Why you should buy the 2008 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V:
You think hatchbacks are for Euro sissies, the Civic SI is too refined and the Caliber SRT-4 is too domestic. You need to be able to comfortably move four adults yet somehow it doesn't bother you that you're driving a car whose interior looks as though it was designed by a 16-year-old. You watch mixed martial arts. You are a 16-year-old.
Why you shouldn't buy this car:
You have no need for four doors, yet yearn for that third door in back. Owning a German car would impress your friends. You have an extra thousand or two to throw at a four-door GTI or Speed3. You care about interior quality. You watch soccer. You were born before the first Bush administration.
Suitability Parameters:
Speed Merchants: Yes
Fashion Victims: No
Treehuggers: No
Mack Daddies: No
Tuner Crowd: Yes
Hairdressers: No
Penny Pinchers: Yes
Euro Snobs: No
Working Stiffs: No
Technogeeks: No
Poseurs: Yes
Soccer Moms: No
Nascar Dads: No
Golfing Grandparents: No
Also Consider:
• Volkswagen GTI
• Honda Civic SI
• Mazdaspeed3
• Subraru WRX
• Chevy Cobalt SS
• Dodge Caliber SRT-4
• Nissan Sentra SE-R, if you don't think the LSD, larger brakes, red seatbelts, 23 extra horses and stiffer chassis Spec V brings are worth $500.
Vitals:
• Manufacturer: Nissan
• Model year: 2008
• Base Price: $20,470
• Price as Tested: $21,660
• Engine type: 2.5-Liter NA I4
• Horsepower: 200 @ 6,600 RPM
• Torque: 180 @ 5,200 RPM
• Transmission: 6-speed Manual
• Curb Weight: 3,048 lbs
• LxWxH: 180.1" x 70.5" x 59.1"
• Wheelbase: 105.7"
• Tires: P225/45WR17
• 0 - 60 mph: 6.7 Seconds
• EPA Fuel economy city/highway: 21/29 MPG
• NHTSA crash test rating: *****
Also see:
• 2008 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V, Part One
• 2008 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V, Part Two