Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Finally sold my little DD and now I'm on the prowl for a new one. I'm a manual transmission guy and would prefer to find something with a 5 speed, especially after the trauma of having an AT fail on my tow vehicle (2004 Suburban) on the way home from a camping trip pulling a trailer and carrying the wife and dog (the good news was that it was only a "partial failure" of gears 3-4 and I was able to "limp" home in 2nd.)
Anyway, as I said first preference would be for something with a manual but I'm seeing a lot more AT equipped R50 Pathfinders and 1st gen Xterras.
So my questions are:
Since I'm looking to stay in the $5k and under range, everything I'm seeing has north of 150k on it. My understanding is that the 3.5l (Pathy) and 3.3l (Xterra) are pretty solid motors but how are the transmissions? Am I likely to be looking to get a transmission rebuilt within the next few years if I buy an AT equipped vehicle with this mileage range?
Second, assuming the worst happens and the transmission craps the bed - what am I looking at for a rebuild cost? I have to admit that if I can't find a MT equipped DD I'm leaning towards a Chevy Trailblazer simply because I already know what it would cost to rebuild the 4l60E tranny (the answer is $2k.) If I know that going in I can budget for it.
Since this would be a DD I'm strongly preferring the Pathfinder over the Xterra, just for the more comfortable interior and more powerful engine (and the unibody vs body-on-frame is a non-issue for me.) But if I find a nice X in decent shape for the right price I might jump at it.
I would also note that if I'm willing to accept a slushbox-equipped vehicle then I could also look at the Infiniti QX4. Surprisingly, I've seen lower mileage QX4's going for less than a Pathfinder of the same year. Not sure why that is but I've noticed it several times while scanning CL.
Thanks in advance.
Anyway, as I said first preference would be for something with a manual but I'm seeing a lot more AT equipped R50 Pathfinders and 1st gen Xterras.
So my questions are:
Since I'm looking to stay in the $5k and under range, everything I'm seeing has north of 150k on it. My understanding is that the 3.5l (Pathy) and 3.3l (Xterra) are pretty solid motors but how are the transmissions? Am I likely to be looking to get a transmission rebuilt within the next few years if I buy an AT equipped vehicle with this mileage range?
Second, assuming the worst happens and the transmission craps the bed - what am I looking at for a rebuild cost? I have to admit that if I can't find a MT equipped DD I'm leaning towards a Chevy Trailblazer simply because I already know what it would cost to rebuild the 4l60E tranny (the answer is $2k.) If I know that going in I can budget for it.
Since this would be a DD I'm strongly preferring the Pathfinder over the Xterra, just for the more comfortable interior and more powerful engine (and the unibody vs body-on-frame is a non-issue for me.) But if I find a nice X in decent shape for the right price I might jump at it.
I would also note that if I'm willing to accept a slushbox-equipped vehicle then I could also look at the Infiniti QX4. Surprisingly, I've seen lower mileage QX4's going for less than a Pathfinder of the same year. Not sure why that is but I've noticed it several times while scanning CL.
Thanks in advance.