I visited a dealer. They were pretty understanding about my mission. He didn't have a DX, but said the moulding should be the same in the sports version. Here are the pictures, which look like Versa1.1's:
I only see an antiskid button. I have to sit up close because it mitigates discomfort from back problems. I doubt the jut-out would be a problem for the general population.
About choosing another car, that's always an option
. The choice of a car is (to me) a complex decision and changing the choice due to a wrinkle that could be fixed with a few hundred bucks seems like a overreaction. I hope I'm not coming across as unappreciative of your advice (just the opposite). I'm just trying to think of it impartially from a decision optimization perspective.
I was a bit perturbed by the fact that today, the panel did not seem as easy to remove as last week when the sales person fussed around for just a few seconds before having it removed. The seam around the removable piece (if it is evey removable in this model) seems larger, too. Perhaps the sports model is not as identical to the DX as people think?
The sales person was also helpful in clarifying that I wouldn't be looking for a body shop. I would be looking for people who do car upholstery -- they also modify interiors.
Thanks for the tip about 4-wheel automatics and the impact on additional charges. I'm actually going for a stick shift, and I certainly don't mind a spare.
Holy freaking, are those photos huge. Wish the img code had parameters for size scaling.