If you are reading this, you're probably in the market for a used car and this is one of your considerations. I won't attempt to try to compare this car to any other because quite frankly I'm not qualified to do so and that's probably not what you want to read anyway. I will however, tell you everything I know based on my ownership experience.

I owned this model (1996 Nissan Sentra GXE) for four years and just recently sold it to a nice young couple with a new baby. When I sold the car it had about 45,000 miles on it, mostly accumulated from highway driving. On the average, this car will get you about 30 miles per gallon.

POWER & HANDLING: If you're looking for a zippy and nimble little car, you're looking in the wrong place. All Nissan Sentras (except for the SE-R) are economy all the way when it comes to power. I'm not trying to say that this car is underpowered, it's just average and that's it. Acceleration and handling are adequate and what you would expect for a car in this class.

EQUIPMENT: This is one of the areas where I feel this car excels. The GXE model that I owned for example came with a list of standard features you would normally have to pay extra for in many of its counterparts. Air conditioning, four speaker AM/FM stereo w/cassette, power windows, power door locks, power side mirrors, and even cruise control (among other things), are all standard in the GXE model. It's as if Nissan was trying to say, "Hey, we know this is just an economy car...but we want you to like it so here's all this stuff."

RELIABILITY: In the four years that I owned this car, there was nothing that needed to be done mechanically, other than scheduled maintenance. You just can't seem to kill this little car. Sometimes while riding down the highway you'll see Sentras that are 10 or 12 years old, all beat up, still going strong. This is certainly a testament to it's overall quality, but no car will be reliable if it's been abused or scheduled maintenance was ignored. Therefore before buying from a private individual, ask to see maintenance records. If buying from a dealer, consider an extended warranty for some peace of mind.

RIDE: I would have to say that the ride is generally smooth, but noisy. The one thing that Nissan did not do so well with this car is insulating the engine and outside road noise. At 60 mph riding down the highway, the road & engine noise is quite pronounced. So much so, that I found myself upping the volume on the stereo just so I didn't have to listen to it. However, outside noise for "around the town" driving was substantially less.

ROOM & COMFORT: Interior room and comfort is another thing that's decent about this car. I'm 6'0" and weigh 190 lbs. and I had no trouble whatsoever adjusting the seat into a comfortable position. Rear passenger room is a little tight, but no tighter than any other small economy car. The trunk is deceptively large. You should have no trouble with things like grocery bags or a couple pieces of medium sized luggage. Also, with the split fold-down rear seat, stowing things like skis and ski poles is easy.

BUYING TIP: If you're out to buy any 1996 used car, more than likely it will need tires, brakes, and a tune-up. If the owner has not done these things already, use this as a valid argument for a lower price.

CONCLUSION: If you're going to purchase this car for whatever purpose, I'd say you're making a good choice. When you take everything this car has to offer into consideration you end up with a nice, balanced, slightly more than economy car.