I've always liked them since Nissan put them on the road. But I had a '93 Path that I've been driving since '96. I never had the funds to look into buying an Xterra. My Pathfinder was pretty much on it's deathbead. The rear chassis was like swiss cheese and I couldn't risk driving it anymore.
I've been shopping around for an Xterra for the past 2-3yrs. More aggressively as the Pathy was just slowly falling apart on me. In June of 2011 I found a Silver '02 XEV6 for sale. It had 104k miles on it, pretty decent condition. Few blemishes here and there, but on an X it showed character (even though I didn't put the dings there). The seller was asking $6,500. I countered with $5,500 to be fair because I knew these vehicles were running around $6,000 - $8,000 and with miles over 130k. I got it for $5,400. I didn't notice the rear carpet in the cargo area was splashed with bleach and was somewhat deteriorated in the upper corner. I spent $1,400 on two new tires, an alignment and ball joint replacement.
I joined the forums to find out more about the FirstGens, Pros/Cons, what to keep an eye on, what NEEDS to be replaced, and the How-Tos are FANTASTIC!!! I like to go camping with my son(s). My oldest boy is 8 and we've gone to several Cub/Parent events, so he's now an "experienced camper". My youngest is 4, so I don't know how he would handle camping.
My vehicle is still running stock. I added a safari basket and carry my spare in it. I found trying to drop the spare from underneath was difficult. The holes didn't seem to line up right. After fighting with the tire for about 15mins, I decided to roof mount it. It's great when looking for it in a parking lot. I have a tow strap (w hooks... I know, no good). I added Molle seat covers like Tommy (Bklyn X). They just look bad ass. I removed and replaced the headliner myself so I could say, "Look what I did!!" I also replaced the timing belt, drive belts, water pump, and thermostat (with some help, but I did the majority of the work). I'm not a mechanic and don't claim to be. I can do SOME things on my own. Other things are out of my comfort zone, but I am willing to get my hands dirty if I have an experienced person on hand if I do something wrong.
I would love to do some mods on my vehicle, PML, shrock bumpers, sliders, etc. But $$$ is a factor. These extras are not cheap by any means. Being self employed and the economy still in the toilet, all funds go for family and bills and not toys. LOL
I hope to find some time to attend some of the runs and see some members out on the Tenderfoot trails.
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