Junkyard Find: 1998 Nissan 200SX SE-R

While I've found a couple of 1991-1994 Sentra SE-R s during my junkyard travels , the most recent find was in 2016 and I'm not holding my breath about finding more. But wait! Nissan brought back the SE-R designation later in the decade, while reviving the old 200SX name at the same time. Here's one of those cars, found in a Denver boneyard last week .

Mar 31, 2025 - 15:03

While I've found a couple of 1991-1994 Sentra SE-R s during my junkyard travels, the most recent find was in 2016 and I'm not holding my breath about finding more. But wait! Nissan brought back the SE-R designation later in the decade, while reviving the old 200SX name at the same time. Here's one of those cars, found in a Denver boneyard last week. junkyard find 1998 nissan 200sx se r

This car was the coupe version of the fourth-generation Sunny/Sentra, and it was known as the Lucino in Japan. It was available in the United States for the 1995 through 1998 model years and is mostly forgotten today. junkyard find 1998 nissan 200sx se r

Nissan dusted off the Sentra SE-R name for 2002-2006 and again for 2013-2015, but it proved impossible to reawaken the enthusiasm for the original in American car shoppers (whose love for two-doors— and non-trucks in general— had faded). junkyard find 1998 nissan 200sx se r

The VIN on this one (which was built in Tennessee) shows that it's a genuine SE-R. junkyard find 1998 nissan 200sx se r

However, a hood swap from a base 1997 car means the wrong emissions sticker is present. That doesn't matter with Colorado's not-so-strict smog inspections (usually), because the Air Care Colorado employees don't scrutinize these stickers the way their California BAR-supervised counterparts do. junkyard find 1998 nissan 200sx se r

The engine is a 2.0-liter SR20DE rated at 140 horsepower and 132 pound-feet. That's decent for a turn-of-the-century car that scaled in at just over 2,500 pounds. junkyard find 1998 nissan 200sx se r

The transmission is the base five-speed manual, which sent its power through a limited-slip differential. An automatic was available, of course, if you ponied up an extra 800 bucks ($1,580 when reckoned in our current frogskins). junkyard find 1998 nissan 200sx se r

The MSRP for this car was $16,749, or about $33,071 after inflation. The base 200SX for 1998 listed at $13,149 ($25,963 today). junkyard find 1998 nissan 200sx se r

This one got the simply-named "SE-R Option Package," which included this power sunroof plus an AM/FM/cassette/CD sound system and keyless entry, at a cost of $999 ($1,973 now). Air conditioning was included at no extra charge on 1998 200SXs with the SE or SE-R trim levels. junkyard find 1998 nissan 200sx se r

This one got aftermarket white speedometer and tachometer faces during the Fast & Furious Era. 181,571 miles is respectable but not noteworthy for a late-1990s car. The best-traveled discarded Nissans I've documented are a 440,299-mile 1990 Sentra, a 402,505-mile 1991 Stanza and a 364,238-mile 1994 Maxima. junkyard find 1998 nissan 200sx se r

1998 Nissan Sentra SE-R in Colorado wrecking yard. junkyard find 1998 nissan 200sx se r

1998 Nissan Sentra SE-R in Colorado wrecking yard.

[Images: The Author]

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