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1st Pathfinder experience


GreenEnvy94Pathy
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I can always remember the first time I fell in love with a Pathfinder. I was stuck to my doors in muddy water in my 88 Nissan truck (2 wheel drive). A good friend of mines dad had a 89 Pathfinder SE 2 door, so she ran home and got it to try to pull mine out.

No one, I mean no one thought that we would be able to get it out, but there in the middle of this huge mud pit, I walked out to knee high mud/water, strapped up the tow hook to the front, and away we went. This is the part I will never forget, sitting behind the wheel of my truck the Pathfinder started pulling me out, slowly at first, it just kept pulling. The coolest thing that I had never seen before was when the Pathfinder started pulling sideways, back and forth and when it did this I could see all four wheels spinning at different intervals.... it was the neatest thing EVER. From that point I was hooked.

Then I met my high school sweetheart my senior year, and her very first vehicle was a brand spankin new 1995 Pathfinder XE 4x4. At first I think that I dated her just for the Pathfinder!! sly

Since that time I have owned several Pathfinders, as of now I believe I am at 8 total since getting my license. But now I have found my PERFECT Pathfinders, a 94 SE, and a 05 SE.

So thats my story, there has to be more out there, so come on share a little!

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Then I met my high school sweetheart my senior year, and her very first vehicle was a brand spankin new 1995 Pathfinder XE 4x4. At first I think that I dated her just for the Pathfinder!! sly

Did you keep the gf or the Pathy? :lol:

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Ive always liked Pathfinders, from afar. Had my mind set that I'd never be able to afford one of THOSE. Even a few years ago we were at the ski hill, and Nissan was showing off the pathys, and you could take a test drive up and around the hill. OFF ROAD EVEN. OMG!! I was too afraid, made the hubby (before he was the hubby) drive.

 

It wasnt until I was SICK SICK SICK of car shopping... I wanted a 4 door pickup, and it wasnt working out for me... so I was looking at *gasp* CARS... and also Xterra's. We went to our dealership to test drive an X and a pathy I had picked out of the Auto Trader... we drove the path first (I actually drove this time... haha). Part way thru we switched up, though I would let him have a try, and I had already decided that my shopping days were done and I was buying THIS ONE!

 

Everytime I see my truck I am reminded how much I love it, I love how it looks. Everytime we go offroad and it gets me through I am reminded of how my truck kicks ass. YAY PATHY. *sniffle* B)

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My story is simple. I had moved ot New Mexico and began training search and rescue dogs for a local SAR group.. They were pricks so I started my own organization, incorporated and got associated with the NM Dept of public Safety. At the time, I had a honda civic and a honda accord, neither capable of getting to the desert sites I needed to get to for SAR response. A local Nissan dealership had an advertisement ($1 over invoice) cause they were moving locations. Now, anyone who knows the car bsuiness knows that $1 over invoice is still a grand or two profit to them. I went in, saw the pathy, drove it, offered them $1k under invoice and listed all their incentives and related profits (I did my homework). I split the hidden profits and told them it's a one time offer and sat a stack of cash on the desk. The salesman went to get the closer (another salesman term for the guy to come in and try to renegotiate). I picked up the cash and started out the door. He came running over, acting surprised. I told him to cut the BS. He knew what he could sell for and if he was willing to take the deal, shake, otherwise I was outta there. Now that the price was set, I started in on the trade-in and extras that I wanted for free.

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I wanted a 4Runner. (I know, I know) Couldn't afford it. Looked at tons of SUV's, and liked the Pathy. After test driving a 4Runner, and a Pathfinder in succession, I decided I liked the Pathy better. :D

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Did not really fall for mine until I was driving it home. Bought it about 300 km away (6 hour drive with the ferry ride) and it just fit like a glove. No sore back (big issue for me) or anything else.

 

Looked at Liberty's and 4Runners but could not stomach the Jeep or afford the Toyota.

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I believe I am at 8 total since getting my license.

 

And my wife thinks im nuts -bounce-

 

In 1986 I joined the USAF and ended up at Williams AFB AZ just out side of Tempe... They were running the Pathfinder going through the Jungles of Brazil commercials..... At the time I was driving a 1982 FJ40 Landcruiser with AC B)

 

Could not get any $$$ for buying a new one so I put it on the shelf... In 1990 I was driving by a dealer and stopped to look and see what they had... Met a guy that was getting a final service before turning in a Leased 1988 SE with AZ plates on it... Turns out that we knew some of the same people and I ended up buying his lease turn in @ 60k miles....

 

I have been driving one ever since... Even when we need to rent a ride I ask for a Pathfinder.... the guy with the 05 that parks 2 down from mine and I are having lunch tomorrow and I know I'll get to drive it B)

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Well, in March 1996 I was ten years old and a big car nut. I knew and still know specs and models, etc. way more so than a salesman. Anyways, that March we took a ski trip to Crested Butte, CO. We flew into Colorado Springs, a few hours away, and rented a white 1995 Pathfinder XE-V6. I loved it, Dad hated it for its lack of power in the mountains. He was convinced it was a 4-cylinder until I showed him the badge on the tailgate! My little brother threw up in the backseat from being carsick.

 

In October 1999 my Mom's lease on the 1998 Tahoe was up, so we went carshopping. She ended up leasing a brand-new 2000 Pathfinder LE, Sahara Beige/Beige leather. It was girly but I loved it and was sad when the lease came up. I was stupid becuase I bought a new Xterra instead of taking the Pathfinder and the Nissan dealer WOULDNT GO BELOW MSRP on a new 2003 Pathfinder. She ended up with a Grand Cherokee pssd but now has a 2005 Murano.

 

In January 2003 I regretted my new Xterra purchase and went to the dealer with 946 miles to look at Pathfinders. I wanted a 2003 SE in Canteen Green (same as my X) but the price was just too damn high. I traded the Xterra in in July 2003 on a 2002 VW GTI 1.8t that was a lot of fun but got me in waay too much trouble. :rolleyes:

 

When my 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee was falling apart in front of my eyes at 138k miles in December 2004 I was looking on Autotrader.com for Pathfinders around $11k. I couldn't find any but stumbled upon a few 4Runners, most notably a 1998 SR5, Anthracite/Oak Leather with only 83k one-owner miles. It had the smooth v6, 4wd and the Rear-Diff lock. I stole it for $10,800 and loved it until my GF totalled it 13 days after I bought it! :clap:

 

So I didn't have a car for a few months, but got a check for $10,800 from the insurance co. to get another car. The choices to me were 1997 BMW 328i, 1999.5 Pathfinder LE with 111k miles, or 1999.5 Pathfinder SE with a 5-speed and 92k miles. The SE Pathfinder was too cool to pass up and so I bought it for $8,000. I later put $2,500 into it and here I am today!

 

I love Pathfinders!

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ok..I'll bite.

Back in 2003 I had NOOOOOOOOO clue what a Pathfinder was...... I had my Jeep and was looking at 4 Runners.. used of course.. as a DD so I could give the Jeep a rest and make some wicked mods to her.... sooo.. I looked and looked, but all the 4 runners were way over priced... then a friend of mine said hey, you wanna Pathy.. almost like a 4 runner but cheaper.... so.. I go.. I look.. nice color, super clean... 114,000 miles.. new smog cert... $3600. I shook his hadn and I drove my Jeep to the first bank I came to and took her home.

Took the Pathy as a back up when I would take the Jeep wheelin.. but one day decided I would find out if the 4 wheel drive in the Pathy was just for looks.. it wasn't. I wheeled the Pathy and she did great! So my love began....

After driving the Pathy for a few months.. ended up driving her more and more and leaving the Jeep parked more and more.. when I moved out here to hell I got the good ol ticking noise.. had no clue wtf it was.. started looking online.. found this place.. and WHAM! Fell in love even more. Sold the Jeep kept the Pathy :aok:

end of story. amen :bow:

Edited by Slick
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Really easy for me... I bought a 4Runner for my first vehicle, but a month after I had it the tranny went out, so I got that fixed, but was still faced with multiple problems I'd found, that would total around $1500. Went to the local Subaru/Mercedes dealership here in Kamloops at lunch (at school) and took a look around. What I found was a '90 Pathfinder SE with BRAND NEW BGF AT's for $8800... I thought it was kinda expensive but I really liked it... Got home to find my dad had made a call to the dealership, they said they had a '90 Pathfinder they would let go on a trade for my 4Runner... Next day my dad had picked me up from school, we went to the dealership, and there it was, sitting out front for us... Did the paperwork and it was mine. DAMN I loved the feel of it on the test drive, not as smooth as the 4Runner, but alot more snap to it (4Runner was auto). Felt like the fuel economy would be alot better as well, which turned out to be true.

Yeah, so that's my story...

 

(Performance wise was when...) My dad and I went fishing, and to get to the lake we turned off the main road onto a muddy, narrow road with a switchback to the right, down a steep muddy hill. After fishing, we drove to the bottom of the muddy hill and my dad thought we were gonna be waiting until night, for the ground to freeze. He said "What you want to do is put it in 4Lo, and keep the tires spinning, throwing mud out, while keeping high RPMs"... So, I put it in 4Lo, backed up a lil bit and went for 'er. Second gear comin up the hill, it was perfect, mud was flying thru the air and my dad was holding on. (A steep bank was on his side). Kept feathering the gas and we made it to the top, I knew I couldn't make the corner so I went straight, onto some tiny, narrow, rutted out muddy road... Now, to turn around ON that road with a steep bank to the right and thick trees to the left... My dad was spotting for me as I put 'er to work. My dad was amazed how the thing performed, brought him back to the old Landcruiser days. Made it out perfectly fine but it was a little sketchy. NO WAY the 4Runner would have done that :D

 

Wow, long post...

Edited by ILoveMyPatty
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Ahhhh... the love.

 

I had an 85 720 that was a tank. My grandfather drove it from new till the mid 90's, then my brother had it for a year or so, and when he got a new ride, I picked up the truck. I drove it from about 180K miles till I sold her at 255K running like a top for $2500 cash in 1 day sitting on the side of the road. That thing NEVER broke, I'm talking in all those miles it had a clutch and grandpa had the tranny rebuilt while they were in there, brakes, a starter and alternator. And it had been hit/done the hitting 3 times I believe. I loved that truck, but after going to 31's I was getting 200 miles per tank max on the highway, worse around town, and that was killing me right after college. Plus while I had a king cab, half of it was filled with 2 12's and amps, so the 3rd passenger had the option of the little jump seat or the back (luckily I had a shell and carpet). I had checked out a couple Pathy's cause I'd alway liked them and they were similar to the 720 with more space and power. But I just couldn't really justify it at the time as I was living in the middle of the city in Seattle. Sooo...

 

I went rice for a couple years with a 91 Prelude SI. It was fun, looked really sharp (all white with blacked windows and chrome wheels), pretty fast, lowered, and handled like a go-kart. But it was also a money pit and not reliable. After a broken timing belt with 10K miles on it at 5mph in first gear, which took the head with it, then a blown bottom end 6 months later due to related issues, I fixed it till it would drive and traded it.

 

Enter the Pathy, a 1994 in 2001 with 100K miles and I got her for $3000 under local book value at $7500. Granted I've put way more than that into her, its been all in all a fun ride. I found Mr. Jim's old site right after I got the rig, and went with him and some guys with a NW off road club, with the Pathy fully stock other than MT tires. It drove just like the 720 off road, slow and not overly powerful, but very durable and unstoppable. So I was hooked and here I am.

 

And I think I've got the longest winded post yet. WAVEY

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could see all four wheels spinning at different intervals.... it was the neatest thing EVER.

 

That's not neat.. That's a sign of crappy open diffs in action. :crazy:

 

 

As for me loving my truck? First time I fell in love with it when we went to pick it up from the Nissan dealer after we had to wait a few weeks for it to arrive from the factory. It was sitting there in the lot all pretty and ready to rock with it's casette/AM/FM stereo and those gigantic (and useless) speaker boxes in the trunk area.

 

Ever since then I have been falling in love with it over and over again.. mainly due to my surprise at it as for how much punishment it can take and how capable it is off road. B)

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Ever since then I have been falling in love with it over and over again.. mainly due to my surprise at it as for how much punishment it can take and how capable it is off road. B)

Even with the "crappy Nissan IFS?!" Say it ain't so!!! Sorry buddy, I just had to. :D

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I'll bite.

My sister got the pathy as her first vehicle a couple of years ago. I at this time I was driving a Toyota Camry, and was a ricer enthusiast, was pretty much convinced that my next vehicle was going to be a sweet rice machine of some sort. But as time went on I started falling for the Pathfinders rugged looks, and during the winter it truely started to tempt me. Fast forward to Jan 05. Camry is dieing. Both CV joints were going, engine was sounding angry, drank at least a quart of oil a month, etc. My sister was in the financial position to make payments on a like new car. My mom and her traded in the Camry (my comment "Did they even test drive it?") as a down payment on a Honda CRV (question has there ever been a more "girly" cute ute ever produced than the Honda CRV?). I was given the Pathfinder. Instant love. Granted it took a little while to get used to driving so far from the ground, but since then it's been smooth sailing.

Did some searching around the web for info on the pathy and stumbled upon the NPORA, lurked for a week or two then joined up. Now with over 1000 posts under my belt I'm a lot more knowledgable about the pathy, and am a full time poho.

:clap: YEA FOR NPORA! :clap: :bow:

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He said "What you want to do is put it in 4Lo, and keep the tires spinning, throwing mud out, while keeping high RPMs"...

Damn Bud, not only is your Dad cool, but he knows what he is saying. Tell him that the next time you see him !

 

I drove a 83 D720 P/U 4x4 Kingcab for 10 years. The beast would not die, and rarely left me stranded. It finally came down to money invested/cost to fix and I sold it for $1500 after a total of $7500 cost for 80,000 miles. I still miss the thing and see it driving around town. If I had more $ and a place to work on it, I'd hunt it down and buy it back !

Well, thats what sold me on Nissan. I don't need a P/U but wanted another 4x4. I looked at 4runners along with Pathys but the 4 runners cost too much and have some problems them selves. I saw an add for a local pathy with the timing belt/water pump done, new cat back exhaust into a magnaflow and 108K miles for 6k so I went for a look. Great shape inside and out (I needed a truck soon) and the driving feel reminded me of the D720... SOLD for $5700 !! Too bad I smashed the poor thing... I'm not giving up though; it'll cost me less and have better results to SAS it than to try for 'stock' front end. I've been waiting for a good job. When I have it, I'll finish a truck to beat 88's, but probably not Mookies... :bow:

 

B

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Through my teens and early twenties I had a couple of used cars but always wanted a 4x4. When I got my first real job/career at about 23 I headed out to buy my first new car. A buddy of mine had a friend who worked at a Chevy dealership and I ended up getting a brand new S10 Blazer (two-door). I loved it.... at first. By the time I traded her in 6 years later I vowed that I would never buy another GM in my lifetime.

 

I began my search.

I was looking at used 4-Runners but as others have said, they were priced way too high. I had been doing my research and knew that the Pathfinders were also top notch. My sister was on her second Pathy, her first being a 97 and her current was a '02, and was very happy with hers so I focused more on a Pathfinder than a 4-Runner while doing my research. I stopped at a Toyota lot one day to check out a couple of used 4-Runners and was once again amazed at how high they were priced. Then, out of the corner of my eye I saw her. ;) A dusty ol' 01 LE that was loaded. When the dealer came out I said I wanted to take her for a test drive. The rest, as they say, is history. I tell everybody that the Pathfinder has just the right amount of "bling" and "balls". I can wash her up for a nice dinner date in the city or strap some rods on the roof and cut through the mud to get to a local farm pond. I love my Pathfinder and hopefully she will last me for many more years.

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I don't do long winded posts so here it goes..........I've always wanted one, found one, bought it.........never regretted it since. I have no idea what to do if I ever have to buy a new vehicle cuz it'll never match up ;)

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I didn't know a damn thing about pathy's untill a fellow at work started talking about his SAR buddy who was offloading a working 4x4 for $500. I arranged to go take a look.

 

Headed to the guys house that same night -- it was dark but the second I saw the tire carrier, light bar, 6cd changer and other ammenities the guy had added to it I was hooked. It was dark but the thing still looked downright capable. Offered him 400, he hit back with $450 and the deal was done. Picked it up two days later.

 

And as with everything I do, I plugged it into google, and behold, NPORA was revealed to me.

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I fell in love and haven't (really) been burned

 

But I gotta tell how I feel in (and subsequently out and back in) love with wheeling

 

I've always been a huge performance car guy. I owned a 68 Mustang 390 convertible before I even had a driver's license, parted it out, bought a 1988 Conquest Tsi that eventually took me to 13 second 1/4 mile times and the performance bug continued on. I was 17, and laid down cash for a barely used 1997 eclipse GSX. Did every possible mod to it and took me to low 12's and 1st place showcar trophies. I never understood why people bought trucks and SUV's if they didn't need it for work. I thought off roading was dumb. Until I drove on the beach in NJ in the eclipse and spun AWD dougnuts, and got it high centered on a sand dune. It was freakin cool (the tow truck and body shop bills, however were not). Couldn't insure the eclipse when I moved to canada, so bought a beater 1992 Jetta, biggest POS ever, still had money to burn but didn't know what I wanted. My brother at the time had a 1993 Bronco EB and took me out wheeling one day. 2 days later I bought his wife's Jeep TJ (wrangler) from her. Went wheeling the day after and snapped a front axle. Go to Modern Motors here in Calgary and plunk down some dough for a lift kit, 32"s and get the axle fixed. Go wheeling a month later and snapped a front axle. Get pissed off, go to chrysler and get it fixed. Next month, guess what happens? That's right I went back to maclean creek (where all the other axle-snapping happened) and break ANOTHER front axle. I knew nothing of upgraded diffs, etc, I came from the performance world, right?

 

Sell the POS TJ, swear to never wheel or buy a truck ever again. Buy a 91 civic (yeah, yeah, shut up) and do a motor swap and other go fast sh*t to it. Sell it six months later when I need something to cart clients around in. Buy a 97 explorer, and in my 'I hate 4x4ing' ways, lower it, rims, and a supercharger. F*ck offroading is still my attitude.

 

Financial difficulties start creeping up after 9/11 when I lose my job and can't find work. Sell the explorer, buy an Integra, keep it mostly stock for $$ reasons. I make friends in the Calgary DSM club with a guy who has a 1g eclipse and a Suzuki Samuari. Next thing you know, we're wheeling with it, taking the doors off and cruising around, etc. I buy a talon, and shortly thereafter, I split up with the wife who gets the 'teg. The talon, albeit running strong, is plauged with other issues. After finally blowing it up for the last time, I'm talking with my dad about what I should do (beater car, finance something nice, etc.) He tells me to 'not do anything for two weeks'. Ok, I trust the old man, I bide my time and get rides for two weeks. My parents show up at work and tell me they want to take me for a nice dinner, my dad's coming out of retirement and is starting as CFO for a company here. Cool, ok, super. "let's go back to the house for some more wine and cocktails". Ok, I guess I'm staying at mom and dad's. Pop opens up the garage to show me the new present he bought himself, a new mustang GT ragtop (he had a 5.0 and a saleen ragtop at different times in NJ). I point to his Pathfinder that he paid an arm and a leg for and say "What the hell are you going to do with that, why didn't you trade it in" "oh, they wouldn't give me anything for it" Dad fumbles around in his pockets and asks if I have any money on me, he wants to go to the store, but wallets in the house. "sure, I got like $200 on me" as I take my wallet out. Takes the $200 and gives me the keys to the pathy. "don't worry about it, I know the talon's dead, again, and you need some wheels, the registration is signed and in the glove box"

 

So I'm like, holy sh*t, my parents have always been very well off, but never gave me a handout. My dad helped me buy the mustang by loaning me the money when I was 13 when I bought it and that was the first and only time they'd ever helped me out with a vehicle. All the cars I bought, mods, insurance, maintenance, etc. Was up to me. The rule of the house was you pay rent as soon as you have a job, in school or not, you work fulltime or you go to school and work part time, and you pay for everything yourself. Which I'm very grateful for now, as I've learned a lot about the way things ought to be for a kid growing up and I work for everything I have.

 

 

So now, after all that, i go wheeling (see my 'how not to introduce yourself to a 4x4 club post) and my truck kicked all ass...and kicked what my TJ ever thought possible.

 

I love that truck, and i'm going to be very sad to see it go.

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