Car-bore, gots me a question

[Oblivion]

Today I find out my mom bought a 2005 Nissan Sentra on a whim. And the mileage on it is nearly 200k.

I haven't checked it out and I don't know all the details, but she claims it's in good condition, so should I be worried about it falling apart in the coming months?

[Huff]

 make sure you have information on where it gets serviced at and that the previous owner did take it in on a timely manner

[Rusty Shackleford]

Nissan's a fairly reliable brand like all Japanese cars. 200k may not necessarily be end-of-life, provided it's been maintained properly, but some things will start to fail by then: suspension, some possible steering issues (esp boots and u-joints); timing belt (not sure if Nissan uses belt or chain for that one); transmission (probably more likely to fail before engine, especially if automatic).

Take it to a mechanic and have him do a few basic tests: compression, spark plug check, fluid check (trans, steering, etc...), check steering boots and joints, check valves, etc...

Given that it's a Sentra and thus 4 cylinder, the car shouldn't cost too much to be checked out or get repaired. Conversely, the value of the car may be a real issue if you have to make major repairs.

Popular Mechanics had a wonderful checklist for buying a used car. Google it.

[Mupepe]

Rusty pretty much covered it. If it wasn't at least decently maintained it probably wouldn't be at nearly 200k miles so that's a good sign right there.

[Oblivion]

Cool, thanks peeps!

[Rusty Shackleford]

Googling your car shows a lot of issues with blown head gaskets, which makes a compression test even more critical. Get it done ASAP. (Of course, with a little 4 banger like that you probably wouldn't notice the power loss ) In the meantime check the oil dipstick and make sure it doesn't have coolant in the oil or a milky consistency.

Mupepe is right about the car probably having been well-maintained. Still, an automatic transmission with that many miles is far-and-away the most likely thing to fail next on the car. Have the mechanic check the transmission fluid, and ask him whether or not he thinks it should be changed. I'd just have it done regardless, but it can run $70-$120 so it's up to you. Normal change interval is usually 30K-45K miles.