I quite like these

"Logansteno: Bought a VW?" (logansteno)
08/07/2014 at 23:16 • Filed to: None

Second generation Pathfinders. The ones before they got all weirdly bloated.

I don't really know much about them though. All I know is they have either a 3.3L V6 or a 3.5L V6. And the 3.5L makes much more power.

Oh, and the Infiniti QX4 is almost exactly the same.

Tell me, are these actually pretty decent SUVs?

DISCUSSION (27)

Jcarr > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/07/2014 at 23:18

Unibody, not body-on-frame if you can believe it.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Jcarr
08/07/2014 at 23:18

Seriously? That's surprising.

AM3R > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/07/2014 at 23:19

They even came with manuals.

My dad bought one new and DD'd it for a few years. I always loved it but he tells me it was junk, even saying it was rusting after just a few years which is weird in VA. I think his was a lemon, nissan guys love these, especially for off-roading. Think of it as a less capable, more luxurious xterra.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > AM3R
08/07/2014 at 23:20

Didn't know that.

Rusting after only a few years? I don't believe that. Unless it was parked outside.

Jcarr > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/07/2014 at 23:23

I know. 1st and 3rd gen are b-o-f. 2nd and 4th are uni.

4th gen is a disgrace to the nameplate if you ask me.

lonestranger > Jcarr
08/07/2014 at 23:23

Erm, nope. The're body-on-frame. I've undercoated dozens of them.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Jcarr
08/07/2014 at 23:24

The 4th gen looks like a bloated pig honestly.

Jcarr > lonestranger
08/07/2014 at 23:26

2nd gen are most definitely unibody.

http://www.edmunds.com/nissan/pathfin…

http://autoweek.com/article/detroi…

AM3R > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/07/2014 at 23:28

I mean it was parked outside and I'm assuming it was only surface rust, but it was worse than our '98 dodge grand caravan.

But it was in the shop a lot (luckily under warranty) and my dad didn't want to keep it around long, so he traded it in for a '05 odyssey which my mom still has and he drove the grand caravan until '07 when he bought a V6 accord.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > AM3R
08/07/2014 at 23:30

That's really strange. I've never seen one for sale around here that's looked like it even had surface rust.

lonestranger > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/07/2014 at 23:33

I've been around plenty of these. Decent SUVs, even even with the earlier 3.3L. The 3.5L is yet another variant of the VQ that is still sold today. Though, styling-wise, I prefer the first gen ones.

I used to be a detailer in the '90s when the local Nissan dealer didn't have their own facilities to do undercoating, rust protection, etc. So we got a lot of then-new Pathfinders in the shop. I'd say at least half were manuals, but this is in Canada where such a thing isn't as odd. The Nissan dealer at the time closed before the 3.5L came out.

Contrary to Jcarr's comment, they are indeed body-on frame.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/07/2014 at 23:34

if I recall: Best oil change ever with the filter reachable from the right front wheel well.

AM3R > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/07/2014 at 23:35

Yeah I haven't seen anyone else with that issue besides some people way up north in Canada who talked about it on an xterra forum. I'm guessing my dad just got a lemon because it was ALWAYS in the shop. He's still turned off of nissan, but with how 'meh' the lineup is right now I don't blame him.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > AM3R
08/07/2014 at 23:36

The only thing in Nissan's lineup I'd buy right now is the 370z.

MAYBE the XTerra.

The Millennial Falcon > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/07/2014 at 23:36

My father has an 02 pathfinder with a mostly-highway 280k on the clock. Granted it's FWD, (no need for 4 in GA) but it's a dependable & surprisingly well-mannered SUV with little headaches. He had an issue a few years back where it got stuck in 2nd (auto) and had to be taken in, but other than that it's been good to him. His weekend special is an E39 M5, so it lends it a bit of credit for keeping him satisfied 5 days out of 7 after ~12 years.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > lonestranger
08/07/2014 at 23:37

The links he posted say 2nd gen is in fact unibody.

Wikipedia says the same as well.

Nibby > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/07/2014 at 23:38

All Pathfinders until the 2013 new gen are body on frame. These are the best gen, IMO. I'd rock a facelifted QX4.

HammerheadFistpunch > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/07/2014 at 23:38

ah, the R52 pathfollower

AM3R > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/07/2014 at 23:38

I'd take a 370z nismo, an xterra IF I HAD A SECOND FUN CAR, and of course a GTR. But I don't see that happening lol.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/07/2014 at 23:39

Actually supposed to be a pretty good little SUV. Not as g0od off-road as its predecessor or successor from what I know, but for what it was, still not bad

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/07/2014 at 23:41

As someone who's off roading would consist of gravel trails and dirt roads, it'd be fine.

lonestranger > Jcarr
08/07/2014 at 23:43

You're right, I stand corrected. My memory's obviously hazy.

http://forums.nicoclub.com/97-04-pathfind…

Kinja'd!!!

Jcarr > lonestranger
08/07/2014 at 23:45

EDIT: nevermind, point was made :)

lonestranger > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/07/2014 at 23:46

Yeah, I'm on crack. Sorry 'bout that.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > lonestranger
08/07/2014 at 23:47

It's really interesting how it's gone back and forth from BOF to unibody so many times though.

Jcarr > lonestranger
08/07/2014 at 23:50

It just seems so counterintuitive for an SUV with that reputation, built in the 90s, to not be b-o-f.

jmedarts > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/08/2014 at 09:01

They are a nice SUV, plenty of room, good power, ride is on the firm side. Mileage sucks. You mentioned gravel trails, I never went on anything worse than that. That 3.5L engine will develop issues over time. The one in my pathfinder developed sludge in the heads that required cleaning. My wife's maxima was burning a quart a week when we traded it in, and my mother had 2 infinti/maxima's consecutively that were burning a quart between changes when she traded them. But fwiw she got another maxima with the same engine. The infiniti dealer she used said they all do that. We are all religious about oil changes every 3.5K miles, but we did not use synthetic, that might help.