YACT: Used cars....Nissan vs. Toyota.......

[redgtxdi]

Both have approx 100,000 miles on them.

Sentra's a little cleaner, but both are in good shape and........well........Toyota is.......well, Toyota!

Which one would you pick?

$2,800 for either car but you have to pick one!!!

 

[Aves]

Nissan++;

 

[mwmorph]

I used to have a 89toyota tercel(well, it was my parent's first). drove it fro 12 years(primary driver, got 250k+ miles). great car. no problems ever. just did routine matinence. then, got some cash and got a MR2.

not sure about nissan,but toyota tercels are top notch.
accidently voted sentra though.

 

[redgtxdi]

Well, I'll reveal the little things I actually like a bit more about the Nissan (in this case).

I have a '98 Camry that I love to death and I hope to put a million miles on it before I lay her to rest........BUT.......

Aside from notorious Toyota quality........I must say that the NISSAN'S timing chain vs. Toyota's timing belt on a used car like this *IS* a bit more appealing.

In this case, the Sentra is an automatic (no clutch to need changing) and has a timing chain (again, maybe another 100,000 miles from now, but not soon) vs. the Tercel's timing belt and manual trans.

Only thing that concerns me is that Nada, KBB etc. rank mid 90's Nissans closer to Hyundai & Kia resale values than Toyota. (Toyota's just get some ridiculously high prices on the used market)

 

[thomsbrain]

Originally posted by: redgtxdi
Well, I'll reveal the little things I actually like a bit more about the Nissan (in this case).

I have a '98 Camry that I love to death and I hope to put a million miles on it before I lay her to rest........BUT.......

Aside from notorious Toyota quality........I must say that the NISSAN'S timing chain vs. Toyota's timing belt on a used car like this *IS* a bit more appealing.

In this case, the Sentra is an automatic (no clutch to need changing) and has a timing chain (again, maybe another 100,000 miles from now, but not soon) vs. the Tercel's timing belt and manual trans.

Only thing that concerns me is that Nada, KBB etc. rank mid 90's Nissans closer to Hyundai & Kia resale values than Toyota. (Toyota's just get some ridiculously high prices on the used market)

"notorious" means being famous for bad reasons, smart guy.

i'd trust a toyota manual over a nissan auto. the nissan would probably be more fun to drive... but the tercel will never die.

 

[MX2]

Well, I have owned a Toyota Tacoma in the past and it was nothing short of spectacular, so I voted Tercel even though I dont particularly like them.

 

[psteng19]

Originally posted by: redgtxdi
Well, I'll reveal the little things I actually like a bit more about the Nissan (in this case).

I have a '98 Camry that I love to death and I hope to put a million miles on it before I lay her to rest........BUT.......

Aside from notorious Toyota quality........I must say that the NISSAN'S timing chain vs. Toyota's timing belt on a used car like this *IS* a bit more appealing.

In this case, the Sentra is an automatic (no clutch to need changing) and has a timing chain (again, maybe another 100,000 miles from now, but not soon) vs. the Tercel's timing belt and manual trans.

Only thing that concerns me is that Nada, KBB etc. rank mid 90's Nissans closer to Hyundai & Kia resale values than Toyota. (Toyota's just get some ridiculously high prices on the used market)

I had a '95 Sentra auto trans, 1.6L.
Reliable as heck except for a rusted out exhaust system.
Gave it to my sister and it now has 110k on it and runs just as good.
Gets about 35-38 mpg.

My current daily commuter is a '96 Sentra, 5 speed manual, 1.6L.
Same reliability, has 150k on it and gets 42-45 mpg.

The difference between the two is obviously the mpg, and the tranny.
The auto sucks hardcore, in terms of knowing when to shift, and how much power it saps from the engine.
Forget about using AC when merging or going up a hill.
But it's mechanically sound and feels as strong as it was day one.
The 5 speed makes it feel like there's a totally different engine under the hood.


I voted Sentra, but since you say the Tercel is a 5 speed, it could add some value in driveability and fuel economy.

By the way, timing chains are good for the life of the engine.

 

[MasterAndCommander]

I've driven both...the Tercel is woefully underpowered. I'd rather have the Sentra .
My family and I have Toyota's...they are good cars, but nothing magical about it being Toyota...they still break down and need repairs and I've had the pleasure of working on them I see nothing special about the build quality.