Interested in 1st gen Xterra 4x4. What to look out for?

[dbhost]

I liked them when they came out, still like them. And they are certainly reasonably priced on the used market...

I am looking for a first Gen Xterra 4x4, preferrably the normally aspirated V6 with an automatic as I have left leg issues...

Looking to find out what I need to look for, and look out for. I'd prefer to keep the rig as stock as possible mechanically. Something we can daily drive, and on the weekends take on a 3 or 4 day overlanding / beach trip to PINS, or even vacation out west off road...

So, what are the gotchas I need to look for in these rigs?

Oh, and for those interested, yes I do still have my F150 that we are rebuilding as a more dedicated rig. The Xterra is meant for until the truck is done, for the wife to drive, and for when a full size supercab pickup is just too big... So a rig to carry gear to camp, not camp in...

I will likely want to do a proper bumper swap and move the Engo E9000 winch over to the Xterra once we figure that mess out as I want a better bumper / winch mount for the F150 as it is just too heavy for the 9K winch...

 

[broncobowsher]

At that age, something maintained is going to be the hardest thing to find. Most of them are being driven into the ground as a cheap disposable vehicle.
Normal things, the engine has a timing belt. And if the timing belt goes, so does your budget. Auto locking hubs die, warn makes a good manual version.
But about everything else is standard stuff that just ages out

 

[dbhost]

At that age, something maintained is going to be the hardest thing to find. Most of them are being driven into the ground as a cheap disposable vehicle.
Normal things, the engine has a timing belt. And if the timing belt goes, so does your budget. Auto locking hubs die, warn makes a good manual version.
But about everything else is standard stuff that just ages out

Agreed on the typicals. Unfortunately due to the leg / knee issues I had to pass on an '04 with under 100K, 1 owner, all records etc... But it is a manual trans truck, and I can't operate a clutch any more, and my wife has been able to manage one...

 

[perterra]

At that age, something maintained is going to be the hardest thing to find. Most of them are being driven into the ground as a cheap disposable vehicle.
Normal things, the engine has a timing belt. And if the timing belt goes, so does your budget. Auto locking hubs die, warn makes a good manual version.
But about everything else is standard stuff that just ages out

Yep, I liked the ones we had. Not much power on the interstate, be prepared for it to down shift and hit redline on ever mountain pass if you are trying to maintain 70+ mph. Only thing we had slower was a 92 Isuzu Rodeo with the GM V6 and 5 speed, but the Rodeo never got below about 18 mpg. The Nissan will go through a tank of gas like Charlie Sheen thru a line of coke, put a trailer on it and it will cut that in half, I got 11 mpg pulling a 15 foot aluminum boat. I think the best I ever saw day to day was 16 mpg.

But off road in 4WD low, they were little mountain goats. My 99 was limited slip, went anywhere I wanted, the 01 was open differential but was more a beach buggy.

 

[beef tits]

Issues I had with my old 3.3 (at relatively low mileage - 80k);

- Could not keep distributor working, Nissan no longer sells these new so always had to go with "OEM" parts from Napa. I had about 8 distributor failures, truck would die. There is some sort of optical sensor within the distributor that freaks out with the slightest amount of dust. Final fix was to silicon the cap on... only way to keep dust out. Sold the truck over this one stupid issue, as I couldn't trust to take it anywhere.

- The whole 3.3 engine is technologically stuck in the late 80s/early 90s.

- Exhaust leaks before cats will burn cats out, same on any vehicle... but mine had this issue at 80k which seemed premature. This was a clean Colorado truck with no rust anywhere.

- MPG is bad compared to Toyota, so is power.

- If you want a manual, the shifter is super long and awkwardly placed, like a giant dildo between the seats. Not sure why they made it this way but it feels like shifting a big rig.

If you can afford a 4Runner, I would get that. Nissan is like the crappy little brother that isn't as good in any way, but is still better than most domestics. Generally these will run a long time.

 

[Ozark_Prowler]

Yeah I reckon first gen Xterras are still pretty underrated if you want a budget weekend warrior type rig. the main issues are very weak steering racks, lack of flex with the stock suspension (can be remedied somewhat by removing rear sway bars), exhaust manifolds that almost 100% will be cracked at this point unless the PO has already deal with it, and the knock sensor going out (only really an issue for S/C models).

Other than that, they're pretty touch little rigs. The VG33 will run for a while, and the frame and diffs are pretty stout. The rear axle in particular is know for being very strong. Throw in an Aussie locker and some 32s and you'd have a pretty capable little trail rig for pennies on the dollar compared to a similar 4runner.

 

[FurthurOnTheFly]

Anybody know about the factory superchargers on these things? I'm looking at an 04 that's already had a lot of maintenance done (concerning?) and fairly low miles.

 

[paulforeman]

@dbhost did you end up getting one?

 

[dbhost]

@dbhost did you end up getting one?

Nope. Not yet... The majority I am finding are manuals that I can't drive any more. The few autos I have found are not 4x4.

 

[BeardedHombre]

The age they are getting now, rear main seal is a thing to keep an eye out for (mine is leaking). Also head gaskets (small leak on mine). I will say they are not fun to do even a simple tune up. #6 sparkplug is a great example. True they are kind of gutless (have a supercharger I am going to swap on mine after I rebuild the motor). They are not the greatest on gas but its not that bad, I'm on 33's with stock gearing and I can get 15 to 17 on the highway. Now that will change with the charger for sure. Like said before, once you lift and put bigger tires you will need to upgrade your steering center link. Stock one will wear out and you will get bad bump steer and wheel slop. Very limited product support. That being said......built right they are very capable vehicles. I personally love mine. I am actually collecting parts to do a SAS and run 37's.

 

[kootenay]

Have you thought about getting into a 2nd Gen? They are much easier to find in Auto. Yes they can have the transmission cooler problem, same as the early 4runners, that can lead to issues, however if you get it before that happens, it is a pretty easy fix. Either bypass the factory cooler in the radiator, or install a new replacement radiator, which is never a bad thing to do on an older vehicle.