Alright, here's the deal. My friend has no car. He needs a car. A year ago he would have gone with any car that ran, but I have gotten him addicted to Nissan (with the help of my Maxima). So, being that he is not rich, but not too strapped for cash either, we figure a 1991-1994 Sentra should do the trick. We are thinking SR20DE if possible, but the ga16 would be ok, too. We could always swap out later. My question is, what things should I look for in particular in a Sentra. What are the average prices for Sentras (he's looking for a 2 door, manual, preferably SR20, as I said above--milage is not an issue on a ga16 car, since a swap is planned soon after purchase). Would it be cheaper to just find a SE-R from that era, or to get, say, an XE 2 door and swap in an SR20DE? I'm not very knowledgable about the Sentra, so any advice/information you could give me would be appreciated.

Much cheaper to just find an SE-R. Make sure there is no 5th gear pop out, no oil leaks from the bottom end, valve cover gasket it is easy fix if it is leaking. Rust has to be minimal, perferrably a SE-R that is bone stock. Then you can get an idea for the condition. They should run anywhere between 1k and 3k(very good condition). Hell if you can even find one with a blown motor for $500 or so that would be a good option as well. SR20DE's have become very cheap. Last I checked, $350 plus shipping from Soko. That also includes a 6mo warranty.

Thanks. I never would have thought to look for the tranny popout.

I just bought a 1992 sentra se-r for a grand. Interior and the engine are in pretty good shape. The sunroof works. The engine idles good and always starts up the first time. As for the body both of my door sags because theres a lot of rust inside the door panel or jam but I have no clue how rust started to form there. I have a small rust spot on the trunk by the nissan emblem and rust under the side skirts. The thing that I love about this car that it has lsd from the factory which makes it an awesome winter beater. Just make sure that the car has minimal rust if the car is priced over a 1000.

Nice find.

That's exactly what I was hoping to hear. $1000 is perfect. Now if only we could find one. They are hard to find! How do you guys find the cars you buy? Web? Newspaper? I can't find jack. the only one I have found is a 1994 XE that they want $2500 for...that seems kinda high...especially since my '93 Max is only worth $200 more than that.