Maddmatt
Explorer
Hi Folks,
I've been gone awhile, and mostly hung out in the Toyota section until now - recently dumped facebook and realized that I hadn't been around Expo in awhile.
Since I just went through the new car search process I thought I would post up my experiences, as I always like to read other people's when I'm doing my research.
It may get long, I tend to get wordy - fair warning.
So I had a '96 4runner LTD. Bought it 8 years ago with 169k on it. It hit 251k a few weekends ago, and even though everything worked I was feeling the new ride itch - so the search began.
I'm a longtime Toyota owner - including (in order) a 78 2wd Hilux, an 81 Hilux longbed, a 92 truck, an '02 Taco Quad Cab, an '89 fj62, a 76 FJ40 and the '96 runner.
Loved them all, but like I said I was feeling the itch.
Decision criteria: I don't really wheel anymore - occasional fire road stuff while camping and lots of snow driving (we ski every weekend). Wife, 2 kids and 2 dogs so we need some space, although we decided we didn't really use the third row (I installed one from Little passenger seats in the runner. Worked perfectly by the way, looked factory and the kids fit great in it up until the age of 10 or so). Over the past few years I was inventing reasons to engage the rear locker - funny how times change, when I bought that truck having the locker was the major feature I searched for.
So really I was looking for a weekend ski vehicle - with a couple long road trips with the family per year, and 5 days per week commuting to work. Time to swallow my pride and recognize that my days of unsupported Moab backcountry trips are on hiatus. Also wanted some toys - most of my driving is to and from work, and I'm getting older. Kind of an "I deserve to feel special" sort of moment.
Also - I like sitting up a bit higher, and kind of miss having a truck. So with that in mind, I set off on 4 weeks of test driving.
Also also - relatively new. At this point in my life auto maintenance is just maintenance, a chore to be done. There was a time when I enjoyed it, that time has passed.
I spend a lot of time researching a car purchase, so here is the shortened version of each car I drove and my opinion.
'06 Honda Ridgeline. Don't judge. This was the first one I drove, it had 100k on it but was tight and fully loaded - and had a shell on it. No wheeler, but very comfortable inside - had always had good feelings about Honda's reliability and was testing the 'you don't need an SUV/real truck' waters, at least mentally.
Drove very nice - but I was a bit uneasy sitting so low to the ground after so much time sitting up high. Thought the hidden trunk deal was cool, and might have bought it but on my test drive I noticed the backup camera didn't work and I couldn't figure out how to use the two way tail gate. Wasn't at a Honda dealer, and the guy who showed it to me had no idea but said he would check on both things. Called me back the next day to tell me it sold to the next guy who drove it. Also, Honda's are strangely loud on the highway. Lots of tire noise gets transmitted to the cab.
'08 Jeep Commander LTD. I grew up in a jeep family, and always liked the look of the commander. Maybe I'm the only one. Pros: lots of toys, 5.7l Hemi was fun to drive, did have the 3rd row in case we needed it. Cons: Not sure about the 5.7l reliability, my wife can't see out the back if the third row seats are up (and she would typically be the one driving if we do need them) and my wife hated it. Also had a weird time lapse in the car fax. Car fax is not infallible, but I learned a long time ago, if anything feels weird about a car deal - just walk away. Not as long as they look, and I didn't love the blinged out rims. Rear seat is more cramped than it should be, probably from making room for the third rows. Also my wife hated it.
Mazda CX9 - drove three different versions of these ranging from '06 to new - liked the engine a lot, liked the way they are finished. Could never make it feel right, for me it really needs adjustable pedals. No amount of moving the seat or the wheel could get it where I felt comfortable. Also felt too low. Was very close on one of these though, felt 'responsible' yet fun and I have a soft spot for Mazdas (somehow I talked my parents into an RX7 when I was in high school back in the 80's. Way too much fun for a high school kid)
Jeep Grand Cherokee Rocky Mountain edition - forgot the year, 2007 or 08? 4.7L v8. I really liked how this one drove, and liked how the 4.7l sounds. It's the little things in life, right? Was very clean. I liked the toys - had sunroof, heated seats, blue tooth, nice stereo but no nav. Kids thought this was the best back seat so far. Came very close on this one, but it had 70k on it, and I grew up with Jeeps. The stigma of the mid 80's cherokees lack of reliability is hard to get over. But I liked this one enough to go back and drive it a second time.
'04 Disco. Just happened to drive by it. Only 60k on the clock and looked like it had never been driven. I've seriously seen new cars that weren't this clean. Always wanted a disco - my personal favorite of the Land rover body styles. The dealer was well aware of how clean it was though - had sold it new, had done all the maintenance and sold the first buyer a new LR4. Over the weeks I was looking he came down from $16.9 to $14k - but wouldn't budge any lower, at least while I was looking and that is way too far above book value. Well within my budget, but you have to think of the negatives too - I've had great jobs with fast growing companies dry up seemingly over night, and you never know when you might need to unload a car - so I let this one go.
'06 LR3. Only 60k on this one too. I liked how it drove, but didn't love it. Could have easily bought it though, but it sold while I was doing my research. Only downside I noticed was that the engine seemed to work pretty hard, v8 or not these are heavy cars. Probably dodged a bullet, going from Toyota level reliability to Land Rover is probably too big a jump. 'They're better now' the dealer said....
'12 Xterra Pro-4X. Now we're getting somewhere. Had all the toys but nav, including leather seats (not heated though) and no trailer hitch. I really liked this one, and it was basically brand new. Actually was taking the Grand Cherokee to my mechanic for a pre-purchase check out and decided to drive the Xterra just to be sure, so I parked the Jeep from one dealer on the lot of another.
Anyway, I was very pleasantly surprised. Drove great, had all the off-road toys I said I didn't need and only 14k miles on it.
'12 Xterra Pro-4X. This dealer had a couple lease returns, so I tried them both out. Same mileage and options and price as the other one, just different color. Always test drive cars. This one felt like it had been rode hard and put away wet a lot in it's short life. Rattles every where, scratches on the dash, etc... Looked and felt much more used than it's miles and age would have you believe. My wife found cracker crumbs in the head liner. How do you even do that? Even when my kids were little they didn't grind crackers into the ceiling.
'06 Jeep Sahara Unlimited. Had to at least try it. 10 years ago I would have been all over this, but now the comfort of everything else beat this one out. I love Jeeps, but the wrangler is still a wrangler. I'm glad they are still holding true to what they are, but not the right car for me at this time.
'08 Pathfinder. I liked the older body style of the Pathfinder. Felt like the V6 was working pretty hard to move this one though. Very comfortable, and easy to see taking it on a long drive.
'12 Frontier Pro-4X. Maybe I should go back to a truck? Very low miles, very clean. Kids liked the back seat. Was going to buy it but I started thinking about how cold our ski boots would get in the bed.
'07 FJ cruiser. Driving all these Nissan's was giving me some Toyota-traitor guilt. Visibility was not nearly as bad as I'd been lead to believe, and this one had a reverse camera that showed up in the rear view mirror. Do they all have this? Very slick. Back seat was a bit tight for the kids though, and it had more miles than i was looking for. Also hard to go back to utility level creature comforts after driving all those loaded Nissans.
'10 Xterra SE. Almost missed it. Was trying to decide on the Pathfinder or one of the Pro-4X Xterras when my wife noticed it on the lot. Only 40k on the clock, still under factory warranty. Leather seats (which feel nicer than the leather they are putting in the Pro-4X's), Sat. radio, navigation and a trailer hitch.
After a month, I can't say enough good things about this truck. Interior is amazingly quiet, that Rockford Fosgate stereo is amazing, loving the satellite radio and the removeable Garmin navigation. The previous owner even had heaters put in the front seats.
Engine has more than enough power - on paper it has 260+hp and it feels like it. Great visibility.
Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. After many years of Toyota loyalty I'm now firmly on team Nissan - not because of anything Toyota did wrong, but because of how right the Nissan feels.
I've been gone awhile, and mostly hung out in the Toyota section until now - recently dumped facebook and realized that I hadn't been around Expo in awhile.
Since I just went through the new car search process I thought I would post up my experiences, as I always like to read other people's when I'm doing my research.
It may get long, I tend to get wordy - fair warning.
So I had a '96 4runner LTD. Bought it 8 years ago with 169k on it. It hit 251k a few weekends ago, and even though everything worked I was feeling the new ride itch - so the search began.
I'm a longtime Toyota owner - including (in order) a 78 2wd Hilux, an 81 Hilux longbed, a 92 truck, an '02 Taco Quad Cab, an '89 fj62, a 76 FJ40 and the '96 runner.
Loved them all, but like I said I was feeling the itch.
Decision criteria: I don't really wheel anymore - occasional fire road stuff while camping and lots of snow driving (we ski every weekend). Wife, 2 kids and 2 dogs so we need some space, although we decided we didn't really use the third row (I installed one from Little passenger seats in the runner. Worked perfectly by the way, looked factory and the kids fit great in it up until the age of 10 or so). Over the past few years I was inventing reasons to engage the rear locker - funny how times change, when I bought that truck having the locker was the major feature I searched for.
So really I was looking for a weekend ski vehicle - with a couple long road trips with the family per year, and 5 days per week commuting to work. Time to swallow my pride and recognize that my days of unsupported Moab backcountry trips are on hiatus. Also wanted some toys - most of my driving is to and from work, and I'm getting older. Kind of an "I deserve to feel special" sort of moment.
Also - I like sitting up a bit higher, and kind of miss having a truck. So with that in mind, I set off on 4 weeks of test driving.
Also also - relatively new. At this point in my life auto maintenance is just maintenance, a chore to be done. There was a time when I enjoyed it, that time has passed.
I spend a lot of time researching a car purchase, so here is the shortened version of each car I drove and my opinion.
'06 Honda Ridgeline. Don't judge. This was the first one I drove, it had 100k on it but was tight and fully loaded - and had a shell on it. No wheeler, but very comfortable inside - had always had good feelings about Honda's reliability and was testing the 'you don't need an SUV/real truck' waters, at least mentally.
Drove very nice - but I was a bit uneasy sitting so low to the ground after so much time sitting up high. Thought the hidden trunk deal was cool, and might have bought it but on my test drive I noticed the backup camera didn't work and I couldn't figure out how to use the two way tail gate. Wasn't at a Honda dealer, and the guy who showed it to me had no idea but said he would check on both things. Called me back the next day to tell me it sold to the next guy who drove it. Also, Honda's are strangely loud on the highway. Lots of tire noise gets transmitted to the cab.
'08 Jeep Commander LTD. I grew up in a jeep family, and always liked the look of the commander. Maybe I'm the only one. Pros: lots of toys, 5.7l Hemi was fun to drive, did have the 3rd row in case we needed it. Cons: Not sure about the 5.7l reliability, my wife can't see out the back if the third row seats are up (and she would typically be the one driving if we do need them) and my wife hated it. Also had a weird time lapse in the car fax. Car fax is not infallible, but I learned a long time ago, if anything feels weird about a car deal - just walk away. Not as long as they look, and I didn't love the blinged out rims. Rear seat is more cramped than it should be, probably from making room for the third rows. Also my wife hated it.
Mazda CX9 - drove three different versions of these ranging from '06 to new - liked the engine a lot, liked the way they are finished. Could never make it feel right, for me it really needs adjustable pedals. No amount of moving the seat or the wheel could get it where I felt comfortable. Also felt too low. Was very close on one of these though, felt 'responsible' yet fun and I have a soft spot for Mazdas (somehow I talked my parents into an RX7 when I was in high school back in the 80's. Way too much fun for a high school kid)
Jeep Grand Cherokee Rocky Mountain edition - forgot the year, 2007 or 08? 4.7L v8. I really liked how this one drove, and liked how the 4.7l sounds. It's the little things in life, right? Was very clean. I liked the toys - had sunroof, heated seats, blue tooth, nice stereo but no nav. Kids thought this was the best back seat so far. Came very close on this one, but it had 70k on it, and I grew up with Jeeps. The stigma of the mid 80's cherokees lack of reliability is hard to get over. But I liked this one enough to go back and drive it a second time.
'04 Disco. Just happened to drive by it. Only 60k on the clock and looked like it had never been driven. I've seriously seen new cars that weren't this clean. Always wanted a disco - my personal favorite of the Land rover body styles. The dealer was well aware of how clean it was though - had sold it new, had done all the maintenance and sold the first buyer a new LR4. Over the weeks I was looking he came down from $16.9 to $14k - but wouldn't budge any lower, at least while I was looking and that is way too far above book value. Well within my budget, but you have to think of the negatives too - I've had great jobs with fast growing companies dry up seemingly over night, and you never know when you might need to unload a car - so I let this one go.
'06 LR3. Only 60k on this one too. I liked how it drove, but didn't love it. Could have easily bought it though, but it sold while I was doing my research. Only downside I noticed was that the engine seemed to work pretty hard, v8 or not these are heavy cars. Probably dodged a bullet, going from Toyota level reliability to Land Rover is probably too big a jump. 'They're better now' the dealer said....
'12 Xterra Pro-4X. Now we're getting somewhere. Had all the toys but nav, including leather seats (not heated though) and no trailer hitch. I really liked this one, and it was basically brand new. Actually was taking the Grand Cherokee to my mechanic for a pre-purchase check out and decided to drive the Xterra just to be sure, so I parked the Jeep from one dealer on the lot of another.
Anyway, I was very pleasantly surprised. Drove great, had all the off-road toys I said I didn't need and only 14k miles on it.
'12 Xterra Pro-4X. This dealer had a couple lease returns, so I tried them both out. Same mileage and options and price as the other one, just different color. Always test drive cars. This one felt like it had been rode hard and put away wet a lot in it's short life. Rattles every where, scratches on the dash, etc... Looked and felt much more used than it's miles and age would have you believe. My wife found cracker crumbs in the head liner. How do you even do that? Even when my kids were little they didn't grind crackers into the ceiling.
'06 Jeep Sahara Unlimited. Had to at least try it. 10 years ago I would have been all over this, but now the comfort of everything else beat this one out. I love Jeeps, but the wrangler is still a wrangler. I'm glad they are still holding true to what they are, but not the right car for me at this time.
'08 Pathfinder. I liked the older body style of the Pathfinder. Felt like the V6 was working pretty hard to move this one though. Very comfortable, and easy to see taking it on a long drive.
'12 Frontier Pro-4X. Maybe I should go back to a truck? Very low miles, very clean. Kids liked the back seat. Was going to buy it but I started thinking about how cold our ski boots would get in the bed.
'07 FJ cruiser. Driving all these Nissan's was giving me some Toyota-traitor guilt. Visibility was not nearly as bad as I'd been lead to believe, and this one had a reverse camera that showed up in the rear view mirror. Do they all have this? Very slick. Back seat was a bit tight for the kids though, and it had more miles than i was looking for. Also hard to go back to utility level creature comforts after driving all those loaded Nissans.
'10 Xterra SE. Almost missed it. Was trying to decide on the Pathfinder or one of the Pro-4X Xterras when my wife noticed it on the lot. Only 40k on the clock, still under factory warranty. Leather seats (which feel nicer than the leather they are putting in the Pro-4X's), Sat. radio, navigation and a trailer hitch.
After a month, I can't say enough good things about this truck. Interior is amazingly quiet, that Rockford Fosgate stereo is amazing, loving the satellite radio and the removeable Garmin navigation. The previous owner even had heaters put in the front seats.
Engine has more than enough power - on paper it has 260+hp and it feels like it. Great visibility.
Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. After many years of Toyota loyalty I'm now firmly on team Nissan - not because of anything Toyota did wrong, but because of how right the Nissan feels.
