When it comes to cheap sedans, the Nissan Versa is pretty much where it’s at. In contrast, the Nissan Sentra is supposed to be at least one slot upmarket, with a sticker price over $20,000 to match. And yet, if you know where to look, you can apparently score one for under $17,000—lower than even the Versa’s sticker price!
Normally, when we’re looking at ultra-discounted cars, we’re talking about tired old stock or unpopular models that just won’t move. That’s when dealers and automakers usually get antsy, and start heaping cash on the hood to get vehicles off the lot. But the Nissan Sentra is a special case—we’re seeing 2025 model year cars selling at major discounts.
We got a tip from Thad this week that Chicago is the biggest hotspot for cheap Sentras. There is a ton of stock in the state, and two main dealers looking to shift it. Brand-new examples are listed for big discounts exceeding $8,000—over a third of sticker price in some cases!
A great example is this beautiful red 2025 Nissan Sentra SV, up for sale at Liberty Auto Plaza in Chicago. It’s listed for $16,290, a full $8,350 discount from the $24,640 MSRP. For that money, you’re getting a front-wheel-drive sedan with a 2.0-liter, 149-horsepower engine, good for 30 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway. At that price, it’s significantly cheaper than even the now-discontinued Mitsubishi Mirage, which started at $17,965.
We have some indication that these deals are legit, as our reader Thad has direct experience of buying from Liberty Auto Plaza. “I helped my assistant get one last August and prices have gone even lower since then,” he says. With lots of stock on the ground, they should be easy to get. However, there is one thing worth noting. “The only catch is they won’t do it unless you take their financing,” Thad explains. “We did that and immediately paid it off with no headaches so there was no extra net cost.”
Meanwhile, if you head across Chicago to Arlington Nissan, you’ll find similar deals on the lot. They’ve currently got one example selling for just $16,370. In fact, both Arlington Nissan and Liberty Auto Plaza have quite a few of these cars listed for just over sixteen grand. These aren’t even base models—the SV sits one level above the S. It gets you a nicer 8″ touch screen, four wheel disc brakes, alloy wheels, and some additional USB ports for your convenience. The rest of the country isn’t so lucky; the best deal outside Illionis is at Kenosha Nissan in Wisconsin for $17,496—still a nice $7,054 under sticker.
If you’re feeling thriftier, you might expect to get a better deal by downgrading to the Sentra S. You’ll suffer with steel wheels with wheel covers, a smaller 7″ infotainment unit, and you’ll only get four speakers instead of six on the SV. You’d think that might add up to some cost-savings compared to the slightly-nicer SV.
What’s funny is that S models are barely any cheaper, if at all. Again, Chicago has the best deal—Arlington Nissan has one for $16,244. You can also snag one at Kenosha Nissan in Wisconsin for $16,941—still a great deal at $6,484 under sticker. Further afield, you can find one in Georgia for $17,966, with while the rest of the country has to pretty much pay $18,000 and up.
If your tastes are more refined, though, you might prefer the Sentra SR. It’s not any faster or more powerful, but you get some nice upgrades. You score 18-inch alloy wheels, up from 16-inch rims on the lesser models. Nissan also throws in heated seats for driver and passenger, automatic climate control, remote start for your convenience. Arlington Nissan will charge you just $17,798 for a brand new 2025 Nissan Sentra SR in Electric Blue Metallic. Woodfield Nissan in Illionis has one of their own for $18,449—still a healthy discount from the $26,455 sticker price. The cheapest example I could find with the black roof option was $18,897 over at Glendale Nissan, at $8,048 under sticker. Beyond Chicago, though, it seems you’re out of luck for now. You won’t find an SR for under $21,000.
What’s especially weird is that there’s such a concentration of cheap Sentras in Illionis, specifically. Flicking around the dealer websites, there is some cash on the hood from Nissan corporate, but it rarely exceeds $1,o00 or so. The bulk of the discounts are apparently coming from the dealers themselves. Perhaps it’s a local price war, or perhaps the Sentra starred in some obscure Chicago music video the rest of the world has yet to catch on to. We’ll keep digging and report back if we find a believable answer.
I wish I could tell you these were the cheapest sedans currently on sale in the US. That would be a great headline for SEO, at the very least. Ultimately, though, there are a handful of sub-$16,000 Nissan Versas out there to spoil the party.
Regardless, these cheap Sentras present a compelling case. They’re quite a bit nicer than anything else in the sub-$20,000 range, and if you buy one, you could stunt on your Versa-owning lessers every day of the week. If you pick one up, let us know how you go—and if you’ve got any insight into the Chicago Sentra underworld. Enquiring minds want to know.
Image credits: Nissan, Cars.com via screenshot
Despite all the nasty things said about Nissan, I wonder how many Autopians are going to check their local dealers after reading this, like I’m about to do?
I picked up a 2022 Nissan Sentra SR in December with a 6-speed after my beloved ’09 Hyundai Accent got totaled.
Still not sure I trust CVTs as much (from ANY manufacturer, not just Nissan), but it genuinely is a REALLY nice car. Well-built, very comfortable. Handles surprisingly well! Also, this gen DID get a new CVT compared to the last gen. Older B17 Sentras were known to sometimes have CVT issues, but I’ve not heard of many issues with the CVTs in this B18 generation. I believe in the 2024 refresh the CVT was also updated even further (or replaced with a newer unit…? I can’t recall), so even the CVT versions of this car seem perfectly fine.
The engine is very reliable as it’s the MR20DD that is quite dependable and been around a bit (the MR-series was first created in 2004)….not the most powerful, so you’re not going to be winning many races speed-wise, but the 6-speed helps it feel more sporty and also to help it feel more peppy than the CVT. I test drove a CVT as well. I’m a manual guy through and through so it was a stick for me, but the CVT was completely cromulent.
So far, very much enjoying mine! If anybody is looking for a perfectly nice and often overlooked sedan, the Sentra really is pretty nice!
I said this a few days ago, the Sentra is better looking than it needs to be. I’ve noticed them lately simply because it’s a good looking sedan. As I’m sure you know, keep in mind that CVT fluid should be changed more often than automatic transmission fluid.
I used to think it was funny to prank people by submitting their contact information to car salesmen and realtors. You’re about to find out why I decided to stop. It stops being worth it when the cruelty level outweighs the funny.
Looking around the Northeast, doesn’t appear these deals have made it out this way. Despite there being plenty of Sentras available. Our local dealer has some sort of scammy way of listing their ’24s as 4k off, but if you look into it, that’s only if you lease it. Which is sort of bizarre. One of the issues we have with Nissan in this region is that a single dealer group has control of 3 out of the 4 Nissan dealers within 50 miles. And the one competing dealer has an even worse reputation than the one with the virtual monopoly. Not great.
FYI, I just called a sales manager (Ricardo) over at Libertyville Nissan and let him know of the publicity and that we would be paying attention to how they treat our fellow readers. It might help.
I imagine they are trying to sell the much better altima, but need you on the lot to up sell it
One of the local dealers here is advertising a whopping $900 off their Sentras, so wonder what the math is for these dealers.
Saw $7-9k off 2024 Z’s though. They finally realized they can’t just be decoration for the showroom I guess.
This is one of my favorite rental cars. If I see it on the lot I’ll take it every time. Very nice to drive, good steering and adequate power and I like the transmission just fine – Jatco reputation be damned. And of course great mileage. Nothing wrong with these.