Looking at used pathy...what year is best?

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detonateme
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Looking at used pathy...what year is best?

Postby detonateme » Tue May 04, 2010 8:49 am

My wife and I are having a baby girl in a few months, so i figure its time to retire my wifes pt cruiser (i haaaate the thing). My short list includes 04-up toyota 4runner and 06-up pathfinder. Now i have done some pretty extensive research on the pathy and found that some year models have had some REAL problems. So any of you Nissan pros out there suggest any certain year? I dont need the hassle of broken radiators frying my transmission or 5 trips to the dealer over fuel sending units. I really like the pathy but i am concerned over longevity. My budget could reasonably stretch to a used 09 model but hey....they are all mostly the same since 05. So i figure i go back as far as i can and save the cash. Thanks for any suggestions you guys can give.


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BMXPath
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Postby BMXPath » Tue May 04, 2010 1:42 pm

I think you should just find a low-mileage model, that a Dealer is selling. You can probably get it Nissan Factory Certified with many warranty options. Make sure the transmission and radiator are covered (get it in writing) and have them do any bulletins/ recalls that you are concerned about.
Here is another idea... Make it a condition of your purchase that the fuel sender has been updated.

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AZ_Path
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Postby AZ_Path » Tue May 04, 2010 1:55 pm

I choose the '08 because I was partial to the design changes both inside and out. I think the center console on the SE & LE trim levels is a significant improvement. I also like how the front is more sloped. It's a subtle change, but I really like the way it looks.

As far as reliability goes, I have been happy so far. I am included in the recall for the fuel sending unit, but it has not been a problem so far. I'm still looking into the radiator bypass. I'm not sure if things were changed from the earlier models or not.

My normal preference is to buy used to save the money like you said, but with the incentives right now, buying used may not be as great a deal as it normally is. Nissan is offering $2500 cash back right now. I bought my '08 new for $26,XXX out the door not including tax and registration. It really didn't save much to buy used and since I liked the changes made in '08 that what we decided to buy.

ocdjg
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Postby ocdjg » Wed May 05, 2010 7:46 am

I got an 06 used about 4 months ago. To me the slight changes in the 08's and up were so minimal that it didn't matter to me. I'm loving the pathy so far, and you will too if your in a PT Cruiser right now ( I HATE THAT CAR TOO!).

One suggestion though if you go used, go for the LE trim. I ended up getting the SE and I'm wishing I would have spent the extra cash for the LE model.

detonateme
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Postby detonateme » Wed May 05, 2010 10:30 am

Thanks for the suggestions guys...I appreciate all of your input. It seems like no matter how far out i look, 4runners are over priced for what you get. I can get a 4x4 le or se with lower miles for what a old 4runner goes for. I think i iwll go with the pathy and do my best for an extended warranty. Thanks again

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kelleyo
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Postby kelleyo » Thu May 06, 2010 4:59 am

I may have a unique perspective as I have had an 05 and now an 07. Read here: http://www.thenissanpath.com/viewtopic.php?t=3210

So far I am loving the 07!

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BMXPath
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Postby BMXPath » Thu May 06, 2010 6:23 am

Hey kelleyo,

Unique perspective for sure. Just curious... Does your '07 have the rear heater also? After the probs with the first one, I wonder if you got another one with rear heat. I dont imagine you need it much if you live in Ga. I dont have rear heat in my '05 but there aint much need for it living in central Texas.

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kelleyo
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Postby kelleyo » Thu May 06, 2010 12:39 pm

It does. I think Rust was the main culprit

skinny2
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Postby skinny2 » Fri May 07, 2010 8:09 pm

I was shopping '08-'09 4Runners and Pathfinders as well. I had a Tundra and have had a lot of Toyotas so I have some loyalty there. Make sure you try out the 4Runner seats before getting too committed. They were terrible IMHO and I found a ton of complaints about them all over the web. It's a great (albeit dated) vehicle otherwise. I wanted at least an '08 PF because of the redesigned bits and extras. I wasn't too worried between those years and went with the low-mileage private owner '08 model. Many of these (as well as the 4Runners) you see used are rental returns, especially the base models. I'm not a fan of buying rental vehicles so you might watch out for that. I'm used to ubber-reliable vehicles but I like the PF well enough that I won't be disappointed if there are a few bumps in the road. I've put 10k miles on since January and so far no issues. I'm looking to upgrade the suspension and there are rattles I could do without, but it performs well and I'm getting good mpg.


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