Nothing fancy but a hard decision still
appleg8s
08-09-2006, 09:28 PM
I've owned Prizms and Sentras before and have never had problems with either. That was years ago. Now I have a decision to make. I just bought a 1990 Prizm base model, auto, only 112,000 miles for $600. It already had a new radiator, and a transmission with a cooler installed about 3 years ago. I put in another $600 for a starter, timing belt, some gaskets and seals, new serp belts, and a few other things. This car passes emission like a new car with almost 0 reading and had only one owner and generally taken care of. It's the 5 door hatchback and has a cracked dash and drooping ceiling fabric but the body and paint are nice and shiny. I was going to keep this for myself. Then I was enlisted to find another good deal for my brother in law and a week later found the following:
1994 Sentra XE, 2 door, manual trans with 135,000 miles for just $800. Again only one owner and generally taken care of. Had to replace the original clutch and replace the crankshaft seal (I think) and dished out about $600 for that. It passes inspections as well with flying colors. It came with a new alternator but nothing else has been replaced since brand new. The interior on this is almost perfect and the outside has a bit of a dent but other than that the body and paint are in excellent condition. It's a lot sportier than the Prizm, it's got a spoiler and some nice aftermarket wheels.
Alright then, so if you guys owned both of these cars which are pretty equal in their condition mechanically and somewhat cosmetically, which would you keep? There are no recalls on either of them but I'm not aware of any notorious problems with either, except for Nissan's alternators. I'm also taking into consideration that this Prizm was perhaps one of the best designed bulletproof motors Toyota ever made. What I wish I could do is switch out the motors and then hands down I'd be picking the Sentra. But I'm not going to do that. So, I welcome your opinions and thanks in advance. If you need more info to make the decision, let me know.
1994 Sentra XE, 2 door, manual trans with 135,000 miles for just $800. Again only one owner and generally taken care of. Had to replace the original clutch and replace the crankshaft seal (I think) and dished out about $600 for that. It passes inspections as well with flying colors. It came with a new alternator but nothing else has been replaced since brand new. The interior on this is almost perfect and the outside has a bit of a dent but other than that the body and paint are in excellent condition. It's a lot sportier than the Prizm, it's got a spoiler and some nice aftermarket wheels.
Alright then, so if you guys owned both of these cars which are pretty equal in their condition mechanically and somewhat cosmetically, which would you keep? There are no recalls on either of them but I'm not aware of any notorious problems with either, except for Nissan's alternators. I'm also taking into consideration that this Prizm was perhaps one of the best designed bulletproof motors Toyota ever made. What I wish I could do is switch out the motors and then hands down I'd be picking the Sentra. But I'm not going to do that. So, I welcome your opinions and thanks in advance. If you need more info to make the decision, let me know.
my99cavy
08-09-2006, 10:18 PM
IMO the sentra is a nicer car. I was driving a prism around for awhile and hated the thing. So if I were you I would hang onto the sentra and get rid of the prism.
blakscorpion21
08-10-2006, 02:01 PM
yea id stick with the sentra.
Igovert500
08-12-2006, 12:25 AM
Sentra in a second. Nissan > Geo any day. Just my .02 The nissan dominates the geo in pretty much any aspect I can think of.
Automotive Network, Inc., Copyright ©2026
