Purchased another "cult car"

[MAD02]

As I was looking through Craigslist ads last week out of boredom, I found a gem. A 1993 Nissan Sentra SE-R for $1200. Ever since I got my licence, and before I had a 2002, I wanted an original SE-R. I dont know why. But I guess its the same reason I was drawn to a 2002. A small, light, plain looking 2 door sedan with a 2.0L engine. A car that could smoke other more poweful cars and look like granny's car doing it. I love sleepers. So I contacted the seller and arranged a date to meet.

I met the woman on Saturday. She had bought the car in 1994 and driven it here from Missouri in the mid '90s. It had been her only car for almost 17 years. She was anal about her car and who she sold it too, but who could blame her! I told her I would take it even before I drove it! As we did the paperwork I could sense some relunctency, she didnt want to sell it. But she was buying a new car and didnt have room for the Nissan. When the paperwork was finalized and the money changed hands, she began to cry. She told me she couldnt believe she was selling her car. Being the big softy I am, I began to ball alittle, too. All I could do was promise her that I would take care of her car for her. She seemed ok with that. As she and her husband drove away, she kept looking back at the little Nissan. I felt bad, but exited to finally own one. I will keep my promise to her and will fix all the little issues with the car and will keep it on the road. Its the least I can do.

Thanks for the car Anna, it went to a good home.

[Harv]

Congrats on a very cool car and one that is destined for classic status. Keep it stock or close to it!

My friend at "Just A Car Geek" profiled a real nice one last week.

http://www.justacargeek.com/2011/04/1991-nissan-sentra-se-r.html

John

[f1reverb]

The contemporary ads for the SE-R called it "The 2002 of the 1990s" so see if you can dig up one of those ads.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/archive/1992_10best_cars-10best_cars/1992_nissan_sentra_se-r_page_10

"The SE-R has been called the BMW 2002 of the 1990s, and we won’t quarrel with that. What’s more, this being the 1990s, you get a car that doesn’t require the kind of skilled and often expensive attention once demanded by a small BMW. Gain without the pain, as it were."

Nissan Press Release from 2001 . . .

http://www.se-r.net/about/sentra_se-r/history.html

"The SE-R was immediately subject to critical and enthusiast acclaim and voted by Car and Driver magazine to its 1991 "10 Best" list. The SE-R was compared to the BMW 2002 and Datsun 510, legendary sports sedans from the late 1960s and early 1970s."

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/26/future-classic-1991-94-nissan-sentra-se-r/

"Nowadays, good SE-Rs are increasingly difficult to find. People knew what these cars were when they bought them, unlike some of our other Future Classics. The Sentra SE-Rs were lauded in their time, making everyone's best lists and channeling the attitude that made the 510 so much fun. There was plenty of mention of the SE-R and the BMW 2002 in the same sentence, as well. Because they were so widely praised, SE-Rs have been sought out on the used market."

http://karfarmmag.com/2009/05/rank-top-10-tuner-cars-under-2500/

"1991-1994 Nissan Sentra SE-R (B13)

Heralded as the new BMW 2002, it made numerous publications’ ‘best of’ awards. Now a cult-classic, if you can find one in a good condition, it is simply a blast to drive. The SE-R is prone to rust and 5th gear grind problems.

-Indestructible SR20 motor

-Revs nicely to its high redline

-Independent rear suspension

-Lightweight

-Nimble and responsive steering

-Mods aplenty"

http://www.edmunds.com/nissan/200sx/1997/

"Enthusiasts have always lamented the loss of the econo-sport sedan that paved the way for cars like the Volkswagen GTI, the Dodge Omni GLH and the current Ford Escort GT. That sedan was called the BMW 2002, and it blended performance with function, offering within its sedate three-box shape the ability to speed undetected by police who were looking for brightly colored, finned and spoilered muscle cars to yank over to the side of the road.

The BMW was affordable fun, and most of the souped-up hatchbacks that followed it never adhered to the basic formula that the Bimmer embraced; simplicity in style, with an emphasis on performance and the driving experience. Most 'pocket-rockets' were painted in bright hues, with spoilers and ground effects and hood vents to give them the boy-racer look, which only attracted attention from speed enforcers.

Then along came Nissan, in the midst of a corporate change in philosophy that dictated that cars should be good looking and fun-to-drive. In 1991, Nissan gave us the 140-horsepower Nissan Sentra SE-R, a version of the Sentra coupe stuffed with a big four-cylinder engine, fat tires, and a tweaked suspension. Discreet fog lights, a small rear spoiler and attractive alloy wheels were the only external clues that indicated this was more than a regular Sentra coupe. The press affectionately labeled it the modern-day BMW 2002."

[cj]

Neat car, the other Nissan of that era I like was the '94 Infiniti G20t. Pretty solid chassis with good FWD handling out of the box.

[robspeed]

As I was looking through Craigslist ads last week out of boredom, I found a gem. A 1993 Nissan Sentra SE-R for $1200. Ever since I got my licence, and before I had a 2002, I wanted an original SE-R. I dont know why. But I guess its the same reason I was drawn to a 2002. A small, light, plain looking 2 door sedan with a 2.0L engine. A car that could smoke other more poweful cars and look like granny's car doing it. I love sleepers. So I contacted the seller and arranged a date to meet.

I met the woman on Saturday. She had bought the car in 1994 and driven it here from Missouri in the mid '90s. It had been her only car for almost 17 years. She was anal about her car and who she sold it too, but who could blame her! I told her I would take it even before I drove it! As we did the paperwork I could sense some relunctency, she didnt want to sell it. But she was buying a new car and didnt have room for the Nissan. When the paperwork was finalized and the money changed hands, she began to cry. She told me she couldnt believe she was selling her car. Being the big softy I am, I began to ball alittle, too. All I could do was promise her that I would take care of her car for her. She seemed ok with that. As she and her husband drove away, she kept looking back at the little Nissan. I felt bad, but exited to finally own one. I will keep my promise to her and will fix all the little issues with the car and will keep it on the road. Its the least I can do.

Thanks for the car Anna, it went to a good home.

great story!

[saaron]

We had a '94 Infiniti G20. We loved it - had it for 12 years, sold it to buy the MINI. My wife still wishes she had the G, I think. It had a great engine (same as the SE-R) and handled quite well. It will go down in family history as one of our "best cars ever".

Loved the SE-R back in the day, too. Have fun, awesome pick!!

Scott

[landon.bruno]

That’s a pretty sweet ride! I feel bad for Anna too, it isn’t easy to let go of a car you’ve had for a long time.

[jgerock]

I liked the 1st generation SE-R (in black!). Later versions seemed to be overweight with tacky body add-ons.

The very first Toyota FX-16GTS was a real sweet hatchback (1600cc DOHC motor with 5-speed tranny). My sister's boyfriend bought a new white FX-16 (no body add-ons) and it was quick. I think these had rust issues. I rarely see one on the roads today.

The Mazda 323 GTX all-wheel drive sedan also had a DOHC engine. I believe these were produced to help Mazda's rallying efforts.

A friend in college had a Dodge Shelby Charger GTS. It was silver and blue and pretty quick for it's time.

I still like the VW Golf R32 in Blue! One of my neighbor's has one and it sounds as good as it looks.

The 1983/84 Mk 1 VW Rabbit GTI in white with "golf-ball" shifter and Recaro seats is still my favorite. Very tossable and quick for a small car. Install the european exhaust system and it gets even better.