From 0 to nearly 100K, this car has survived through a lot

I've owned my NX2000 for eight years now, ever since it had only a few miles on the odometer. Now, at nearly 100K, the NX continues to keep me happy. Sure, there's a few tiny rattles here and there over rough pavement, but nothing so serious it makes you pull your hair out. Nissan really engineered a fine vehicle back then and it shows by the abuse I've put her through.

The only mechanical problem I ever encountered with my NX is a faulty alternator. Nothing else. I've fed my NX only premium fuel over her entire age, as I have manually bumped up the timing for a few extra HP. The original clutch is still in, and although not slipping, I may soon opt for a new one.

My only real complaint with the NX was how the front seats sucked. They had no support and sat too low. This was easily fixed years ago by swapping them out for Sentra SE-R seats of the same model year. An exact bolt on and color match, the SE-R seats are wonderful and don't make me feel like I'm sitting in a bathtub anymore. Additionally, I added on the factory-armrest to the center console, which allows my arm to "rest"! when driving; best $40 I ever spent.

My NX is still exciting to drive and has a refined feel to it that many econoboxes don't have. For example, every time I get into my car, the fit and finish just continues to amaze me. Note that this car was built in Japan, compared to Sentras which were all built in the US.

Acceleration continues to be strong throughout the rev range. I have added a cold-air induction unit which bumped up low end torque quite a bit, and installed headers which provide mostly upper-rev horsepower.

Handling is great, and was enhanced enormously when I added a strut-tower bar to the car many years ago. It doesn't just make the car more sure-footed during cornering, but in fact, makes the car seem a whole lot sturdier even when making normal lane changes on the freeway.

GAS MILEAGE has been very good to my NX. I was getting an average of 33MPG with my old commute route, which consisted of 90% freeway driving. Now, I only do about 60% mixed freeway driving, so my MPG has plunged to 28-29. Not bad. Oh, and this is a "real" MPG figure that includes the occasional full-throttle routine.

The cargo carrying capacity of the NX is first-rate. It's amazing what I have hauled in the hatchback bay: 30"TVs, Huge plant pots, dozens of bags of dirt/cement; $300 worth groceries; and of course, a portable refuse transport vehicle.

Overall, I've been very happy with my NX. It's the fine engineering that makes me want to buy more Nissans in the future. Nissan, you've made one hell of a car and I thank you for it.