I mis-posted this in the wrong forum, great first impression!
After much reading and test driving, my next car is highly likely to be a 2012 Pathfinder LE or Silver, when I can find something with low miles. I'm coming out of an Outback that I put 200,000 rough miles on, and no one makes anything like that car anymore, so I'm creeping up in size.
The Xterra caught my very serious consideration early on, until I found out that the R51 is like a long wheelbase Xterra, with more comfort stuff that an aging fart like myself can enjoy.
My questions are technical, hoping someone may know:
-The "LE" has 18" wheels? Is there anything stopping me for switching to 16? Are the brakes the same across all 4 options packages?
-What differs between the Xterra drivetrain and the R51 apart fromt he IRS? Does the R51 have anythig watered down? Were there different gear ratios offered within the Pathfinder line-up?
-Both the Xterra and R51 are on the F-A chassis, is there much part compatibility?
-Any common consumables, recalls, or "weak links" in the R51? (like the head gaskets in my Subaru). Looks like a Trans cooler bypass is a foregone conclusion.
Since posting this, I found a great resource that helped me navigate the mess of options and model codes:
http://www.auto-brochures.com/nissan.html
Thanks all for your time, I appreciate any advice!
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