Herm's selling his 97 Pathfinder

[herm]

Sad but true, I'm putting the 97 XE up for sale. Figured I'd post to the list since some of you know the truck almost as well as I do. Maybe your friends or nieghbors like your pathy's so much they need one too?

 

I really haven't put a solid price on it yet - still figuring that out. NADA puts it between $5200 and 7400, with $6500 as Average in Good Condition.

 

But you know how it is with our trucks... "Tires should be in good condition" Hmmm, well, how about new 31 x 10.5 Goodyear MT/Rs with 2000 miles? That's a pretty damn Good Condition tire! But then we have more than a hint of a "naturally" pin striped paint job with a few dents.. but zero rust!

 

Anyway, before anyone asks - NO, I am not parting it out or pulling aftermarket stuff. I don't have the original parts anymore to bring it back to stock:

 

1997 Nissan Pathfinder XE 4x4: $7000 ??

Bangor, Maine

 

3.3 liter V6

5-speed

112,000 miles

Power package (locks, windows, heated power mirrors), Air conditioning, factory AM/FM/CD with 6 speakers.

4-door hatchback, rear window glass opens as a hatch, or full liftgate. Rear wiper.

Clear windows, no factory or aftermarket tint.

Factory luggage shade thing, which has been in my basement since day one.

 

Exterior: Forest Green, with forest scratches. A few dents and the usual rock chips - but not rusted anywhere.

 

Interior: grey cloth, black dash (no wood) in perfect condition. I always had seat covers front and rear, no kids, adult owned, we used it as a two-seater. The back seats were folded down longer than they have been up!

 

Always had floor mats in it: both the Nissan carpet mats and/or Husky Liners, so the base carpet is mint. I'm so anal the rear had the same set up with a custom rubber mat over the 'hump', and did I mention the seats were folded down anyway? The carpet hasn't seen sun, much less dirt.

 

Consumer Reports has always listed this year/model as a Best Buy!

But this isn't a normal used Pathfinder...... Built but not abused: we love to find remote boat launches and camping spots, so it's been down it's share of narrow trails. But it has never been mudded or been in deep water crossings, and it's been totally detailed after every major roadtrip.This isn't a mall crawler, it's built to get you in deep and back home safe, in full comfort, no matter how far that roadtrip may be.

 

The list of mods is:

 

Tires and Suspension:

Brand new Goodyear MT/R 31 x 10.5 x 15 (less than 2000 miles, and they are awesome!)

American Racing black steel wheels

Old Man Emu suspension: Heavy Duty front coils, Medium rears, Emu shocks. Emu doesn't really refer to thier suspensions as a lift, but siffice to say you pick up an inch up front and a good 2 inches in the rear. And the best ride quality possible.

KYB Gas struts, KYB strut bearings, AC strut boots.

Factory full size spare underneath

Additional trail spare with almost new31 x 10.5 BFG MT on Nissan rim

 

Armor and Goodies:

 

TJM-17 bumper with winch mount (never put in a winch, it's made for a Warn M8000)

Hella 4000 driving lights up front (the brightest lights made)

Optima Red Top battery

Hidden Hitch 2" Class III reciever (never towed - used to hold a bike rack)

Black Panther Front skid plate

Black Panther secondary skid plate (protects oil pan)

Nissan Xterra Transfer case skid plate

Full Sliderz (side skids strong enuf to support the weight of the truck)

Warn manual locking hubs (upgraded from the Nissan auto-lock hubs)

Currently has flexible rubber fender flares, and I have the plastic EGR flares as well. Usually I run without flares in summer, but always use them in winter.

WeatherTech VentVisors all around. These are the good ones, not the adhesive mounts.

 

Roofrack:

Factory Nissan roof rails with four Yakima crossbars and one basketcase. I have two more basketcases if you're interested. And the 3-bike Yakima carrier for the reciever hitch... deals can be made if you need to carry bikes.

 

Routine Maintenance:

 

Oil every 3000 (regular dino - no synthetics)

Diffs and transfer at 80,000, Coolant flush annually

Front end alignment Feb 2006 with new tires.

Timing belt done at 98,000 miles by Nissan dealer

New clutch at 90,000 miles (old clutch was OK but throw-out bearing was whining)

Transmission bearings replaced at 98,000 miles (whining - work done by Harolds Transmissions in Holden, Maine, and the gears were fine)

Aligned in Feb 2006 when the new MT/R tires went on.

 

 

All brakes, belts and hoses in excellent shape - age can be traced in service records.

 

More little things tweaked, cleaned or otherwise 'done' than I could possibly list... it is pretty darn perfect.

 

FULL DOCUMENTATION! Every reciept in a three-ring binder since we bought it in 2000 w/ 30k miles. Plus a CD with the PDF Nissan Service manual, and assorted parts lists from the web and groups like this.

 

Bonus Gift: I have an extra rear window, when we fisrt bought it the defroster wires fritzed out, so we got a new window under warranty. Of course, I kept the bad one.

 

So, the bad stuff:

 

Cruise control doesn't work, bad wire in the steering column is suspect, and not worth my time to find that one.

Rear bumper on passenger side is bent in (or up?) from coming off a ledge. You know exactly how that works. The not-so-Hidden Hitch has protected the rest of the bumper system.

Cracked windshield, but I'll get a new one this week, and a new inspection sticker, just so the buyer is ready to go. I'm also planning on having my local detail shop do a wax and buff, which will make most of the scratches go away... but not all. There is no point suggesting it never played on the trails.

 

 

So, you won't find a better built or perfectly maintained Pathfinder (unless someone else on this list is selling theirs) We used it for trips to Canada: Newfoundland, Labrador and Quebec, and down to South Carolina every summer, and wouldn't hesitate to drive it across the country on a moments notice. It's an awesome vehicle for dirt roads, cruises all day long in full comfort (and control) as well as 75+ mph on the interstate. Perfectly maintained, and well travelled. We really love this truck and would prefer to keep it, but can't justify a third vehicle.

 

I'd feel better, of course, if the next owner would take care of it equally as well, and take it out to play on the trails regularly - I'd hate to see it become a soccer-mom grocery getter. But with the build list I doubt that type will have any interest.

 

So, the question you are asking, is why the F*#@ are you selling? I must admit I love the pathy, but I've had to turn back on too many trails that I really want to explore.. so I've decided I do need to buy a solid axle, wagon-style truck that can run 33s or larger and be locked F/R. Most likely this puts me in the market for a Toyota Land Cruiser FJ60/62 or 80. But I'm deeply attached to the pathy, and it truley pains me to move on....

 

e-mail me for pics if interested!

cyberherm@verizon.net

[Pezzy]

That is sad to hear... you know youre gonna get hounded for that TJM...

[vengeful]

I know you said you don't want to part it....and Pezzy already said it. I know more than a few people who would buy you a stock bumper, and pay a premium for that TJM.

[herm]

well, I can't sell it. Not because no-one wants to buy it (in fact my mechanic wanted it, which says a lot) but because I'm just too attached to it! It was like taking a dog to the vet for the "last walk" - I just couldn't go through with advertising it. after I detailed it, and then we did a few more trail rides, I just can't replace it...

 

so you'll be happy to know I'll be looking into a M8000 for the TJM and locking the rear...

 

m.

[Pezzy]

thats effing awesome! hahaha

[vengeful]

Oh gee....Way to make me jealous herm...ya punk!

 

Glad to hear you're keeeping it!

[rmd0311]

Similar to me... Mines is no where near as sweet as yours. It's just a stocky. But I almost sold it and went as far as putting it on Cars.com. But LOVE it... Can't sell it.