After much reading and test driving, my next car is highly likely to be a 2012 Pathfinder LE or Silver, when I can find something with low miles. I'm coming out of an Outback that I put 200,000 rough miles on, and no one makes anything like that car anymore, so I'm creeping up in size.
The Xterra caught my very serious consideration early on, until I found out that the R51 is like a long wheelbase Xterra, with more comfort stuff that an aging fart like myself can enjoy.
My questions are technical, hoping you all may know:
-The "LE" has 18" wheels? Can I put smaller wheels on there without changing the brakes? 16's hopefully?
-What differs between the Xterra drivetrain and the R51? Does the R51 have anythig watered down? Were there different gear ratios offered within the Pathfinder line-up?
-Both the Xterra and R51 are on the F-A chassis, is there much part compatibility?
-Any common consumables, recalls, or "weak links" in the R51? (like the head gaskets in my Subaru). Had the Transmission cooler been fixed by 2011/2012?
Thanks all for your time, I appreciate any advice!