Moderator: volvite
Yeah, what SMJ said..Dega112 wrote:I am looking at buying a used pathfinder from a Toyota dealer. The dealer wants 4K for it and it has 160k miles on it. It seems like the dealer put some money in it to fix whatever issues it had to pass inspection. The Carfax of the car shows that the tranny was flushed about 130k miles. This got me concerned and I ended in this sub since the tranny contamination issue was such a big deal for this year. Should I be concerned about this car or should I buy it and have the radiator replaced to avoid any further issues. It feels like a good deal however I am afraid that it would be a potential money pit. I am only going to use the car as a second car and for potential getaways. Please advise
Thank you for this information. The Carfax is actually not that perfect. There is only a couple of oil changes at Valvoline and an airbag sensor changed at Nissan. The rest is the Toyota dealer that fixed up the car to pass inspection. What tells me is probably the owner went to a independent mechanic who does not report to Carfax or did the fixes himself. This is a two owner car, the second owner owned it for most of its life.I will go check out exactly what you said today and give it a thorough check. How much is the timing chain and the radiator including labor if i have to change it in the future. I will make sure I bargain for that and the radiator if it needs to be changed.smj999smj wrote:Well, a transmission can certainly be flushed just for service and not necessarily because of a failed radiator/cross-contamination issue. I understand your concern, however. If the radiator is original, it should have a Calsonic sticker on the top tank and will likely have the part # 21460-EA215 or 21460-EA265. A different number than that would likely mean it's been replaced...and no sticker would likely mean it's been replaced with an aftermarket radiator. The other thing to do is listen for any "whining" that may be coming from the front timing cover, which could indicated that it'll need timing chains in the near future, which is another costly repair. While Carfax is perfect, if it had the radiator or transmission replaced previously at a Nissan dealer or a professional shop, it should be listed on the report. Of course, when in doubt, you could have an independent shop or Nissan dealer of your choosing to inspect the vehicle prior to purchasing it.