I’m looking for input for users on here that have one, or that have driven one of these cars. Pros, cons, things to mention etc.
thanks,
Scott
I’ve had mine since Feb. 06. It’s a 2002, and I love it. Though I don’t really have much background to compare to other vehicles (Only other cars I’ve owned are '79 Pinto and '89 Civic :p). I’ve never had any serious mechanical issues with it, though I have my butterflies loctited and have an aftermarket header. I didn’t even know what it was when I bought it, all I knew really was that it felt alot quicker and nicer than the other vehicles I had test driven. Quick in lower gears and handles pretty good for a stock vehicle.
Some cons are that the gears are kinda clunky stock (2-3rd were giving me troubles). I put a short shifter adapter in (80-90$) and some motor mount inserts (80-90$ also), and those we’re cleared up. Also the top end is pretty weak so if you’re racing don’t expect as much power up in the 3rd and higher range.
Well they are fun as hell to drive, you can get a used one for a pretty decent price. only probelms with mine were fixed with warrenty. they are pretty sexy looking, (rear ends are kinda boo), there is a decent selection of parts out there that add a good bit of power. they have all the good fully loaded stuff power everythign, better than most stock stero, strut bar stock, little things like that make them awsome. i love the wheels, they are pretty looking. they have good lower power, sounds really awsome
(more to come)
A good start is to check out the stickies on SpecV forum sites like the Vboard and b15sentra.net. They have tons of info.
You will see two things mentioned a lot:
-
Butterfly screws - little screws on the butterfly plates that can come loose over time and then your engine eats them. Bad! I think I read somewhere that the 2006’s have different locking screws, but all other years it is recommended to put loctite on the screws to keep them in place.
-
Pre-cat. In the stock header there is a catalytic converter that can break down in some way and damage your engine. Typically characterized by high oil consumption. The way to solve this is to ditch the stock header and put on a cat-less aftermarket. Reliablity plus more horsepower.
I’ve had my '03 since May 2006 and I like it. I did have issue #2 happen to me, but Nissan replaced my engine under warranty. I put a Nismo header on with 0 km’s on the fresh engine so should be no worries.
The car is fun, it is nice and torquey, handles nice, nice interior, etc. I am happy with it, and bang for the buck I think it is good for cars of the last 4-5 years.
I would recommend it if you are looking for something fun, reasonably quick, four doors, and not too expensive. But realize that there are some issues with reliability (see stickies on sites listed above) and I would check those before buying. That said there are lots of SpecV’s with tons of miles and no problems… Take one for a drive and see.
well i got mine in may-june of 06 and it had only 60,000kms on it.and my gf has an 06 bought brand new, so ive driven both alot and i can say, i like the clutch and more agressive look on the 02/03’s but the shifting and abs is better on 04 and up.
i also dont recomend buying and 02/03 w/o a warrenty as my warrenty has come in pretty handy since i got the car(3 yrs left boya)
for example: incase precat gets thursty and drinks some oil = new engine, incase ur engine gets hungry and eat a screw = new engine, some have a fuel pump prob = new fuel pump. those are the only common problems and are easly prevented.
First thing i did was join the vboard.com and learn everything i possibily could about the spec v
this is what i like about mine…
Pros
-interior is not to bad, seats are stiff and hold you pretty good for stock seats
-stereo is ok(recommend getting a new HU and everything sounds alot better)
-4 disc brakes makes for quick stopping
-pretty quick from the dig(start), but slower at high speeds
-handles awesome w/ better tires, suspension is really stiff and handles corners really good.
-very reliable assuming u got ur stock header off and butterflys loctited.
-front end/rims on 02-03 looks the best
-best price for what u get in lux and power.
-lots of mods available.
-good strong clutch on 02/03
-good on gas(450-500kms to full tank-if you run till the light comes on)
-sleeper
-only a few ppl have them so its not like u see 1 every day. and the ppl that have them are either old, or on here.(i know i see some old guy w/ 1 everyday i go to nait, haha he tries to race me a bit all the way there; makes driving to school fun)
-lots of torque for car.
-turbo it and u kill other cars(proven)
cons
-more bass = everything vibrates. i dont reccomend getting subs for the trunk or you will not lookforward to ur door pannels vibrating or w/e else does.
-stock ride height= way to high. get some lowering springs and koni yellows
-shifting in the 02/03 isnt as smooth as 04and up but the benefit if the that is the clutch is way stiffer in the 02/03.
-04 has the safety reverse lockout which i think is gay.(you can remove if you want)
-abs on 02/03 are crappy as you really notice it kick in when u slide on the snow and u hammer on the breaks whereas the 04+ u hardly notice it.
-wheel hop is a prob w/ all spec v’s when going from the dig. easy solution is ES MMI’s(motor mount inserts)
thats all i can think of. i know im very happy with mine. it runs excellent, never burns a drop of oil or leaks anything. never had a problem with starting. everything works great.
there are more good things then bad for the spec v, just some simple things to look for when u get it and then ur set.
if you want to go for a ride pm me and ill show u what this sleeper can do.
i got a 06 silver spec v for sale and my 03 black spec v for sale if you are looking into getting one.
reason for 06 = gf’s car, she wants a eclipse.
reason for 03 = want something faster and drift capable lol.(Skyline/240)
I have a few problems with your info supplied…
-Clutch hasn’t changed from and of the years
-Shifting is different for 03-06 as it had different gearing. Also you will not notice any grinding from 3rd to 4th from 05+… As for the stiffness of the peddle mine (05) feels the same as my gf’s car (02) just a diff friction point… Makes me wonder what’s wrong with yours.
-abs is the same on my GF’s 02 as it is in my 05. (wonders again what is wrong with yours)
-Reverse lockout is only available from 05+ and really isn’t anything to cry about.
I like my car. I’ve owned a 04 Spec V… and now a 05 Spec V… My GF owns a 02 Spec V.
Also www.myspecv.com is better than B15sentra.net and Vboard as you won’t be flamed to death.
-i dont get grinding. just my gf 06 is way smother in the shifting
-my pedel is soooo stiff. and my gf’s is like butter(maby its the 06?)
- and my abs really grinds a bit when i hit the breaks and in my gfs u hardly notice it at all.
(nissan tech said they smoothed it out for the newer spec v… prob lied then)
-reverse lockout is just gay, not crying
ima take my car to a diff nissan then west end as they are retarted maby mills in the hoods will tell me the truth. either way its all under warrenty.
some guys wife drove the car before me and maby she messed the tranny synchros. as for clutch, mine is like night and day compared to my gf’s 06.
Mills rocks… I hate West End Nissan… I got my Spec there… But as for your clutch i would be interested in felling it and taking a look at your ABS… Unless it changed on 06… I’ve driven every year spec except 03,06
yah well ive drive my gf’s alot and mine also, and i just though i had a stronger clutch since its way harder. but sure we can meet up. mondays i have no classes but i want to study, hows tues sometime? or even sunday night?
for the Sentra owners here, does anyone regularily meet up? or does everyone just wait till NECC meets and go to those?
no. we just wave when we see one another.
I am planning on setting somthing up for spring… We have just under 20 sentra memebrs… I will let them know when I do.
Thanks, I have never seen that site.
And I agree Vboard is brutal for flaming, I have never registered there, I only read posts due to the flaming. But I also found a lot of info about spec’s by going through old posts.
BTW What is reverse lockout? Can’t shift into reverse while moving?
Right… It has a pull up lever like VW which won’t let you into reverse.
Right… It has a pull up lever like VW which won’t let you into reverse.[/quote]
while anytime! even if ur parked. you just have to pull it up with ur fingers and put it in reverse.u get used to it.
just a note. when my gf first got her car. we couldnt figure out how to get it to reverse(since i never saw that lockout) it was so funny.
I see one everyday, more often then not i see two everyday. Back in 02 when I first got the car this wasn’t the case. NOw it’s a different story.
SHitty things about this car,
-torque steer
-clunky shifting
-crappy tires
-stiff, high, crappy suspension(new springs helps greatly) They’d tried to make it sporty, instead it just jaring and high up.
THat’s all i have problems with it, which pretty much all can be fixed no problem. redline tranny fluid and motor mount inserts, good tires, new springs and struts and sway bars.
It is a great value and after a few relatively simple mods it’s a great car. MIll’s Nissan is awsome to deal with as well.
I have one for sale if you are interested 
Cons:
-Interior quality compared to other vehicles in the same class
-Documented engine/transmission problems some have encountered
-Documented paint problems some have encountered
I’ve been fortunate enough to not have had to experience any of the above problems aside from the cheap interior. The seats in the Spec V are much more comfortable than my Mazda seats though.
One thing i don’t get about the spec V’s is that the X-trail has the same motor (QR25) but it has non of the problems that the spec’s have, like precat failure or anything like that??
The QR in the X-trail is running a different fuel map and is not as “sporty” as the specs QR… The problem with the Pre Kat is the spec runs super rich and unburned fuel makes it into the Pre Kat and burns in there. this breaks apart the material and it is sucked back into the engine scoring the side walls which leads to oil consumption.
Thanks for all this info on the spec v’s, good to know some honest opinions on the car and first hand experience. i love how the spec-v’s have that front bumper that reminds me of an r34.