Yea,

I understand. I think the new Pathfinder seems to be over priced compared to what you were looking at 3 months ago. Now that it's 2012, it makes the vehicle 1 year older. Have you used Kbb or Nada to compare cost of cars in your area? It's worth a shot. Also, if you have a vehicle in mind, I would recommend taking it on a test drive to a dealer to have them do a pre-buy inspection. If they find something you can use that to talk down the price, or stay away from the vehicle. I think most shops charge around 100 but worth it in my book. I've done it all the cars i've bought except my pathfinder as it was a CPO. Good luck.

That price is too high. The only thing Carmax means is that the prior owner also paid above market.

Unless you have a specific need for all those features, you can buy something with much lower miles for the same money. All that stuff just ends up being more problematic and adds very little to resale down the road. I'd be lucky to get $15k on my '08 SE if I traded today, maybe $17k private party...and that's with half the miles of the one you're shopping.

Either way if your heart is set on that one, have a good mechanic take a look. Anything with 120k miles can be problematic (hell I put a transaxle in a Lexus GX470 at 90k) so it's a real gamble to spend that much on something that old. Just my few cents, no charge.

Not trying to hi-jack your thread or anything, but I figured I have a similar situation and was just going to check...
I'll be heading out to look at an 05 Pathfinder 4x4 with 125k miles this week and besides the "strawberry milkshake" transmission fluid, is there anything else to look for? Am I understanding correctly that when the leak occurs the transmission fails rather quickly? Also what exactly should I look for to see if the bypass has already been done?
Thanks in advance!

Easiest way to check for signs of bypass is to get under the front of the truck and look at the bottom of the radiator (side facing the engine) and look the connections for the transmission fluid cooler. If there aren't any hoses on these connections or the same hose is connected to both sides then the radiator cooler is bypassed. To check the transmission fluid you will need a 10 mm socked to remove the dipstick.

Other Pathfinder issues to look for:
While idling or driving slowly, rev the engine (2k or so) and listen for a whining/roaring noise. The secondary timing chain tensioner shoes are known to wear out and cause a whining noise. Being out of warranty this is a $1000-1500 repair at the dealer.

Then of course look for the general things (oil leaks, make sure all guages are working, no check engine lights, uneven tire wear, smooth solid braking, signs of being wrecked or major body repairs, rust)

Good luck!

Thanks deer! That should be easy enough to check. Glad I know beforehand to bring a socket also. I'm extra cautious due to getting burned once on a used vehicle purchase. I ended up with a real pretty, good running z71 that turned out to have a major rust issue. Even ended up losing my brakes while driving from rusting through the lines. Even if this one doesn't work out for me maybe the next one will and sooner or later I can have my own 'pathy'!

Got one I'll sell ya..2006 87,000 miles. great shape 14,500 it's yours!

Dealers don't Even want these vehicles. 2 dealers I went to offered me about 8500 bucks on trade in and wouldn't budge. 14 MPG sucks