Need your Opinion

[Z_Pilot]

Kudos to all of you that have invested your time here to create a place for Pathfinder lovers I once owned a 90SE 2dr for several years and I loved her to death. I have recently gotten myself into a never-ending money pit with a Jeep Wrangler. The project was fun...did the whole bit with the mods, but it is still an unreliable Jeep at the end of the day ...it is time to move on to better things. I have been very picky about what Pathy I want: 94 to 95 black SE 5-speed. You can't imagine how hard it is to find a nice MT unit!

I finally found one here.

What do you think?

MUCH thanks to NPORA member jj big shoe for allowing me to use his account to run a carfax. The carfax reveiled no problems, and just two owners. I called the owner and among other things asked about the manifold studs and timing belt. Bad news is that neither has been changed, good news is that it has been lady-driven its whole life. (The owner's wife drives it now, and the original owner is the wife's mother). The owner was not aware of the Pathfinder's maintanence issues (frame rot, manifold studs, timing belt). It sounds like they were the type that: puts gas in the car, wahes/waxes often, & changes the oil regularly...but that is it. The owner did not see any rust, or hear any ticking on a cold start. Irreguardless of this, I am going to have the car inspected. (I can't inspect myself...too far away).

 

So, if you dont mind...can some of you chime in?

 

General Opinions?

 

I am freaking out about the frame rot issue. Do all 93 to 95 Pathys have it?

Do the roads get salted in the Baltimore, MD area?

 

Is the engine ruined if the timing belt has not been changed yet?

(I had the belt changed on my previos Pathy at 75k mi)

 

Thanks, and I hope to become an active part of the NPORA community.

 

Z_Pilot

[Precise1]

Hey Z_Pilot, looks like you may have found a decent one, the milage is nice anyway... It appears that 93-95 have the potential for frame rust, but my 95XE seems perfectly fine out here in Ca so I'm sure it has to do with the local environment, and I dont think the roads get salted in MD, it has to snow regularly for that, right ? Generally speaking, no, no problem with the motor if the timing belt hasn't been changed, only a problem if it breaks or skips teeth so have it changed/change it right away if you buy it. Also, depending on the driver/conditions, the clutch could be worn or still have 50K left on it... These two 'fixes' are moderately expensive and should detract from the sale price. I thought Pathys were cheaper back there, $5K seems like a mint price, but then maybe it is... Good Luck !

 

Bernard

[Mr. Pickles]

Looks like a possibly decent rig. Depends on condition and location. Out of curiosity on seeing yours, my 94 at 142K miles still pulls Kelly Blue Book value of almost a $7K dealer value, and a bit over $5K private party in the Seattle area. The deal depends strongly on area, mileage, overall condition, etc. obviously. If you're in a weaker market like the east coast or particularly the rust belt, that may be a bit rich of a price. Out here, that's probably a decent price. Do some research on the vehicle up close, as well as price trends at sites like www.kbb.com, etc.

 

As for the other stuff, the studs would be a decent investment regardless, and if they're not already broken and you replaced them, chances are it would be easy and pretty cheap. The frame rust issue is pretty straight forward, either it is or it isn't. If it is, you probably want to move one. As for the timing belt, no the engine is in no way destroyed. Its not a matter of overall engine health, but instead a wear item that should be replaced at recommended intervals. But if you don't take care of it and the belt breaks, the engine will be severly damanged because the engine is an interference type. This means the distance the piston travels overlaps the distance that the valves travel, so if the timing goes to hell, those parts collide (valves vs. pistons) and get very expensive to replace, not to mention the motor rebuild. Been there, done that. Its worth even the high prices quoted to replace the timing belt by far, cause that's much cheaper than replacing part or all of an engine.

[Animal]

Even though Maryland salts the roads at the mention of snow/ice the frame on my '92 is fine. I'm not sure why this is a problem for some and not others. Perhaps mud or sand?

The timing belt isn't hard to replace (though getting to it is a bit of a pain) and doesn't cost much.

Hell, $5K for one with just over 100K miles! And from the pictures it looks like it has been well kept. I'd consider buying it if you don't. I'd visit it though before forking over the cash - I don't understand people buying cars on eBay - I want to kick the tires.

[94extreme]

they toss salt on the roads in MD.. it snows enough plus peeps freak out just at the idea of snow...

 

lady driven is always a scary thing from my experience... ladies tend not to take care of the cars very well at all.. maintenance, what's that? SCARY!

 

the truck looks just like mine though.. it's a decent deal, not a steal by any means but nice truck from it's looks... if you look harder you could probably save another 1k but 5speeds are hard to come by in the east. i had to overpay somewhat to get mine...

[88pathoffroad]

By the way, the recommended change interval for a 93-95 Pathy's t-belt is 105,000 miles.

[Duffman]

From what I know timing belts are a good or dead thing, since the engine is reliant on the belt if the belt breaks your car is toast and the repair to the engine is around 3500?

 

My 95 hasent had any rust issues at all, except for little parts on the body, Youd have to check it out yourself to find out of course.

 

I second that whole lady driver thing (not to talk about any of our female members, there are plently of dumb guys out there) when my mom had my car I had to take it down to lube it myself or she just would not do it.

 

Manifold bolts dont do harm to the engine if im not mistaken, most just drive around with theres broke.

 

Since your having it inspected I would just have him look at your trouble spots, also check those CV boots and the CV's themselves, Mine are both torn and contaminated.

[Z_Pilot]

Thanks for all the replies fellas. Unfortunately, the seller got an offer from a local person (was that you, Animal? j/k

There are a few other rigs out there that I like, however, they are either in the "rust belt" or 2000 miles away (I saw a really nice one in Everett, WA).

Wish me luck on my search!

 

Z

[Z_Pilot]

I think many of you are in the Pacific NW. Anyone in Aloha, Oregon?

Seen this Pathy?

 

Z

[Kn0xville]

things to look for when buying any older pathy is the typical rot spots... under the rear seats, the frame, and rockers. Also, if you dont know if the timing belt has been replaced, then better off to replace it (really not that hard to do). If theres any noise from the engine, it might not be the valves, so dont let that scare you, its usually the manifolds. Make sure the 4x4 works, check the oil and other fluids. Theres always the normal pathy probs too that are very minor, example, the interior lights flash off and on when driving. (most likey the rear hatch). If you do buy one, my personal advice is to get it OIL SPRAYED right away! everyone should do it all vehicles anyways. call your local body shop and ask where you can go get you car oil sprayed (frame). it'll prevent it from rusting. FEEL FREE TO ADD TO ANY OF THIS.

[Animal]

Thanks for all the replies fellas. Unfortunately, the seller got an offer from a local person (was that you, Animal? nono.gif j/k

 

T'wasn't me. But, having shopped in the MD / VA area for Nissan trucks, they don't typically stay on the market for long, especially when it's a good deal.

 

Keep looking and somenthing will come your way. It's taken me 3-4 months to find what I wanted.

Edited June 15, 2005 by Animal