02 Spec V's

[91240se]

Ok ive been searching around and came across a 02 ser spec v with 134,820 miles on it with the 6spd and ive been doing some research on them and either theres severe hate for them or people love them i know about the problems with the butterfly valves and the headers but, i wanted to talk to some real owners of these cars and see what experences that you've had with your cars the reason why i really wanna know is im coming from the owner ship of a 94 mazda mx6 (ford probe) and the transmission has caused me nothing but headaches and i dont trust the car anymore and i cant get a 240 rite now because of the whole rwd in snow.....and thought of the sentra's because ive really started to take a liking for the nissan scene and finally moved out of the honda scene...Your help will be grately appreciated thanks

[nametakennow]

As long as you put on a header and Loctite the butterfly screws, they're great cars. Fun, pretty reliable, fairly easy to maintain/work on, practical, etc.

The hate isn't without merit. The design flaws that necessitate the butterfly screw and header fixes clearly shouldn't have happened, but aside from that they've been fairly pain-free.

One thing you will want to check with that 02 is the transmission. By that mileage, if it was going to have a problem, it probably already did and has been replaced (most likely under recall or warranty), but you'll want to investigate whether it is part of the recall or not. Basically the trans had very bad syncros and was updated in later years. A good number of early Spec owners got their transmissions replaced for free.

[Sechsterlo]

Mines not a Spec, but it is an 02 SE-R, and its just a fun car, and has some aftermarket support if thats your thing. I havent had any major problems with mine, just made certain the design flaws are taken car of. To me its a gem.

[VMPhil]

I have an 02 Spec V. i love it but im getting tired of it heh. in 4 years of ownership after swapping the header and locktiting the butterfly screws i have had very few issues. i had one inexplicable instance of the car dying in mid traffic at idle in neutral (like 3 years ago) but it started up again and nothing since. Very reliable and starts up every winter.