Hi guys first post ,and my question is Im looking to buy a 4x4 toy I had Cherokee and Wrangler before and now Im considering the Xterra that I always like but only seen once in a offroad park , there is this 2001 Xterra for sale at a dealer with 110,000 miles V6 with what it looks to be a 4inch lift ,Arb front bumper ,safari rack with 4 offroad lights ,33's M/T and black steel rims and Gibson exaust ,the truck is yellow and rims got yellow lip, looking at the pics it looks in great shape in and out and there are asking $7999 ,I think is a great price what do you guys think ???
And the real question is how do the Xterra performs offroad I just heard that lacks of power, if you got experience offroading this vehicle please let me know ...Thank you in advance.

That's a pretty good price if it hasn't been beat to death.

The X is a great vehicle, but honestly it depends on the type of wheeling you want to do. It's got an IFS not solid axle which limits it's rock crawling ability. So if that is your thing, I would stick with the Jeep.

I do mid level trails ,never been on a black trail ,it will be used mostly for little deep mud ,sand dunes, and mid level rock ,and long aventure trips , will it be ok this kind of use?? Thanks

The Xterra is pretty well suited to that type of wheeling, especially the one you're looking at, since it is modded.

This is a pick of the one Im looking at

Yeah, it would work well for that use.

i would jump on iy if i were u i bought mine jan 06 with 98xxx miles and its 2wd for 9500 and it was all stock

i would jump on iy if i were u i bought mine jan 06 with 98xxx miles and its 2wd for 9500 and it was all stock

IM going to try do just that next week if I get the credit for it.

if it's blacks that you would want to do, in the X you CAN do them. As I have already in mine. But not all blacks. Like Musikman said, the IFS limits you. Lockers definitely help.

I wouldn't go through real deep mud, as the alternator is right by the drivers side front tire. A many of alternators have perished due to this, including mine (see my avatar).

the IFS limits you. Lockers definitely help.

.

Can someone explain how the IFS works compare to solid axel ,Im not familiar Thanks

IFS= independent front suspension
solid axle looks like the rear axle of most trucks

IFS= independent front suspension
solid axle looks like the rear axle of most trucks

What's good about IFS and whats bad ??

sorry Im trying to get a good idea on how the axel in the Xterra works ,Thanks

This Thread Should Explain In A Little More Detail, Read Thru The Whole Thing Then Come Back With Any More Questions

I TOTALLY FORGOT TO POST THE LINK
http://www.clubxterra.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1345&highlight=SOLID+AXLE

The big advantage of a Solid axle is that it allows both tires to make contact, even when flexed. So if you are into rock crawling or even very deeply rutted trails, a vehicle with solid axles front and back will give you more traction.

It's also easier to lift a solid axle vehicle than an IFS. This is because the axles/diffs stay where they are and you raise everything else up.

An IFS handles better on the street or any other high speed situations. That is why you see a lot of desert racers with IFS.

http://jbeamphotos.com/albums/03JeepRubicon_Photos/jeeprun_connellsville_060603_113704_6324.sized.jpg

In that picture my front left tire is well over 3ft off the ground and the other three wheels are still touching the ground. I could have gone higher, but the guy spotting me was afraid I would come up over the top. If you tried doing this in an IFS vehicle the drivers side rear tire would be off the ground and I would be close to flopping it on the passangers side...and if it didn't flop, it sure would have been scary. :)

In a nut shell...

In a solid axle, there's essentially a tube running straight from the left wheel to the right wheel...with the diff bulge in the middle somewhere for the gears.

In an IFS...there's a diff in the middle, but a separate drive shaft (A half shaft) running to the left and right wheels...

So - On an IFS, one tire can go up and down w/o affecting the other tire...its independant.

On the solid axle, when you pick up one tire, it pushes the other one down.

So the stock IFS X can move its front tires up/down about 7". A stock solid axled Wrangler for example can move its front tires up/down about 9".

An X with a dissconnected front sway bar and a 3" lift with after market UCA's that allow more droop, can move its front tires about 9" up/down.

A Wrangler with a disconnected front sway bar and 3" lift might be able to move its front tires about 18".

9" of front travel means you might be able to get one side about 18" up something...18" of travel can get you more like 3'...etc.

So, 18" of travel, with larger tires and so forth - might let you crawl over a 3' ledge.

9" of travel might let you clear a 2' obstacle, etc.

On broken terrain at speed, like dunes or sand washes, the IFS lets the tires follow the terrain, going up/down w/o losing traction when yanked by the other tire, etc....so the IFS is way better/more stable at high speed....and on road.

I rock crawl w/the X...and its fun. I Jeeped before the X...but the Jeep was too smal to carry what Ineeded to pack into the boonies for work.

The X is way more reliable too, a real godsend when its your daily driver.

So - you can crawl an IFS rig, no problem...and with lockers, alot of black trails are doable, and w/o lockers, some blacks are doable too.

Giant boulder fields are difficult...I never got that far in the X on Rock Creek, etc...always had to turn back...too little ground clearance, too little tire, and not enough articulation...but then a wrangler would not make it either w/o massive mods....the difference is that those mods are available to th wrangler...but not the X.

:D

In short - for a Daily Driver that wheels off road, the X makes it as my weapon of choice.

:D

Great!!:wink-big: way of putting it I now get it much better I had Cherokee and Wrangler before so Im not familiar with the Xterra ,I just know I like it and looks great with a few mods ,the great thing about Jeeps is that there are tons of mods and prices are fair ....Thanks again TJ for taking the time to explain it so well.

the ifs has torsion bars and the solid dose not, you can doa sas so that you have a solid axle up front but it gets costly

Not all IFS have torsion bars. The new X's are still IFS and they have a coilover setup.

true that, thanks for the correction