I finally got a car

"Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car" (pilot-and-car-guy)
03/14/2015 at 23:21 • Filed to: None

I just got a 1998 Nissan Sentra GXE with 240,000 miles for $500.

It has the 1.6L I4 and 5-speed stick. It does need a new clutch cable and a tune-up, but it still runs. I don't have any plans for mods, but I welcome suggestions for performance or aesthetic mods under $150 or so. I'm thinking about one of those android head units. It will take a single din set.

I won't have the car until Monday, at which point I'll do the tune-up and give it a wash. Photos to come. For the moment, have a google photo, that looks almost like my car.

DISCUSSION (34)

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car
03/14/2015 at 23:28

Kinja'd!!!

Mazda 626 Hubcaps. Interesting

Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
03/14/2015 at 23:29

That is a wikipedia file photo. I have one cap and three steel wheels.

dogisbadob > Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car
03/14/2015 at 23:33

Congrats on the car! I hope you get many enjoyable miles out of it :)

dogisbadob > Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car
03/14/2015 at 23:33

Take the last hubcap off :)

Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car > dogisbadob
03/14/2015 at 23:36

Will do.

Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car > dogisbadob
03/14/2015 at 23:37

As do I. I'm hoping it'll make it to 300,000

Any ideas on how to swap the clutch for a hydraulic one? This has about a 1/2 inch friction point and is kinda hard to drive as a result.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car
03/14/2015 at 23:50

I've seen those with double the miles and still running. In the 90s those were everywhere. I knew at least seven different people who had them between 1995-2001. 1 XE in teal 5 speed with crank windows, 3 GXEs in dark red metallic - 2 autos, one stick shift, an auto GLE that my girlfriend had, and a pair of GXEs in teal1 auto and 1 5 speed.

As far as cheap mods go, plasti-dip and chrome or anodized lug nuts. Steelies in any color can look cool and the wheel kit is under $50. Chrome lug nuts set it off, too.

Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car > Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car
03/14/2015 at 23:51

And if anyone has any tips to improve my driving skill, for not much money, please share. I haven't been able to find much autocross in the Denver area.

Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
03/14/2015 at 23:52

Darn. This is the gxe, in white, with the stick. So it will be more fun to drive than an auto, but I do have to practice, as my skill with a stick is limited to flat ground.....

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car
03/14/2015 at 23:54

A $500 beater is a great way to learn. I had to learn on my dad's 79 bronco with the 3speed plus a granny first gear for pulling. It was a beast to drive

Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
03/14/2015 at 23:55

I bet. Do you know of any free/cheap autocross evens near Denver?

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car
03/14/2015 at 23:57

There are some Denver area opponauts who can help you. Unless you mean Denver, NC, which is a little town over on lake Norman about 30 minutes from Charlotte.

Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
03/14/2015 at 23:58

No, I'm in CO. :)

Know usernames of some of them?

SJGeorge94 > Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car
03/15/2015 at 00:08

Congrats on the car! and for the first mod you seem to have it covered with the tuneup lol other than that if the chassis is straight save up for a front drive sr20det which are allot cheaper than there rwd counterparts and also just as reliable.

Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car > SJGeorge94
03/15/2015 at 00:19

I both hate you and love you now. You made me want one. :)

Kevin Barrett > Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car
03/15/2015 at 00:26

First "baseline" your car: (these you can do yourself)

Change the oil and replace the oil filter

Replace the fuel filter

Replace the air filter

True "baselining" will also include replacing the belts and water pump, but these are more expensive jobs, than what your first $100 will cover, plus they require more wrenching experience.

Your first performance upgrade is this: change the bushings on as much of the front suspension and steering as you can. Tie rod ends are cheap, so are stabilizer bar links and bushings. All of this will directly enhance how your car feels and responds, and at 200,00+ miles, I dare say it'll need all of it.

Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car > Kevin Barrett
03/15/2015 at 00:33

Already done the oil change. (It was my grandpa's car)

Fuel filters were recently replaced.

Got new spark plugs and air filter today.

I will wait on the alternator until it dies. (I've swapped one alternator before, so I know the basics. )

Kevin Barrett > Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car
03/15/2015 at 00:42

Aha, you're farther along than I knew! You'll do fine. I forgot to mention spark plugs, and here I just bought a set for my 220,000 mile Protege5 yesterday.

Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car > Kevin Barrett
03/15/2015 at 00:52

Is there any reason to upgrade the suspension over saving for an sr20det swap or a better car? Or getting a nice android head unit?

And can I "convert" the sentra to rwd with the sr20det?

Kevin Barrett > Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car
03/15/2015 at 01:27

First of all, the bushings are going to be cheap, like, less than the cost of a new floor jack and jack stands, and you can almost certainly do most of it yourself. Check out RockAuto to get an idea of prices, but feel free to find any supplier you're comfortable with.

Second, the suspension and steering bushings are your connection to everything that your suspension is doing. If wheel placement and steering input are important, then communicating it all through crumbling and torn bushings will be useless. Bushings are why an old car feels old, crashing over small breaks in pavement and making steering feel vague. If you had new tires and a hot engine with old bushings, it would be like going for a run with brand new Asics with no socks and no cartilage in your knees.

Last, you don't need an engine swap without a chassis in good order, and changing the car to RWD will require mountains of fabrication and headache that will make replacing the bushings look like changing a fuse.

Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car > Kevin Barrett
03/15/2015 at 01:29

Okay.

Is there a reason to mod this car at all instead of saving for a better car 2 years from now?

Is there an sr20det swap that is still FWD?

TheJWT > Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car
03/15/2015 at 01:38

Kinja'd!!!

Sentra first cars are the best first cars! An Sr20de should swap into yours pretty easily; the b14 Sentra SE came with one so I'd assume it should go right in. The cable clutches do kinda suck, but you'll get used to it after a little bit.

Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car > TheJWT
03/15/2015 at 01:44

Do you know if the sr20det will fit? I like turbo's even though I can't afford one. :(

I think I will get used to the clutch soon enough but with the friction point being only about 1/2 an inch, it will be hard.

Any other tips, tricks, or things to watch for on the sentra?

Kevin Barrett > Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car
03/15/2015 at 01:50

Yes, the Infiniti G20 used the SR20DE (non turbo) in FWD configuration, but for the cost of the swap, you'd be better off just saving for the G20 and getting an aftermarket turbo kit if you're still interested in that.

No, there's no reason to mod a 240,000 mile Sentra, but with the kind of extended maintenance that I've mentioned, you'll learn plenty of real wrenching and maybe be able to sell the car for more than what you paid. If you want to get into autocross, new bushings and chassis stiffening are going to be why astounding old "beaters" can hold their own against newer performance cars (that, and driving skill).

Don't blow your budget on sound equipment and power mods. Focus on extended maintenance and remember that nobody's going to want to buy your modded project car—keep it stock as hell. In 2 years you'll have wrung a good car out of a bad one, you'll be able to buy a better car, and you'll have the know-how to upgrade it right and make it last forever.

Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car > Kevin Barrett
03/15/2015 at 02:04

okay, I'll just do the tune up and start saving for suspension work. :)

Kevin Barrett > Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car
03/15/2015 at 02:36

Glad to help. Hopefully you can find someone who knows the finer points of Nissans—I'm a Mazda man, myself.

TheJWT > Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car
03/15/2015 at 10:14

I'd assume so, but a DE or VE will probably be cheaper.

I'd take a look at the brake lines, mine blew soon after I bought the car. (Which is BAD) Otherwise, I'd get some new tires; I run Sumitomo HTRs on mine and I love them! They're super cheap on Tirerack as well. Also if b14s are anything like b13s, the electrics are pretty terrible, but that just means some of your turn signals/ brake lights/ reverse lights won't work.

Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car > TheJWT
03/15/2015 at 14:20

What is DE or VE?

How do I check brake lines?

There are reasonably good tires on it.

TheJWT > Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car
03/15/2015 at 14:50

The SR20DE is the engine that came with the B13 Sentra SE-R, B14 SE, and 200sx. It's the "base model" SR20, and it puts out about 140hp in good condition. The SR20VE was never sold in America, but there's plenty available online, and they're not too expensive. It doesn't have a turbo, but it does have Nissan's variable valve timing system, so it puts out more HP. (That's the one I'm planning on swapping into my car over the summer)

For the brake lines get a flashlight and just make sure they're not corroded or damaged, but on an older car it's not the worst idea to replace them anyway. (It was like $140 total when I had them replaced)

I'd only advise getting new tires if you plan on doing any Autocross or anything like that, it'll make a huge difference.

Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car > TheJWT
03/15/2015 at 15:03

Okay. I have the 1.6 motor

I don't think I'll get to do a swap. The tires I have are at 3/4 so I'm good for a little while. :)

I'll look at the brake lines tomorrow.

Thanks for all the help. :)

SJGeorge94 > Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car
03/15/2015 at 16:58

under a grand for a turbo motor is steal

Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car > SJGeorge94
03/15/2015 at 19:56

It is, but I don't have that much money.

SJGeorge94 > Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car
03/15/2015 at 22:17

Start saving now do swap + oppo write up= get front paged

Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car > SJGeorge94
03/15/2015 at 22:49

I doubt it'll get on the FP but ill save for it.