1989 Nissan Sentra Review - A Starving Artist!

[@btrdangerdan2010]

Zack thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedules to come review my car Ollie Nissan! I wish I had other cool cars for you to look at but alas it's just Ollie Nissan and my daily driver 1998 Honda Accord. I was so excited once I saw the video thumbnail show up in my video feed, waiting patiently 1 month . It definitely made my day. I noticed you drove around the neighborhood and actually at my old school, DeMille Elementary which was so nostalgic. My mom was impressed when you showed up in a Polaris he he. My father had one a 1987 hence why I have one in his honor. My favorite DJ Oliver Heldens got to sign the license plate, as I named my car after him. once I try to finish college this winter in San Jose and come back home to SoCal I plan to continue working on restoring Ollie Nissan to it's former glory, it's a project car that still needs a lot of work done. Hence the labels on the climate controls lol and the non functional radio. I'm glad you had a swell time driving Ollie Nissan around and bringing more awareness to the older, underappreciated rarer Nissan Sentra models! Hope to see you again in SoCal! -Daniel.

[@arabirb9941]

Is this Sentra a good buy as a daily driver considering I saw one on sale nearby

[@btrdangerdan2010]

@@arabirb9941 yes it will last you a long time however finding parts won't be easy for it being a rare car

[@Gamexago]

These cars were ubiquitous through the 80's and 90's in Mexico. The beloved Tsuru.

[@landonbenford8369]

Yeah, when I went to Guadalajara in the 2000's, the Sentra taxis were everywhere.😎

[@BrettO-Pig]

Dang! This Sentra is in great shape for its age. Like the owner said, these cars were all over the place back in the 80’s and 90’s. Glad to see one in its most basic configuration being saved and restored. I love it when a review car fails the BFB test and slow motion falls to the floor.

[@btrdangerdan2010]

I actually added that cupholder inside the center console, Ollie Nissan never came with one.

[@occckid123]

People always say that but my moms 2008 rogue wnt 230k miles before she totalled it but her sentra died at around 200k miles. My 16 altima so has almost 430k miles. People act as if they can't go anywhere. My moms 98 sentra was a pos.

[@danielreigada1542]

You may be too young to remember, but this generation Sentra was everywhere during the late 80s and early 90s. I worked at a McDonalds from 1990 to 1992 and at least 3 of the store managers drove them. One had a white 2 door with rims and it looked pretty cool actually.

[@defyyourlogic487]

Damn old man

[@danielreigada1542]

@defyyourlogic487 yeah, tell me something I don't already know!

[@thekrimsonchin6023]

I wanted a B12 and a B13 for so long. Could never find one in manual, so I got a Celica instead. If only I was around back then, I would've snag one when they were abundant.

[@Jac735]

One of my favorite cars from.bavk than I'm from a Jamaican background alot of them had this car in Chicago and the north suburbs near Chicago I miss them days foreal I was born in 89 so I do remember seeing alot of these

[@mtbbiker6401]

Definitely styled after the BMW E30 body.

[@patricklinkous]

Ahhh I love it! My grandma bought a 1987 Sentra new and drove until she passed away in 2000. Manual steering and manual transmission. It was South Florida so all she cared about was AC. Quite different than the Plymouth Duster she had previously.

[@btrdangerdan2010]

Oh yes you reminded me that Zack forgot to mention that my car had no power steering for it being a base model.

[@karoltakisobie6638]

@@btrdangerdan2010 Cars this size and weight don't really need power steering. It just adds weight, complexity and cost for very little benefit.

[@landonbenford8369]

@@karoltakisobie6638 ...Until you parallel park in a city like...Chicago!😕It's tolerable but it ain't fun.

[@txtncnomad6095]

Years ago, I daily drove one of these as my primary commuter vehicle. Thanks for bringing back some good memories.

[@miggster324]

Get your hands on a 1995-2003 Nissan Maxima with a manual transmission. That was an absolute flagship. Loved this review man. Absolutely a fan!

[@thoughtballoons]

I love to hear you talking about the character of the car...and as a former Sentra owner I think you did a fine job with this one.

[@mrdave777]

Gotta love the Sentra maturity. To think just 2 years offered the 91 SE-R! Possibly the best Sentra ever!!

[@kiraleaf]

I knew someone who had a Sentra from around this year ... they treated it like a stepchild and drove it into the ground, had no respect for it at all. They had a Toyota before that, but sold it when they needed money and replaced it with a cheaper hand-me-down Sentra from a family member. You just don't see many running examples anymore that aren't halfway rust dust.

[@celsovera91]

I can attest of Nissan's build quality today. I once bought a 2016 Nissan Sentra brand new. At around 50k miles, the transmission started going out. Thankfully it was replaced under warranty but after that I completely swore off Nissan

[@zmoorer]

I had this same car! In 1989 I was 17 and my dad bought one of these for me brand new. Only difference was mine was silver and had the 5 speed manual. Only option it came with was AC. I added a radio after I bought it. No power windows or locks. No power steering and no hydraulic clutch. I could get 40 mpg on long trips, but speed limit was 55 back then. I had that car for 9 years with 0 issues. I traded it in for a used Accord to have something a little nicer. Thanks for this vid!

[@BarbadosBeerFestival]

These were popular in my country of Barbados. Some still on the road. Always Trinidad has loads

[@kiraleaf]

I do like Sunnies. It would be amazing to see an RZ-1 on the channel one day, but they're kinda rare.

[@davinp]

After Renault bought Nissan, their quality and reliability went down

[@MandusahRamirez]

Everyone already knows lol

[@cavalierliberty6838]

Except for the frontiers. They are the only solid thing Nissan makes nowadays.

[@wigletron2846]

​​@@cavalierliberty6838the Titan is still good too, and the Z.

[@xFactoryUSA]

Tale as old as time, we get it. We don’t need history lessons in the comment section

[@mrdave777]

Disagree. 1999 they did merge. But Infiniti still offers great vehicles. Recall the G35! How about a Nissan Pathfinder?! Or their 3.5? Nissan still has exceptions!

[@tomkato6400]

I still remember driving this B12 Sentra back in the day. The 90HP GA16i engine in this Sentra made this car a fun car to drive compared to the wheezy 70HP E16 engine from the prior year. Then the B13 Sentra came out a year later with 110 HP GA16DE that really upped the game.

[@btrdangerdan2010]

The GA16i definitely is a workhorse!

[@KnownDude222]

I drive an 88 sentra and have an even more neck breaking 70 hp and that was new. Near 200k miles I imagine Im running even less now

[@Andyface79]

One of my best friends had one of these as his first car. Manual everything. It was a complete rattle trap at that point but it still ran like it was new, despite spending 11 harsh upper midwest winters.

[@LifeAfterLosing]

It’s in great shape! I just need a can of silver spray paint for the wheels and flat black for the door window surrounds and it would look almost perfect on the outside!

[@Blakecryderman7244]

@Fat2FitGregory there’s just something so special about mint old cars👍.

[@btrdangerdan2010]

Thank you! I'm planning on sourcing some rare B12 Sentra multi slotted alloy wheels to upgrade it. If anyone has a set lmk.

[@KnownDude222]

@btrdangerdan2010 Are those the ones that came on the XEs and wagons? I recently bought 87 XE wheels for my 88 E and wasn't aware they might be rare

[@btrdangerdan2010]

@@KnownDude222 yes they are very hard to find. The multi slotted alloys

[@sonofgars1074]

I owned one of these during my college days. And it had the E16i with 69hp. It was so painfully slow. But for whatever reason. It handled bad weather better then any car ever. Even in a full blizzard, I had no difficulty driving the speed limit. It was always funny when I remember me passing 4x4s in blizzards in this tiny econo box

[@khazzzzzz]

My grandfather in the neighborhood has one of this, even after passing away, the car is still running just fine. Unfortunately, the family he left is now selling the car. I would have kept it as legacy by this point if I were them.

[@JimGrey]

Buddy of mine bought one of these new (with an inheritance) while we were in college. New car = good, but new Sentra = THE most basic transportation I'd ever been in. I was surprised by how thin the doors were.

[@CJWriter0925]

My FAVORITE generation of Sentra!

[@karoltakisobie6638]

Next generation Sentra after this one was awesome. I knew someone who had one for almost a decade and gave it to his son who had it for few more years before rust ate it away.

[@adityadharni5027]

Definitely review a 4th gen maxima 1997-1999 preferably

[@robertdiehl9003]

This was the go to budget mobile 30 to 35 years ago. They were all over the place. Sturdy and resold to multiple owners over and over again. Cars like these always started up after sitting in someone's driveway forgotten about for years

[@doctorzaius4084]

Drove a few of these when I was young (y2k era) and they were damn good little cars despite being beaten to death. Quality was not as good as Honda/Toyota but much better than the small American cars of the time. 90HP out of 1600cc was great for a cheap car in those days, and the engine was very smooth and happy to rev. The subsequent generation of Sentra gets some love because of the SE-R, but these really aren't all that different. Apparently they also made a 4WD wagon version (yes, this car - not the Stanza/Prairie!) which I never knew until recently.

[@gikaradi8793]

I Still drive one 1990 sunny/sentra 1.4 81 ps-5 speed manual trans- 500000 kms! manual windows like new .Seats could be better ,steering also -non servohydraulic.Pretty fun to drive it .EXTREMELY RELIABLE !!did some light soundproofing job and upleveled the Xperience!

[@whydoineedahandle406]

I had an 89 Sentra. Bought it used lasted 9 years. Loved that car.

[@thatcarguy1UZ]

This is one of my absolutely favorite cars from the 80s. I miss the good pre-Renault Nissan. I was in high school when these were new, and I really wanted one!

[@the_classix]

I had a black 89 2door with 3 SPD automatic. For what it was it was real fun to drive. I agree with you saying it was light on its.feet. It eventually blew a head gasket and I didn't feel like pouring money in it. I wish they'd make basic transportation like this again

[@emmaatuks6809]

The way you described this Nissan car, made me to want to drive it. Nice one bro.

[@hollybirge4087]

I loved Nissan of this era. My parents had an 89 Maxima. That car was amazing

[@howarddrakeford]

I would love to have one of these again! I bought one brand new as a young soldier back in 1987! I bought the S model which came with...a heater and 2 speed wipers, that was it! Not even a radio, but the antenna was in the trunk! 😂

[@DrEvilTag]

My dad had a 1990 Sentra with the manual (1991 was the new Sentra model), this bought back lots of memories since even though I was born in 1998, my dad had the Sentra till 2013 cause it was reliable and he took care of it and even had it repainted once too so as a young teenager I still remember this car, I think he got it up too almost 300k then the motor died

[@btrdangerdan2010]

I'm not that far from you in 1997 lol. That makes this car nearly 10 years older than me

[@DrEvilTag]

@@btrdangerdan2010nice nice! Is funny though by modern standards, this case is a death trap, I’m sure any modern car hitting this car this car would be annihilated

[@MrDee-ct7gi]

I grew up with this car. My dad owned it in red manual transmission. He added chrome hubcaps, chrome bottom door panels and cassette stereo no AC, and I thought it was cool at the time, I want to find and buy it to give it a proper resurrection

[@losingmyfavoritegame8752]

5:00 The dome light is literally a dome light! 😄

[@grl9917]

I had an 88 and 90 Nissan Sentra. They were both great cars. Unfortunately, a crash on Cape Cod was the end of the 90. They were sometimes called the “Mini Max”, because they were a smaller and more spartan replica of the Nissan Maxima.

[@KayakTN]

I saw one of these a few years ago. It looks like it had just gotten a fresh coat of red paint.

[@noneed4me2n7]

These were so common in my HS years, even dated a girl who drove one. The were literal econo boxes and easy as hell to work on, but a lot of the Japanese cars were of that era. I miss the roomy engine bays of that time.

[@robertdiehl9003]

I like the vinyl headliner because never falls down and easy to clean unlike gm cloth

[@jojojojojojo123]

I remember the Sentras of that era, after you shut off the engine after driving it, you could hear the metal contraction and expansion crackling noises coming from the car. Anyone else remember old cars doing that? I assume improvements in materials and metallurgy is why I don't hear that noise any more in modern cars.

[@SherwinR89]

In South Africa we had these in 5 door only. From 87 to 92. They had different headlights and taillights, a nissan badge on the front grille, smaller different bumpers and slightly different seats snd interior bits. Also different specs and engine options. And obviously right hand drive. We had two. Many childhood memories... Most have rusted away theres only a handful left and they are collectors items

[@skytheguy0438]

It's sad that you don't see these in Illinois due to the rust taking these out. Most old Nissans in general don't exist here.

[@fransenmusic]

I had a 94 sentra. I doubt I will ever love another car as much.

[@Jonny_World]

My aunt and uncle had one of these but automatic I love that car 😂

[@fortheloveofnoise]

I just jumped my 98 Sentra over a railroad crossing today for fun...yes it is my daily, and no I was not afraid of it breaking....it is a reliable car.

[@FCT8306onTwoWheels]

We used to have an 88 Sentra XE hatch, and it was all wheel drive with a manual. O M G that car could go in the winter weather like it was nothing.... Zippy for what it was and good on gas

[@FCT8306onTwoWheels]

pizza cutter tires on that thing too :D but it could handle

[@bwofficial1776]

Pop-out back windows. This is definitely an old-school car. It looks functional in that 80s Japanese way. It was built to be cheap and somewhat reliable and doesn't pretend to be anything else. If only Nissan hadn't gone super cheap later on. Carlos Ghosn kept Nissan afloat but at the cost of their reputation and quality.

[@benyhhill]

still got my datsun sentra 1983 drive it everyday loving it and it got onli 57hp

[@trentryan27]

Used to have a 92 sentra which was my first manual trans car, good car, never failed to start up and go but it was so anemic it couldn't get out of its own way especially with the AC on

[@Kwijibob]

I had one of these as a teenager and it was great once the defective timing chain was replaced. Could drive the absolute crap out of it and get over 30mpg. Couldnt blow this engine up revving it too high, despite my best efforts.

[@bobhill3941]

The son of a neighbor from across the street when I was growing up had the sedan version of these painted brown .

[@Foxonian]

This car was aimed squarely at the late 80's Toyota Corolla. Sadly, Toyota kept upping the game and Nissan was falling behind.

[@BDkarvaniotso]

She's a real beauty! I've got a '90, gotta get it running though. Some kind of fuel issue.

[@mida8s]

SOMEONE GET THIS MAN IN A B13 SER SR20 POWERRRRRRRRRRRR

[@assassinboiassassinarenice7969]

Currently have an 89 sentra... these are RELIABLE, one full tank would last me a whole month in town😂 compared to cars of 2020 and up. Taken .e and my family to and from mexico more than a dozen times. As of now, this car is STILL running strong with slightly delayed throttle responce and the tranny sometimes wont go into reverse but other than that, this car is a family heirloom and will NEVER get sold or traded in for any car... including a bugatti😁

[@sebby12able]

In Kenya/Africa they were called the nissan sunny b12 and they sold really well both new and used car market.

[@billyokode6412]

they are still here

[@sannissansanjuan5074]

in 1987 When Does Came in the Seen Sentra B12s was a Big Deal at the Time, it Looked like the BMW 3 series, I remember Jamaican's Teenage Customizing these in High School in 1988

[@Jac735]

I had a 91 with a SE R motor swamped one of my favorite sentras ever besides 95 to 99 Sentra

[@losingmyfavoritegame8752]

I love OLDER Nissans!

[@landonbenford8369]

DUDE!! I remember back around 1989 if you wanted factory fog lights you had to buy the GT version of the economy car!?!?!😯🧐

[@doug6191]

By the time this was designed and engineered, it was all Datsun. The model after this was arguably the best Sentra. It was after the Japanese economy collapsed in the early 90s that Nissan's struggles really impacted products, and Nissan wasn't alone. Nissan, however, was not profitable from ~1991 through the point that Renault stepped in with a big cash injection in ~1999. In short...this car's character had little to do with Nissan's brand equity or financials. The car was in a class that was dubiously named "econobox", and the cars in this class were mocked by auto mags as being penalty boxes. The objective was to sell the cheapest option, and brands used to specifically advertise about the lowest price.

[@danielreigada1542]

I feel like the 87 to 90 is peak Sentra. Even though the succeeding generation had the SE-R. I just prefer the boxier styling. The 82 to 86 Sentra is cool too but maybe too basic for my tastes.

[@dansaintamour]

Nissan Sentra - sense of humor sold separately.

[@btrdangerdan2010]

The horn sounds kinda cute btw it's like meep meep

[@atreyuwings]

I’ve got the 89 Sentra xe 5 speed manual wagon. A rare boii I’m not sure I can adapt now to modern cars and their prices.

[@SvenQ45]

But except for a few small things the seats still look good.

[@mayraborne950]

how much is this car now.

[@andysaunders3708]

B11s and B12s were great. At least on the B11, 4th and 5th were overdrives...

[@fortheloveofnoise]

Would you ever come to north Alabama? I have a 1998 Nissan Sentra...manual of course.

[@grimreaper5521]

I honestly wouldn't mind driving one

[@Crispychicken4u]

One more year and here comes the legendary b13 generation. Se-r best Sentra to date

[@someonecalledeulogio2280]

I have a b13 sentra and a b13 tsuru, and there are differences... Both are good and fun cars by the way... Greetings from mexico

[@RS-of1om]

Very cool. These would be great with a k24 or kswap and rwd.

[@joey86bu1]

I used to love these cars.

[@davidcorral5006]

I drove a 90 Sentra XE that was a graduation gift from my grandfather. Drove it to and from college for 6 years and racked up 90K+ miles on that car before it was traded. It was an awesome car for a four door.

[@ingvarhallstrom2306]

Yes, the cars were lighter, they also had the crash protection of a towel rack.

[@kwaza8574]

I remember when these were so common. I was actually looking at this as my potential first car. Oh, how Nissan has fallen.

[@Miamiboi305]

I converted a b12 from the carb ga 16 to sr20 det man that was one fast box

[@lincmerc1581]

I had a 95 Sentra sedan. I preferred the older boxier ones.

[@btrdangerdan2010]

I forgot to mention my car had no power steering, YOU and your arms are the power steering 🤣!which makes parallel parking a pain in the arse. Only base models like Ollie Nissan was like that before the XE trim model and GXE had power steering as standard equipment. Also funny thing is that my car had aftermarket fog lights installed when I bought it, the fog light switch is not connected or properly wired yet, just for aesthetics for now 😅. The switch was a rare unicorn part I sourced.

[@RyansuBike]

My ex had an 88 as her first new car, her folks helped her get it and was the base, base, model just like the one you're showing. Basic transportation got ya from point a to point b

[@Spiritual_DriverAE101]

Last Nissan I had was a 2001 maxima 5 speed

[@banjosk8indan417]

So this is weird.. my first car a bought was a 89 Nissan gxe. It came from a old Nissan mechanic. 4 door 5 speed and this thing was an absolute beast. Beat my friends Miata off the line. Thing would easily do 100, thought I would break off the speedometer. Was this a rare car? I miss that thing after that I had a vw gli and I think this sentra was better

[@zackamanda9799]

I bought a used 1987 Sentra in 1990 for $4,200 with 44,000 miles on it. 1987 was the first model year for this car , not 1988.

[@soupsense8155]

I love my 85 man

[@no-damn-alias]

It has AC and is realiable. That ticks enough boxes for me. Nothing worse than sitting in traffic on a hot day.

[@btrdangerdan2010]

It doesn't work at the moment, planning on fixing it eventually

[@no-damn-alias]

@@btrdangerdan2010 Well it least it has an AC system installed that can be fixed. If the car originally didn't come with AC that's a completely different story

[@JoseBarrientos-o8s]

Try the B13 next..

[@Yisus354]

Me a mexican...**having Nissan Tsuru II Vietnam flashbacks

[@davidp2888]

I’ve only seen these in perfect condition or beaten to hell.

[@andysaunders3708]

Subbed, man.

[@billyokode6412]

I don't understand why you guys refer to this good car in past tense!.I just bought a 3rd hand one,and pimped it you won't believe your eyes and senses!

[@BarbadosBeerFestival]

Waiting till you do Mitsubishi L200

[@ejstreasurehunting6627]

Those aren’t sold in the US, so he would have to go to another country or find a pre-1998 Model

[@ejstreasurehunting6627]

They were sold in the US till 1995 though as the Mighty Max, but those are very rare

[@justnahdude]

Seen one of these in my neighborhood rusted to shit, selling for 2 grand 💀

[@Dankcatvacs]

4:41 looks like the same dome light as in my loyale nissan was best in the 70s those cars are tits then again the 80s mazima is tits too

[@dave11686]

So neat

[@Andyface79]

Has any car passed the Big Friggin Bottle Test?

[@michaelcoffey7362]

Cool 😀

[@eddiefalcon8316]

Rare, not great but rare 😂

[@BenyKorenberg]

Looks like a very basic and kinda not so great car... Now there is a cheap but a nice car, and there is cheap and just not a very nice car... Pure reliability+cheap price are not the only ingredients needed for a car to be good. For most normal people a good car is not just an engine with a steering wheel attached to it... Most people want comfort, and safety and normal laid back driving experience out of their car (yeah yeah all of you "while back in the good old days all we needed was some wheels and some metal and it was a real mans reliable heap of scrap in which we died like real men and we could fix it with a simple beer can and a hammer" just go away, i'm not talking to you, you people have some issues).

[@BenyKorenberg]

@@bwofficial1776 Perhaps, but people's standards and expectations, have drastically changed between 1989 and 2023... Heck, they have changed between 1989 and 1999. Also, the level of car technology and equipment have developed and improved greatly both in their usability and their price for the first hand customer and for the second hand customer . As the old saying goes "with food, comes the appetite"... And frankly this type of a car was not great even in it's new days... People with more than two marbles for brains, will want a safe and comfortable car which is also reliable... That doesn't mean a new car, but that doesn't means, well this kind of thing neither... Look at the comment of the owner himself... His daily is a 98 Accord... Because while it's not a new car, it's still definitely a much better car than something as basic as this old Sentra... Also look at those modern day "crap" cars and see how they have improved over this old real crap car...

[@btrdangerdan2010]

@@BenyKorenberg I love both my cars equally and both have been reliable

[@BenyKorenberg]

@@btrdangerdan2010 Im talking more about vehicle popularity and usability for the modern day consumer... You loving your car is something completely different... While you may like that Sentra as a piece of history, you still daily your much better and much more sensible 98 Accord... Heck, even in its new days that Sentra was a very poor new car... Get that Sentra in the nicer trims, and it becomes a much better product, but this? Its an engine strapped to wheels wrapped in thin metal... My dad owned a brand new 1991 Suzuki Swift sedan 1.3 manual box and manual everything... Conceptually, a very similar car to this Sentra, just with a bit of a better engine. It was cheap, and besides the engine and the transmission, the car as a whole sucked... Stiff, unsafe, noisy and very uncomfortable... But we as a family remember the car with fondness, not because it was a good car (as i said, it wasn't) but because of it being part of our family history... But my dad wouldn't get into such a car today, because his perception of car concept have somewhat changed since then...

[@new2000car]

@@BenyKorenbergI agree with Zack. This car does have a beauty and elegance to it…for its price back in the day, and its styling was sharp and attractive…in its day. 90 hp back then, at this price, was very good. Nissan had great quality back then, much more quality than the Suzuki swift or geo metro, with more body rigidity (admittedly at a higher price, pay more and get more). No one (for example, Zack, ever said a swift or metro or any Hyundai of the day had beauty and elegance. This car was closer to a civic than it was a metro. Of course its price was midway between the 2. Zack has accurately found the goodness in this car that was very obvious when it was new.

[@BenyKorenberg]

@@new2000car Again, maybe as a completely bare bones car ie engine&wheels wrapped in a metal box, it was a good one... But not as a whole product together. Because of its poor specs, it's very basic trim, it's very spartan and cheap feel... Also, for 1989, that thing in that trim looked very spartan and boxy. Keep in mind, that the N14 Pulsar, was out in other markets approximately at the same time and it was a much prettier and overall much nicer car, even in the basic trim levels. This looks like an old Corolla L with a Nissan badge strapped to it. This one feels and looks like it belongs to an era at least 10 years prior to it's manufacturing date.