I would buy another PF in a minute! My 06 has 119k miles and has never given me any trouble except an oil cooler gasket and a couple of dead batteries. Also a couple of factory recalls which Nissan did for free.

It doesn't have the ride of a Lexus or the fuel economy I would want, but it's sturdy, safe and dependable. I will probably sell it next year as kids are in college and have their own cars, but I would recommend the PF to anyone

Despite the radiator problem and other smaller things I have 176,000 on my 2005, without any major issues (did the bypass) ...best truck i've owned. Only done one drain and fill of he tranny fluid and the coolant. Replaced plugs batteries air filters, cabin filters, serpentine belts and the fule sending unit. I would consider a 2011 or 2012 Pathfinder if I was to buy again. If gas drops I would opt to buy a Armada

I drive many new Pathfinders, since I do dealer trades for Nissan, and despite all the improvements, I personally still like my old body style vs. the 2013. It just seems like a bit of a whale, and it does ride nicely, but still I like the truck feel. I have driven the base to the most expensive and again, lots of new features, but when I get back to the store, I look forward to my 2012. When I am in the market for a new truck, I do not think I would lease a new Pathfinder, its just does not excite me.

DanJetta wrote:I tend to be somewhat negative about my cars, so take my comment with a grain of salt.

I probably wouldn't buy my Pathfinder again for the main reason that it's more of a truck than an SUV. When you compare it to similar manufacturers, the Pathfinder is rough, unrefined, technologically lacking, not very thought out, lacking in the most basic of convenience features and the features it does have seem to have been thrown in as an afterthought (if you want specific examples, I can give you a thousand). It's fun to take off road or to use it for utility applications -- and I love that I'm never worried about beating it up or having it stolen -- but as an every day driver it's exhausting to drive. When someone new rides in it, the topic of conversation is always how rough it is and how uncomfortable the seats are (I have the leather seats, which have zero support).

As an example, many of the most basic convenience features in my 2001 P.O.S. VW were still not available in the 2012 top-of-the-line Pathfinders.

Also, something else to keep in mind, my Pathfinder started nickel-and-diming me around 75K miles, which, I hear, is about right.

This is why I liked my pathfinder so much. Not to be rude, but if you wanted all creature-comfort SUV type vehicle, why not buy a van or crossover?

SUV's were made to be tough like trucks, That is why I DESPISE the way they changed the 2013 Pathfinder. It might as well have been an addition to their mini-van line-up.

XiBowhunter wrote:
This is why I liked my pathfinder so much. Not to be rude, but if you wanted all creature-comfort SUV type vehicle, why not buy a van or crossover?

SUV's were made to be tough like trucks, That is why I DESPISE the way they changed the 2013 Pathfinder. It might as well have been an addition to their mini-van line-up.

I agree, the new Pathfinder is pretty embarrassing for Nissan.

What I should have said is that the R51 Pathfinder is more like an old utility truck. While I'm certainly not expecting the fit and finish of a Mercedes, I do think it's reasonable to expect a similarity to other truck-framed SUVs in its class (Grand Cherokee, Pilot, Explorer, 4 Runner, etc.).

It's a vibe you get. When you sit in my buddy's Grand Cherokee, you think, "Wow, this is nice." When you sit in my Pathfinder, you feel like you're sitting in a utility vehicle. Again, not a bad thing -- just different. One good thing is that I've never been afraid of having my Pathfinder stolen.

DanJetta wrote:

XiBowhunter wrote:
This is why I liked my pathfinder so much. Not to be rude, but if you wanted all creature-comfort SUV type vehicle, why not buy a van or crossover?

SUV's were made to be tough like trucks, That is why I DESPISE the way they changed the 2013 Pathfinder. It might as well have been an addition to their mini-van line-up.

I agree, the new Pathfinder is pretty embarrassing for Nissan.

What I should have said is that the R51 Pathfinder is more like an old utility truck. While I'm certainly not expecting the fit and finish of a Mercedes, I do think it's reasonable to expect a similarity to other truck-framed SUVs in its class (Grand Cherokee, Pilot, Explorer, 4 Runner, etc.).

It's a vibe you get. When you sit in my buddy's Grand Cherokee, you think, "Wow, this is nice." When you sit in my Pathfinder, you feel like you're sitting in a utility vehicle. Again, not a bad thing -- just different. One good thing is that I've never been afraid of having my Pathfinder stolen.

grand cherokee is a unibody, pilot is also unibody. the fit and finish in jeeps that i have been in isnt that great, all cheap plastic unless you go for high end srt8. i like the fit and finish on my pathfinder. no issues with anything on it. it rides like i would expect a body on frame suv to ride like.

Whoops on the frame thing. I guess that explains the improvement in ride over the Pathfinder, which rides exactly like my old '74 Land Cruiser. The thing I can't figure out is why the Frontier rides so much nicer.

And good call, when I'm comparing it to the Jeep, I'm not talking about the older bottom-of-the-line guys. I'm comparing leather to leather, features to features, ride to ride. For example, my buddy's 2010 Jeep's leather seats are soft and supportive; my Pathfinder's leather feels like a vinyl bench seat in a cop car. That said, I hate Jeeps, and no amount of improvement over the Pathfinder would ever make me want to own one.

DanJetta wrote:Whoops on the frame thing. I guess that explains the improvement in ride over the Pathfinder, which rides exactly like my old '74 Land Cruiser. The thing I can't figure out is why the Frontier rides so much nicer.

Exactly why the first thing I did with mine was replace the springs and shocks. The only other times in my life where I've bottomed out in a vehicle was when it was grossly overloaded or the shocks were completely blown.

I think it also comes down to luck of the draw as well. I know plenty of people with other makes and models of SUVs that have been both good and bad. I know a few people on this forum have complained about all the rattles/squeaks/noises from the cabin while driving, yet the only time mine makes any noise is if I have an empty can of soda in the center console cup holder.

I'm with you on the Jeep. When the 4 door Wrangler came out, I was tempted. All it took was a few minutes of searching the memories of all my friends who constantly bitched and moaned about something breaking or falling apart on theirs to quench that. When they introduced the long overdue engine that finally brings 21st century power to the Wrangler, I was again swayed. For a moment or two. Reading through Jeep forums is amusing because all of the problems are being treated as mods or upgrades.

And the interior of the current 4-Runner isn't what I would consider any kind of advance over the interior of the R51. I do like the pull out tray in the rear, but that is about the only bonus point for the 4-Runner. I'm not sure if I would want to spend $40k on one as opposed to $30k or so for a new Xterra, assuming the Xterra is even around when I decide to move on to another vehicle.

The R52? Again, NO WAY IN HELL.

i know what you mean. the rough ride never bothered me. the next thing i will get is the diesel titan. the r52 isnt bad for a crossover

DanJetta wrote:Whoops on the frame thing. I guess that explains the improvement in ride over the Pathfinder, which rides exactly like my old '74 Land Cruiser. The thing I can't figure out is why the Frontier rides so much nicer.

I've never driven a Frontier, but it does has an extra foot of wheelbase to work with. After spending yesterday driving around in a 2013 F-250 crew-cab long-bed....I thought the PF felt pretty damn marvelous when I hopped in for the ride home. I think my PF makes more noise over bumps than actually jarring you around.

Other SUV's I hop in and out of on a regular basis: '10 Suburban LTZ, '13 Yukon XL Denali, '12 Acura MDX. My PF has the worst ride of them but it's not significantly worse. In fact the Acura has a similarly rough ride over certain bumps but it's quieter.

I'll tell you what I drove recently that surprised me. A '13 Acura RDX they gave us as a loaner while my wifes MDX was getting an oil change. That thing jumped around a lot more than I expected. It was quiet over the bumps though but I wasn't impressed considering it's a car.

The absolute worst-riding car I've ever been in is a friend's Range Rover. It felt like the wheels didn't have tires and were bolted directly to your spine. You could probably press assault charges after a ride through town.

Would buy again...in fact I did:
I had 2 old old Nissan trucks(hardbody)
Then a 2000 Xterra
Then 2002 Pathfinder
Than 2005 Pathfinder
and most recently......my 2008 Pathfinder.

I also replaced my 2005 with 2010 a few years back because I could not find anything else I liked in this price range. Next time around I think I will get something else, but not really sure what exactly. GC is overpriced, 4runner is kind of weird looking, but I have 2+ years o figure it out.