• the nissan sentra se-r was one of the best sport compacts of the 1990s.
• offered only as a coupe, the se-r had the 140-horsepower sr20de inline-four and a five-speed manual transmission.
• this example up for auction is practically brand new, as it only has 445 miles on the odometer.
we can't imagine mentioning today's nissan sentra in the same breath as a bmw 3-series, but when the sentra se-r came out in the 1990s we couldn't help but notice how it outperformed the 318is of the day. in the march 1991 issue of car and driver, we effectively dubbed this sporty two-door coupe the reincarnation of the legendary bmw 2002 and described it as "the dream of a brand-new $12,000 bmw come true."
that dream can still be alive today—minus the $12,000 part, of course—thanks to this astonishingly preserved 1992 sentra se-r that's currently for sale on bring a trailer (which, like car and driver, is part of hearst autos). with only 445 miles on the odometer, it has hardly moved since it was purchased new for $13,445 in wisconsin in 1991. that equals about $28,000 in today's dollars, but because bidding already sits at $27,188 at the time of writing with six days left, we're guessing that this example's price will continue to rise far past that sum.
back in the day, the sentra se-r's performance was a big draw, as its 140-horsepower 2.0-liter inline-four got it to 60 mph in a swift 7.4 seconds. we also praised the "supple and well-damped" chassis and likened the front seats to the acura nsx's. indeed, the chairs in this black on grey example look like they've hardly been sat on. the new owner might want to replace the original-equipment dunlop tires from 1991, however.