Potential owner, seeking wisdom

[cbova]

Hi all, My wife is in the market for a new(er) rig. She's decided on the R51 Pathfinder. I'm no stranger to the world of used vehicles. I'm very mechanically inclined and I do all my own work and know what to look for. Doing my research I have learned about the common issues, the major being the integral ATF cooler/warmer in the radiator. My question is, did Nissan correct the issue during the R51 run? We are looking at a 2012 on Monday with 80,000 mi on it. I have not seen the truck in person yet. Most of the things I see on this issue are 2005-2010 model years. I don't mind replacing the radiator as preventative maintenance but can anyone confirm if there was a change made so I don't replace it for no reason. It's a private sale for what it's worth, and we'd like to keep it for a good long time. I'm fine with routing maintenance but I don't want to have to swap a tranny.

If it drives/shifts good and the coolant and ATF are clean are there any other tell tales that there has been a failure prior?

Also any other "must check" items?

Thanks
Chris

[smj999smj]

2011 & 2012 R51 Pathfinders were not affected by the radiator cooler issue, nor most of the other problems of the earlier R51, including upper timing chain issues and fuel sending units. That's one of the nice things about buying the last year of a model run; the "bugs" have been pretty much worked out. The only thing I would highly recommend is installing Airlift 1000 air bags in the rear suspension, whether you tow or not; it definitely makes it ride better and they are less than $100 for the set.

[cbova]

Ya, I like the idea of the later years of a particular model as well.

I looked at the vehicle on Monday and ended up making a deal. Everything looked as it should, no surprises. Working with the banks before I pick it up but the wife is looking forward to it.