Thread: B15 Spec V thoughts?

For a first car I would rather stay away from anything performance oriented. First cars usually end up in the junk yard for several reasons. A: they end up in a crash. B: they get neglected (which is unlikely in this case due to your involvement). or C: they usually rust apart because they are older cars. Get her something that will be reliable and will start every day, be easy to maintain, and will not burn oil. Once she gets older, and shows interest, then start looking together for something that interests her that will be fun to drive.

The Spec V would be for me. She'll have access to the Pathfinder, and if she truly wants to learn how to drive a manual as she has stated several times, we can use the Sentra, because there's no way in hell she's getting behind the wheel of our '17 Mazda 3 manual.

That thought has crossed my mind too, but ugh, those looks. The B16 is the complete opposite of that "hot, crazy girl", although there is benefit in that. After a casual search of Craigslist, Cars-dot-com and Autotrader, it looks as though the B16 Spec V may be harder to find than a B15 version.

Damn. Your Pathfinder is super nice. I would have been ecstatic if I was 16 and got that.

As for you - what about the Altima 3.5 SR manual? like 2010 or whenever it was before they went to all CVT

If we’re going down that road: Altima SE-R

Todd will tell you the regular Altima v6 was faster - plus Altima SE-R major issues w the pre cats and the timing chain rattle- those issues were fixed later

Don't get me wrong I had an 05 Altima SE-R and I loved it but MPG sucked.

Actually, the Altima SE manual of the time was quicker than the SE-R version by .2 seconds 0-60, and Car and Driver said it rode better, but meh. I don't dislike the Altima, but they had/have floor rust issues, and if we're talking larger sedans, I'd be looking at the G35 and M35, as well as the V8 powered M45. These three are on my mental list, but the compact B15 more preferable due to it's smaller size.

I've got a handful of non-Nissan vehicles on my list, too. Might be time to make a flow chart?

You got me thinking, Ben. After a little interweb research, I find that the first gen Mazda 3 sedan with the 2.3 and manual trans is only a couple tenths slower than the B15 Spec V in the 1/4 mile and 0-60 dash, while the hatchback generally loses another tenth.

Similar performance without all the worry, and the availability of a hatch? I'm scratching the V and adding the 3.

What's the criteria here? Because an older Mustang would be faster and cheaper.

You funny. I recall you also suggested a Dodge Magnum in my quest for a wagon a few years back. Nah, my mullet days are long gone.