by Brian K. White
Nissan has long been reputed as a manufacturer of cars that are inexpensive to purchase, economical to operate and as durable as any car on the road. The 2007 Nissan Sentra seems to be no exception to this reputation, and it looks good too.
I've had my fair share of economy cars in my life, dating back however embarrassingly to my 1977 Datsun B210. It was a rickety, ugly car, but I was proud of it for the few years I had it. Nissan has come a long way since then, but what surprised me most was the size of the car. Though an entry-level economy car, the Sentra is as big inside and out as a Honda Accord. It's genuinely a mid-sized car, with enough cabin space and a trunk as big as many full-sized cars.
Big is a mixed blessing, but unless your days are spent parallel parking, it's a good thing, because the fuel efficiency is still there.
For the size and comfort, both of which are fair, the mileage is great. My mom fell in love with her 1986 Honda Civic hatchback because she could beat 30 mpg with mostly freeway driving. It was tiny, gutless and not terribly comfortable, but it was a good car. This one is bigger, far more comfortable, and sports an impressive 26 / 36 mpg.
And it's still plenty peppy. If you don't think gas mileage is important, I might suggest you actually look at what your paying for gas. If you commute ten miles to work (and most of us drive further still,) and you compare your fuel cost to a less economical screamer at 18 mpg (which is plenty common), you're savings is significant. That's a 50% difference, which means you're paying just $10 a week instead of $15. That's a savings of $260 per year, or maybe $1,000 to $1,500 over the time you're making payments on it.
If saving $1,000 to $1,500 (and that's assuming gas prices don't continue climbing) doesn't seem important, consider using the difference to add in some luxury features you might have otherwise felt were out of reach.
With a sticker around $16,000, even a modest down payment or trade in, the price will keep your payment in the low $200 range, assuming fair credit. Between the reasonable purchase price, low cost of ownership, heritage of durability and exceptional resale value, you're not going to find a much better deal in a car.
The interior isn't luxurious, but it isn't Spartan either. If you got this as your rental car, you'd be delighted. It's roomy enough, comfortable enough, and though it's an entry-level car, it doesn't have a "cheap car" feeling, like you might feel in a Chevy Aveo, which I have personally vowed to never again drive or even be a passenger in.
The deal-breaker may be the styling. Personally, I think it's a handsome ride, but tastes in styling can be as unique as the drivers who buy them. The stock wheels are still good and the outside appearance is premium. I've driven a lot of cars, and for the price, this has as much of a "wow factor" in its looks as just about any. Again though, this is a matter of taste, but a glance at the picture alone should give you an idea as to how you feel about it.
The biggest consideration to me (aside from the fact that you can buy two of them for the cost of even an entry level luxury car,) is that Nissan's reputation for longevity has been exceptional for a very long time. My everyday driver these days is a 1987 Nissan Pathfinder that has 244,000 miles on it. It doesn't leak a drop of oil, always starts on the first shot, and has never cost me a penny in anything other than predictable maintenance (oil changes, brakes, tires and a preventative change of the timing belt and water pump.)
With a track record like that, a Nissan may be the last car you'll ever need to buy. I mean, styles change and a new car is always nice, but at the very least this means that when you sell it, you'll get a fair price and do so with a clear conscience that you did right by the buyer.
The Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS) is optional, but at $250 I can't emphasize how important it is to get it. If you've never had this feature, you need to check it out and never look back. I'd say it should be standard, and not for my benefit as much as the benefit of the panicked driver behind me on a slick day. For the price, you can't go wrong.