Buying my first car – PLS ADVISE!

[kimozi]

Hi im buying a secondhand car and one of my neighbor is selling his sentra GTS A/T 100k milage for 185k. I checked the cars interior and exterior and its was great...but, thats about it! i dont know how and what to look for in car to be sure that my money is worth it.

Though the owner told me that he already replace some of the parts that needs to be replace like radiator fan, headlights, engine bushings(not sure) and the paint has been re-done too(makinis na)

I guess what i wanna know is

1. car's fuel economy matipid ba ang sentra GTS?
2. is the price (185k) reasonable?
3. Are the parts cheap and available anywhere?
4. are GTS engine powerful?

please let me know kung anu pa dapat malaman ko about sa sentra GTS(feedbacks and reviews) mas maganda kasi na mangagaling sa isang car enthusiast na katulad nyo....

inputs and advise are highly appreciated! Thanks in Advance

[ghosthunter]

I guess what i wanna know is

1. car's fuel economy matipid ba ang sentra GTS?
2. is the price (185k) reasonable?
3. Are the parts cheap and available anywhere?
4. are GTS engine powerful?

1. Sentra GTS has the same 1.6L engine as other variants released during the same time. Expect fuel economy to be around 7-8 km/L for city driving which is average for this car and other cars of the time (corolla, etc).

2. Price is kinda high. The Sentra GTS came out late 90s, around 97 to 99 if I remember correctly. Assuming the car is pretty much stock (factory), it should fetch around P130k to P150K.

3. parts are relatively cheap and plentiful. You can find new replacements (OEM) or surplus parts easily.

4. The Sentra GTS has the same engine as the Super Saloon. Brand new, it's rated at 110hp. Of course, the specific car you are looking at might not have all it's 110 horses, it would depend on its condition and state of tune. 110hp from a 1.6L engine is powerful back in 1992. But by 1997, it's average. Today, new high tech 1.6L engines are producing 120 to 130hp.

[dr. d]

you probably know your neighbor more than i do. have you ever seen him cursing or maltreating the car? (you know what i mean.) if it is in truly "drive away condition", i'd take it. even if it seems a little too expensive. but... tawaran mo pa. he probably doesn't need the money. 150K.. mahal magpagawa ng kotse..
i personally am willing to pay a premium for cars that were properly maintained by their owners. and it is very easy to under-estimate a repair job. and be warned: automatics use more gas than manuals.

[Ry_Tower]

you probably know your neighbor more than i do. have you ever seen him cursing or maltreating the car? (you know what i mean.) if it is in truly "drive away condition", i'd take it. even if it seems a little too expensive. but... tawaran mo pa. he probably doesn't need the money. 150K.. mahal magpagawa ng kotse..
i personally am willing to pay a premium for cars that were properly maintained by their owners. and it is very easy to under-estimate a repair job. and be warned: automatics use more gas than manuals.

+1. Since 2nd hand, better nga sana if you have observed how your neighbor treats teh car. TLC ba or gamit lang ng gamit.

[kimozi]

thanks for all the replies sirs but until now still cant decide if ill buy this car. for me personally i really do think the car is well conditioned and cared for infact i just test drive this last night here are my observation

walang kalampag sa lubak, walang kabig yung preno, smooth shifting, medjo may ingay ako naririnig sa loob i guess yung aircon yun at yung hood gawa ng vbration, mabagal yung arangkada.

the owner actualy increases his price from 180k to 190k but he told me to just give him 100k dp and the rest is payable for 1 year. again i dont know if his being reasonable but i think its fair since the 90k is paybale for 1 year...i gues what you think?

Oh! one more thing, Why is it that every time i ask for advise from friends and family all thier responses are "talo ka jan, panget ang nissan, mahal ang pyesa, matic yan hindi economical lalo 10yrs old na yung car" etc.

replies are greatly appreciated! TIA

[lowprofile69]

thanks for all the replies sirs but until now still cant decide if ill buy this car. for me personally i really do think the car is well conditioned and cared for infact i just test drive this last night here are my observation

walang kalampag sa lubak, walang kabig yung preno, smooth shifting, medjo may ingay ako naririnig sa loob i guess yung aircon yun at yung hood gawa ng vbration, mabagal yung arangkada.

the owner actualy increases his price from 180k to 190k but he told me to just give him 100k dp and the rest is payable for 1 year. again i dont know if his being reasonable but i think its fair since the 90k is paybale for 1 year...i gues what you think?

Oh! one more thing, Why is it that every time i ask for advise from friends and family all thier responses are "talo ka jan, panget ang nissan, mahal ang pyesa, matic yan hindi economical lalo 10yrs old na yung car" etc.

replies are greatly appreciated! TIA

mukhang mahal na sa 190k even the balance is payable in 1yr IMO

[dr. d]

nissan sentra hoods do not vibrate! mebbe it figured in an accident and wasn't repaired perfectly?.. and the only disadvantage of the nissan aircon is that it's sometimes too cold! nissan aircons (just like every other car's) are whisper-quiet.
nissan is still smarting from the "badmouthing" the first box sentra of 1989 got, deserving or not... but that's another story.

[mda_]

check under the hood kung naka-attach pa yung hood dun sa frame. in my experience, medyo humiwalay yung sa sentra (b13), maybe because of age. this might be the cause of the vibration sa hood.

[airolynx]

Check for engine blowby. how?

engine running at normal operating temp,

open the oil cap

and check if there's smoke coming out. If there's smoke, then the engine is in bad shape.

Also check the tail pipe for any oil residue. makikita mo yun parang nag cake sya sa tail pipe.

Those are signs of engine damage.

Also, check the aircon compressor if it's leaking.

[macgyver1432000]

In my opinion, ayoko ng automatic transmission. Una, pag-nasira, mahal magpagawa, di maintenance-free, parati mong babantayan ang ATF level. Second, di pwedeng ma-push start, so kelangan lang na parating malakas ang battery mo. GTS is a good car, di ko lang alam kung magkano na sa market ngayon.