its a possibility

we are looking into this as a possible new car. does nayone have any advice, any drawbacks to the sentra, and thing that's really outstanding?

What kind of Sentra are you looking into getting? I have an 02 Spec-V and I love it. Tons of fun to drive. All kinds of torque. Its four door and cheap on the insurance. Obviously, they were having tons of problems with the 02's, but they've worked out the problems in the 2004. I don't know a whole lot about the other sentra models other than they are pretty damn good on gas lol.

i think the 04 spec is a great buy.
it has outstanding handling, it's quick, and it has an understated appearance which is a good thing imo.
if i were to get a new car in the price range right now, i would be looking at the mazda3 and spec-v.
no recalls, no problems with the 04 spec-v's.
if you are a serious car guy, then you could up the ante a bit and look into getting an srt4 or up it even more and get an evo or sti.
if you are a serious car girl, then for a little more $$ you could get a gts (haha). they have become quite a car to be reckoned with when modded, seriously.
but since you said "we" i'm assuming family, so the spec-v would be perfect.
if you have any specific questions whatsoever just ask.

I'm of course bias to Nissan but I have to admit Mazda is kicking serious butt. I love their cars this year. I'm not sure what the prices are yet but they do stand out in a good way.