QuestionI am interested in purchasing a Nissan Pathfinder;however, I can not afford a new one. Affordable for me is 2001-2003 with 40,000 to 70,000 miles. Therefore my questions is how many miles can a Nissan Pathfinder typically travel if well maintained (regular oil changes, tires, etc) before hitting major repair needs. My experience with a Ford Taurus is when you hit 100,000, start to expect trouble. I suppose overall I wonder if a Pathfinder with 70,000 miles can be driven another 70,000 without typically hitting regular major (annual $2,000 repair bills) problems? I know this is a broad question, but can you provide any insights on the Pathfinder?
AnswerBecause its a Nissan, I would say it should go the distance for you.
But, have the car checked by an ASE certified mechanic making a checklist yourself.
Include in the checklist cooling system, charging system, brake system, starting system, fuel system for pressures, check the filters (oil,air,fuel) these will tell you how good the maintenance has been, transmission shifting, physical condition of the engine by checking to see what the compression in each cylinder is. Take these numbers and divide them by what the numbers should be and you will find what percentage each cylinders condition is. Heres an example:
Cylinder #1 has a compression reading of 140 PSI, the manufacturer specifies the PSI should be 160 (which is normal wear) 140 divided by 160=0.875 or 88% (move the decimal over two places to the right and round off)
When the cylinders start dropping below 70-75% is when you'll generally start having problems.
It seems like a lot of work, but as long as you do your homework, you'll be better off.
Check the drive train such as axles and u-joints. But most of all check for leaks everywhere.
