In the mid and late 2000s, Honda and Mazda dominated the city streets with their cool compact sedans. This was when Nissan also gradually became famous for introducing timely upgrades to compete against established brands in the auto circuit. It is one of the reasons why many older models of the Sentra are still popularly bought and sold in the market. Here are the most popular used Nissan Sentra’s traded to this day.

2007 Nissan Sentra
This vehicle is ranked among the best cars for safety by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Many consumer reviews by used Nissan Sentra owners show that people love the vehicle for its build quality and comfort. The 2007 Sentra is the sixth generation first model you can buy even today for an average price of $3,900 to $5,600.

The Sentra is a daily driver’s car, best suited for those in the suburbs traveling midtown for work. Back in the day, the 2007 Nissan Sentra was considered a value-for-money sedan with a basic power lock, power windows, and other optional packages. Though it did not have the sports feel and performance of its competitors, Nissan sold millions of the late-2000 Sentra models. The 2007 Sentra trims are also relatively budget-friendly, the main reason these models are among the top three picks in compact sedans to buy today.

2009 Nissan Sentra
If you are willing to stretch your budget by a couple of thousand dollars, go for the 2009 Nissan Sentra. There are only a few performance upgrades in the 2009 model, but the interiors certainly feature a revamped design. A bigger cabin allows for more space inside the Sentra, plush with leather seats, upholstery, and a remodeled instrumentation panel that catches your eye. The styling of the instrumentation panel and forward visibility was one of the more common complaints from 2007 Sentra owners. So, the brand did pay attention to customer reviews to revamp the design in 2009 trims.

Even the exterior gets upgraded with large fender bulges and winged contours accentuating the vehicle’s look. The Sentra also receives a few safety enhancements with child door locks, child seat anchors, and a multi-passenger airbag system that protects occupants from an impact on all sides. You can expect a fair market price between $4,800 and $6,700 for a 2009 used Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V sedan.

2011 Nissan Sentra
We are not going chronologically because Nissan did introduce a new Sentra series each year with minor tweaks and upgrades. But the 2011 model stood out for additional safety and driver-assist upgrades, a standard installation in most cars today. Nissan introduced the rear-view camera, a dedicated traction control, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake force distribution, and standalone stability control, making the ride both safe and smooth. The FWD drivetrain with an automatic transmission was more than capable of handling the four-cylinder 2.0L engine churning out 147 lbs. of torque with the base variant.

The 2011 model also got a bunch of tech updates with hands-free phone operations, Bluetooth wireless technology, and remote keyless entry. Additional driver-assist features included real-time traffic monitoring, cruise control, a built-in navigation assist, and, the best part, a full touchscreen infotainment system. You can get all this for a fair price of $5,811 to $7,786 in a used Nissan Sentra 2011 SE-R Spec V model.

The aforementioned used Nissan Sentra picks are based on universal car rankings, nationwide used car sales, and customer reviews. Note that the cost and configuration will change based on the trim variant. Experts also suggest steering clear of the 2005, 2013, and 2014 used Nissan Sentra models.