Thinking of buying a Nissan Xterra - HELP?

dcfaithful

Hey all,
Perhaps some of you have read previous threads or posts of mine talking about my girlfriends car. The "Stallion", as I like to call it, is a 1998 Honda Civic EX that has more life in it that I would've EVER expected...but sadly, it's at a turning point. High miles (176400-ish), Many things are needing replacement/fixing, etc. In a nutshell, I have come to the realization that I think it may be time to start looking into a new vehicle to save ourselves the trouble of repair after repair, which is what we've been dealing with for two years now.

I drive a 2003 civic, which is in excellent shape, with low mileage. We have been considering a mid-size SUV as our second vehicle (it would come in handy since we are the outdoor recreational type), and have been looking for the past couple of months, just to see what is out there. I stopped in the dealership where I got my Honda and the car before that and they have on the lot, a 2001 Nissan Xterra XE. Here are the more important specs to the vehicle...

-Purchased from the original owner. Vehicle has an ABSOLUTELY clean title.
-Impressively clean/well performing vehicle
-Proof of regular maintenance since the time of original purchase.
-Virtually untouched interior, cosmetics inside and out are perfect.
-New tires.
-New timing belt (which is good considering the miles it is at)

The price of the vehicle is $5910. KBB says $7700.

Our only concern is the mileage on the Xterra, which is roughly 126,400. But with all the other pros to the vehicle, I feel like the number of the mileage shouldnt' concern me. If we continue taking extra special care of the vehicle (which I do with my cars anyways), I think it has a lot left in it...

Sorry this has gotten to be a long post. I don't have too much experience with buying used cars...this will be my first independent purchase, since my two previous ones were done with my parents when I was a teenager in high school.

Should I be weary of that mileage, even though it is apparant the car is in great shape, and has received some good TLC?

Anybody ever own, or currently owns an Xterra? What do/don't you like about it.

Thanks for reading, and thank you even more for your input!

vduboise

126,400 miles is a lot of miles considering this will be her main vehicle. Even tho it looks nice on the inside and out, how is the engine? has it had any major work done? has some of the original parts that wear out been replaced? How many oil changes, and fluid changes? Have you test drove it yet?

You should go on Carfax.com to see if it has been in any major accidents.

12345AGNST1

Personally I don't see any sense in getting a replacement car with almost as high miles as the old one. I would look for other ones. Have you considered getting a Jeep Wrangler? Their engines are known to be bullet proof.

dcfaithful

12345AGNST1 wrote:

Personally I don't see any sense in getting a replacement car with almost as high miles as the old one. I would look for other ones. Have you considered getting a Jeep Wrangler? Their engines are known to be bullet proof.

That's pretty much what I though too. I haven't really considered a Wrangler...perhaps I'll check into that.

vduboise wrote:

126,400 miles is a lot of miles considering this will be her main vehicle. Even tho it looks nice on the inside and out, how is the engine? has it had any major work done? has some of the original parts that wear out been replaced? How many oil changes, and fluid changes? Have you test drove it yet?

You should go on Carfax.com to see if it has been in any major accidents.

Carfax.com shows that there have been 0 accidents throughout the life of the car. Regular oil and fluid changes throughout the life of the car as well, and as far as I can tell. No major engine work has been done. About part replacement...dont' really know except for the new timing belt.

I have test drove it, and it runs just fine. No supsicious noises or activities...

The real concern for me on this is that damn odometer!

vduboise

Since the high miles kinda worry you, then the only thing I would suggest it get it independently checked out by a Nissan dealership. I will be a couple hours of labor. Offer to pay- it will be a couple hundred bucks- but it will give you some peace of mind. If the dealer balks, then walk away- if he is honest about the car, then he won't have a problem having someone else look it over.

If its all good- then buy it. If you are still worried- pass and get something with less than 100,000 on it. There are so many cars out there-

dcfaithful

vduboise wrote:

Since the high miles kinda worry you, then the only thing I would suggest it get it independently checked out by a Nissan dealership. I will be a couple hours of labor. Offer to pay- it will be a couple hundred bucks- but it will give you some peace of mind. If the dealer balks, then walk away- if he is honest about the car, then he won't have a problem having someone else look it over.

If its all good- then buy it. If you are still worried- pass and get something with less than 100,000 on it. There are so many cars out there-

Yeah, that's true. A lot of cars that have been highly appealing to us under 100,000 miles, are kind out of our financial means...damn, buying cars is a pain! I think I might do the Nissan dealer thing...thanks for the help!:)

dcfaithful

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=&nid=4 ... ad=1458531

Here is the Xterra.

mfc2006

aren't these cars highly prone to roll over? for some reason i remember reading/hearing that.

CJMST3K

3 years ago I test-drove a Nissan Xterra and a Toyota Highlander. I needed the space for transporting artwork, and I was surprised the Highlander had a little more space. The ride was dramatically different. Xterra was extremely bouncy, whereas the Highlander was very smooth. So, if you're planning on doing a lot of outdoor sports, Xterra may be for you. If you're looking for a smooth ride to work and around town, Xterra is probably not for you.

MayDay10

I own an 05 Xterra. I like it a lot and do a lot of driving (already about 82K).