Thread: New here, and have some questions (I don't own the car yet)

Hi! I was going through craigslist last night, and I came across a 93 sentra SE-R, the poster said this:

"Unmodified 1993 Nissan Sentra SE-R with a 5 speed manual trans and an SR20DE two-liter DOHC four cylinder engine. This car has been well maintained and except for a few issues has a great engine. The compression is low on the number 3 cylinder (valve job a possible fix) which causes it to die somtimes at low rpm. I have had several mechanics look at it and all say that apart from this the engine is clean. It has new charcoal paint, after market Konig rims, Infiniti/USA Audio speakers and a pioneer head unit. The interior has been very well cared for, but it doeas need a new headliner. If you don't already know much about the SE-R, read up on some blogs and you'll find that it has the potential to be a classic. This car does need a little attention, but would be a great deal for the right person. I am asking $1,200, but will discuss other offers."

other than the price, it seems fine to me, I've been looking around on getting an SE-R, and was getting close on getting a 95 SE that is for sale near by my place, and my plans were to re-build the engine regardless it was an SE or SE-R, but what would you guys recommend?

keep looking, or it sounds like a good start?

thanks for your time

post the AD..does it have pics..any rust?

the engine can be replaced cheap compared to a honda...

actually that is word by word what it said, it didn't have any pics or any more details on it.

Nissan Sentra SE-R

get it bro...i think it looks good..test drive it also to double check.

the guy will call me tomorrow, and my friend SR20 fan (but doesn't have one, he has a b14 1.6L) will go with me, we both know about it and then I'll make the guy an offer depending on how it looks and the extend of the damage we can find, I'll post up some pics, and detail a little more about it.

thanx CalHasLostVegas, you become the 3rd person to tell me "GET IT" LoL

check the door jams and the rocker panels for rust. also look at the strut towers for possible rust

I'll make sure to check that morgans432, thanx!

by the way, what could have cause this engine to have low compression? I know there could be a lot of reasons, but what would the typical thing be?

I just don't know exactly a reason.

You should get it if its rust free.
Pull the carpet down in the trunk to check for rust. I didnt check one that i got. You could see the tire easily after i kocked out all the brittle rusty metal.
It could have a bad valve, worn cylinder, leaking head gasket,...
Just do an engine swap. They are easy on these cars.

I would pick it up, but I wouldn't pay more then $750 granted the body is in great shape. If the body is semi trashed then probably $500.

I went to check it out today, it was dark so I wasn't able to dig into it that much, will go again tomorrow with more daylight and take more pics




it does have some rust, it doesn't seem old, maybe a month or two, it is on the door panel, you can see it on the pic if you were to zoom in, interior is in good condition, besides the fact that it is missing the entire headliner, it started right away, and I didn't notice any smoke or smell, it idles rough, like miss firing, but it isn't, it seems to be just the valves. shifts are smooth, and it pulls hard, when running it doesn't feel bad, it runs fine, maybe just alignment and balance, tires seem fine, tach isn't working, but speedo is, with around 165000 miles. like I said yesterday, other than the price and the engine problem it seems fine to me, honestly it isn't bad.