Ahh.. the years before Nissan gave us a rubber band as a transmission. Those were the days.

@SportsMusicCars

2 жыл бұрын

rubber band lol

@samsquantch14

2 жыл бұрын

tho i agree i have to point out they weren't all junk...my buddies murano has almost 250k miles on the original rubber band trans lol

@TheRealSmithFamily

2 жыл бұрын

@@samsquantch14 That wasn’t a dig at the quality or longevity, so much as the lack of driving enjoyment. 👍🏼

@E_tiBEAMERBOY

2 жыл бұрын

Those were good tho most never have problems it's the máximas altimas sentras and the other junk they pumped out for small and midsize cars. Suv's used a dif trans that was more resistant.

@ed4253

2 жыл бұрын

Every Nissan I see is a freaking Rogue. I hate Nissan for that and their CVTs. Garbage quality now. I had a 96 Maxima GLE and 01 Altima GXE

Rear wheels lifting off the ground in the slalom like older VW Golfs. Crazy!

@MOBGaming4

2 жыл бұрын

Which were considered fun and quick turning!

@oreally8605

2 жыл бұрын

Wasn't that crazy???

@XenomorphLV426

2 жыл бұрын

Needs a rear sway bar

@carsinruin6102

2 жыл бұрын

It’s because they both have torsion beam rear suspension.

@carsinruin6102

2 жыл бұрын

@@XenomorphLV426 I had a old GTI with a rear sway bar and no front and it still lifted the rear tire. I

This car made honda put 200hp in the next SI. And mitsubishi came out with the ralliart. Oh those were the days. 20 years all ready? Damn I feel old 😔

@damilolaakanni

2 жыл бұрын

20 years later, the Civic Si still has 200HP...or so they say.

@blue_lancer_es

2 жыл бұрын

@@damilolaakanni thats why competition is important. If the mustang was alone we wouldn't see gt500 super snake ect. One up the ante the other have to counterattack or lose.

@michaelbernhardt389

2 жыл бұрын

Nope 2002 the SI it's at 160

@K03sport

2 жыл бұрын

...regardless of the Nissan offerings, SE-R and Spec-V variants couldn't touch the Si. Nissan was on the right track...than got out of the "hot" FWD compact market altogether. They really didn't race them and they did little in the way of promotion. The Z-car and Maxima were their halo offerings at that time and that's where the money went. I can only imagine where Nissan would be if they kept refining and developing the SE-R/Spec-V packages (on all cars...not just the GT-R)

@MastersOfMask

2 жыл бұрын

@@michaelbernhardt389 did you comprehend what he wrote? He said that nissan made honda put 200hp in their SI after, not during.

Been daily driving a 04 SER Spec V for the past 6 years. Shout out to my grandfather for selling it to me and keeping it clean in his garage for all those years.

@fatloserboi

2 жыл бұрын

Your grandfather is a great man!

@kjrey9878

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Spec V brother! I still daily the 04 Spec V I bought in 2006. I've got the "Aztec Red". What color is yours? (Tell me it's the Yellow or Orange. Those are my favorite for the B15! Especially with all the boring colors on cars these days. lol)

@frailgeek

2 жыл бұрын

​@@kjrey9878 Congrats man, the Aztec Red looks real nice! Mine is just is a boring silver unfortunately, yellow is my favorite for sure

@SiCaRiI_DaGgEr

2 жыл бұрын

Your grandad? Wow man good stuff, you outta thank him for handing down a great little car.

A car I always thought I'd own at some point. A friend of mine got an SE-R as her first car, but it was the automatic. Still was fun to drive though.

@jacobwebb8818

2 жыл бұрын

SE-R Spec-V is a lot faster and only manual

@michaelramirez2382

2 жыл бұрын

@@jacobwebb8818 that’s right mine is a 6speed

@lifesAtrip513

2 жыл бұрын

@@jacobwebb8818 it's not a lot faster

@jacobwebb8818

2 жыл бұрын

@@lifesAtrip513 mine is 🤭 Faster than an 8th gen Civic Si by a good margin. They had a different tune and exhaust I believe than the SE-R so they made more power

@randomautonomousdronepilot3384

2 жыл бұрын

@@jacobwebb8818 an 8th gen Si weighs 100lbs more and has 30 hp more. Numbers don't lie buddy. A tuned SI would be up t0 50-60hp more. While still retaining the same weight. Say whatever you want to say, but what you are saying does not make sense.

Not the quickest car, but something was special about this car. Looks great to this day.

My brain still can't comprehend how these cars are 20+ years old.

Had one of those back then! The torque steer was immense and the rear suspension was horrible on bad road surfaces. But it was a lot of fun!

@exxusdrugstore300

2 жыл бұрын

My dad bought a 1997 Maxima with that same torsion beam rear end. The marketing says "4 Door Sports Car" but the ride says "Kia Sedona".

@cameronhall0921

2 жыл бұрын

I actually have the 2002 SE-R right now

@Bonbonbon739

2 жыл бұрын

The suspension is horrible lol you do feel everything, but it’s like a little go kart and it does last forever

@SiCaRiI_DaGgEr

2 жыл бұрын

@@Bonbonbon739 There is absolutely nothing wrong with the suspension as far as ride comfort. The only gripe one could have with it is the solid rear beam instead of a rear multi-link and only performance drivers i.e track or autocross would complain, other than that the Spec ride nice. And if one could find the Nismo coil-overs that improves the stock ride comfort plus adds additional grip is a plus, although there are BC's, JIC's ect which are better than Nismo's still available.

@swagboss10000

5 ай бұрын

@@cameronhall0921I know someone who’s selling a 2003 for $2300 it has some performance upgrades, do you think I should buy it as a first car?

The Spec V was the first car I bought new and I put almost 250k miles on it before having to junk it. I have a 370z now and still miss my Spec V.

@jstephens1193

2 жыл бұрын

Why'd you have to junk it?

@mkygod

2 жыл бұрын

@@jstephens1193 Probably wore out the engine components. I can't imagine too many Nissans surviving beyond 250k.

@ks1ngh27

2 жыл бұрын

I had the ser version. I loved the car but too many issues and rust prevented me from loving the car all the time.

@ks1ngh27

2 жыл бұрын

@@dr.jillalicecooper2587 nice. I think Nissan overall was less reliable than Toyota. I had engine mounts go out many times, starter motor, other constant issues. It was fun to drive but maintenance was needed.

@ks1ngh27

2 жыл бұрын

@@dr.jillalicecooper2587 I was in college too when I got it. Had fun racing it with random cars. Everyone thought it had a v6. I have 08 g35 MT 4dr right now. It's fun car to drive. Getting bit old but low mileage still.

Those wheels still look good today!

Back when the Sentra was really competitive with the Civic, these cars were the shit they'd smoke civic si's of the era. Early 2000s Nissan was so damn good. One of the reasons why I bought my Altima SER

@stupidshethead420

2 жыл бұрын

no it wasnt , not in the least.. Most of these SpecV's are in the junkyard these days. My Si laughs in the face of those pathetic sentras, from HPDE driving to commuter traffic, a Civic has it covered.

@BCJDM

2 жыл бұрын

@@stupidshethead420 lol you sound like an upset fanboy. I love Honda's from that era as well.

@stupidshethead420

2 жыл бұрын

@@BCJDM fanboy, thats funny, i was in the honda game in the late 80's, definitely not a fanboy.

@stupidshethead420

2 жыл бұрын

@@BCJDM on the otherhand you sound naïve

@BCJDM

2 жыл бұрын

@@stupidshethead420 you sound upset because I said it's faster than civic si's of that era. Get over yourself dude, idc

Bought a brand new 2004 SE-R Spec-V. One of the cars I miss.

These ended up just like Civics and Preludes of that era. Nearly all of them were beaten to death and destroyed because they were inexpensive enough to make that possible very quickly. It was still great that Nissan offered them. No one makes cars like this anymore where they slap a huge cylinder head on a small engine, 6 speed manual, and a reasonable price.

@nunyabusiness896

2 жыл бұрын

>slap a huge cylinder head on a small engine What? They just put the 2.5 L from the Altima, everything is the same aside from the ECU.

@air-headedaviator1805

2 жыл бұрын

@@nunyabusiness896 the QR in the Altima and SE-R were the same family but like always there were minute differences. Bumped redline, different oil system, different cams. Little things that change the character largely

@nunyabusiness896

2 жыл бұрын

@@air-headedaviator1805 Do you have any proof of this at all? I've never once heard someone mention any of this and was very active on the forums in the mid-late 00's when I had this car. Just a quick search of the stock tachs in both cars from 2002 already shows you are wrong about the redline as they both show 6250 RPM as being redline. Now, the later B16 cars had some differences to bump power to 200 at the expense of low end torque (which is in line with a camshaft change and could increase redline if paired with heavier valve springs), but the 2002 B15 Spec V did not have those things.

@oreally8605

2 жыл бұрын

You can't find a Honda prelude SH that hasn't been beaten to death.

@albertsantosTP

2 жыл бұрын

They do make cars like this still the Corolla GR is one of them

Came up reading stuff like Sport Compact Car in this period before I could even drive lol. Such a great time for cool small cars. EP3 SI, DC5 Integra, SVT focus, SRT4, Mazdaspeed Protege and this...I'll take one of each

@E_tiBEAMERBOY

2 жыл бұрын

Hell yea!!

@XenomorphLV426

2 жыл бұрын

Golden Age of sport compacts

@youngb1ood

2 жыл бұрын

I guess the z24 cavalier, ford probe GT, or the corolla/matrix XRS ain’t cool :(

@globyboulga1045

Жыл бұрын

September 2001 was my first issue. With the 2001 civic on the cover in cgi . Red .

My dad bought one new in 2002 and still has it. He used it for commuting and it has something like 300k miles on it. Still runs great, hardly anything has gone wrong with it. Driving this car in autocross competitions made me realize that fwd cars can be a ton of fun!

@djhero0071

2 жыл бұрын

Huh. No problems with the precat on the stock headers? Everything I’ve read says they’re a problem with the material inside the precat burning up and being sucked into the engine, scoring cylinder walls and destroying motors.

@das280zx

2 жыл бұрын

@@djhero0071 no he has never had a problem with it. I can't remember but I think maybe Nissan fixed this by a certain model year. Not sure. He's on the original clutch also.

@das280zx

2 жыл бұрын

I just remembered something. I think there might have been a recall where they adjusted the amount of exhaust recirculated by this method. I think that was part of the problem.

@djhero0071

2 жыл бұрын

Maybe. For as much as I know about these cars, a lot of stuff is from before I owned mine. AFAIK though, they never did fix the precat issue. It was a problem all the way into 06.

@das280zx

2 жыл бұрын

@@djhero0071 well maybe my dad got lucky. I do remember somebody made a header that eliminated it. Probably would still be a good idea.

Still have my 04 Spec V I bought in 2006. She's still going strong @ 195k miles on the original N/A engine (with a few bolt ons).

@flowizphatman

Жыл бұрын

YES SE-RRRRRR

@crillin570

Жыл бұрын

Nice.. i also still have my 06 which i bought back in 2006 brand new, with 102K miles now.

People who bought the Spec-V with an automatic are the problem. 🙃

@JDMHaze

2 жыл бұрын

lmaooo Until this video I wasn't aware that it was offered with an automatic, normally SE-R/nismo models are only offered with manual

@J.Nev.

2 жыл бұрын

Only The SE-R Was Offered In Auto. No Auto Spec-V

@SK438

Жыл бұрын

There is no automatic Spec V. There's the automatic SE-R, 5-speed SE-R (discontinued in 2004), and the 6-speed SE-R Spec V.

I remember wanting to race one in my focus se and my friend was like "You will loose, don't even try it." lol The beginning of my love affair with Japanese sports cars. ❤

@oreally8605

2 жыл бұрын

I'm assuming you lost lol

@lbmautos

2 жыл бұрын

@@oreally8605 I took his advice. 😁 Then later lost to a bone stock 240...that's when I learned about engine mods & tuning over cosmetics.

@jaffsharp769

2 жыл бұрын

Lose.

This car always felt so much faster than it was. I still can't figure out why.

@jacobwebb8818

2 жыл бұрын

They are genuinely faster than you would expect. Mine is kind of a rocket on disguise. I have beat an 8th gen Si by a longshot and even a V6 Camaro. The Honda has like 30 more hp than me and not much more weight

@jacobwebb8818

2 жыл бұрын

Video on my channel

@ColdVsIce

2 жыл бұрын

Bro exactly, I had one and it felt so damn fast haha.

@jacobwebb8818

2 жыл бұрын

@@ColdVsIce there's no telling man but mine legit scares me it's gonna break axles or the subframe or something cause it jumps that hard. I already had to replace one axle but I bought it that way. There was a guy on here somewhere who I seen taped washers somewhere on his subframe and said his car felt WAAYY more solid when getting on power and I kept thinking like nahh that wouldn't do anything and right when I was doubting him the hardest he said "And if you don't believe me that it will hold up like this, I taped those on there 3 years ago and they're still holding up" My mind was blown 😂

@nunyabusiness896

Жыл бұрын

Super wide powerband and pretty short gearing. It punched right off of idle like the 4 cylinder equivalent of a pushrod V8. I have a C5 Corvette now and it feels like you just took a Spec V engine and doubled it and added RWD, which is pretty accurate as 175hp x 2=350hp, which is exactly what a C5 V8 is. Will always prefer the wide powerband of the Spec V and the Corvette over the fussy all-up-top-nothing-down-low of a Honda.

These cars with a few suspension tweaks and sticky tires were and still are one the best autocross/track sleepers.

@taurianharris9985

7 ай бұрын

Yeahh I'm getting mines dialed in a good set of coilovers prob a little bit of camber so I can hook corners

I took my Nissan Maxima to get serviced at the Nissan dealership back in 2005. While I was waiting, I decided to test drive one of two older SE-R Spec V Sentras that they had left over and were trying to get rid of. My Maxima was an automatic, but the Sentra was a 6-speed. The salesman asked me if I was able to drive a manual and I told him "I would figure it out." He seemed hesitant, but he decided to take the car out with me. As we were driving, I said "I wonder if this is as fast as my Maxima?" Right after I said that, I downshifted into second gear, screeched around the turnaround going about 40 mph, pulled of and got up to about 85 mph right before turning back into the dealership. I looked over at the salesman and he was clinching his seat and looked over to me an said "I see you know how to drive a manual." I'll never forget that. :)

@michaelscholfield7588

2 жыл бұрын

Hilarious! A Mitsubishi salesman did the same thing when I showed him what an Evo can do back in 2008...funny stuff.

@ndawg79

2 жыл бұрын

Love hearing stories like this. HA HA HA I had to read it a second time and I felt that drive...

Man this car brings back memories! Had a Spec V in silver and was my first manual car in college. Loved it!

@BayAreaRushHour

2 жыл бұрын

Same I had a silver spec V for my first 4 years in college. I had to stay a 5th year but I blew the head gasket and my dad got a new car, so I had to switch to his old Prius during that time, until someone rear ended me and destroyed the Prius. Currently in a Mazda 3, and finally back with a manual transmission.

Still have my 2003 Spec-v today- once you sort out the butterfly valve screws in the upper intake manifold and change the header with the pre-cat they are reliable little cars. Tons of affordable fun, and even better with the optional Brembo 4pistons from the 2004 that I swapped in.

@yourlocalcoolguy

2 жыл бұрын

Nice I had one in highschool, after I blew two motors I took out the cat also.

@kjrey9878

2 жыл бұрын

Hey, I'm tagging up with all my Spec V brethren! Red 04 Spec V here. Bought it in 06 and still daily it. It's funny, I replaced the header before I even knew the QR25 had pre-cat issues. I "accidentally" dodged a VERY expensive bullet. lol.

@dnegel9546

Жыл бұрын

Why did nissan get rid of the 02 front end for the ugly plain one in later models?

This was the first Motorweek review I ever saw. I've been hooked ever since.

4:37 my favorite part is when motorweek lists the market rivals

damn the exhaust was shaking so much when they were launching it! A buddy of mine has a red one and it is a really nice car.

@YourMom-vl2sp

2 жыл бұрын

so much torque the exhaust twisted coming off the line.

@XenomorphLV426

2 жыл бұрын

Jello motor mounts

@XenomorphLV426

2 жыл бұрын

@@YourMom-vl2sp 🤣 that's actually perfect

I still have my 2002 black SE-R with the interior shown there. Brand new when I bought it. It’s my back up ride but so fun to drive, added lighter forged pistons, Eibach sway bars, Clutch Competition Stage 2 clutch, lighter flywheel. Thing is quick. Always scares the valet drivers and dealer.

I remember in 2006, the Nissan dealership wouldn't let me test drive this, so I went and bought a 2006 Civic Si. I would like to thank that dealership lol.

@jareknowak8712

2 жыл бұрын

😉

@JimS870

2 жыл бұрын

What was their excuse???

@ed4253

2 жыл бұрын

My friend had that happen with a new 99 Mustangs, we were 18 and the stealership knew it

loved the solid rear axel on these things, e brake turns were effortless and you could easily coax it to oversteer with some well placed left foot braking and trail braking into tight ones.

I still have my 2004 Spec-V, runs and looks great.

I test drove one and was impressed by the aggressive speed sensitive steering under acceleration. Unfortunately I was only able to afford the 1.8. Blown head gaskets and fuel pumps became a nightmare during my ownership. The Sentra scared me away from Nissan and never went back.

@taurussho86

2 жыл бұрын

Don't feel sorry... They always been kinda crappy. I dont buy them either

@eVerProductions1

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah same here, I’ve driven a few Nissans and owned a 97 Sentra se manual and currently a g35, yeah they ain’t that quality. They fit the bill but the end result is nothing to write home and tell everyone you know

@dohc1067

2 жыл бұрын

@@taurussho86 Agreed 👍

@dohc1067

2 жыл бұрын

@@eVerProductions1 Agreed 👍

@fitfogey

2 жыл бұрын

A friend of mine worked for Nissan quality control. He said management would pressure them for speed on the job and approve parts that should have been thrown in the trash bin. That alone convinced me not to buy a Nissan.

The first time I ever saw one of these was in a commercial for NeedForSpeed Underground. Got hooked instantly

You know you're old when Motor Week does a retro review of a car you remember when it was new....

I live with my Filipino grandparents and my grandpa had one and he kept it so clean through out the years. He put me as secondary driver on our insurance right when I got my license at 17. That was my first car! Man I wish I still had this beautiful ride! I miss it so much :(

Some had came with Brembo brakes. Old coworker of mine had an SE-R. He just drove it. He wasn’t into cars but he took really good care of it.

How's John not mentioning the consistent inside-rear wheel lift through that slalom!?!

@jackdough8164

2 жыл бұрын

Because that’s not a problem.....

@saabstory69420

2 жыл бұрын

Ridiculous looking

@gsxellence

2 жыл бұрын

He did

@joec1774

2 жыл бұрын

@@jackdough8164 - didn’t say it was- it’s just not something ya see often

@XenomorphLV426

2 жыл бұрын

Is was infamously known as the "pissing dog" move on the forums.

This car must have been in the starter pack for amy street racing game back in its time 😁

@djhero0071

2 жыл бұрын

Not with the 02-03 body. It’s only been featured with the 04-06 body. Not much of a difference but the 04-06 looks more sleeper-ish.

@nunyabusiness896

Жыл бұрын

It should've been, but it was only featured in NFS Underground 1 and 2 and LA Rush.

i got a ‘03 spec v in 11th grade and its got exaust and lowered with different headlights and upgraded brakes. its so much fun

Man; I bought a first model year 02 black Spec V back in 05 and my young ass thought it was the fastest car on the road. (And compared to all my friends Ford Focus/Chevy Cavalier/base model Civic with an exhaust it was lol) I spent majority of the paychecks from my then crappy job throwing intake, exhaust, suspension, tires, Clutches etc at this thing all to drop from 15.4 ET with just an AEM short ram to 14.6x with full bolt ons and sticky BFGs up front. Not to mention teaching myself how to drive manual on the car aka going through a stock clutch disc before the odometer read 20k as well as TWO dealer replaced engines under warranty for pre-cat failure leading to insane oil consumption. By the time I traded that thing in after ~5 years and almost 100k it had been through hell and back. Owning that car was an experience for sure and a big part of my early adulthood.

That 1996-2004 Hay days of Nissans..man i miss how they used to do cars. WOW! I loved these back then. Watch the back tires come off the ground when it goes thru the cones. CraZy

Amazing how this car came a long way 20 years later Consumer Reports rated North American Car of The Year. Still see these from time to time wish the newer models would have 6 speed manual.

I never thought I’d see Motorweek’s review on this car. I’ve owned one for 7 years now and I don’t think I could’ve asked for a better first car. I worry about it a lot but it’s honestly been a fun and fairly reliable car.

This car was amazing back in the day. Everytime I got in it it always made me excited to drive.

Back when the world wasn't consumed w social media nonsense was a good time to be alive

@kamrankhan-lj1ng

2 жыл бұрын

The last year before social media nonsense

My bud and I enjoyed the tuner scene back in the mid 00s after high school. I had a cobalt SS brand new and he had a Sentra SER Spec V. Man do I miss those days. But the only thing he hated about that car is that his didn’t have the Brembo brakes. Had the lsd and no traction control. Perfect weekend warrior at AutoX events.

That tripod action though!

Up on 3 wheels during the slalom was crazy to see, I don't remember any car doing a slalom like that wow

Oh man I love these. My dad wanted to buy one around the time I was born, according to him though no local dealers had any or could get any in a timely manner. He ended up getting a SE 2.0 I believe.

Totally underrated little cars.

@nolimitsnuttbusts4u

7 ай бұрын

Cheap rattle trap car with an Altima motor. That's it. Nothing else.

@christopherwilliams9418

7 ай бұрын

@@nolimitsnuttbusts4u You have no imagination, lol. Not everything needs to be a Mustang or a Supra.

@nolimitsnuttbusts4u

7 ай бұрын

@@christopherwilliams9418 Don't care for Mustangs or Supras either. I just tell it like it is. There's nothing unique about the Sentra SE-R Spec V...I like my cars to have exclusivity. Such as a unique driveline.

It's a shame these cars turned out to be kind of unreliable. Lots of issues with the QR25. Still would like to get one. The early front end on this looks better than the later front end

@foxtrot685

2 жыл бұрын

Oh yeah. The bucktooth grille and over boxed off fascia’s for the refresh ruined this design. They were horrible looking after that.

@SiCaRiI_DaGgEr

2 жыл бұрын

Unreliable? Not true, the main thing with the QR was lock tight the butterfly screws, drop the pre-cat for an after market exhaust and you were golden. I still have my original '02 running strong as hell.

was never a big fan of fwd macpherson but this car is a guilty pleasure of mine

I remember my apparel manager at my first job used to have a Nissan Sentra SE-R of this vintage, it had the 6 speed manual (she preferred driving a stick over automatic).

i had one of these. My favorite car I've ever had. It was yellow and so awesome!

@ricknolan1671

2 жыл бұрын

The yellow was hot on these.

These cars were bad little MFers when they were new but were also prone to head gasket problems at around 100k. The valve covers also tended to crack and break due to the extreme heat this engine generated. I had a friend whose ex wife had one and I was over there helping him fix it a couple of times.

@CBXweb

2 жыл бұрын

Ouch. The 1.8 engines didn't fair much better either. It's a shame, I really liked these cars when it first came out.

@SK438

Жыл бұрын

It's funny you say 100k. I just had the head gasket randomly fail on my car with 115k.

@SK438

Жыл бұрын

@@CBXweb I'd beg to differ. I own two Sentras, one with the QR25DE and one with the QG18DE. The QG car has proved itself to be very reliable. I've had it for 5 years, and have put countless miles on it but it has yet to give me any major problems. My QR car which I've owned for 2 years however, has given me something to fix at least every 6 months.

Wow, quick little thing! I've always wanted one in yellow.

I remember seeing a few of these cars as a kid. I still see a few of these on the road.

@gsxellence

2 жыл бұрын

Still have mine

I have a 07 se-r spec v with 132k mi and it still puts a smile on my face today. I thought about getting a wrx premium back in 2018,but every time I hop in my spec v or just see it in my garage I change my mind. I've been thinking about getting rid of it for the new Elantra N and the same thing happens. Especially if I drive my other cars and don't drive the spec v for awhile. When I see it or get in it, I decide to just keep it and invest what I would of spent on a new car.

I bought the SE-R in 2003 and I loved this car and so did the ladies.

Good review & great Sentra.

When I was in college I had an 02 SER Spec V in white with a Nismo cold air intake and a custom 3 inch exhaust with the cat removed. Had black aftermarket aluminum alloy 17” rims. This thing would fly. You had to know how to handle the torque steer for sure but once you got used to it it was too much fun. I burned through some tires in mine. If you got on it it would spin all the way though 1st gear and then bark 2nd. The gas mileage was crazy for all the power you had.

Back in the days when Nissan was my favorite import manufacturer. Before they turned to cranking out ugly CVT crossovers and the god awful cube...

still have my 02 spec v, it is only a few years younger than me haha! Changed the header, took out the pre cat and swapped out for a new engine from Japan, fun little stock car (almost) to daily drive and to track some times

That’s a lot of money 20 years ago. Then again, today’s prices on cars =😱

I remember test driving the spec v. Seemed like a fun car.

It was early 2002, I was driving a 1989 Honda Accord and looking for a new car. At the time, my best friend was working at a local Nissan dealer, it was less than 2 miles away. He knew I was looking to buy a new car, so when a mechanic had him drive a PDI he figured he'd bring it to my house to check it out. It was a brand new 2002 silver Nissan SE-R Spec V, that thing was BEAUTIFUL! I didn't get to drive it, obviously, but I got it in and I loved it. That weekend I went to the dealer and bought one. It was so much fun. I ended up selling it about 6 years later. I blew the head gasket and then all sorts of things started to go wrong. I got it running perfectly but I just didn't wanna risk having to put any more money into it. I now drive a 2012 Honda Civic Si. The best car I've ever owned. It's 10 years old and I haven't had a single mechanical issue with it.

I had a white 2002 ser specv. I loved that car. It was fun to drive and it sounded awesome with headers,full exhaust and cold air intake. I miss that Lil pocket rocket.

I remember test driving this and a Corolla XRS in 2005, I went with the GTI VR6 and still have it to this day.

I still miss my '06 Spec V. It was the first car I bought with my own money, and I absolutely adored it. It was such a sad day for me when I had to trade it in in '16. But, what was I to do? My wife can't drive manual and we had a baby on the way. It's not really a family car. In my opinion this is one of the most unsung 'future classics' of the 2000s.

@dnegel9546

Жыл бұрын

How is it not a family car? It has 4doors. I made my camaro work with 2kids. And even then i got a 4 door car. Never understood why ppl feel they need a 8 passenger van for a single baby.

@carlocastillo1036

Жыл бұрын

Teach the wife manual

I had one. LOVED it.

I was in 10th grade I always loved them back then. Like the Nissan 240 they're nearly impossible to find now

That background music sounded like it came from an early 90s corporate training video. I like it.

I miss that grille, I thought these were so cool when they came out and even today I’d still drive the hell out of one

Had a silver 2003 Spec V and I loved it.....was my first manual. Was such an easy engine to work on and was able to push 200 horses to the wheel....She def prepared me for the Torque monster that is my Mazdaspeed 3 which has double the power!!!

Where was this filmed? I see the Damascus Chevrolet sign in the back...I use to work there around the same time this was aired in 2002. Seeing that really brought me back. Anyway, I just bought an 04 Spec-V last year and love it! Had new high compression engine built and many other mods. It's a great car and fast!

i was in loved whit this car when it came out i wanted one so badly i just loved the look of it even today it still looks great

Owned and enjoyed it since the past three years. I adore this car, still going strong. However, I have had to store it for 6 months. Hope it is still good when I comeback.

2002 Nissan Sentra SE-R has a 2.5L with 165 hp for the 5-Speed Manual or 4-Speed Automatic, but the Spec V gets 175 hp and only with the 6-Speed Manual.

@vampyrelycan99

2 жыл бұрын

Pure sports vehicles were strictly MT only. Well at least the Spec V had 6MT and the much-desired LSD......

This car was my main rival for my SVT focus back in high school lol with the couple of bolt ons I had I could normally pull away from a roll. From a stop though the limited slip in the Sentra would normally put it out in front

My favorite teacher in hs had one in yellow, pre facelift. I always told him I wanted his car.

I had a 2003 spec-v. Loved that car.

I remember seeing on Nissan's website in 2002-2003 verbiage that tried to link the SE-R with that of the Skyline GT-R. Also, perhaps in an attempt to cater to the people who played Gran Turismo, the SE-R badge was made to look like the GT-R badge on the R32-R34 Skylines.

@SiCaRiI_DaGgEr

2 жыл бұрын

The story behind that is Nissan North America marketing. When they designed the SER they wanted to use the Skyline V-Spec as the foundation which Nissan Japan rejected so Nissan NA used SER Spec-V using a redesigned Skyline front fascia and altered badging.

Had a 2003 SE-R 5-spd. Loved it so much, so fun to drive. Too bad the exhaust manifold disintegrated and destroyed the engine…twice.

@callforarchives

2 жыл бұрын

Warning: DANGER TO MANIFOLD

@XenomorphLV426

2 жыл бұрын

Hotshot or Nismo header ftw

I had a silver one with the red interior, I really miss this car. I have a Veloster Turbo now, and while its more refined with more niceties, im not sure if it is more fun than my Sentra Spec V. I still miss that car.

Still got a 04 ser spec v since 2008, still running no issues besides alternator and general maintenance.has 160k on it and always starts!

@salenty2361

Жыл бұрын

no cats?

@B0xlife1

Жыл бұрын

@@salenty2361 aftermarket exhaust all the way from manifold back to the axel then stock muffler. Couldn't deal with the constant banging of the pipe on the rear axle since it's lowered so the rest of the exhaust back I took off and put back stock But no cats since 40,k miles

Great and fun cars to drive! I had an 04’ Spec-V. Managed a 15.0 in the quarter. They sound great with intakes! (I got old vids on my page)

How many 2002 Sentras do we still see on the road compared to Civics and Corollas of the same vintage?🤔

@texan903

2 жыл бұрын

Quite a few, actually. I see them almost everyday.

That was a sweet tuner ride back in the day

Watching it tripod through the turns is such a throwback. I feel like this was the peak of affordable, practical performance. Yeah, today’s offerings are pretty good, but they’re few and far between, and most have no character.

I remember wanting a yellow Spec V when these first came out...the closest I got was a promotional bookmark lol Drove one for the first time in 2010, granted it was raining but what I remember most is the torque steer and the front tires struggling to put the power down

I remember seeing these brand new as a child I can't believe there 20 years old

@gsxellence

2 жыл бұрын

They are

Okay so now I want one...

My guy had the rear wheels off the ground in the slalom. Legend!

I bought the first one on the lot when these came out. Was an automatic. Had a few issues initially including vapor lock when it was warmed up and sat for an hour and then would take a lot of cranking to get it to start. Dealership couldn't reproduce it but eventually there was a service bulletin on it. Ended up being reliable while I had it but kept wishing I'd bought the gti. Sold it when I got a used 2003 G35 manual sedan.

my friend had the one, the good old days

I've remember the Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V on the NFSU2 game.

not mentioned was the valve actuated multi-length intake runners that opened up at 3500 RPM that made a satisfying engine roar in the cabin. This was the ultimate budget boy racer car

THIS IS SO AWESOMEEEW

Ahhh the good ol days. (Had a '02 yellow spec v) 😏

The rear wheels lifting off the ground... Crazy stuff

Had it for 64000 miles, great car, never an issue