Considering a Pathfinder

[rjs5689]

Hey everyone, I wanted to make a post introducing myself and explaining a bit about what I’m considering. I’ve been a car enthusiast for my entire (short) life. I’ve owned three very different vehicles. I started with a MKV GTI (which I went to town modifying). I moved north and sold the GTI for a Subaru Legacy GT SpecB (also very modified). After I moved back to NY, I decided it was time to switch cars for something small, light, fun and very trackable. I now own an NC Miata, which rides on custom coilovers and has some other work done as well. It makes a great daily/commuter car and is a warrior out on the track. I throw snow tires on in the winter time; coupled with the mechanical LSD I’ve never really had any trouble in the snow (unless it gets really deep—there’s only so much you can do with 3-4” ground clearance). I’ve thought about retiring it for the winter and picking up some sort of beater.

The two strong contenders for me are: a WJ Grand Cherokee, which I really like. I also think looking at a Japanese truck would be wise. I want to consider an R50 Pathfiner, but I know absolutely nothing about them.

The Pathfiner would serve as a second vehicle for me. I’d like to keep it under about $8,000 and would plan to buy sometime mid/late summer.
What should I specifically look out for with a used R50 Pathfiner?? Are there certain common problem/weak areas? Is the engine overall very reliable? How about the transmission and drivetrain in these vehicles? I’m open to any and all advice, problem areas, cautions, etc. to look out for when shopping for an R50 Pathfiner!

[smj999smj]

Well, first thing is there were two different engines available in the R50 and it makes them two different animals. Up through 2000, they used the VG33E, which is a timing belt engine, very reliable but a bit underpowered. They are also famous for rear main seal and/or rear oil pan lip seal oil leaks. 2001 and up had the VQ35DE, which uses three timing chains, distributorless ignition and has about 70 more horsepower, which is plenty for the R50. There were a few of the 3.5L's that had the power valve screws fall out and get sucked into the combustion chambers. The 3.5L also has a lot more computer controls and subsequently more check engine light issues.
There have been some issues with the bottom of the strut towers rotting out; this is currently being addressed with a recall. Split bushings in the rear suspension upper and lower links are common and can create a hairy driving experience when they are bad. Front strut leaks aren't uncommon. Early R50's had some problems with air bag control units failing and bad TPS's. Overall, they weren't too bad if they were properly maintained.