at night. There is no in between.
I've been noticing a lot of people driving with their high beams on within city limits. It gets very annoying.
They're not, Nissan just have really bright lights, cars flicker at me all the time, but my beaners are not on, at ALL!
Honestly for me, 9/10 times I'm *blinded* by high beams, it's a Honda/Acura driver, with Jeep or Nissan being a very far away 2nd/3rd. I see plenty of cars with foggy/yellowed headlights with high beams on but they don't typically blind me. But yeah, there does seem to be a lot of NIssans with their headlights off.
Honda needs to get their shit together. Stop trying to make your headlights look sleek and actually make them work.
I flashed my lights at someone who not only had their high beams on, but also had them aimed horribly. They immediately did a u-turn and chased me down the street and drove up next to me on the opposite side of the road, yelled something incoherent at me, then sped off, running a stop sign and almost took out a family trying to cross the street. People are nuts.
@@Toastmaster_5000 the accord and civic drivers are bad about that. It used to be more them than anybody else but now it’s more altimas, sentras, rogues, and the newer Versas blinding you and refusing to dim their lights even when you blind them right back. It’s like they don’t know how they work
The Nissan Sentra carries the title of the first and so far only car my good non car liking friend ever complained about or hated on. He had to ride in the back and said it was not only uncomfortable but lacked headroom and his mom even commented on how it was a cheap dreadful car to rent. THAT'S impressive.
It's a kind of car that would even get slightly hated on in eastern europe
This is my favorite RCR series in a long time. Something about talking about a really regular cars
This might be the greatest nissan sentra review of all time
For the love of god, I need an Arlo revenge story ASAP. Like maybe his newly widowed wife taking up the sword and training for years before clawing her way up the castle to butcher the king
Roman is the only guy that can make a video about an economy car turn into a thesis about the ennui of existence.
My 80 year old mom test drove a Sentra and before we even left the parking lot she said she hated it.
Damn near gave me whiplash when he went back to talking about the Sentra after that story 😂
Nissan Sentra: the offical car of "I don't know anything about cars, did I buy a good car?" Then when you go into the known issues they get defensive and say "well mine has been reliable (for the 3 months they've had it) so therefore its a good car." I swear, the people who buy sentras, versas, and altimas, are the people who only ask for advice with the intention of not following it & the ones who want an opinion after a decision has been made.
People who buy sentras, versa, or altimas likely don't even ask if they're buying a good car in the first place. It's a car made exclusively for people who make poor decisions. It costs nearly the same amount of money to insure a high trim subaru outback (which borders on luxery car) than it does a base model altima. There is a reason why. It's the same reason it costs more money to insure a base model ram 1500. Only stupid people who make bad decisions pick those vehicles.
@@domenik8339 both nissan and dodge vehicles are built for fleet use. My company ram1500 (2022) is awful. The old 2012 F150 w/ 250K on it drove better than this truck. Nissans are the same way. I did just buy an older frontier though, so maybe I'm also a dumbass lol.
My aunt bought a 2008? Sentra with 50k miles. Lmao the A/C went out after she bought it and it stalled twice in heavy traffic! Made it to 93k miles until she dumped it on a used car lot. Piece of shit junk car!
This is LITERALLY the exact car I currently own, 2015 sentra SV. I've owned it since 2016 and it was a rental before I bought it. I was in my 20s, broke, and knew nothing about cars or buying a car. I've since pumped 120k miles into it. The AC compressor & condenser went out at 80k miles with a $1300 estimate (parts and labor). The shifter gets stuck in park each time it's put in park, use shift lock release regularly. Door got smashed into overnight, I went to a junk yard and found my exact car and color to switch doors, it's really convenient having a car so common in junk yards. The engine has held up and CVT has surprisingly held up. It has no power, the transmission is choppy on downshifting sometimes. Surprisingly no CVT whine yet.
I am 100% saving for a new car and looking at Mazda. That being said, my sentra has never left me stranded. So, I have no problem getting a nissan for myself in the future.
Mazda’s are great cars, very nice to drive and well made.
STOP. i got mine in 2016, shifter broke and kept getting stuck in park. replaced the transmission, and as iw as getting the ac compressor fixed the engine gave out…. i ended up getting a chevy malibu a couple days ago and love it
@fathen4972 yea, I 100% know I'm on borrowed time. Saving up and fixing the sentra up as fast and cheap as possible to sell. Don't want to be caught with a 3000lb paper weight once the CVT blows.
@-nightraider-1169 yea man, the mazda 3 is looking real nice coming out of the sentra.
Remember when the Sentra had the SE-R version ? One of the coolest economy cars ever , after the Corrolla GT-S?
yes
I had a first-gen Infiniti g20 - it had the same sr20 engine that the se-r came with
my g20 also had the 5-speed manual which was the optimal setup.
a quirk - in 3rd gear the sweep of the speedo and tach synced up, all the way to its 7500 rpm redline. matching revs when downshifting to pass was a snap!
Corolla GT-S? Isn't it the Celica GT-S? And the Corrolla would be the XRS.
@@thekrimsonchin6023 corrolla xrs was the 2000’s version with the 2ZZ . Corrolla GT-S was the what they called the American version of the AE86 .
I owned an '02 SE-R. It was a decent little whip. One thing Nissan should have done with it was give it a better grille. I modified mine and made it to look like a Skyline GTR grille but with an SE-R badge instead of a GT-R badge. Gotta say it looked nice and should have come out of the factory that way. Did a few other mods like cold air intake and high flow exhaust. That little car actually cooked and it sounded incredible with the mods.
I rented one of this while my 2019 Jetta was in the shop and agree with all of this. Closing the doors felt like you were challenging the structural integrity of this car
BS. This car is downright impressive when you come out of a mid-2000s shitbox
@@ariellubonja7856Yeah, people forget how much less stiff cars used to be. They didn't fall apart, either.
The official car of I’ve never changed the cvt fluid and the transmission blew up
everything else on this car was so awful the cvt actually seemed to be the best thing the car had
@@rook1196that's because when the CVT goes, you get to celebrate buying a new better car like a 99 sunfire.
Subaru outbacks CVT system is under far, far more strain and it has "lifetime fluid" that never needs to be changed and virtually never has issues past the 1st Gen.
Yup.
If you don't change transmission fluid and filters, even non-CVTs die early. Just, CVTs die...earlier.
Mine made it 190k on just fluid changes (because the dealer service writers didn't think filter changes were a thing on my car, and I was dumb enough to let them refuse to do it). New transmission installed, hoping for another 13 years -- or more, since it will get filters every 30k now.
I've sometimes found The Roman's reviews too long, poorly edited and too self-deprecating (Race To The Roman?) -- but when he's good, he's GREAT. This review is great. It's Peak Roman. "The Story Of Arlo The Baker" is quite possibly the best thing he's ever done and one of the best things to ever appear on RCR. Thank you for this!
I'm making a point as I go forward to be less self-deprecating. Half the time, I'm not even aware I'm doing it. But looking back, half of my videos are just me ragging on myself when I don't really deserve it. I think I was scared straight by everything going on with Boogie2988. He's self-deprecating too, and hot damn, I do NOT want to turn into that guy. I'd rather just build straw-men to rip on than keep going at myself for easy jabs when I know I'm way better than that.
This was just a very long way of saying thank you for the kind words. I'm so thrilled you liked the video.
Also, I have always been a big fan of RCR Car Stories and this Nissan review has a lot of that deep mojo. Might it be serving as a preview of the next Car Stories?@@LimitedTimeRoman
@@davecullen4343 Not quite, although I do want the one after the next one to focus on Carlos Ghosn and Nissan.
Either that or Detroit: The Rise and Fall of the Motor City. But I definitely have plenty of stories to tell.
I'll be there for all of them. I usually dig your other work on this channel and I love your writing. The car-show vids and the last car roast were A-1 -- but RCR Car Stories is your natural vehicle. It's your AMC Eagle, on whose wings you truly soar. Many thanks to you and Mr. Regular for all your dedication and hard work. I'm sure it must be harder than you make it look. God bless ye, Merry Gentlemen!@@LimitedTimeRoman
I love the Arlo story and will repeat it so it will grow and become legendary.
“It’s a car you have to drive hard but a car you can’t drive hard.” Describes my old 5th gen explorer perfectly…
Mannn 18k new in 15?? A Scion xD or xB would start at 15k back then. You’d think Scion would still be around if the cars were marketed right.
I miss my xB so bad. Even less power but it still drove awesome!! I had the 1st gen
@@Grimm-Gaming I thought the first gen XB looked dope.
@@Grimm-Gaming I have a second gen rn, bought it at 115k now it’s at 147k little to no issues, unlike any Nissan product with at those miles the CVT would already be falling apart
A base model civic in 2019 msrp'd at 16k
@@alpaljlThat shrunken van xB was kind of cool, and surprisingly roomy, but outside city driving it wasn't ideal.
2015 Nissan Sentra SV: This is your Uber ride...in Hell. Complete with peeled tinting, baked in vape, McDonalds wrappers and Wawa coffee cups everywhere.
There's one area where Roman is very wrong. Nissan DID make an excellent economy car. The B13 Sentra was an excellent Sentra with high quality materials, decent space for small cars at the time, and gave us the magical three letters: SE-R. They did have some rust issues though... But they felt and drove far more expensive than what they really were. Starting in 1996, corners started to be really cut, and over the future generations, it's been a death by 1,000 cuts to keep the price down. Now it just feels cheap. I've had some as rentals, and while they are loaded with tech and are roomy, it just felt cheap. I miss the old Nissan, but I don't think that's ever coming back.
Don't forget the B13 still was in production in Mexico (as the Tsuru) till the 2010's, mostly used as Taxis.
I had the B13. The engine was good, the electronics all failed with intense gremlins and needed individual-parts replacing over time. Paint peeled off even though garaged. Manual transmission. Engine was good, but that's it.
@@mikecronis It was the B12 and B11 that made that reliable rep. They suffered few problems because they had no features.
Nissan merged with Renault around 2000 and their quality instantly took a dive. I'm honestly surprised the merger _still_ hasn't been mentioned in RCR. Hell, Carlos Ghosn's life and escape from Japan would make a pretty good story episode.
I still stand by the B14 I dailyed. Yeah, Nissan was performance above all else back then, but it was still reliable for that. I had no issue taking it anywhere I wanted to go across the country, and it delivered exceedingly well.
It's totally the CVT. I had a 2002 Sentra with a manual. I was a reliable car, never had any issues. It was the SE-R trim back when it was actually sporty and fairly quick for its class. I don't think you can even get any Nissan in a manual any longer. The Frontier was the last vehicle i knew of that they still made with a conventional automatic transmission. I have a '13 and it's great. Most of their other vehicles are junk now unfortunately.
2018 is the last year to get one with a manual transmission on the base, SR Turbo and Nismo models in the US. Canada still offers one in the new one to this day
Yeah the Frontier and the Titan both have traditional autos, though they're the new style "can't have too many forward gears" types. Believe the Frontier is a 9spd.
The Pathfinder now has a version of the 9-speed auto too.
yeah i feel that. My mom had a fourth gen white '96 sentra it when i was younger. It was a pretty dang nice car for what it was. it was a higher end version of it too. It was a manual that had some good pick up, and was pretty safe for the time. (even saved us in a car crash once) was sadly totaled that day tooo. RIP Angel (that was the cars name lmao)
@@kclefthanded427 I believe you can get a brand new one equipped with a manual still in the US, just a base model though. EDIT: lied, that's the versa.
Nissan Sentra. The car equivalent of working in an office job.
I’ve had my 2015 Sentra since 2017, had about 16k miles at the time. I’m currently at 107k miles with the same transmission - only had to change the CVT fluid twice so far. Idk if it’s because I do mostly highway driving or because I’m always in “Eco” mode with less throttle response, but I’ve never had any problems. Definitely one of the cars of all time.
It's because you actually change the fluid that it still exists. Normal people just don't for whatever reason
And the only reason I do is ‘cause my dad’s a mechanic w/ a shop and a lift (so no excuse not to) and would beat my ass if I didn’t. They don’t make the transmissions easy to service because the filler neck on the CVT is tucked deep in the engine underneath the ECU and has a sealed cap that you have to BREAK to put any fluid in. They fully expect you to bring it to a dealer service tech I suppose, but I’ve been outta warranty for a while now and I’m still saving for a Hardbody so I gotta keep this thing alive one way or another.
@@stickmanime a hardbody? like 90s truck?
@@jeedwards1981 that's what I'd guess. The old Nissan hardbody trucks. Those things were dope
I'm not sure why, but the wet firework line had me doubled over laughing 😂
I've been waiting for this review! When I first moved to the US in 2018 I bought a Sentra of that same generation with a salvage title from flood damage for 4000 dollars 😂. I put 100 miles a day on it for 2 years until the transmission started rattling like it's going to fall off. Then I took it to a dealership that offered 4000 for the Sentra on a trade-in for a Hyundai Elantra! The salesman probably got fired
Lmfao. 😂 damn.
When you want some Big Altima Energy but your credit score is too low for even an Altima.
the story of Arlo the baker was hillarious
The way he tied it back into the episode was *_chef's kiss_* magnificent
When arlo the baker's story ended i had entirely forgotten that this was a video about nissan sentras lmao
First one this bodystyle ive seen in awhile where the rear door weatherstrip isnt half hanging out the closed doors. Great vid Roman!
Glad to know that wasn’t just mine
@stickmanime I found it so common, it's practically a feature.
@@autochatter These economy car features are hilarious. Like the Hyundai Sonata/Elantra that have burned-out rear lights standard. They're the official car of "how many brake lights and tail lights do you really need?"
@bwofficial1776 Thats good! I might have to borrow that lol.
I've owned three cars in my 15 years of driving. A 1990 Nissan D21/Hardbody 5MT that was my dads, a 2007 Nissan Versa 6MT, and now a 2016 Scion iM 6MT.
The Hardbody was a tank. In the 5 years I had it before a drunk driver totaled it, it had 1 oil change(I was a poor college student who didn't know anything about car maintenance).
The Versa was pretty reliable as well . For the majority of the 7 years I had it, I did basic maintenance my self. I put about 150k miles on it(235k total) before I sold it and got the iM.
The iM has been a big step up in every department. I had been hearing how Nissan had been going down hill for years, so I decided to go with a Toyota. Definitely a good choice!
Manuals were the secret to your success…. being brand loyal to anyone these days is a mistake, but buying a manual seldom is
The ballad of Arlo the Baker needs to be a thing. Lol
It's almost like the pursuit of infinite growth will lead to the inevitable downfall of any who fall under its spell. Weird.
DAMMIT DUDE I was trying to keep quiet sneaking back into my house and you said that swamp ass shit and I cackled out loud
Getting to the end of the story of Arlo the baker, I'd completely forgotten I was watching a nissan sentra review.
NISSAN maxed out their salary cap when they sprung for Brie Larson in their car commercials... one of which was the Nissan Sentra. 😂
Race to the bottom is probably my favorite thing on UA-cam atm. Great work!
Do the HHR!!
No way !! The next candidate has to be The Ford F150 Lightning EV truck.
$100,000 for a pick up that can't haul a serious load but you still have to recharge it because of crappy range. What does the HHR have that's makes it a better candidate for Race to the Bottom ????
@@terminallygray The HHR has NO redeeming qualities. The Ford lightning at least has a nice interior, is comfortable and is fast.
Besides most people that own pickup tricks don’t haul or do any work that warrants having one anyway.
I want an entire channel dedicated to stories told by Roman.
Agreed
Just as a note Nissan were using CVT gearboxes way before the Nissan/Renault merger. Even the 2nd gen micra had a CVT box as an auto option
It was Carlos though who really pushed CVTs in as many models as possible. I'm pretty sure it was because they wanted to have more Jatco units on the road more than anything.
@@scott8919 Jatco makes many transmissions for many cars... So that with the numbers sounds about right. Although my additional theory on this is always: They wanted it in almost everything: Over one million were build every year, almost one millions fail= Manufacturers make money out of repairing things, spare parts...
Brilliant. I truly appreciate how you are so respectful of the owner while legitimately ragging on the car.
Honestly, I know it's popular to rag on Sentras. But I owned a car from this generation... It was the SR Turbo with the manual transmission and it was easily one of the best cars I ever owned.
The story of Arlo the Baker will spread from here to eternity, like warm butter on toast or something.
Arlo did the right thing, his father was wrong and his request was stupid and if he was so concerned about his lineage why was Arlo an only child?
Arlo lived a lot more meaningful life then his father ever did. His father died alone except for Arlo while Arlo died beloved by his whole village. Arlo lived a beautiful life.
I'm surprised the Nissan Versa hasn't made the list but if it did it would be tied with the Sentra.
The versa is awful in all the same ways but it's cheaper. So your getting more awful per dollar. A real bargain
The Versa of the same generation is sucky, but the Versa of the previous generation is actually OK (except for the base 1.6 and auto sedan. That one sucks).
@jessebrook1688 my ex-fiance bought one brand new that year the transmission failed at 30k. Nissan replaced it under warranty and so far with the car at 105k miles she said it's still working.
I've got two Nissans, albeit one is a 1996 and the other is a 2004. Wish they could figure out how to get back to the "golden era" of Nissan quality.
I drove a manual one they kept the large Flywheel from the auto so it rev Haaaaanged like crazy, other than that its no more bland than a corolla to drive. We called them Nissan Pulsars here. Our Equivalent here is BRZ/86 and ford ranger drivers. At least it's A/C is freezing, it feels light, actually feels like a 90's lancer a bit, not in a bad way, the CVT probably makes it feel bad CVT's make everything bad.
Corollas in the US get a 170hp 2.0l Dynamic Force engine and have a vastly superior suspension that’s actually quite corner happy in the SE/XSE trims with the fuel economy underrated on the sticker. Is this the same as your market?
@@adeedaas8966 In 2015 we had the last gen with the 1.8, after driving both, the corolla CVT, "sentra" here called pulsar manual, I would say interior looks Toyota, quality of materials Nissan, A/C in the summer 100 percent Nissan, freezing A/C.
Chassis response, Nissan, Steering Nissan, Engine reliability, equal maybe nissan as the engine is bulletproof the CVT is trash, I would never buy any CVT of any brand.
I only purchase manual transmissions. I am personally happy with my Skoda Octavia, you guys dont get them there but it was the same price as the Toyota but with far better build quality and drive and especially fuel economy.
Toyota lies so much about their fuel economy. Hiace 13l per 100, camry 9l, Skoda Octavia 4.8l to 5.6l. Friend worked at Toyota so gets 21 percent off every car all have been deceptive and had warranty denied and or parts fitted incorrectly, clips missing from factory.
It can't have any worse rev hang than my 2.7 taco or my old Colorado. Lol
@@tacomas9602 Utes especially older ones usually have allot of rev hang maybe it's for a smoother transition not to disrupt the load? I drove an older navara hanged pretty bad. My Nissan n15 pulsar sr20de had such a small flywheel it would launch you into the steering wheel if you let go too quick haha. 500,000l still strong not a drop burnt.
I remember driving these piles when I worked for Enterprise 😂
Same, I worked for Hertz. This and the Versa were the most disappointing cars to drive.
@@sunshinelolipops1 The Hyundai Accent was pretty bad too. Felt like a car from 2007 instead of 2017.
@@Userxxx840 yeah, although honestly I still thought the accent felt at least a little sportier to drive than the Sentra 😂 my least favorite non-Nissan was the Corolla
@@sunshinelolipops1 Anything Toyota felt like a step above the sea of Nissans, Hyundais, and the Americans that we usually had. Sitting inside, it felt like more effort was put into them.
My mother had a 14 Base model Sentra that she got brand new, literally the last 14 model year left on the lot in December of 14.
It was absolutely gutless and the most bog standard vehicle to ever exist. Damn thing didn't even have cruise control.
However, she bent the dealership over backwards and REAMED them on the price lmao, I think it was like $150 a month for 5 or so years? It was amazing on fuel economy, and only had 33k miles when she traded it in for a 16 Frontier in early 2019.
I remember taking that turd on a trip from Texas to Connecticut, and my mother decided to try to beat out a semi truck on the interstate. Pedal to the floor downhill on the entrance ramp and the speedo was crawling up slower than a 90 year old's erection. Genuinely thought we were gonna lose that race and die. Almost sad we didn't
the CVT has a habit of ruining any car that uses it
Every time Big Altima Energy gets mentioned I can't help but laugh. The facebook page is hilarious, but what most of the posters there don't realize is that THEY are the meme, not the content they post. They'll post a nice low mileage Altima without any damage and say something like "Just waiting for a CNA to hit a fire hydrant with it" or ANY car with the slightest damage saying "bIg AlTiMa eNeRgY aM i RiGhT?!"
Although more on topic here, Back in 2014 I test drove an Altima and a Sentra. They felt like they were made by two different car companies. The Altima, believe it or not, with those "zero gravity seats" was VERY comfortable, reasonably quiet, felt well put together for a new car. The Sentra... not so much. Noisy, jittery, and materials looked and felt like something from the 90's someone would tell you "but it's recycled material!".
That's the difference between a Smyrna-built Nissan and an Aguascalientes-built Nissan, imo.
Similar quality shift noted between my Oppama-built cube and the Aguascalientes-built Versa that was its platform-mate.
Arlo absolutely made this Sentra review.
I just got a 01 Nissan Sentra with a 5 speed manual. Those older ones are actually pretty reliable as long as you stay far away from the automatics
Your "no power" stuff very much reminds me of the Nissan Kicks I had in Arizona, which was "fun" (terrifying) to try passing with on two-lane highways in middle of nowhere Nevada
I would say it borders on "NOT A CAR".
Roman! Gotta say, your voice inflection when you're upset gives me life. Thank you for this blessing of a video.
Sentra's are training wheels for big Altima energy 😮
I had a nightmare I tried to get to work in one of these.
I’ve become conditioned to avoid any Nissan Altima/Sentra/Maxima while on the road here in SoCal. Heavy traffic across 6 lanes and a someone is approaching at excessive speed, zipping back and fourth across your rear view… Nissan Sentra. Doing the speed limit in a residential area known for having children playing in the street and someone races up behind you so close that you can’t see their headlights, then they start swerving as if they’re going to slingshot around you… Nissan Sentra. Trying to zipper merge and someone jumps the line, cutting you off and throws you the bird… Nissan Sentra. There really needs to be a cognitive behavioral science research paper written about people who drive these cars.
This has been the best RCR video I’ve seen in a long time. Nick, you’re a comedy genius. The writing and timing here is top notch. I loled out loud several times. More nick reviews please!
I loved history lesson with bits of attention keeping humor. If you make non car related history stories id watch every moment of it.
“What is it with Nissan?”
( Roman hasn’t walked into a dealership and just looked around at the people there )
Be nice if we could’ve gotten the 2021 Sentra SR manual…like CANADA
My brother ended up buying one of these - when we were at the dealer there was an automatic and a 6 speed manual. Previous car was a manual so I strongly recommended he go for the manual and I'm so glad he did - it is the most regular of regular cars out there, but it has never put a foot wrong. So glad we dodged the CVT bullet.
Why do French automakers think making crummy cars is a badge of honor? Peugeot in addition to Renault has a history of taking great cars and ruining them. I guess they must have great ad firms in their employ to keep selling rubbish to Europeans.
Well, that's the French for you. The same people that didn't even bother to come up with a word for "eighty" and just call it "four twenties" 😂
Finally regular car monday
Arlo seems like a cool dude.
“…Nissan being a brand at the low point of your life.” Jesus, Roman. I traded in a Caliber for a used Frontier. Then 3 days later, I had to ditch the Frontier. I took a $7500 bite out of my ass to do it. And what was the car…the ONLY car…I could get to roll in the negative equity? Another Nissan. The low economic point of my life.
To be fair, it was a Rogue, and it’s fine. It’s nothing special, but it’s also nothing abysmal. But at the time, it was a low point. Man, you hit the nail on the head.
Love the Race to the Bottom series. You crack me up!
25:20 I thought I was the only one that got an itchy ass on those desk chairs. Roman I love you man lmao
Had one as a rental car during a trip to California. The rear door seal came off on the highway and was knocking against the body and it struggled to go up hills. It had such less torque that it would roll back while stopped on a hill as if it's a manual car.
4:14 for some reason the civics class joke got me gigglin the most
I've dealt with bunches of this generation of Sentra when they were young enough to be rental cars, but I've never spent an extended amount of time with them. Thank you so very much for such an in-depth and thought-invoking review of the Nissan Sentra.
Spend a week in Memphis on I 240 you will undoubtably have an appreciation for Altimas that have expired temporary tags and bumpers hanging half off, traveling at 100 mph. Every day, all day long.
I get the Sentra line up has never really been eye catching but it would of been nice comparing the previous sentras that did have that soul. The b13 se-r is a death trap but it looks great and it handled amazing and it had an sr20.
I dont understand. My friend has this car, and its got heated leather seats, bose speaker system, rides decent and gets great mpg. Like the car is fine. For the price its honestly pretty excellent. No its nothing special, but the price doesnt get you something special.
Cope
One conflict of reviewing user cars, the individual vehicle won’t reflect the whole experience of the model name. Nor would 1 afternoon of driving offer the ability to develop strong objective conclusions
You and your friend have never owned a good car
Roman: The official reviewer of sticky mouth sounds and laughing at your own jokes.
Had one of these as a rental for two weeks during a trip to the US from the UK in 2016. It was so bad I googled reviews in my hotel room to see if I was just given a lemon by the rental company or were all Sentras the same.The opening review started with “There’s a belief nobody manufactures a bad car anymore, with the Sentra Nissan has set out to disprove that myth, and they’ve succeeded”. That said it all, it was a miserable driving experience.
Nissan sedans- The official cars of "My baby daddy got arrested again so I have no one to watch Brahndun for my shift at the Dollar General tomorrow"
You need to find a Dodge Journey. Or Mitsubishi Mirage (the newer one).
The two worst vehicles ever
Nissan Sentra: faster than walking and keeps you out of the elements.
I had an 02 sentra SE R for 2 years, albeit she was an automatic, but ive never had so much fun in a 4 door sedan. It ripped corners like a miata and hit 60 in 7 seconds stock. Such a fall from grace.
Honestly so much of what was said here can be applied to my 2018 Honda Fit.
I have only had the car for a few months but it has become a huge source of stress for me.
It is without a doubt the most unreliable car I ever bought.
Had a oil leak at 90k and a loud metalic noise from bushings disintegrating arpund the heat shield making a terrible noise.
The "magic seats" broke on me. Well one of them. Now it wont fold flat.
I worry greatly about the sealing and if water will get into it.
It has without a doubt the worst seats I ever sat in. I have to use a lumbar pillow from Wal Mart.
I am weird and like the feeling of the CVT but I am so scared it or the engine will blow on me.
I dont really have any issues with performance because I drive like a grandpa. I am getting 41 miles average right now. Huge selling point.
I have huge concerns about safety. My insurance skyrocleted because apparently small cars are statically more likely to have an accident. And I know I have very little room the play around and thus drive very slow and cautious.
Lots of the trim and build feels very ehhh.
I worry the awesome orange paint will start degrading at this rate so only wash the thing by hand.
Just so much of what has been said about the Sentra is exactly what I think of my Fit. I am afraid to push it. Its very structure feels so fragile. The uncertainty in reliability. The CVT. The terrible seats.
I do like it for some reason still. The mpv shape. The infotainment. A few other things. But I would say its been a negative experience more over all.
I truely expected better from Honda. I regret leaving Toyota. But I wanted at least one hatchback. Wish I could have found a Scion tC.
And I will never buy a small cheap car again. Just like it was said at the end of the video. Cheap cars cut so many corners. You cannot get good quality for a low price. At leat not in 2023. I understand why so many people just dont buy sub compacts anymore. Cheap cars means cheap effort on automakers part. Not worth buying.
The whole experience definitely sapped my joy for cars a lot. Just money pits. I understand why there is a huge anti car pro public transportation movement online now. Cars are just such a financial drain in a era where we cannot afford such costs.
Hondas are good cars, but it sounds like you got an abused example. The earlier Fits were made in Japan, the recently discontinued generation was made in Mexico so quality has decreased
This summer I found myself faced with a terrible choice: the choice between an Altima and a Sentra. Being just a week long rental, and having poor affinity with larger cars, I initially picked the sentra. Simple enough, cheap, and basically just a smaller altima, I figured. But the instant my ass hit the seat, it became apparent that this trip would only last if I embraced the B.A.E. Needless to say, I find myself far more... understanding of Altima drivers these days.
B.A.E? What does that stand for?
I used to have this car. Same color but 2013. Transmission failed at 90k. Paid 1800 labor for Nissan to replace. You are spot on with everything you said. And loved the Arlo story.
I thought my 2010 Elantra was bad, the Sentra makes it look like a golden egg.
Oh, like many other have said, race to the bottom is fantastic, keep it up Nick.
I knew someone who had one of thoes Sentras SE-r from the early 90's. That thing was freeking awsome. I think it was even Car and Drivers car of the year at some point.
I will never get over how slow y'all drive in the rolling highway shots
The stretch of road that they film on isn't really a highway, it's got several traffic lights on it. It fits their purpose because the traffic on it isn't terrible and they can have two cars ostensibly following each other without much of a chance for another car to sneak between.
Fair enough. They are still going almost dangerously slow though @@mikehook4830
The story of Arlo was very funny, and the ending really caught me off guard. 😂😂😂
The Arlo the Baker segment was top tier. Thanks y'all I really needed that.
Nissan Sentra: The car you drive for Uber because it's on lease and you really want to piss off everyone while getting paid.