trying to decide which 4x4

[MatthewakaMatt]

I've finally come to the conclusion that having your only vehicle be a lowered Miata is not very practical, especially in Colorado. So I am doing a bit of research and probably will buy a 4 door SUV in the next few months. I am wanting a small to medium sized SUV so that I can haul people and loads, have an easier time getting through deep snow, perhaps be able to trailer the 2k pound Miata to and from race days, and do a bit of moderate off roading (i.e. not a tube frame rock crawler, but plan on doing the basic mods and then seeing what it and I are capable of).

 

When doing some research on what has a good overall reputation, I think I am mostly cross shopping between the 90s 4Runner, FJ60 Landcruiser, and 90s Pathfinder. The XTerra looks cool, but I doubt I would feel comfortable pushing something that new and expensive on rough terrain. Anybody mind giving some input on what the relative strengths and weaknesses of these are? Since this is a Pathfinder board, overall are you happy with your trucks? When shopping are there any specific problem areas that I should check on Pathfinders of that era?

 

thanks,

Matt

[boothill2008]

Matt,

 

I think your choice to hit up the people on this board is a wise one. I think a Pathfinder would be an ideal choice for a few reasons:

1. Cost - You can pick up a pretty clean 1994 or 95 Pathfinder pretty cheap compared to say a Toyota or other

4X4.

2. Capability - My stock 92 SE V6 surprises me every time I take it out, I have gone places that

challenge more expensive lifted 4X4's.

3. Room - the 4 door Pathfinder can easily carry 4 adults and gear, 5 if you're willing to get cozy.

I recommend that you get a WD21 Pathfinder from 1988 to 1995, that has the ladder frame before unibody. The common problems are posted in that specific forum. Read the posts, they are invaluable.

 

Take care, and good luck!!

Edited March 20, 2008 by boothill2008

[Slick]

being as you mention colorado. frame rust. check any 88-95 pathy for frame rust above and behind the rear tires...... if not sure, smack it with a hammer.

the only weak point on an otherwise indestructible truck is the IFS....... t bars not over cranked will elongate the life, but IFS limits flexibility, not enough to make a huge difference unless you're rock crawling, but you asked for issues/limits, and that's one of them.

other than the IFS and frame rot on salted road pathys, these are VERY tough little trucks, have a low CoG and can handle corners, towing and daily life with grace.

the auto trans is the pathy's only other possible let down........ if no after market trans cooler is used, the trannies have a tendency to have a premature melt down... thus, losing reverse first... and going from there. the 5 speeds are pretty much indestructible.

 

87-89 are 2 door only, TBi VG30i motors and 90-95 are 4 door only, MPFi VG30e motors exact same blocks, just diff injection/air systems

Edited March 20, 2008 by Slick

[laxman0324]

Or if you were really smart you would get a 96-99 which has the benefit of a little extra power on a couple hundred pound lighter SUV. Unibody has its advantages in the on road handling, mine has NO squeeks or rattles, I can 21mpg on a smooth highway, it has more power to get you through the mountains, newer interior, etc... And much more stylish then the boxy style WD

 

The only reason I would consider a WD is either for the easy body lift or the tighter LSD then the LSD in the R50 (96-04).

[csutke]

Where in colorado are you at? Right now im in texas but I live in fort collins check out www.roninwheelers.com (its a site thats 99% nissans in colorado) to see some pics of Xterra's off roading and youll be suprised at what they can do. As far a picking out a pathfinder it depends on what your looking for. The 96-04 pathy's have a unibody but also have coil suspension and dont have the problems of the weak steering of the older bodies, they have a little bit more power and parts are going to be a little bit cheaper, and look better IMO .

[MikeV]

Whoopin Time!!!

 

You beat caR50!!

You beat caR50 severely on the ground. When there is lots of blood showing, you head up to the nearest 10-story building's roof and drop him over the edge. You run home silently and carefully.

Edited March 21, 2008 by MikeVanceinWI

[csutke]

oh so thats you? A$$hole

[mws]

The towing in Colorado is going to be a real challenge if you are thinking to put the Miata on a trailer. You just ain't got much air up there, yet the hills are steep.... I'm afraid a Pathy (or any of the others you listed) just isn't going to do it as well as you'd like.

 

You really need at least 5 liters worth of torque...

 

But other than that, they are excellent rigs, and I highly recommend them.

[mws]

Whoopin Time!!!

 

You beat caR50!!

You beat caR50 severely on the ground. When there is lots of blood showing, you head up to the nearest 10-story building's roof and drop him over the edge. You run home silently and carefully.

 

 

WTF? Are you trying to sound like a non-sensical, illiterate, grammatically challenged idiot?

 

If you were, congratulations. Now explain yourself.

 

If not, you failed....

[laxman0324]

WTF? Are you trying to sound like a non-sensical, illiterate, grammatically challenged idiot?

 

If you were, congratulations. Now explain yourself.

 

If not, you failed....

 

Its from the 4x4country game...

[MatthewakaMatt]

I'm in Golden, Colorado just west of Denver at the base of the mountains. I will definitely check out www.roninwheelers.com in detail when I get a chance. Just gave it a quick look and it seems like a cool sight. Fortunately from Golden it doesn't require crossing any real passes in between there and Denver or the Springs where most autocrosses are held.

 

I will be certain to check any Pathfinder (and any vehicle for that matter) for rust on the frame or wheel well area. I initially had in mind the boxy first gen Pathfinders, but it sounds like I should do some more reading comparing them and the later ones. Did they sell a manual transmission on the 96+ ones? I really can't stand automatic transmissions so that's an important question for me deciding which I want.

[csutke]

yes there are manual tranny's in the R50

[zonianbrat]

They did offer Manual trannies but I think they are kinda rare around here (I am too in colorado). If you decide on a pathfinder then I do think you should go with the 96-99 or newer simply because if you want to tow then you need as much power as you can get. If you plan on towing your Miata then the 4-runner and pathfinder are about the same. You dont want to tow for real long distances. Your miata weighes like 2k plus a trailer weighes 1k give or take. My 97 is rated to tow 5000 lbs. I towed a dump trailer once with probably a bit more than that with drywall materials and it was struggling up hills but it managed. If you do get a pathy I would suggest an aftermarket tranny cooler since that is where the stress will be from towing. Just my .02 good luck. Oh and as far as off-roading, the pathfinder is a great vehicle. I have done alot of things with mine that I did not think it was capable of at first.

[Mecinoid]

Not sure what your budget is. But, if your budget allow for a $13-15K SUV you might consider a 2001-03 Pathfinder with the VQ motor and 255HP.

 

It will tow quite a lot and still gets 20 mpg unloaded. I tow my 3500lbs boat (21')on a 1200lbs trailer and it hauls butt up hills and around corners through the mountains. My buddy with his V8 and towing his boat simply was shocked. The newer motor with the extra HP is really nice for towing. I tow my 67 Race Car and a very heavy trailer with major tool, gas, extra tires, ramps, compressor you name it.

 

I actually would recommend a older Jeep Cherokee for power if you plan on towing and can't afford a 2001 and newer Pathfinder imo. My Old Jeep with air shocks did pretty good handling the loads. But, it didn't even come close to what this Pathfinder is capable of.

 

 

My .02

Edited March 21, 2008 by Mecinoid

[MatthewakaMatt]

Though I could afford then newer Pathfinders I think I am not wanting to spend more then about $7k, so that the truck is cheap enough I don't feel too worried about it when stuff breaks offroad. I just checked on some of the car search sites and it turns out that the manual transmission newer pathfinders actually exist in small numbers, so I will definitely keep them in mind.

 

Regarding towing, I was asking mostly from curiosities sake to find out if that is an option or not. I currently compete in a street tire class in autocross with the Miata, so right now it isn't any problem to just drive it to and from race days. However, there is always the temptation to some day throw a supercharger and some giant race slicks on it and try to compete with the fast cars, which would make towing it sound easier then trying to cary slicks, tools, and gear all inside the little Miata. So while I wouldn't mind some towing capacity it is probably the least influential of the factors when deciding what I want.

 

I haven't had good experiences reliability wise with the Jeep (replaced engine once and trans twice before dumping it) I use to own, so I am rather hesitant to consider buying another.

[csutke]

FYI I got my pathy for 7k.

[Trainman]

Regarding towing, I was asking mostly from curiosities sake to find out if that is an option or not. I currently compete in a street tire class in autocross with the Miata, so right now it isn't any problem to just drive it to and from race days. However, there is always the temptation to some day throw a supercharger and some giant race slicks on it and try to compete with the fast cars, which would make towing it sound easier then trying to cary slicks, tools, and gear all inside the little Miata. So while I wouldn't mind some towing capacity it is probably the least influential of the factors when deciding what I want.

 

There is a fellow on another board I frequent who also races a smaller sports car, in his case a Honda S2000. He installed a trailer hitch on the S and trailers his race tires/parts etc. on a little utility trailer. Seems to work well for him.

 

2001 Pathys are listed here for around $11,000 CDN. I could see going price for well under $10,000. Something to think about as the VQ engine is a beauty.

 

But note that the manual only has a towing capacity of 3,500 lbs vs 5,000 for the AT. This applies to both the VQ and older motors. Good luck.

[mws]

Unfortunately, the vehicles that are perfect for off-roading in CO are not so perfect for towing.... And vice versa.

 

For $7000, you could get a SERIOUSLY nice 5 speed WD21 for offroading AND have a serious chunk o' change left over towards a real tow vehicle in the future! The value of gas guzzlers is plummeting right now.

 

That's what I did. And since I have two drivers, I don't carry any insurance beyond P&L which keeps costs of operation in line. If one gets wrecked or stolen, I do still have the other.... And since both are older ('87 and '88) and not cherry looking, they are not likely to be stolen. And registration is cheap!

 

Or you can put the money in the bank and use it to rent tow vehicles when you need it....

[Mecinoid]

If your going to go with a mid 90's .... Here's a nice low mileage for the year Pathfinder for only $2900. It would fit the bill nicely.

 

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_...mp;cardist=1819

 

And here is a 2000 for under $7000 - The only thing it doesn't have is the VQ found in the 2001 and newer - Really nice rig:

 

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_...mp;cardist=1801

 

Good Luck - I hope my post helped you.

Edited March 23, 2008 by Mecinoid

[MatthewakaMatt]

Well, I'm bumping this thread back up from the dead. After doing a bit of research on what modifications are needed to truly make a 4x4 good off road, I had a couple questions about the aftermarket parts availability for the various generations. Manually engageable differential lockers (such as ARB air lockers) in both diffs seem to be one of the best off road upgrades you can get, so I want to make sure that whatever generation I get can use them. I have seen ARB's that say they are for 86+ Pathfinders (1 shop's link for the ARBs), but I don't know if they are just for the first generation ones or if certain ARB's (or other brands) can be used in the 96-2000s and 2001-2004 generations.

 

How about skid plates, slider bars, and bumpers? Not damaging the truck when you are going over rocks seems pretty important. I've been able to find most of those parts for the 2000 and older models, but haven't seen aftermarket heavy duty bumpers or skid plates for the 2001+ ones with the more powerful motor. Are they available for the newer ones, or do those ones need custom built parts to keep from getting torn up?

 

It seems that there is a good selection of mild lift kits and good tires for all the various years, so rounding out the off road modifications with those parts should be about even for any era Pathfinder. Roughly how much trimming/grinding in the fender wells would it take to run a 32" or 33" tire (with appropriate wheel offset of course) would it take for each generation with a mild lift like Old Man Emu's couple inch kits or Calmini for the WD21?

Edited March 31, 2008 by MatthewakaMatt

[ILoveMyPatty]

Generally speaking, 3+3=33. That's 3" Suspension lift, 3" Body lift and you can fit 33's with the proper rims. I have 32's on my non-lifted 1990 Pathy right now, on some older Toyota rims. I've trimmed the fenders a tiny bit, and it seems fine. I haven't taken it out, but I think it will be just fine. But usually, 3+3=33.

[MatthewakaMatt]

Wow, guess the Pathfinders must have smaller wheel wells then the 4Runners, because apparently a bit of trimming is all it takes to fit 33s on them at stock hight. I had just assumed that since the 2 trucks are so similar in general that at stock height or with a 2"-3" lift 33s would have fit no problem for the Pathfinder too. Well, a 32 should work just fine for the level of offroading I plan on doing.

 

Does anybody know if the ARB lockers can be installed in post 95 Pathfinders or not? I have no idea about when axles and diffs changed for the Pathfinder so I haven't been able to figure it out from ARB's application charts.