Corolla vs Sentra vs Elantra

[sirsmiley]

These are the 3 cars im looking at , want to purchase one of them new, ive got about 16000 saved up canadian, probably will take out a 5000 dollar loan for taxes and such, looking at paying no more than low 20s with options and tax etc

im kinda favouring the elantra hatchback with its disc brakes all around and sway bars/suspension, they all have excellent mileage on them and toyota is best for reliability, hyundai is no slouch lately with its warranty plan and my other 2 sentras (96 and 91) were good but very basic ones (lots of speed though!) but lately i hear the sentras are overpriced and arent reliable

im looking at which is the best in terms of performance and ease of customization , i was looking at mitsu lancer but there is no dealership short of 2 hours away and for regular maintenance the dodge/chrysler dealerships cannot fix that stuff anymore as i recall theyve separated from mitsu (i read specs on mitsu lancer and the non ralliart version has less hp and weighs more than a civic, ick!)

also a quick question is a regular k and n drop in air filter give any performance boost at all? i know a short ram will give about 3-5hp but will the filter itself give say, 1-3? (they come preoiled for use but it doesnt mention anything about coming with sealant!) just wondering cuz doing a cold air intake on some models is a pain in the ass and here we have lots of rain so it might be a bad idea to use it

[drdisque]

my friend has a newish sentra and he's not very happy with it. He doesn't think it drives or runs any better than a hyundai and he's had trouble with the interior staying together.

a k&n filter alone won't give you any real power on MOST cars (a few high performance cars it does), but if you plan on keeping the car awhile, you'll save money on filters in the long run.

[ricesucks]

I am bias, however, I would take the toyota. They last forever. My dad had 388,4?? on his94 camry LE before it blew a headgasket. He treated it like shit. He changed the oil like every 10,000 miles....He still drove it 30k with the head gasket shot, and STILL sold it for 1,200...With a hugeass ding in the door...Thats holding your value!

[sirsmiley]

thats frickin hilarious....


my 91 sentra had 3 ppl learn to drive stick on it (16 year olds, got it in about 96-97) and it died last year after a long drive (read:10 hours) in holiday traffic i wore down the clutch until she just revved to high heaven and kept slipping...dunno how i made it home but it sold for 500 bucks to some guy with a repair yard...my brother slammed it into a sign and mashed up the gas panel and hence it started to rust, it leaked a bit of oil from the hard driving (read:over revving from us kids) and it still sold, thats value! lol

sad to say an american made car with much less km on it and in near mint condition only got like 1000 for a trade in on a new car whats up with that!

[nbr1nthuzyst]

i like the elantra... but i mean i would either go with that or the carolla... i dont think i would go for the sentra.

[BP2K2Max]

get the sentra. the new 2.0's still come with SR20's. we all know how capable that engine is.

[sirsmiley]

Originally Posted by BP2K2Max

get the sentra. the new 2.0's still come with SR20's. we all know how capable that engine is.

do you mean the regular 1.8 (not likely) the SE-R or the SE-R Spec V (which has yet another engine)

i have a friend who had an se-r non spec v and hes gone through 2 in 2 years, on lease, the drive train is ruined on them (manual trans) i think he drives the shit out of them however

[TheQuietThings]

i would definetely not suggest a new sentra, they just dont seem to be holding up well at all. the new elantra for the price seems like a steal, but i dont think it beats toyota and their reputation. The corolla is well built and equipt and i believe it is the best buy out of the 3

[sirsmiley]

yeah i hear the new sentras are crap and in 2006 they are redoing the whole car...im looking at the new 2006 civic si and i know itll be toned down but its so sexy

people put down the elantra but it looks nice and its supposed to have a great warranty and be good to drive

[porscheguy9999]

Id take the Sentra. Given it has problems, but its alot more sporty than any Carolla or Elantra. The Elatnra is (IMO) a car meant for people who dont really care about cars. The Toyota is better, but its just too boring. The Sentra is the coolest of the three, but not the best quality.

[kman10587]

I'd agree that the Corolla is too bland, if not for the new-for-2005 Corolla XRS. With standard sport tires, a beefed-up suspension, and the powertrain from the Celica GT-S (including the sweet six-speed manual), it's a blast to drive. I test-drove and walked away very impressed, not only at the car's fun-to-drive factor but at how much easier it was to live with than the actual Celica GT-S. I'd strongly recommend it.

[sirsmiley]

its a little out of my price range i was readin a review today of it, man who thought up the back up alarm for INSIDE THE CAR instead of OUTSIDE...seriously, backing up your driveway makes it beep until you wanna punch something...all it does is distract the driver....

but yeah i want that car bad if i could afford it, im trying to save as much money as possible by getting a good deal but ive found japanese car dealerships dont cut much off the msrp compared to the big 3 who cut prices to compete

[kman10587]

Originally Posted by sirsmiley

but yeah i want that car bad if i could afford it, im trying to save as much money as possible by getting a good deal but ive found japanese car dealerships dont cut much off the msrp compared to the big 3 who cut prices to compete

Very true. They have a better reputation for quality and reliability, and you pay for it. The new Chevrolet Cobalt, though, is a perfectly fine small car, and it's cheaper than most Japanese cars in this class. I hear the Focus is pretty good too. Give those two a try if you're on a budget.

[silentscreams85]

id get the corolla..definetly. the new xrs corolla is pretty cool too...it has the 1.8l from the celica gts in it. if you want a descent lookin car that will last you a very long time. get the toyota

[PWRDbyUNCLEbens]

If you've owned two sentra's in the past by all means spend your money on a classic se-r. I've got a centerforce clutch, and ghetto rigged K&N cone, and I absolutely love this car. I don't know if your other sentras were se-r's but I would seriously suggest you try one out.

THe bucket seats, are really supportive, and the car is as quick if not faster then most new imports. I got my se-r for $1800 with one dent in the back, and small one in the hood. I've logged 20,000 VERY hard driven miles on the sr20de (non-turbo), and the only thing that seems to be the problem is the stock clutch, and idles a little jumpy (a common problem).

Modification wise the sr20de is good for 150whp with Cams etc (some sr20de's even around 180whp). You also have the option of haveing the sr20ve engine put into your sentra. This engine is the equivelant of hondas vtech, and is rated at 200hp. Then if you really want a quick import turbo the sr20de, or swap in a sr20det from one of the various AWD japanese cars. 220whp is easily attainable with an sr20det w/t25 turbo.

Now that I've wasted my breathe advertising a car you probably won't get I'll say You might want to look into the SCION TC, or even a Tiburon. I'd say the XRS is a good choice too though.