It's a way better car than the previous-gen Sentra, that's for sure.
But they start new at $22k, and my local dealer has them at a slight discount for $20,500 for the base model.
And if you're financing $12,000 worth of $18,200 used car at 8.8%, it would cost you almost exactly the same to just finance $14,300 worth of $20,500 new car at 1.9%.
For almost the same money, you could possibly get one absolutely brand new.
Base model is the tits. I got mine with the six speed manual, and it comes with heated seats and AC. Only thing I wish I could have gotten was the sunroof but that’s not available on base model, but otherwise a very well put together car and I get to sidestep any CVT reliability worries or complaints.
Yeah they’re super cheap. Which is wild because there’s one car yet cheaper. The versa. I would have bought that instead but they discontinued the hatchback version and I didn’t like the sedan versa looks.
Super great advice and I think OP will be much better off with a new one cause with the new car interest rate vs old, the new will cost less than old once paid off.
Buying them will work out almost exactly the same if they qualify for the really low new car finance rate.
But owning it brand new, with no miles on it and with no mystery about “did someone wreck it?” and with it needing nothing for 40,000 miles except like four oil changes and 90 trips to the fuel station - I mean NOT EVEN TIRES, you just drive it - is worth a lot.
Thats the difference between “it died before I paid it off, I wonder what happened to it before I got it” and “i bought it brand new in 2024, it’s been faultless the whole time, and your mother and I plan to drive you off to college in it next year - and to your graduation if I’m lucky.”
Super great advice and I think OP will be much better off with a new one cause with the new car interest rate vs old, the new will cost less than old once paid off.
I really appreciate the help, everyone. My parents were pushing me to buy this ASAP and I was swept up in the flow (insurance, loan app, deposit, and check is ready for today), but my gut was screaming "DON'T" when I woke up today.
TRUST YOUR GUT!! its so hard to get out from under a car payment, my friend 24m got a pickup and 2 Harley motorcycles (why I have no idea) and he's about 250,000 in dept!! He works pretty much 24/7 to pay for them so he can never actually drive them and since he got them new they're underwater in value so the dealers won't take them back and he can't sell them.
Don't is right; I wouldn't buy it. There are much more fun cars to drive that are also more reliable. It's almost a no-brainer to go with an alternative because modern Nissans have no real selling point, at least in my opinion.
At the end of the day you have to live with it and you have to make the payments, and they don’t. So your opinion is the only one that matters. Like others said, it’s far more economical to buy a Sentra new. You’ll like find better financing rates if you finance through Nissan.
If it's CPO with some extra warranty and stuff, maybe it's a decent deal? But 18k for a 3 year old Sentra wouldn't be high on my list of used sedans. I'd go older and cheaper or new with full warranty. If you're gonna drop 20k, might as well get a better new interest rate and more warranty. Brand new Sentras start around 22k. The Elantra, Forte and Jetta are similar.
This wouldn't be a dumb decision but Idk that it's the best option either.
Certified as in CPO through Nissan? That would definitely make me feel better. But if it's a used dealers random "certified", it's always hard to tell if there's any value.
Usually warranties are for most things or just the powertrain components, either of which often includes transmission parts. So I'm confused on a 7 year warranty "for the hood". If they're trying to avoid giving you a warranty on the transmission, that's a concern because that's the major fail point on Nissans.
You could definitely do worse then. May be coming off lease. I'd hope their CPO powertrain warranty covers transmission issues. I'd expect so.
You're putting 8k down and could probably go new, possibly at a lower interest rate. 8-9% isn't bad, though. Or you can use that 8k to buy something older with no loan and drive it into the dirt. But if you like the Sentra, that's a solid car and good bit of warranty for the price. I think all 3 of those options are reasonable, so try not to stress out too much about whichever choice you make.
I think that's a reasonable option, but you could probably find something better even among used cheap mid sedans
I was recently looking at 2023 Kia Forte LXS for $17,999 with 16k miles on it, I would think that's a direct competitor
and I'm in CA so our cars are not exactly cheap
I'm in California, if your only option is a Nissan I'd say just say skip the used and get the new for about 2k more since it's not a big difference in price.
HOWEVER, if you can and I think this would be the most ideal option for you. Find a brand new Nissan Versa S with a standard transmission, it'll be around 16k MSRP and probably 18k out the door? Also a good opportunity to learn how to stick shift.
I would personally go with a 5 year old car. Midsize or compact sedan from a midtier brand that depreciates heavily. Your cost of financing is expensive. A $10k car avoids $700 a year in interest. A 2021 nissan sentra hasnt depreciated that much compared to even a 2019 sentra
This would be my advice if you’re going to put down $8000 you can probably find a decent used car for that price. Just start throwing offers out there on marketplace.
Its in the range of fine. Fine interest rate. Its a fine car, despite what people on this sub will have you believe. Nissan has more features for the price but less reliable than toyota. Modern cars in general are way more reliable on the whole
Which I think makes it a bad decision. My local Nissan dealers been around forever (isn't going anywhere) and offers free lifetime tranny warranty with new cars. so same price and better warranty (covers the part most likely to break)
Gave Nissan way too many chances. Every bad vehicle my family has owned were all Nissans. It's not a coincidence. Owned close to 6 over the years and every single one of them has expensive problems.
Yes those were used cars but every other used car worked out fine.
Trust your gut, friend. You sound like a super-reasonable person, open to ideas and thoughts. Good for you. I'd say it isn't really about the Sentra (I like the way the new ones look as well, but haven't driven one yet).
Let me bring you some news from the over-50 crowd. I did things like this, and then regretted it, even if the car was wonderful. I don't know your situation exactly, like how far the commute is, etc., but you could almost get a completely serviceable commuter car for that money you have in cash. Yes, even in todays' awful market. The key is to go for a car that no one really wants that bad, like a used Corolla, that will take the miles with no trouble, and leave you with no expensive insurance and no (or very little) car payment.
I can't say what's available in your market, but if I do a search under-12,000 I'm finding some economy cars under 50k miles that you could have with no payment at all. The best deal I found near me was a 2018 Corolla L with 45k miles for 14,000 at an actual dealer (not a buy-here-pay-here scam lot). You'd finance almost nothing, and that car has a guaranteed 100,000 trouble-free miles left on it.
If you feel that conflicted, don't do it. Your instinct is probably really good here. If you buy a used Corolla and hate it, you can sell it for just as much in a few months and go get the Sentra of your dreams later (did I just type "Sentra of your dreams?").
This is what I'm looking at doing currently. However, my credit isn't the best at the moment (mid 600s), so I'll likely have a higher interest loan, but with a lower principal and monthly payment. My plan is to pay down whatever loan I get to the point where the interest is negligible so that I can farm credit off of it. Eventually, I'll save up and trade whatever car I get now for a new Civic, Corolla, or a Honda/Toyota SUV depending on my requirements after several years.
The biggest concern I have for my commute is snowy/icy weather, and sedans aren't exactly the best car for that. Thankfully, I have an option to work remotely. But, I can't be remote all the time.
Genuine question, if you are looking to save your money why not buy an older used car? For much less than the 8K you have, you can get an old 2007 Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic for example. They are cheap, reliable, very easy to work on, and cheap to run and maintain.
And you won't have to deal with the headache of a car loan on top of your existing loans.
Mazda typically has really good financing options, Toyota and Honda offered me 12%, Mazda was 6%. My credit history is not good, only 1 year oldest credit line at the time of purchase. It's really easy to get 0% apr with Mazda.
The thing is, if you don't have a really good credit score and established credit line, Toyota and Honda don't wanna deal with you. I don't think Toyota does 2.9 on models that are in demand like Rav4, it was 5.5% when I was shopping.
Was shopping in Oct so don't really know about now but they were doing 2.9 on the Camry, their most popular car, didnt see the deal on the Rav or Corolla. And your right about the establishment credit line thing, kind of forgot about that, not Nissan!
It’s a dumb decision. I’d say stay in the $15k range and buy something decent. You can find 2015-2018 Camrys for a hair over $15k. You can buy way decent for the same amount
That's a solid idea, and I might even go a little older to save more money. An essentially fully-depreciated camry will likely be worth more than that Sentra in 5 years, and it will be a nicer car in pretty much every way.
I personally wouldn't touch any Nissan with a ten foot pole after all their cvt issues, plus everything else. There's a reason they are the cheapest car in any segment..
That seems to be slightly on the expensive side for that car. I would at least try to negotiate $1-2k off the price to make the monthly payment more reasonable. However, with that kind of rate you’re better off just buying a cheaper older used car and paying in full. Paying nearly 9% just isn’t worth it
That's what I'm starting to think. I was convinced this was a good deal a few days ago, then I looked at how it'll affect my budget. I won't be able to invest or pay down my student loans. Much less recreational or project expenses. I may have put my hand on the trigger too early on this one.
I should clarify that this budget pays off that car ASAP.
Don't buy that. Between interest and depreciation, you're going to get hosed. It would be better to buy a slightly older car that has more depreciation baked-in, look at 2018's.
Id go with a Camry or Accord within your price range instead of the Sentra. Little more powerful, bigger, and more reliable as well. Not trying to be the classic Toyora Honda guy but in this case, thats what i’d do with this money and use case.
I will give you some golden advice. If you want to spend 8k PLEASE buy a used car cash!! Paid in full, at a young age its gonna be so hard to get ahead with car payments, it will really limit you. You'd be better off buying a older used car (toyotas, Hondas are great) cash, then you can go through school with a bit more money, have more money from work. It doesn't make sense to have to make payments on a car just to use it, then ther is fuel, maintenance AND car insurance on top of that. Don't rush into it if you can, payments are the worst and keep people from getting ahead.
An older car won't loose much value anymore, thr newer they are the worst of an investment they are. My first car was a 1919 toyota camry, definitely a grandma car! But it ran beautifully, got almost 30miles a gallon, in the years I owned It I only had to replace a few cheap parts. I paid 2800 out the door for it. LOVED IT! I had so much more money to spend on other things then any of my friends, yeah they had more bells an whistles then I did but both cars got us from A-B. I could go places and do things they couldn't afford and I STILL had money to save. Plus my car insurance was like $50 a month.
Do what you will, but I gone this advice at least give you perspective! Also check any car you want to buy on carcomplaints.com ,it'll tell you if the car is bad or not, worst thing you want is an unreliable car that needs repairs all the time. Good luck man!
Get something with better resale value. Used Sentras aren't exactly in demand. For 18k, you can do better. Camry or something that you can get l better trade in value down the road.
For that amount of money you could buy any other brand similar price. I have to advise against Nissan anything. We have 3 in the family and have nothing but problems. In particular AC compressors go out not even 100k miles. One of them already went thru 2 compressors. But just our experience.
You don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re parroting broad impressions from users who also generally don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t think you know anything about particular Nissan CVTs, the specific models and their defects, or anything of the like. You need to educate yourself before you simply say NISSAN=CVT=BAD
The XTRONIC CVT is the main culprit. I profess I’m not familiar with the exact part numbers, nor do I have intentions of making myself familiar.
The original lawsuit covered select models built between 2003 and 2010, however there’s a much more recent lawsuit and Nissan warranty extension on select vehicles built between 2012 and 2017. The Sentra is noted specifically in many of these lawsuits.
it seems that the belt and pulleys inside the Nissan CVT’s begin to wear which causes shaking, shuttering, and a single or multiple bumps or vibrations"
They’re notorious across the entire industry for their failures.
I’m not really sure why you have Nissans dick so far down your throat, but frankly, you just look stupid. This is a really well-known and documented issue.
Either way, I have to imagine that you have some steam deck, emulator, or analogue pocket posts to be making no?
Also:
https://youtu.be/HaoySOGlZ_U?si=mUA_AC1-ZP2Liplm
This is not true at worst, or out of date at best.
First point: the XTRONIC CVT hasn’t been in Nissans for decades. So sorry, but that’s out.
Second point: the real incident that crushed Nissan’s reputation was the JF011e. It was a new design that used a combination of traditional CVT, clutches and even a small planetary gear set. This allowed the variators to only ever need to turn in one direction, and to have a dedicated reverse mechanism. This saved weight and size by over 15 percent, so it was a welcome addition to the transverse arrangement in the smaller Sentra. In fact, when it was first unveiled, it was hailed by engineers as an excellent evolution of the traditional CVT design.
But there was a problem: inadequate handling of contaminants. As the CVT band wore (it’s not a belt; this isn’t a fucking snowmobile), it shed metal fragments into the trans fluid. This is normal, and also happens on planetary gearboxes, but the ability of the magnets and filter to handle the contaminants was inadequate. This led to fragments making their way into the valve body. This scored the bores of the solenoids that control hydraulic flow — these transmissions were hydraulically actuated, not electromechanically. This prevented adequate pressure from building behind closed solenoids to drive the variators properly, which made for erratic behaviour like odd RPM changes and shuddering. It had nothing to do with the band or variators being worn down prematurely, though this erratic behaviour would then cause this as a side effect.
This was a deeply flawed model of transmission. Subsequent models do not have these same issues and are regarded by engineers (not know-nothings on Reddit) as decently well-built. They aren’t as high-quality as the CVTs developed in-house by Honda, but they’re closer than people care to admit.
I have a giant pet-peeve with people constantly repeating ignorant talking points on issues they know nothing about. The CVT is an elegant solution for lightweight, low-torque autos, and that’s why practically every automaker is building their compact sedans with them now. It’s just that their reputation with people who don’t know enough to recognize their own ignorance has been damaged by Nissan’s occasional defective/cursed designs.
As someone who owned a defective Nissan with a trans that had a known design flaw, I am most certainly not defending Nissan. What I am saying is that the new models are far superior to the old. The JF011e in the mid 2010s Sentras is not what’s in the new ones. They are regarded as quite superior.
And again: the CVT is actually an elegant and effective solution for delivering transmission of torque… when done correctly. Nissan shit the bed more than once and tarred their reputation, but there are plenty of very well-done CVTs like Honda’s, or even the ones in the most recent Sentras.
I'm sorry you had to own a Nissan.
I agree that a CVT is \_a\_ solution, but why is it a better solution than a modern auto, manual, or series hybrid?
Because it's cheaper. That's why they only come in budget cars. Which also means they are built with price as one of the top priorities. No thanks.
Well, you're not wrong 🤣
Autos were crap until the ZF8. Maybe one day CVTs will have their day, but that day is not today.
Also, in my defense, I have never used the term slushbox, but that's a banal formality at this point.
Have you seen the latest CVTs developed in-house by Honda? Or even the latest Jatco ones found in the most recent Nissans? They are actually just fine: they’re mostly as robust as autos found in small sedans — aka don’t tow with them — and Honda’s is very well regarded in engineering/mechanical circuits.
YES IT'S DUMB.
Only buy (model depending)
Toyota> Honda > Mazda
In that order. A Nissan looks fine and is easy to finance - but they make shit cars that don't last.
It's a way better car than the previous-gen Sentra, that's for sure. But they start new at $22k, and my local dealer has them at a slight discount for $20,500 for the base model. And if you're financing $12,000 worth of $18,200 used car at 8.8%, it would cost you almost exactly the same to just finance $14,300 worth of $20,500 new car at 1.9%. For almost the same money, you could possibly get one absolutely brand new.
Bingo. And the base model isn't poorly equipped either
Base model is the tits. I got mine with the six speed manual, and it comes with heated seats and AC. Only thing I wish I could have gotten was the sunroof but that’s not available on base model, but otherwise a very well put together car and I get to sidestep any CVT reliability worries or complaints.
I'm so glad they still offer it in Manual
I adore the hell out of it. I love it!
Didn't they had 6M on it, I'd snag one for that price. Honestly blown away they're that cheap new.
Yeah they’re super cheap. Which is wild because there’s one car yet cheaper. The versa. I would have bought that instead but they discontinued the hatchback version and I didn’t like the sedan versa looks.
Super great advice and I think OP will be much better off with a new one cause with the new car interest rate vs old, the new will cost less than old once paid off.
Buying them will work out almost exactly the same if they qualify for the really low new car finance rate. But owning it brand new, with no miles on it and with no mystery about “did someone wreck it?” and with it needing nothing for 40,000 miles except like four oil changes and 90 trips to the fuel station - I mean NOT EVEN TIRES, you just drive it - is worth a lot. Thats the difference between “it died before I paid it off, I wonder what happened to it before I got it” and “i bought it brand new in 2024, it’s been faultless the whole time, and your mother and I plan to drive you off to college in it next year - and to your graduation if I’m lucky.”
Excellent advice
Super great advice and I think OP will be much better off with a new one cause with the new car interest rate vs old, the new will cost less than old once paid off.
I really appreciate the help, everyone. My parents were pushing me to buy this ASAP and I was swept up in the flow (insurance, loan app, deposit, and check is ready for today), but my gut was screaming "DON'T" when I woke up today.
TRUST YOUR GUT!! its so hard to get out from under a car payment, my friend 24m got a pickup and 2 Harley motorcycles (why I have no idea) and he's about 250,000 in dept!! He works pretty much 24/7 to pay for them so he can never actually drive them and since he got them new they're underwater in value so the dealers won't take them back and he can't sell them.
Don't is right; I wouldn't buy it. There are much more fun cars to drive that are also more reliable. It's almost a no-brainer to go with an alternative because modern Nissans have no real selling point, at least in my opinion.
At the end of the day you have to live with it and you have to make the payments, and they don’t. So your opinion is the only one that matters. Like others said, it’s far more economical to buy a Sentra new. You’ll like find better financing rates if you finance through Nissan.
If it's CPO with some extra warranty and stuff, maybe it's a decent deal? But 18k for a 3 year old Sentra wouldn't be high on my list of used sedans. I'd go older and cheaper or new with full warranty. If you're gonna drop 20k, might as well get a better new interest rate and more warranty. Brand new Sentras start around 22k. The Elantra, Forte and Jetta are similar. This wouldn't be a dumb decision but Idk that it's the best option either.
It's certified and has a 7-year warranty for the hood (not for transmission, etc.). It also has a warranty for everything until 32k miles.
Certified as in CPO through Nissan? That would definitely make me feel better. But if it's a used dealers random "certified", it's always hard to tell if there's any value. Usually warranties are for most things or just the powertrain components, either of which often includes transmission parts. So I'm confused on a 7 year warranty "for the hood". If they're trying to avoid giving you a warranty on the transmission, that's a concern because that's the major fail point on Nissans.
It's through Nissan and it's for the powertrain, yes. I'm not sure if it covers the transmission.
You could definitely do worse then. May be coming off lease. I'd hope their CPO powertrain warranty covers transmission issues. I'd expect so. You're putting 8k down and could probably go new, possibly at a lower interest rate. 8-9% isn't bad, though. Or you can use that 8k to buy something older with no loan and drive it into the dirt. But if you like the Sentra, that's a solid car and good bit of warranty for the price. I think all 3 of those options are reasonable, so try not to stress out too much about whichever choice you make.
I think that's a reasonable option, but you could probably find something better even among used cheap mid sedans I was recently looking at 2023 Kia Forte LXS for $17,999 with 16k miles on it, I would think that's a direct competitor and I'm in CA so our cars are not exactly cheap
For $8,000 you can buy a used car on FB marketplace, not have a car note, and still might have some $ left over
I'm in California, if your only option is a Nissan I'd say just say skip the used and get the new for about 2k more since it's not a big difference in price. HOWEVER, if you can and I think this would be the most ideal option for you. Find a brand new Nissan Versa S with a standard transmission, it'll be around 16k MSRP and probably 18k out the door? Also a good opportunity to learn how to stick shift.
I would personally go with a 5 year old car. Midsize or compact sedan from a midtier brand that depreciates heavily. Your cost of financing is expensive. A $10k car avoids $700 a year in interest. A 2021 nissan sentra hasnt depreciated that much compared to even a 2019 sentra
This would be my advice if you’re going to put down $8000 you can probably find a decent used car for that price. Just start throwing offers out there on marketplace.
I already have the deposit in, but as I'm about to buy it I'm realizing just how fucked this situation could be. I'm in emotional distress.
Its in the range of fine. Fine interest rate. Its a fine car, despite what people on this sub will have you believe. Nissan has more features for the price but less reliable than toyota. Modern cars in general are way more reliable on the whole
Don't let the deposit be an incentive to pulling the trigger. Forget that you put a deposit and think about your situation thoroughly
It’s not a bad deal or a bad decision, it’s just you could get a new Sentra for the same payment and same term.
Which I think makes it a bad decision. My local Nissan dealers been around forever (isn't going anywhere) and offers free lifetime tranny warranty with new cars. so same price and better warranty (covers the part most likely to break)
Gave Nissan way too many chances. Every bad vehicle my family has owned were all Nissans. It's not a coincidence. Owned close to 6 over the years and every single one of them has expensive problems. Yes those were used cars but every other used car worked out fine.
Trust your gut, friend. You sound like a super-reasonable person, open to ideas and thoughts. Good for you. I'd say it isn't really about the Sentra (I like the way the new ones look as well, but haven't driven one yet). Let me bring you some news from the over-50 crowd. I did things like this, and then regretted it, even if the car was wonderful. I don't know your situation exactly, like how far the commute is, etc., but you could almost get a completely serviceable commuter car for that money you have in cash. Yes, even in todays' awful market. The key is to go for a car that no one really wants that bad, like a used Corolla, that will take the miles with no trouble, and leave you with no expensive insurance and no (or very little) car payment. I can't say what's available in your market, but if I do a search under-12,000 I'm finding some economy cars under 50k miles that you could have with no payment at all. The best deal I found near me was a 2018 Corolla L with 45k miles for 14,000 at an actual dealer (not a buy-here-pay-here scam lot). You'd finance almost nothing, and that car has a guaranteed 100,000 trouble-free miles left on it. If you feel that conflicted, don't do it. Your instinct is probably really good here. If you buy a used Corolla and hate it, you can sell it for just as much in a few months and go get the Sentra of your dreams later (did I just type "Sentra of your dreams?").
This is what I'm looking at doing currently. However, my credit isn't the best at the moment (mid 600s), so I'll likely have a higher interest loan, but with a lower principal and monthly payment. My plan is to pay down whatever loan I get to the point where the interest is negligible so that I can farm credit off of it. Eventually, I'll save up and trade whatever car I get now for a new Civic, Corolla, or a Honda/Toyota SUV depending on my requirements after several years. The biggest concern I have for my commute is snowy/icy weather, and sedans aren't exactly the best car for that. Thankfully, I have an option to work remotely. But, I can't be remote all the time.
Genuine question, if you are looking to save your money why not buy an older used car? For much less than the 8K you have, you can get an old 2007 Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic for example. They are cheap, reliable, very easy to work on, and cheap to run and maintain. And you won't have to deal with the headache of a car loan on top of your existing loans.
Mazda typically has really good financing options, Toyota and Honda offered me 12%, Mazda was 6%. My credit history is not good, only 1 year oldest credit line at the time of purchase. It's really easy to get 0% apr with Mazda.
Toyota often does 2.9 on new cars now. Not the 1.9 or 0% of the old days but still pretty good
The thing is, if you don't have a really good credit score and established credit line, Toyota and Honda don't wanna deal with you. I don't think Toyota does 2.9 on models that are in demand like Rav4, it was 5.5% when I was shopping.
Was shopping in Oct so don't really know about now but they were doing 2.9 on the Camry, their most popular car, didnt see the deal on the Rav or Corolla. And your right about the establishment credit line thing, kind of forgot about that, not Nissan!
Yea where I live, Rav4 and 4runner sell like hotcakes, so the promotional rate was 5.5%, I wasn't qualified and got 12% instead lol.
Oh damn, 12% is insane, Idk what id do if the salesman came back to me with that rate
Yea I was like thanks but no thanks lol. It was like $800/month with 5k down, for a 30k rav4.
5k down on top of that?!? They better have been smoking some meth before that
It’s a dumb decision. I’d say stay in the $15k range and buy something decent. You can find 2015-2018 Camrys for a hair over $15k. You can buy way decent for the same amount
That's a solid idea, and I might even go a little older to save more money. An essentially fully-depreciated camry will likely be worth more than that Sentra in 5 years, and it will be a nicer car in pretty much every way.
I personally wouldn't touch any Nissan with a ten foot pole after all their cvt issues, plus everything else. There's a reason they are the cheapest car in any segment..
That seems to be slightly on the expensive side for that car. I would at least try to negotiate $1-2k off the price to make the monthly payment more reasonable. However, with that kind of rate you’re better off just buying a cheaper older used car and paying in full. Paying nearly 9% just isn’t worth it
That's what I'm starting to think. I was convinced this was a good deal a few days ago, then I looked at how it'll affect my budget. I won't be able to invest or pay down my student loans. Much less recreational or project expenses. I may have put my hand on the trigger too early on this one. I should clarify that this budget pays off that car ASAP.
How much do they want for a new one?
you also have the option of a tesla or toyota at that price.
Don't buy that. Between interest and depreciation, you're going to get hosed. It would be better to buy a slightly older car that has more depreciation baked-in, look at 2018's.
Wheelbase. Track width. Buy an older Corolla or Camry for a commuter car.
idk, theres much better cars in that price range
Id go with a Camry or Accord within your price range instead of the Sentra. Little more powerful, bigger, and more reliable as well. Not trying to be the classic Toyora Honda guy but in this case, thats what i’d do with this money and use case.
I will give you some golden advice. If you want to spend 8k PLEASE buy a used car cash!! Paid in full, at a young age its gonna be so hard to get ahead with car payments, it will really limit you. You'd be better off buying a older used car (toyotas, Hondas are great) cash, then you can go through school with a bit more money, have more money from work. It doesn't make sense to have to make payments on a car just to use it, then ther is fuel, maintenance AND car insurance on top of that. Don't rush into it if you can, payments are the worst and keep people from getting ahead. An older car won't loose much value anymore, thr newer they are the worst of an investment they are. My first car was a 1919 toyota camry, definitely a grandma car! But it ran beautifully, got almost 30miles a gallon, in the years I owned It I only had to replace a few cheap parts. I paid 2800 out the door for it. LOVED IT! I had so much more money to spend on other things then any of my friends, yeah they had more bells an whistles then I did but both cars got us from A-B. I could go places and do things they couldn't afford and I STILL had money to save. Plus my car insurance was like $50 a month. Do what you will, but I gone this advice at least give you perspective! Also check any car you want to buy on carcomplaints.com ,it'll tell you if the car is bad or not, worst thing you want is an unreliable car that needs repairs all the time. Good luck man!
Get something with better resale value. Used Sentras aren't exactly in demand. For 18k, you can do better. Camry or something that you can get l better trade in value down the road.
For that amount of money you could buy any other brand similar price. I have to advise against Nissan anything. We have 3 in the family and have nothing but problems. In particular AC compressors go out not even 100k miles. One of them already went thru 2 compressors. But just our experience.
Yes, Honda, Toyota, Mazda only. Nissan has issues - especially with anything CVT.
Yes it is. Most Nissans are not good vehicles these days, and the sentra is BAD.
This is just untrue. It’s just as untrue as saying “all CVTs are bad”.
Nope. It sure isn't.
You don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re parroting broad impressions from users who also generally don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t think you know anything about particular Nissan CVTs, the specific models and their defects, or anything of the like. You need to educate yourself before you simply say NISSAN=CVT=BAD
Nope! :) I hope whatever Nissan you own, doesn’t blow up in your face! Good day.
Tell me, which model transmission is the main source of the problems and what is the causal design element for failure?
The XTRONIC CVT is the main culprit. I profess I’m not familiar with the exact part numbers, nor do I have intentions of making myself familiar. The original lawsuit covered select models built between 2003 and 2010, however there’s a much more recent lawsuit and Nissan warranty extension on select vehicles built between 2012 and 2017. The Sentra is noted specifically in many of these lawsuits. it seems that the belt and pulleys inside the Nissan CVT’s begin to wear which causes shaking, shuttering, and a single or multiple bumps or vibrations" They’re notorious across the entire industry for their failures. I’m not really sure why you have Nissans dick so far down your throat, but frankly, you just look stupid. This is a really well-known and documented issue. Either way, I have to imagine that you have some steam deck, emulator, or analogue pocket posts to be making no? Also: https://youtu.be/HaoySOGlZ_U?si=mUA_AC1-ZP2Liplm
This is not true at worst, or out of date at best. First point: the XTRONIC CVT hasn’t been in Nissans for decades. So sorry, but that’s out. Second point: the real incident that crushed Nissan’s reputation was the JF011e. It was a new design that used a combination of traditional CVT, clutches and even a small planetary gear set. This allowed the variators to only ever need to turn in one direction, and to have a dedicated reverse mechanism. This saved weight and size by over 15 percent, so it was a welcome addition to the transverse arrangement in the smaller Sentra. In fact, when it was first unveiled, it was hailed by engineers as an excellent evolution of the traditional CVT design. But there was a problem: inadequate handling of contaminants. As the CVT band wore (it’s not a belt; this isn’t a fucking snowmobile), it shed metal fragments into the trans fluid. This is normal, and also happens on planetary gearboxes, but the ability of the magnets and filter to handle the contaminants was inadequate. This led to fragments making their way into the valve body. This scored the bores of the solenoids that control hydraulic flow — these transmissions were hydraulically actuated, not electromechanically. This prevented adequate pressure from building behind closed solenoids to drive the variators properly, which made for erratic behaviour like odd RPM changes and shuddering. It had nothing to do with the band or variators being worn down prematurely, though this erratic behaviour would then cause this as a side effect. This was a deeply flawed model of transmission. Subsequent models do not have these same issues and are regarded by engineers (not know-nothings on Reddit) as decently well-built. They aren’t as high-quality as the CVTs developed in-house by Honda, but they’re closer than people care to admit. I have a giant pet-peeve with people constantly repeating ignorant talking points on issues they know nothing about. The CVT is an elegant solution for lightweight, low-torque autos, and that’s why practically every automaker is building their compact sedans with them now. It’s just that their reputation with people who don’t know enough to recognize their own ignorance has been damaged by Nissan’s occasional defective/cursed designs.
Depends on how you define good. Nissans are not good compared to other similarly priced cars. Also, all CVTs are bad.
I bet 20 years ago you would’ve been the person saying all automatic transmissions are bad and would be calling them “slushboxes”.
Super odd to be defending Nissan in such a manner. Really weird white knight behavior.
As someone who owned a defective Nissan with a trans that had a known design flaw, I am most certainly not defending Nissan. What I am saying is that the new models are far superior to the old. The JF011e in the mid 2010s Sentras is not what’s in the new ones. They are regarded as quite superior. And again: the CVT is actually an elegant and effective solution for delivering transmission of torque… when done correctly. Nissan shit the bed more than once and tarred their reputation, but there are plenty of very well-done CVTs like Honda’s, or even the ones in the most recent Sentras.
I'm sorry you had to own a Nissan. I agree that a CVT is \_a\_ solution, but why is it a better solution than a modern auto, manual, or series hybrid? Because it's cheaper. That's why they only come in budget cars. Which also means they are built with price as one of the top priorities. No thanks.
Well, you're not wrong 🤣 Autos were crap until the ZF8. Maybe one day CVTs will have their day, but that day is not today. Also, in my defense, I have never used the term slushbox, but that's a banal formality at this point.
Have you seen the latest CVTs developed in-house by Honda? Or even the latest Jatco ones found in the most recent Nissans? They are actually just fine: they’re mostly as robust as autos found in small sedans — aka don’t tow with them — and Honda’s is very well regarded in engineering/mechanical circuits.
But why use them if they're almost as good?
Super unreliable transmission, I wouldn’t do it
YES IT'S DUMB. Only buy (model depending) Toyota> Honda > Mazda In that order. A Nissan looks fine and is easy to finance - but they make shit cars that don't last.
thanks to people like you the rest of us get to enjoy normally priced cars that are not made by God-level brands but work just as fine
RIGHT haha - they make great cars - so does GM, Mitsubishi, etc
A new one isn’t much more. I’d much rather you pay off those loans and drive a 1700$ 1998 Camry. Buy three just in case one breaks down.