[kms1990]

everyone, my mazda 3 ride was a fun one but time has come and I had to get a bigger vehicle, I went with a Nissan xterra as they rate well, drive well and have more then enough room for my needs the vq v6 engine in there is known for reliability and robustness and the vq engines have won several awards including some wards 10 best. I wanted a suv based on a truck not a car jacked up to look like an suv which is why I did not go mazda. That and I know nissans just as well as mazdas and repairs on xterras are extremely easy. the xterra is on a modified titan frame and is very ridged and strong feeling, steering is weighty like a truck should be and it also reminds me so much of my 98 Nissan pathfinder that it took me back to better times where I did not have to have to do anything in 4 years and 50k miles but change a distributor which was 10 minutes 1 bolt and $170 Nissan knows how to make suvs built like tanks that run forever. I will still cruise the form and help with subjects I know about on the 04-13 ones since I had one in each generation, but im going to be less active on here now. The truck is a very basic and big step down in interior tech features but im kind of glad for that as I always worried about the bose amp or speakers failing the fancy auto HID lights that I had 1 break and cost $1000 to replace the assembly bulb and ballast and things like that the xterra has cruise control and a ton of storage as its main features power everything and fog lights its refreshing to see old school perfected tech in a modern suv and that's what I wanted stuff they know works and should last a very long time. I attached a pic so you can see the new truck. (I like red as everyone should be able to notice by now)

 

[jegonzo3]

Very nice kms! I used to have a 2006 Nissan Frontier, but sold it so I could put the money down towards a house and I had my Mazda3 at the same time. Everyone still asks me if I miss my truck...yes I do! Nissan engines will last forever. I'm sure you'll find some mods to do. I replaced the whole stereo system in mine. You're insight will be missed, just make sure you stop by from time to time.

jegonzo3

 

[kms1990]

Very nice kms! I used to have a 2006 Nissan Frontier, but sold it so I could put the money down towards a house and I had my Mazda3 at the same time. Everyone still asks me if I miss my truck...yes I do! Nissan engines will last forever. I'm sure you'll find some mods to do. I replaced the whole stereo system in mine. You're insight will be missed, just make sure you stop by from time to time.
jegonzo3

Oh I will, trust me.

I had a 98 pathfinder and 200 xterra before, so I know Nissan fairly well plus a 96 sentra lol. the pathfinder I had for 4 years and 50k miles all it ever needed was a battery (that was 10.5 years old when replaced, still factory battery from 1998!) brakes and routine fluid changes plus a distributor ($170 plus 10 minutes to change) great truck and the new to me 2011 xterra reminds me so much of it. the 2000 xterra was a little worse needing shocks, distributor (the 3.3l v6 had a tendency to eat distributors around 150k+miles) but also had more miles and owners when I bought it and it also had a rear main seal leak. but still ran like a champ. it had 175k miles when I bought it the pathfinder only had 120k and 1 previous owner, but it got totaled by a woman hitting me on her cell phone not paying attention. got rid of the xterra due to working retail in college and gas going way up so I could not afford it. now I have a good job and need the space, plus the newer one so far seems to be getting respectable mileage for a big ol v6 in a big ol box 9" off the ground first fill netted me 19.1mpg mixed driving all weekend (filled to see what real life mpg was) my 3 only really got 24-26 at best I usually overfilled the tank too much and this skewed the numbers some on my fuelly page) its rated 16 city 22 hwy 18 combined I do mostly highway with my job so 18-19 is what im expecting and thus far it seems to be upholding this expectation. yes the VQ engines are some of the best Nissan engines ever.


it has a 22 gallon tank and the 3 had a 16 gallon one, well it gets roughly the same mileage at the same tank markers (like 100 miles at 1/4 tank 190 at 1/2 etc just like the 3 did in its tank) so I should not need to fill any more often, it will just cost more. and not even really that much more. plus work pays .54 cents a mile while driving for work (but not for my commute to/ from work)which at least paid for double the gas $ I used in my 3 even with a 30 mile one way commute to and from work 5 days a week plus additional driving and the xterra does not get half the mpg the 3 did its gets about 70% the gas mileage the 3 got according to my fuelly, and 72% what it most likely actually got if I had not over filled by about 1/2-1 gallons each time. (I calculated based on where it stopped but kept going passed the stop on the pump every time because it did not seem full to me, anywhere from 1/2-1 gallons over the stop each time so this skewed my mpg higher then actual. so I should still have all or most of my gas covered. plus I have a bigger car with more space like I needed without going up much in payments and I think my tranny was starting to slowly die in the 3 as it was starting to shift bad and not down shift when I needed power I would have to floor it to get it out of 5th at 65mph.

 

[jegonzo3]

Yeah, I miss the power of my Frontier, but not the gas mileage. lol Who knows, I may eventually get another one sometime down the road.

 

[kms1990]

Yeah, I miss the power of my Frontier, but not the gas mileage. lol Who knows, I may eventually get another one sometime down the road.

funny thing is 2 tanks in and the xterra is only getting marginally worse mpg then the 2.5 in the 3. maybe because I had the 3 fully loaded a lot or maybe because I think the transmission was having issues (it would shift bad(slow)) and did not ever want to down shift when trying to gain speed it fought to stay in 5th even at 35mph I would have to floor it to get it to shift sometimes and on warmer humid days it felt like the car was out of breath and had no power, no pick up would not shift well so I think it had some sort of major issue slowly manifesting as I ticked up the miles. the xterra can hold 12 full size PCs in the back with a 12" jl powerwedge sub/box in there and when seats folded could hold more like 25. I could barely get 4 in the mazda even with my bag of wires and other various extras I need to carry for work in the back seat and with the seats folder (since the did not go flat like the xterras have the ability to do) it only gave me room for about 8. granted I don't carry more then 2-5 at the most most of the time but there are times I need to carry more then that such as yesterday.

company paid for at least double(at the bare minimum, exactly double was what I got in the lowest mileage month 255% has been the best) my gas expenses in the 3 for mileage reimbursement and the x does not get half the mpg the 3 did, the 3 is rated at 25 and that's about what I got (my fuelly in the sig is a liar) as I would over fill by .5-1 gallon each time and not count it and it skewed the numbers. the on board mileage readout stayed around 24-25.5 most of the time even though I drive mostly highway (70-80%) and not hard just cruising between 65 and 75mph depending on traffic and speed limit the x is rated at 16 city 22 hwy and 18 overall so far 2 tanks I have a 19.1 and a 20.6mpg average. and doing the math I should not have to fill any more often even at 17-18mpg because that's 70% of the mpg my 3 got and it as a 22 gallon tank whereas the 3 had a 16 gallon so its also got 70% extra tank space, and thus far mileage and where the needles sits is proving this as it is right at about the same spot in the gas gauge as the 3 would have been at the same miles into the tank. hell I filled at just under a quarter on the 20.6mpg one and it was only $29 the 3 would have been about $20 at the same spot so ill take a hit on mpg to have more power, more headroom (so im not bumping my head on hard bumps, like in the 3) and better visibility.

it hurts having to drive 26ish miles one way each trip too and from work, but the route I take typically has minimal slowdowns and im looking to move closer sooner then later