From R51 to N50; life must go on!

Any topics related to 2005-2012 R51

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smj999smj
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From R51 to N50; life must go on!

Postby smj999smj » Fri Jan 14, 2022 3:56 pm

So, recently I posted some pics of my beloved 2006 Pathfinder LE that was crushed like a bug by a fallen pine tree:

Image

After doing a lot of searching, I decided to bite on a 2012 Nissan Xterra S for $10,500 with 158K miles on it:

Image Image

I needed a 2012 or later to get financing through my credit union but was trying to keep the cost low; I would still, eventually, like to get a Ford Maverick to replace my 03 Frontier, but that will have to get pushed back a couple of years. The Xterra was found on a small, used car lot in not the best section of Richmond, VA. The metallic blue paint, which I would probably hate on almost any other vehicle, really made the Xterra "pop!" I was really impressed with the CARFAX report: one owner that purchased it in Frederick, MD, and took it to the selling Nissan dealer for all it's service work up to the end, including oil changes every 3000-6000 miles. No accidents reported and paint all looks original and in great shape. Inside is pretty basic compared to my Pathfinder, but it's all stock and in great shape. I took it for a ride and all was good except for a noise in the rear, which I suspected was either the tires, bearing or rear diff. It turned out to be the rear diff and they are in the process of replacing it. It's "as is," but the agreed to give me a 30 day warranty on the rear axle. NADA clean retail value was $13K, so I was okay with the price. Without asking, they even included the processing fees in the cost. It doesn't have a tow hitch, so it was never used for towing. Being a 2012, it's beyond the years of upper timing chain issues on the VQ40DE and failed radiator coolers are pretty much non-existent on 2012 Xterras, although I'll definitely check the part number on the radiator for peace of mind. I'll grab some parts off of my Pathfinder, such as the DT mid-pipes and the skid plates. I'm not sure about the DT headers as they are a lot of work to get off and on without a lift? If I want to use the V8 Pathfinder front brakes from my 06 Pathy on the Xterra, I'll also have to swap the wheels with my LE's 17". I'm not sure about that, yet, but I could end up putting those brakes on my 08 Pathy. I'll see if I can swap the Xterra rear view mirror for the LE's which has the temp and compass. I believe the aFe CAI will swap right over to the Xterra. I can also swap the tow electronics over and I'll pick up a tow hitch for the Xterra. I'll strip some parts off of the Pathfinder before finally sending it to the old scrap yard.

As far as remaining here, I probably will, although some of you may have noticed I haven't been on the forum as much, lately. That can be said for the ClubFrontier.org and NissanForums.com forums that I also contribute to and/or moderate. It'd be tough squeezing in an Xterra forum membership! I've just been pretty busy with the constant drafting at work; for those that don't know, my current profession is a correctional officer in VA, being retired from auto mechanics. So, that's what's going on with me! Hope you are all doing well in the meantime! I gotta chop some firewood off my Pathfinder as we got a snow storm moving in on Sunday!


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palmerwmd
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Re: From R51 to WD40; life must go on!

Postby palmerwmd » Fri Jan 14, 2022 6:17 pm

We were wondering what is going on : )
Blue which I usully dont like on other cars is really attractive on the XTerra.
Nissan does a really good job with these strong blues.

My first Xterra was that color and my first 350Z too ( on the 350Z they called it Daytona Blue, which I still call it that.. albeit the name on Xterra was different but the color is the same)
You are right that Blue really "pops"!

All your V6 R51 expertise is going to fully transfer over to this Xterra.
And I hope we will still have you have significant presence here!

For a while I had no Pathfinder but XTerra only and I sill stayed Admin on here because this is our home :D

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VStar650CL
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Re: From R51 to WD40; life must go on!

Postby VStar650CL » Fri Jan 14, 2022 6:54 pm

Sweet ride! You're right, I don't know why they didn't make more Xterras in that blue. They're gorgeous, but I think I've only ever seen two of them. The only one I ever actually worked on was a repaired rollover that somebody stripped half the airbags out of and sold to a poor but witless buyer -- but that's another story. I do remember being struck by how lovely it looked, with very-silvery highlights under my bay's LED lighting. I'd definitely own one, at least if it didn't need $3,000 in SRS parts.
:wink:

We'll miss you bigtime if you have to leave us!

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palmerwmd
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Re: From R51 to WD40; life must go on!

Postby palmerwmd » Fri Jan 14, 2022 7:07 pm

VStar650CL wrote:
Fri Jan 14, 2022 6:54 pm
We'll miss you bigtime if you have to leave us!

He doesn't have to leave. : )
I stayed on for 3 years when I only had an Xterra just waiting for my next Pathfinder.

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Re: From R51 to WD40; life must go on!

Postby silverarrow27 » Sat Jan 15, 2022 1:35 am

Glad you stayed in the family. And definitely a sweet color. My second favorite color on the X, the first is the lime green or whatever Nissan calls it.

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smj999smj
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Re: From R51 to WD40; life must go on!

Postby smj999smj » Sat Jan 15, 2022 5:29 am

VStar650CL wrote:
Fri Jan 14, 2022 6:54 pm
Sweet ride! You're right, I don't know why they didn't make more Xterras in that blue. They're gorgeous, but I think I've only ever seen two of them. The only one I ever actually worked on was a repaired rollover that somebody stripped half the airbags out of and sold to a poor but witless buyer -- but that's another story. I do remember being struck by how lovely it looked, with very-silvery highlights under my bay's LED lighting. I'd definitely own one, at least if it didn't need $3,000 in SRS parts.
:wink:

We'll miss you bigtime if you have to leave us!
They didn't start making them with that color until 2012 and, as you know, 2015 was the last year for the Xterra, which might explain why we don't see too many in that color. I don't ever recall seeing an Xterra in this color until I saw this one, but now that I own one, I'll probably be seeing them all over the place!

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palmerwmd
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Re: From R51 to N50; life must go on!

Postby palmerwmd » Sat Jan 15, 2022 5:00 pm

Just because you now have only an Xterra does not mean you have to leave.
Recall that for a couple years I was Pathfinder-less and ran an Xterra and still stuck around :D

TooMuchControl
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Re: From R51 to N50; life must go on!

Postby TooMuchControl » Mon Jan 17, 2022 5:33 pm

It's a nice choice!

I was set on an Xterra at one time. I actually came this close in buying a 2004 at an auction, but my brother convinced me otherwise.

I waited a couple of months and missed my opportunity to grab an '08. The next month, the Patty came up.

Thanks so much for the look into what you are involved with. I've been reading between all these forums (Frontier and Xterra) for awhile and your contributions just give me confidence that I could do many of the repairs on my truck.

I'm actually quite satisfied that you landed on a similar platform vehicle. It instills continued confidence, along with some of the excellent posters here.

Great Truck!

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smj999smj
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Re: From R51 to N50; life must go on!

Postby smj999smj » Wed Jan 19, 2022 2:33 am

I started ordering parts for the Xterra and been thinking about what I can use from my Pathfinder. I ordered a Nissan tow hitch for $271 shipped; I could have gone with Curtis or Draw-tite for less money, but the Nissan hitch has the bracket for my Nissan 7-pin connector to bolt to. It's a cleaner look, IMO. I'll use the subharness, electronic brake controller and relays from the Pathfinder. I wasn't impressed with the factory "mush" brakes on the Xterra and really want to swap over my V8 Pathy front brake conversion but needed to get 17" wheels to replace the factory 16" wheels that come on the Xterra. I purchased what I think is a pretty good deal: a set of 17" factory alloys from a 2022 Frontier with P265/65R17 Michelin Primacy LTX tires mounted to them. The set of four has only 35 miles on them and they are $1250+tax+free shipping. The tires, alone, sell for around $265 each. I'll have to pick up a set of TPMS sensors for them as they come with rubber valve stems, but that's okay. The wheels are the same as the ones on this Frontier:
Image

silverarrow27
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Re: From R51 to N50; life must go on!

Postby silverarrow27 » Wed Jan 19, 2022 2:56 am

I recall seeing either a Pathy or Frontier owner use 16" wheels with the V8 Pathy brakes, the owner added spacers to clear the calipers I believe.

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VStar650CL
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Re: From R51 to N50; life must go on!

Postby VStar650CL » Wed Jan 19, 2022 5:42 am

Those are cool wheels, they'll look good on your X. :D

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Re: From R51 to N50; life must go on!

Postby palmerwmd » Wed Jan 19, 2022 6:34 am

Great find in wheels!! :D

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smj999smj
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Re: From R51 to N50; life must go on!

Postby smj999smj » Wed Jan 19, 2022 1:26 pm

VStar650CL wrote:
Wed Jan 19, 2022 5:42 am
Those are cool wheels, they'll look good on your X. :D
Yeah, they'd probably work with spacers, but I'm not a big fan of spacers. Wheels got shipped out via FedEx this morning, anyway!

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VStar650CL
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Re: From R51 to N50; life must go on!

Postby VStar650CL » Wed Jan 19, 2022 4:48 pm

smj999smj wrote:
Wed Jan 19, 2022 1:26 pm
VStar650CL wrote:
Wed Jan 19, 2022 5:42 am
Those are cool wheels, they'll look good on your X. :D
Yeah, they'd probably work with spacers, but I'm not a big fan of spacers. Wheels got shipped out via FedEx this morning, anyway!
Heck no, I meant the new Frontier wheels. They're very angular and not particularly "Nissanish", I loved them the first time a new Frontie rolled off the truck at our dealership. They'll look totally slick on your X.


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