20 Years

[Brent Meints]

That is a story I love right there!  Congrats on still driving it!  My SE-R
was purchased from a family friend that bought it new in 1991.  I bought it
from him in 1997 and still have it.  I love the cars!

Brent

On Tue, Mar 29, 2011 at 10:03 PM, Darren Calbero <DarrenC at ampartners.com>wrote:

>  20 years ago I drove off the lot of a Nissan dealer with my brand new
> Aztec Red SE-R.  So it didn't have the leather steering wheel or shifter
> boot, floor mats, a radio, or even a/c . . . hey I had a sun roof and
> I drive in Hawaii so no problem.  I was happy as can be in my new little
> rocket that could perform better than just about any car out there under
> $20k, and I got it at a reasonable $12.5k.  "Enjoy the ride" I did with my
> new girlfriend, a nice college life, and a decent job at a proffesional
> office.
>
>  Fast forward to today.  I'm married to that same girl from 20 years ago,
> we have a 4 and 6 year-old riding in Recaro car seats and boosters, and I'm
> still content with my little Red SE-R.  Granted a lot of bolt-ons helps to
> keep the car up to speed with some of the newer vehicles on the road, but it
> sure still feels like this 238,000 mile car can take on most
> challengers down the 1320.
>
>  I do all my maintenance on the car with parts sent from Greg Vogel over
> an G-Spec.  It's run 99% of it's life either with AMSOil or Mobil1 fully
> synthetic.  And one of the most important things, I always put good
> sticky and hydroplane resistant tires on, not primarily for spirited
> driving, but rather safety.  I currently have Bridgestone Potenza RE-11s and
> it's all good.
>
> Don't get me wrong, the car has a lot of signs of old age:  hidden rust in
> the trunk water channel and front fenders; sunroof that currently can't
> slide back; squeaking driver door hinge; cheap but still shiny coat of red
> paint; trunk spoiler that is only fully secured at 1 of 3 spots; and a leak
> presumably at the gas tank vent hose.  The engine still feels as perky as
> ever though the suspension needs some work.  I can't complain.  It's
> reliable as can be and has decent gas milage, and in Hawai where fuel has
> been more the $4/gallon for a few weeks, that's important.
>
> It's funny looking back at when my car was new and I would look at those
> older guys in their 70s 510s, and Corollas, and wonder what they saw in that
> old car?  Why do they still own something so old with old tech?  Yeah they
> were modded and fast, but really?  A 20-year-old import?  I guess it took me
> 20 years to figure it out.  I may be one of the few original owners
> left compared to the grand ol days of SERCA, but I do know that those that
> still own their B13s today are just as die-hard as myself.  I know if I sell
> the car, I would miss it dearly.  I've seen it happen to too many people.
> So I'll keep driving my Sentra until I'm old and grey . . . oh hell, grey
> already kicked in and old is a relative term for me now, and sure I could
> stretch the limits of my finances, lose my wife in the process, and get me a
> GT-R that has brake changes that cost more than my car is worth a few times
> over, but in the end, my SE-R that my son and I enjoy daily is all I need in
> my "Dream Garage."
>
> DC
> 1991 Red SE-R
>
>
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