General Comments:
First, the pros:
Very comfortable vehicle; adequate power; capable of handling itself in most situations, from harsh winters to light off-roading; solid engine.
Now, the cons:
Horrible gas mileage (13MPG average - but what else would I expect from a 4WD SUV?)
Sucked my wallet dry - repairs were overly expensive.
RUST - watch out for this! The majority of my problems were a result of the rust bucket that is my truck.
4WD system finicky at times (could just be my experience, tended to slow the car down greatly when engaged)
Way more repairs required than I would expect for a vehicle of this age - what happened to Pathfinders being reliable? Not in my experience.
Overall, I liked this truck. Bought it used for 2,100 in 2007 (dealer trade in value - bought from a private owner who decided not to trade it in). In the two years I've owned it, I've sunk around 5,000 into it in repairs - not something I'm pleased with.
How could this have been improved? My recommendation to anyone looking at a used Pathfinder - look closely!!! RUST IS THE ENEMY. My car lived most of its life in upstate New York and lasted through some very harsh winters, but each one took a significant toll on the body. The body itself is disintegrating, the frame will likely soon follow. So many of the little problems with this truck could have been avoided if the rust weren't such an issue. Check your used cars carefully!
In addition to the rust, I think that the vehicle's previous owners had a lot to do with its current state. When we bought it, the clutch was burnt out, ball joints and struts were going, exhaust was falling apart... lots of small things that added up to one big lemon.
It was a very comfortable truck, with plenty of power and capability, but the lack of reliability is severely pushing me away from buying another one in the future.
5th May 2013, 15:06
I had just bought a used a AWD car that was very sluggish even with the clutch disengaged. It would not coast, but would slow down right away.
Turns out the transfer case had very little oil, and this was causing a drag that the engine had to "overcome - all the time", hence bad gas mileage.
I put a good synthetic gear oil in the transfer case, including the 5 speed tranny & differentials. The change was most notably, a greatly improved gas mileage, better acceleration and smoother constant speed (highway) driving, plus easier shifting.