The Nissan Path

I totaled my beloved 2006 OR Xterra a couple of weeks ago and it has been a long and frustrating process to determine what I should get to replace it. So I'd love some input.

I love the X (if u cant tell!) but I always wish I had more space. So naturally I started looking at 4 door frontiers, which is basically a X with a bed. I never liked the idea of driving a pickup around, because they are just a pain to maneuver. I looked at a lot of fronties over the past week and test drove one, and it grew on me. So I decided thats what I want, just to find that they are waaaaay over priced. Not as over priced as tacoma's but still, like $15k for 100k miles, when I could get a X for <$10k for <100k miles. Thats more than 50% difference.

I never wanted to look at pathies (sorry!) because I always thought they are just soccer mom mini vans - until I saw one for sale on the X forum that has been lifted and modded and I thought, oh, i can totally rock one of those. SO then I started stalking this forum. I can probably find something around $11-12k at 100k miles, or $8k at 150k miles. All private seller on craigslist. Dealer prices are higher. But these prices are still 1-2k over bluebook. I'll just have to negotiate.

The problem with these nissans is that they all share the same problems - trasmission/radiator, fuel sending unit, timing chain tensioner. Well, I had my X for 130k miles, and was planning to drive it till at least 200k. Already had the fuel sending unit replaced from the recall. And obviously radiator bypass. Other than that I had basically nothing wrong.

So here are my concerns for getting a pathy:

1. I do need some decent offroading capabilities. No I'm not rock crawling so I probably wont need the solid rear axle or rear locker, but I'll surely miss it. I'll be doing a lot of ice and snow driving (CO rockies), coming from an X, am I going to regret with the downgrade in offraoding powers driving a pathy? I generally stay below "grade 4" on most offroading scales. Which with the stock X I was doing just fine. How is the pathy lifted (2.5")? I have seen some of u guys with pictures of your pathy running along side modded tacoma's. Thats real promising.

2. Miles vs Reliability - I had 100% faith I could drive my X to at least 200k. But that was from owning it since 11k. Should I feel the same for a pathy? I see ALOT more complaints for reliability problems on the internet on the pathy. If I get a pathy at 100k used, could I be as confident with it as my 130k xterra? At 100k Id have to find a pathy that already had the radiator/transmission, FSU and timing chain tensioner replaced, which might be hard. Should I even look at pathies at 150k miles? or is that just too old? I'm looking to drive it till it dies, probably at least 5 years.

3. MPG. I could get a solid 20-22mpg with upgraded AT tires in my X on highway, even 24-25mpg with bald stock tires Now I know that people do get 20mpg on highway with the pathy, but more often than not I see people getting <15-16mpg, especially with new tires. If its that low I might as well get myself a landcruiser/sequoia!

I just want something that is almost as capable as the X, but with more space without looking like a soccer mom, still get ~20mpg on highway and isn't as over priced as midsize pickup trucks! Is the pathfinder a right choice for me? Is 150k "too many miles"? How about 100k? How much should I be paying? What other choices do I have?

here are a few available to me locally:

http://cosprings.craigslist.org/cto/4611360119.html

http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/4615347206.html

http://pueblo.craigslist.org/cto/4609495028.html

http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/4609003500.html

Note: I could ride a stock fronty or X and be perfectly happy (but will eventually add mods slowly) but I'd have to do skids/sliders/lights/roof rack pretty much straight away on the pathy, followed by bumpers and suspension when I can afford it. The stock Pathy is just......too polite!

I do want to add that I did just get myself a 2012 prius C (yep, i went there!) with 25k miles as a DD. I do feel I spent too much on that one, which is why I dont have that much to spend on my xterra replacement.

The prius C will be trouble free for the next 10 years/100k though and I do get a solid 50mpg wherever I go. It can fit like 2 people + a lunch box. I do alot of cross country travelling for climbing and skiing with 5+ people which is what the Pathy would be for. It will be a road trip vehicle for the mountains and put on 1-3k miles at a time carrying ALOT of gear (hence I emphasize on highway MPG). Other times it would be for moving bags of concrete/pavers/fence posts/lumber/appliances etc (used like a pickup truck), I do have a 4x8 trailer too for when I need it. Now before you tell me to just get a pickup, I'll let you know that I carried all those construction materials in My X just fine, and I got the trailer when I had to. My concern with a pickup, even with 4 doors is that its a real downgrade in terms of a roadtripping vehicle. The openable rear window on the pathy will be a godsend upgrade to the X though, I'd be so much easier to carry 8+footers. Obviously I do love the fold flat seats too.

The '08+ seems to be significantly more reliable. They still have the radiator issue but that's an easy fix if it hasn't been swapped already. I'm coming up on 120k miles and really haven't had to do anything and have no doubt it will go 200k. Who knows about the transmission but the engine seems stout. I keep thinking I'm going to sell and buy something newer since I'm driving 25k miles a year now but there's not a ton to pick from. I've looked at the Grand Cherokee diesel a couple times but then I get back in my PF and it certainly doesn't seem like it should be worth $40k less than the GC.

blamus wrote:3. MPG. I could get a solid 20-22mpg with upgraded AT tires in my X on highway, even 24-25mpg with bald stock tires Now I know that people do get 20mpg on highway with the pathy, but more often than not I see people getting <15-16mpg, especially with new tires. If its that low I might as well get myself a landcruiser/sequoia!

22 MPG is no problem if you keep your speed around 70-75 MPH on the highway. If you want to go 85 you're going to knock it down to around 19 -20 MPG. This is on OEM tires. I can't comment on others.

blamus wrote: I just want something that is almost as capable as the X, but with more space without looking like a soccer mom, still get ~20mpg on highway and isn't as over priced as midsize pickup trucks! Is the pathfinder a right choice for me? Is 150k "too many miles"? How about 100k? How much should I be paying? What other choices do I have?

The Path should suit your needs pretty well I think. I don't off road much, but it looks pretty capable from what I see others doing. The additional space and seating versatility over the X is significant. As far as being a soccer mom, I think they all drive crossovers and maybe a few have Prius hybrids.

Finding the price you want may be the toughest part. In my local area, used Pathfinders are hard to come by. I think the switch to uni-body for 2013 has increased demand for people who still want a truck based SUV.

blamus wrote:I do alot of cross country travelling for climbing and skiing with 5+ people which is what the Pathy would be for.

One of the reasons I bought the Path is for the 3rd row. It's great when I need to carry >5 passengers. Just keep in mind that it's still a mid-size and the 3rd row is best for passengers 5' or shorter if you want them to be comfortable.

skinny2 wrote:The '08+ seems to be significantly more reliable.

So they actually changed some things in the 08 other than cosmetics? I find it hard to believe they made the effort to fix other things and not the SMOD issue. I always thought 05-09 are identicle, its just that 08+ have less miles so less problems observed yet....... any actual evidence that they actually made improvements/corrections?

22 MPG is no problem if you keep your speed around 70-75 MPH on the highway. If you want to go 85 you're going to knock it down to around 19 -20 MPG. This is on OEM tires. I can't comment on others.

That is VERY good to hear. I was actually steering away from the pathy and wanting to get a frontier more and more, but now I'm looking at pathy again!

Finding the price you want may be the toughest part. In my local area, used Pathfinders are hard to come by. I think the switch to uni-body for 2013 has increased demand for people who still want a truck based SUV

I actually find pathies easier to find here in CO. I think generally the pathy is the most expensive to buy new, followed by frontier and xterra (about the same), but used, frontiers are the most difficult to find and the most expensive, followed by the pathy, then the X is just outright cheap!

I have decided to get a fronty for a week now, and have been trying to hunt one down, but its so hard for me to justify the price primuim and they are so hard to find used. I'm now looking at pathy again. honestly at this rate, I might just have to pick up the first good deal I find whether its path/front or X!

blamus wrote:

skinny2 wrote:The '08+ seems to be significantly more reliable.

So they actually changed some things in the 08 other than cosmetics? I find it hard to believe they made the effort to fix other things and not the SMOD issue. I always thought 05-09 are identicle, its just that 08+ have less miles so less problems observed yet....... any actual evidence that they actually made improvements/corrections?

Not so much specific changes, but most of the problematic issues from the first couple years of this gen had been worked out by then. Many of the TSB's only applied to earlier models and by '08 they had the updated parts. Just like most vehicles, the longer it's been in production the more reliable they are. The SMOD was a later problem discovered several years out and not corrected in the production line until 2011 models. Most problems on these creep up after four to five years as it's more time related than miles.

Also, if you take a look at truedelta.com reliability you'll see the problems plummet in '08. There's not a big difference in miles reported between the years. The '08 models in their sample avg 90k miles and the '05's avg 100k. The '05 has 95pph (problems per hundred) and the '08 has 13pph. Unfortunately they don't have any data for '09-'12.

blamus wrote:

22 MPG is no problem if you keep your speed around 70-75 MPH on the highway. If you want to go 85 you're going to knock it down to around 19 -20 MPG. This is on OEM tires. I can't comment on others.

That is VERY good to hear. I was actually steering away from the pathy and wanting to get a frontier more and more, but now I'm looking at pathy again!

I think this might be optimistic for 4wd version. I have found the city/highway ratings to be spot on, I always get about 15 round town and 20 on the highway. I drive with traffic. I can get closer to 22, but it would be at more like 55, which I don't have the patience for. I have stock size tires, just upgraded from the oem crap to wrangler silent armors.

My friend just told me last weekend, his 2010 Pathfinder S currently has over 206,000 miles. He bought it brand new though.

leadpig wrote:I think this might be optimistic for 4wd version. I have found the city/highway ratings to be spot on, I always get about 15 round town and 20 on the highway. I drive with traffic. I can get closer to 22, but it would be at more like 55, which I don't have the patience for. I have stock size tires, just upgraded from the oem crap to wrangler silent armors.

Good point. I am 2WD and the EPA rating drops from 22 to 20 going from 2WD to 4WD.