Z_Pilot Posted July 8, 2005 Share Posted July 8, 2005 Would I be nuts.... ....if I bought a pathy on the other side of the country (CA) and had it shipped to NC? I am having such a hard time finding that perfect unit. I want a black 93-95 SE-V6 5-speed. I have been searching nation-wide for over a month now, and let me tell you, no one drives stick anymore. It seems that all of the nice MT WD21s are on the good side of the country (I am a western guy stuck in the south). :sniff: There was a fairly nice unit in Baltimore, but the guy decided that I was not worth the hassle and sold it to a local for less$. I found a unit on long island, but the seller said that he bought it in michigan (rust) and the Carfax says otherwise. I found a nice unit in CT that was advertised as a 5-speed, however....ooops, its an auto. > Any advice on auto shipping? I have shopped quite ectensively online and the best deal I came up with was Dependable Auto Shipping DAP for $700 CA to NC (terminal to terminal). The rates varied like airline tickets...all the way up to $1600. > What do you all think about this find :1995 SE Leather 5-speed in CA. Compared to what I have found online so far, it seems like a really good deal to me...and it is exactly what I am looking for. No, I have not run a carfax on it yet. > Anyone in the bay area? If you are a Pathy fan, mechanically inclined, know what to look for on the WD-21s, and needs to get out of the house this weekend, I could sure use your help if you could swing by and look at it for me. :idea: I would mostly be concerned about the frame rot issue. Thanks for any and all help ou can provide! Z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted July 8, 2005 Share Posted July 8, 2005 Based on my experiences and behavior, I'm forced to say "NO", you're not nuts. I bought a motorcycle (Honda XR400) sight unseen from a guy in Houston. Turned out to be one of the best purchases I ever made. Very low demand in Houston for trail bikes, huge demand in CA. So I got it for well over 25% less than comparable machines here. But there are risks. It is very easy to get burned or saddled with lemons doing this. But mostly manageable risks - IF you take the time and make the effort to do so. Talk to the owner. A lot. Get a feel of what kind of person they are. Ask them what kinds of maintenance and repairs they made themselves. If they maintained the truck religiously and clearly know what they're talking about, your risk goes way down. Ask lots of questions to filter out the liars from the good owners. What kind of engine oil do they use? How often changed? How often has the oil in the diffs and transfer case been changed? Have they greased the Whitman arm and serviced the piezometric whiffle tube? If they're clueless or try to feed you BS, run away. If they are really on top of things and obviously cared about the machine, you're better off. The best bet is to have a trustable liaison help you out. If you find any desirable units within 100 miles of Chico (Sacramento to Redding), I'd be glad to check them out for you. I'll keep my eyes open, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted July 9, 2005 Share Posted July 9, 2005 Hey Z, the one in SF looks nice and is a good price also. I'd almost consider selling mine and buying it... Not making any promises, but its 50 miles from my house so maybe I could look at it for you. First you would have to call and ask all you questions, etc. Better hurry though, unless there is something wrong with it, it'll sell fast ! B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z_Pilot Posted July 9, 2005 Author Share Posted July 9, 2005 mws & Precise1 : Thanks for the replies. That unit just hit the market yesterday. I saw it on cars.com and craigslist.com. Considering that I am in NC, I can't exactly move on it very soon. 1 to 2 weeks probably. I also need to determine if the seller is willing to do "all the extra stuff" for me...meaning: pick me up at the airport, go to bank...notaries, go with me to the other side of the bay to drop it off for shipment, and then take me back to SFO airport. I just ran a CarFax on it. It came up clean except for a mileage abnormality. The mileage is normal (gets higher with time) except for a 59k mile reading last year....however, the latest mile report looks accurate. As far as questions I will ask...exhaust manifold studs, timing belts, and frame rust\rot issues top my list. A big thing to me is LSD and rear disc. Any other "hot" pathy issues I should ask about? MWS>> "Whitman arm and serviced the piezometric whiffle tube" What the? Either you are kidding or I am the idiot. Precise1>> If you happen to go through the area in future, please PM me. I can't ask you to make a 100mi round-trip to look at something for a total stranger, but if you happen to be there.... Z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted July 9, 2005 Share Posted July 9, 2005 Hey Z, mws is fulla crap, the Whitman arm never fails on these things... You could make it much easier on the seller if you just rented a car for a day, whats $50 if you are going to do this ? Ask about the clutch, tires, brakes, etc. That can be $1k easy right off the bat. SF is hilly and the bay area has some nasty traffic so dont expect 200k miles out of the clutch. What kind of driving did they do, how about the owner before that ?? I probably wont be in that area any time soon, I tend to avoid it... Again, I'm not promising, but it's not that big of a deal to go there and check it out. Besides, I'm unemployed right now... As for the 'total stranger' bit, helping people out is whats lacking these days.... I believe in assisting when possible and realistic. Anyway, keep us posted ! B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z_Pilot Posted July 9, 2005 Author Share Posted July 9, 2005 Some more good news. The BART train system has a station at the Bay Fair Mall which is somewhat close to the "transfer station" (car shipment point) in San Lorenzo and the train goes to SFO airport. This might just work. Precise1>> Helping a stanger comment. I agree, and you are just one of many nice people in npora. Another member let me use his carfax for some time. You pathy people are great!! Z PS- I am going on a 4 day trip (work) tomorrow early, might not be able to reply \ check posts for a couple of days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelmanLS1 Posted July 9, 2005 Share Posted July 9, 2005 I'd say you found a really good deal. That one just might be cleaner than mine. Nah... impossible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kn0xville Posted July 9, 2005 Share Posted July 9, 2005 i bought my pathy in missouri, and drove it home to canada, wasnt to bad. But if your looking to ship something that far, maybe consider buying in canada, look in the autotrader.ca around the toronto area, they sell for alot less around here for some reason, and might save you some coin on shipping. just watch for rust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Posted July 10, 2005 Share Posted July 10, 2005 (edited) Umm... I think I know the dude who is selling that Pathy! He bought some Firebird parts from us a couple weeks ago and had commented on my Pathy... hehehe... If you need any help.. I am in teh central Valley in Cali..there is a nice burgundy Pathy down the street 4 sale..looks like mine but diff color. I could go in fer a closer inspection if you like? Also! If you could possibly meet me half way, I would be more than willing to bring the Pathy halfway to you..if you pay for the gas..but $700 sounds like a real good deal for shipping Edited July 10, 2005 by Slick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted July 11, 2005 Share Posted July 11, 2005 MWS>> "Whitman arm and serviced the piezometric whiffle tube" What the? Either you are kidding or I am the idiot. I usually ask a "phony" question like that to kinda test the honesty of the seller. If they reply "oh, yeah, every 2 weeks", then I know they're full of it and are just making up answeres that they think I want to hear. IE, I can't believe anything they say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z_Pilot Posted July 13, 2005 Author Share Posted July 13, 2005 I regret to inform you that I did indeed find a really good deal...so good, that it sold in just two days I was willing to go to CA (from NC), seal the deal and and spend mucho $$ to ship it back here. wheelmanLS1: I saw your website, and it looks like you are right, you do indeed have the cleanest Pathy out there...or around here anyways....I am in Gastonia. Kn0xville: Canada is an option I have not considered before. However, every winter I have noticed the roads up there are always white from either snow or tons of salt....can't be too good for the 1993-1995 models that have the frame rust/rot issue. Nonetheless, I did check out Autotrader.ca and I found their website finiky...I had to search a certain area...not able to do a "nationwide search"....on another note, I think that customs/declarations and taxes would be a headache. Slick: Thanks for the offer....however, I guess it is a mute point now. mws: good point, I never thought of doing that...I just might have to bring up the "whitman arm" next time a call on a unit. So, are there any good used car websites out there that I am missing? The following sites I have been lurking for the last couple of months: autotrader.com cars.com ebay.com carmax.com (They only have newer, pricier units) cragslit.com autotrader.ca NPORA calssifieds WD21 fourms classifieds (where did that site go?) I recently stumbled upon a unit in Portland, OR here. I thnik that this unit is downtown. I am a bit leery of the higher miles (144k), however, it is a fairly good looking unit at a good price. Shipment from OR to NC was $855. I think that the majority of you all are in the PNW area....anyone in Portland? Still Looking for a Pathy, Z_Pilot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 Sorry to hear that Z, but it doesn't surrise me that it went so fast... Sounds like you are looking everywhere I would and more. Just be patient, you'll find what you want... GL. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z_Pilot Posted July 15, 2005 Author Share Posted July 15, 2005 Anyone in SoCali want to check this one out? Shipment from LA to NC is only $500. No rusting in sunny socal! Z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 Would you be nuts? Yes, but then you wouldn't be a Pathfinder owner! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z_Pilot Posted July 15, 2005 Author Share Posted July 15, 2005 Anyone in SoCali want to check this one out? Shipment from LA to NC is only $500. No rusting in sunny socal! Z ** Sigh ** The SoCali one already sold :o Please excuse me while I have a little temper-tantrum pssd pssd pssd pssd :furious: :furious: :furious: :furious: OK...I am done & the search continues Z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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