Hey there, Xterra enthusiasts! New forum member here checking in from Southwest Colorado, and looking for some (obviously slightly biased :wink: ) thoughts/opinions.
Here's the story: for the past five years, I've owned an 04 GMC Yukon AWD 5.3 with 277,000 miles on it currently - and plenty of associated mechanical and body work needed on it. It has seen the road in at least ten states, been driven about 12,000 miles a year under my ownership, had a half-dozen minor accidents (only one of which was claimed on insurance and repaired), and has a noisy motor that currently needs a new intake manifold at the very least, if not a complete teardown/rebuild. Honestly, at this point I'd take the first dealer trade over $500 or the first cash offer on it over $1,000 that came along and wash my hands of it.
I'm a late bloomer who'll be graduating from college for the first time at 27 years old in December, and I'm looking to get out of my truck, to get into something economically priced and with more years/miles left on it while I pay my student loans off with a "real job". My first vehicle was an 01 Tahoe that I loved, and my immediate family has owned purely GM SUVs for about 20 years now - starting with the old body style Blazers and Tahoes, the two trucks that were handed down to me, now the new generation Tahoes and an Equinox - but I'm open to making the jump to the Nissan/Infiniti/Datsun family if the price is right and the quality is there.
To that end, about a three hours' drive from me is a 2006 Xterra S (in what I believe is called "Night Armor" color) at a small dealership with just shy of 100,000 miles on it, priced at $5,000. Probably the only 2nd-generation Xterra with less than 200,000 miles on it that's in my price range and within a reasonable distance. It's been there at that price for about three months because of a noticeable, hardcover-novel size dent in the passenger side rear fender flare area, but I am still very seriously considering the vehicle.
If I limp down the interstate to look at it, is there anything I should try to ask this skeezy little place about the vehicle's history? Anything under the hood or underneath the vehicle (if there's clearance) that I should look for? I haven't even gotten the opportunity to test drive one here locally yet - any thoughts on how it should feel behind the wheel? Mostly, I want to try my best to make sure I'm not inheriting someone else's headache, especially if I'm marrying myself to a payment for the next 72-96 months. I have a feeling that the 2nd generation Xterra might be right for me, especially if it easily accepts a touch-screen radio and backup camera, but I just want to hear about some other folks' experiences with the vehicle before I get further into the buying process.
Thanks so much in advance for suffering through the long read and for any words of wisdom!
Here's the story: for the past five years, I've owned an 04 GMC Yukon AWD 5.3 with 277,000 miles on it currently - and plenty of associated mechanical and body work needed on it. It has seen the road in at least ten states, been driven about 12,000 miles a year under my ownership, had a half-dozen minor accidents (only one of which was claimed on insurance and repaired), and has a noisy motor that currently needs a new intake manifold at the very least, if not a complete teardown/rebuild. Honestly, at this point I'd take the first dealer trade over $500 or the first cash offer on it over $1,000 that came along and wash my hands of it.
I'm a late bloomer who'll be graduating from college for the first time at 27 years old in December, and I'm looking to get out of my truck, to get into something economically priced and with more years/miles left on it while I pay my student loans off with a "real job". My first vehicle was an 01 Tahoe that I loved, and my immediate family has owned purely GM SUVs for about 20 years now - starting with the old body style Blazers and Tahoes, the two trucks that were handed down to me, now the new generation Tahoes and an Equinox - but I'm open to making the jump to the Nissan/Infiniti/Datsun family if the price is right and the quality is there.
To that end, about a three hours' drive from me is a 2006 Xterra S (in what I believe is called "Night Armor" color) at a small dealership with just shy of 100,000 miles on it, priced at $5,000. Probably the only 2nd-generation Xterra with less than 200,000 miles on it that's in my price range and within a reasonable distance. It's been there at that price for about three months because of a noticeable, hardcover-novel size dent in the passenger side rear fender flare area, but I am still very seriously considering the vehicle.
If I limp down the interstate to look at it, is there anything I should try to ask this skeezy little place about the vehicle's history? Anything under the hood or underneath the vehicle (if there's clearance) that I should look for? I haven't even gotten the opportunity to test drive one here locally yet - any thoughts on how it should feel behind the wheel? Mostly, I want to try my best to make sure I'm not inheriting someone else's headache, especially if I'm marrying myself to a payment for the next 72-96 months. I have a feeling that the 2nd generation Xterra might be right for me, especially if it easily accepts a touch-screen radio and backup camera, but I just want to hear about some other folks' experiences with the vehicle before I get further into the buying process.
Thanks so much in advance for suffering through the long read and for any words of wisdom!