TShep704 Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Okay, as tough as it is im at the point that i got to make a decision: whether to keep my 96 Pathfinder or sell and get a new vehicle. My Pathfinders been put through the paces and has a lot of issues. Body damage is ridiculous but that doesnt concern me too much, other than the fact that to pass inspection id have to get a new bumper with signals, both front corner lights, front head light, and a tail light which jsut all that adds up. Also the tie rods blown, clutch is going out, needs 02 sensors, new air filter, and valve cover gaskets need to be done. PLUS my transfer case is leaking and im sure theres a lot more i dont even know about. but, to the point. I want my car to be off road ready which includes lift and tires minimum. my main question is how does the early years xterras compare to off road capability of R50s? and should i spend the thousands of dollars to get mine where it needs to be or sell it and start over with Xterra or another pathy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TShep704 Posted June 14, 2012 Author Share Posted June 14, 2012 ps the xterra forums are just a mess! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Simon and Pezzy can make great points here, they have both (not like that perverts!) but why give up on what you got over mostly stuff you can probaly get here for pennies on the dollar and even the stuff where you go new you can get from Alkorahil at nice prices and be factory parts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TShep704 Posted June 14, 2012 Author Share Posted June 14, 2012 i just feel like to get it how id want it at this point, its going to cost more than i payed for it haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 32x11.50s fit with a PML on the 1st gen, throw a locker in the rear and start saving for steering upgrades. They wheel great with good aftermarket support. Haven't wheeled along side an R50, but I've owned a built gen2 xterra and the gen1s were every bit as capable. We will see how the 92 pathy does this weekend v Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 i just feel like to get it how id want it at this point, its going to cost more than i payed for it haha Why would that be a problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 LOL seems like to get pretty much anything trail ready, you'll put in more than you paid for the base vehicle. Unless you're doing it all yourself... and even then. The R50 is (from what I've heard) just about par with the WD21 as far as performance. The Xterra is WD22, so, just about the same as the WD21, except with different engine options and a leaf sprung rear instead of a five-link like the Pathies. I've heard good/bad either way with leafs vs links. The bigger difference is that the R50 is unibody and the WD (either of them) is body on frame. Translation: the Xterra can be body lifted, the R50 cannot (though the subframe drop does pretty much the same thing, at least for the front end). My dad had an early Xterra. it was gutless, plasticky, and not very comfortable... I'd be inclined to stick with what I know. Besides, in the kind of shape it sounds like your R50 is in, you probably wouldn't get a whole lot for it... so you'd end up paying a lot more out of pocket for the Xterra. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 x2 stick to what you already know and don't waste your time with newer models because they are really not much of an improvement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TShep704 Posted June 14, 2012 Author Share Posted June 14, 2012 my only concern is that its going to cost 2k or better from this point, and if im going to spend that im thinking a better vehicle may be the way to go. ill post pics of it tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonianwalk Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Check the local junkers for your front end parts. There is a '96 in Rock Hill but, the last time I saw it it had been picked clean. The tail lights were still available! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Yeah, everyone has got you covered here pretty much. The + to the WD22 are better aftermarket support, (still nothing on Jeep or Toyota) a frame (and this one isn't swiss cheese) and the feel of a WD21. It drives very much like my WD21 Pathfinders did. For the R50, it's way more comfortable on the road, though, I hate the seats. It's got coil suspension, which I always see as a plus. Flex out of the box. Pezzy has wheeled her R50 anywhere the WD22's in our club have gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandpaX Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 I own a 2000 Xterra... it has the same problems with IFS steering that the WD21's did. It is funny... I didn't think I would miss the open-able rear window that much until it wasn't there. The glass in the Xterra doesn't open... boo! So get ready to grab the groceries or gear before it spills all over the driveway. In my mind the 4 door WD21 is king! Has everything the R50 and WD22 has with a nice price tag. Finding one in good shape is not what it once was.. however they are out there. The R50's really don't trip my trigger.. Not saying an sased early 3.5L with a 5 speed wouldn't be sweet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkorahil Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 I heard my name mentioned.... early R50 and early WD22....same engine and drivetrain....about the same milege.. If you are wanting an xterra, I would go for a 2010+ N50 (second gen xterra) with the off road package. It is ready to wheel as is. very stout package IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyrides07 Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 I'm in the same boat as the OP, but I can't afford a newer rig yet. I'm getting to the point where I need to drop some more serious coin to keep my r50 alive and prevent further problems. I've narrowed my "newer rig" to a '10 Xterra or an '08-09 FJ. I'm just hoping my truck will get me through this summer. I had a 2000 Xterra several years back, and I HATED it for off roading! It was gutless, and I broke the computer in the dash wheeling (so I had no speedo, no odometer, no temp gauge). I only had the truck for about 2 months and I dented the oil pan MAJORILY too. I took it into the dealership and traded her! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Again my 2c. Wheeling a 28k rig sucks. Every dent is a tragedy. That and things still break, they are just far more expensive to fix. Front wheel bearings on a gen2? They are not serviceable and are part if the hub, $250 part. Want to lift it? Any spacer above 2in up front and the UCA will come into contact with the coil bucket. UCA $450, want to replace the coil overs? I just installed a $2000 lift on a 2007 xterra OR, it doesn't have anywhere near the clearance as my wd21. If it is going to see a lot of trail time, go with an older rig. A newer x will run about $450 a month, think of the updates and mods that kind of coin can buy. My days of wheeling new trucks are over. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 The Toyota FJ cruiser sucks. It's so cheap and flimsy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TShep704 Posted June 15, 2012 Author Share Posted June 15, 2012 i didnt get a chance to get pics today, but with all the problems mine has im wondering if i should just get what i can out of it and start over with a different R50? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 It depends on if the unibody structure is mangled. If it's just all minor things you should fix the truck because you could be buying an even worse one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCrow Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 The Toyota FJ cruiser sucks. It's so cheap and flimsy. On the contrary the FJ out wheels and tougher than any Nissan except the real Patrol and Nissan decided to stop building real offroad by discontinuing its Patrol production . I know iam putting myself under attack for saying so on a Nissan forum but I own an FJ and a 4Runner and both of them out wheels my R50 . Back to the R50 X terra choice they wheel the same except the R50 is way smoother on the road. So if your offroad is moderate fix her my 2 cent advise . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trogdor636 Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Ive been wheeling in a newer FJ and I was pretty impressed. It was no 60's Landcruiser, but they don't really build em like that anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAXEDpath Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Well as far as xterras go the old ones are almost the same as our pathfinders. They have the same motor and in my opinion about the same size, the only real difference is how the xterras have a seperate body and frame. The newer xterras still seperate frame from body but with a 4.0 engine instead of a 3.3. The xterras and pathfinders both have their pros and cons so it all comes down to what you think feels the best for you. They are all offroad capable stock and all can be made into some sweet sweet offroaders. As far as forums go this one is the easiest to navigate and use in my opinion, newx.org doesn't got anything this even with their HUGE growth right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 (edited) I have 2 friends with Xterras, and when we go 'wheeling they always complain that I drive way too fast and they can't keep up. Finally, one of them rode shotgun with me on the bumpy forest road he'd just driven, and he commented that the ride is SO much smoother than his Xterra, no wonder I can drive so much faster! Apparently the coil-sprung suspension provides a remarkably smoother ride than the torsion bar/leaf spring suspension on the X. I still prefer my R50 over the Xterra, and if my Pathy dies, I would probably replace it with another R50 (VQ engine with a part-time T-case) or a late-model 4Runner, not an Xterra. That being said, I have great respect for the Xterra and its aftermarket support. You can do a front solid axle swap much more cheaply than an R50, and it's easier to fit huge tires, too. Edited June 20, 2012 by XPLORx4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westslope Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Been wondering if I should upgrade to an Xterra from the current 1993 WD21. A buddy visited the other day with his. Never took it off road but made two observations running errands in town: - the WD21 pathfinder appears to have a better view through the windows. - the Xterra appears to have a firmer ride which I assumed was due to the leaf springs. It seemed to lurch around less than our pathfinder. Perhaps I should simply switch out the stock springs on the pathfinder in order to reduce lurching and sway? Any thoughts on that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I haven't been in any newer vehicle that I thought had good visibility... I'm 6'4" and cars are apparently built for short people now. I can't see out of my dad's 07 Fronty unless I hunch forward like an old man, and my mom's Honda CRV is just godawful... the mirror is right in my line of sight, and the A pillar is so thick I have to lean forward to look ahead on left turns. It's probably a crash standard thing that'll come in handy when I can't see where I'm going and pile up against something. </rant> I'd stick with the Pathy and put a new set of shocks in it... unless it's sagging, I don't think the springs are to blame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 ^^visibility!^^. Just wheeled my 1992 pathy for the first time. Only one moderate trail, the rest of the day was spent on "most difficult" trails. I'm never going back to a new rig. It was so much narrower than my 06, the same trails seemed so wide. The rear flexed so much the tires took the coating off the frame. Flat out, these things kick ass! Very impressed. --- I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?n4pfhf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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