DRAGON64

He has done the timing belt twice. We saw a service record for the 2nd change at 205,000 miles. I did not see any rust in or on the towers, but we did not crawl those over inch by inch as we were pretty obstructed by the low light condition etc. I worry about the rust in the bumper, as my experience tells me that is usually the tip of the iceberg so to speak... but we did not find anymore rust other than surface here and there, especially the exhaust system. We gave him a $100 retainer so that he would not sell it until we could make a full positive decision on the purchase. The small area of rust is giving me some reason to pause...

I'm back now, and I am happy to say that I was not disappointed with what I saw. Everything worked as it should, with no major malfunctions or gotchas... Even managed 70-miles an hour without any booty wobble. We did open the hood, in fact we crawled nearly every inch of this Pathfinder... Other than requiring an oil change, the engine compartment was in great condition... The only disappointment was this little [atch of rust in the rear bumper... Sorry for the blurry image.

That is what I have been reading. The owners says that he has not noticed the issue, so we will see here in about 2-hours. I plan to make him drive the vehicle first, so I can see how he drives... and have him get up to highway speeds so I can put that demon to rest. I hope he is open to negotiation... here is the link to the ad. https://huntsville.craigslist.org/cto/5565845668.html

The more I read up on recorded issues and known issues the `96 Pathfinder, the more I am leaning towards steering clear of one. Can my fears be unfounded? The rear sway issue alone is giving me the willies! Not that this particular ride has the problem... but inheriting in the future would suck!

It is a craigslist find here in Alabama, and since I am a would-be first time Pathfinder owner, I wanted to know what to watch out for... The car is an SE with manual trans, loaded with all of the options from 1996, including leather, and it has 223,000+ miles on it. The owner states that the car is mechanically sound, and has said that he replaced the timing belt @ 205,000. Now I originally migrated to this forum as I was looking at getting a WD21 Pathfinder, but this R50 has really struck a nerve... so if there is anything to lookout for, please let me know. I think first and foremost, will be the rear suspension to see if there is anything that would cause the Pathfinder to wiggle at highway speeds etc. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Alright, an R50 has presented itself; a real nice Black `96 model to be exact. A little higher mileage, but much better over-all condition than the `91 I originally posted about. I won't know till I see the car on Tuesday evening....arrrrgh, rocks and hard places should be for offroad, not decision making!

Is the Rebelord 1999 SE in your signature the Pathfinder you were referring too? That is a nice lookingride!

I have always liked the hardbody Pathfinder...

Searched for my first Nissan Pathfinder today... All! Day!!

He offered $2950 and I am letting it ride. In a week maybe he will have a better price for me... I wish I lived a little closer to the left. Here in Alabama, we get the Pathfinders (and other cars) that drop down from the nothern states after they have seen a season or two in the snow/salt belt. Thanks for the replies, I will keep looking!

So I am looking for my first Pathfinder. Just today, I looked at one off of Craigslist; it is a `91 with 187,000mi on it. 3.0, 5-speed, AC, power windows etc etc etc. No rust anywhere! Body is straightest of any 25-year old vehicle I have ever seen. Interior is dirty, but manageable. The timing belt, water pump, and associated hoses and thermostat where replaced in December. The vehicle has the following issues: dry rotted tires, window and sunroof seals; engine has a miss; clutch lets out right at the floor, and the windshield is cracked. The asking price is $3500 I left knowing (or thought I knew) that this was not "the one" yet now, I want to venture and take a chance that the issues, except for tires, are not that serious or costly... name the clutch and engine miss. Would you make an offer on this SE? When I got home, I went back to looking at craigslist, and the remaining Pathfinders are in rougher shape or higher mileage... should I wait for a better 25-year old Pathfinder to surface? Is this as good as it gets? Rock-n-a-hard-place!