Hi all, I am a old fart to most. I am 60, but been wheelin offroad since the late 60s. I have owned Scouts, Jeeps (many), Toyota, Ford, Dodge, Chevy. I just purchase a 2000 Xterra XE with a five speed and 66K miles.
I bought the thing in Pennsylvania and had it shipped to NJ for a little fix. New pair of tires, paint on the drivers side, from a ding and servicing. The odd part: I live in oregon, but had to search high and low to find a gen 1 with low miles. I have not seen it yet as I just got it.
Why did I search it down? I has a frame and I have found a frame to be a good thing, if you are going in the bush.
I have slowed way down, but that does not mean life is over. I have been traveling for almost ten years and enjoying my Toyhauler (2004), motorcycle and quad. I decided to settle in Southern oregon, because it is close to the coast and the mountains and both of them call to me.
Why did I choose a gen 1? I like the simple look of the 2000! The bumpers on the newer ones seem to hang out further and that does not fit into my wheelin experience. I know this is a small point, but important to my Karma.
It is black and has the power option with window, locks, cruise, etc.
I am just having it fixed up in new Jersey, so if it is too much to truck to Oregon, I will go get it and drive it back.
The inspection on it by a compitent german mechanic, says it does not leak anything anywhere and all seems very tight.
I wonder if due to the age, I should replace the water pump and belt? Anyone have any thought there?
I hope to come here often and learn all I can from you "Old Timers!"
I am looking forward to some fun with this little wheeler.

I am glad to have found such an active group!
Itsme

ps. I have not named it yet, because I have not seen her in the flesh yet!:)

Welcome to CX. What type of wheeling are you planning on?

Welcome,

If the timing belt has not been done, go ahead and do it, and get a new water pump at the same time.

Thanks for the welcome!
Until I get my grubby hands on it, I am not sure what I will do with it.
I have always been a mountain crawler and have covered much of the west.
When I get her back here and driver her a bit, I will be able to name her and figure where it needs to be reinforced and from the pictures I have seen here, it is pretty capable with a few important mods.
Right off the bat, the nerf/step rails need to be replaced with something that will hold up and not get jammed into the tires. It will need real lighting and better tires.
I no longer need anything too radical in the rock crawler department, because those days are over for me, but what I consider is light weight driving may be very tough for others. I am sort of a low and slow driver offroad now-a-days and I want to preserve this Terror and not do to it, what I did to my (64 and 72) CJs, Jeepster and 61 Scout. I am reliving my third childhood phase!

I must say, I am very impressed with many Xterras here and I am glad I have a knowledge base to know the right things these need!
I wished they had nice stuff like this, when I had my youth, but I gotta tell you, it is still in my heart!
I used to have a home overlooking the Middle fork of the American river and the Rubicon canyon, back in those days, very few trucks could make it through the Rubicon run, but then Toyota and Jeep people went in there and made it so a sissy rig could make it! Too bad that happened!

Again, thanks for the welcome. I will put up pics after I get her!
Itsme

welcome

Welcome. i look forward to hear more of your wheeling stories. The weak parts of the Xterra (there aren't many) are the auto locking hubs, and the Steering componets. You won't have to worry about the drive train at all. Its solid. i second the timing belt and water pump replacement. Most aftermarket parts for our X's can be found here: http://www.4x4parts.com/catalog/

Good luck!

Welcome to the club!

X2 on the Timing belt and water pump...

Welcome in...

Welcome to CX!

Any photos of your previous rigs? Namely that Scout? :D Those were some of my favorite vehicles. Helped a buddy restore a 1969 Scout we found rotting in a farmer's field. Been digging them ever since.

Hi Drake,
I think I do have a picture of my 1961 Scout, of course they didn't have digital photos in those days, but I will try to scan it and put it here.
I have lost most of my photos in an ugly divorce ten years ago, so I really don't have any of my Jeeps. The 1972 CJ was the best off roader of the Jeeps, but I kept breaking the frame on it and had so many fish plate fixes, that I decided to sell it! I wheeled very hard in those days and my group of wheelers did everything we could to break our trucks. I remember dropping the scout off a ten foot cliff, into a hole about 100 feet diameter and it took three days and three winches to get her out! Un believeably, it survived with only a small amout of damage. Some time later, I rolled it in the Tahoe national forest and that time, the only damage was the removable top! Those Scouts were built like tanks! Most of my off road rigs were highly modified, but unlike the Xterras of today, you had to make almost everything for them. Lots and lots of great memories!
Itsme

welcome!

where in jersey is your truck? i'll go check it out for you :)

Cool! Yeah the Scout we were restoring was a beast of metal work. Had the Fred Flintstone floorboards and maybe only 60% of the metal left on the rear quarter panels. But once we finished, man was it nice. Painted in metallic gun-metal and we put in parallel bench seating in the rear versus the back seat that was originally in it. I wish my buddy could have kept it because we put over a year's worth of work into it but with the Scouts comes a devoted following and when money gets offered, sometimes it is just too hard to turn down.

I think like with the xterras, that is why I liked the Scouts so much. You were forced to go custom for stuff and it made them truly unique. :)

The first day I got the Scout (1961 model), I tried to climb a very steep hill near Lake Tahoe, Calif. It let me down and I had the uncomfortable job of backing down backwards. It was way to steep to do anything else! When I got it home, that day, I took out the hot wrench and cut out the engine, which was half a V8, which is all you could get in them the first year. I also later replaced the front and rear diffs, transmission and suspension. It was extensively modified and was unstoppable when I was finished with it. I really liked that old Scout and kept it for a dozen years!
Some of the few mods, were 302 Ford V8, Spicer 44 front and rear ends with lockers and custom housing braces, T-18 tranny, custom suspension (all hand made), a 2 inch lift, serious skid plates and new custom designed leaf springs, front and back. 12 inch wide tires and heavy steel rims. I had bent many rims, up until I got the heavy ones. The brakes went from 9inch drums to 12 inch by 2.250 wide drums. Disc brakes were not really out there for 4X4s then.
Later to come are the Jeeps with lots of mods and repairs (I used to keep several front fenders on hand, it seemed like they were always damaged beyond repair.
Itsme

I had almost forgot to add, I had a 1968 Land Rover, which was great for the desert, but a little too fragile for rock crawling. My mother is English and I had her hand carry an overdrive unit for it on her trip home on the plane! LOL
Many people will tell you these are the ultimate off roaders, but I assure you, they are anything but that! The aluminum body was great, but the frames were made of cheese cake and bent easily and rusted away quickly too! They were a very thin box steel afair.
Itsme

I had almost forgot to add, I had a 1968 Land Rover, which was great for the desert, but a little too fragile for rock crawling. My mother is English and I had her hand carry an overdrive unit for it on her trip home on the plane! LOL
Many people will tell you these are the ultimate off roaders, but I assure you, they are anything but that! The aluminum body was great, but the frames were made of cheese cake and bent easily and rusted away quickly too! They were a very thin box steel afair.
Itsme

LOL

I know what you mean...:hypnose-big::hypnose-big::hypnose-big::hypnose-big::hypnose-big: The Land Rover is the Ultimate Off Road Machine....The Land Rover is the Ultimate Off Road Machine....The Land Rover is the Ultimate Off Road Machine...

The guys who wheel them drank the cool-aide, that's for sure.

:wink-big:

The 68 Land Rover had a 4 speed transmission, with no syncro first and second. You better not try to shift it while climbing, or you were going for a nasty ride back to the bottom! Also, mine had a habit of slipping out of four wheel drive, which was liveable in the flat desert, but could potentially kill you in the mountains. It was a real piece of S***. I kept it for years, but it got very little use. I used it for a conversation piece, as that was the only safe use for it!
Itsme

Welcome!! Any pix?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Landrovers2a.jpgThis is what the Land Rover looked like, but mine was red. It looked capable, but it was not! 1968 boat anchor!
Itsme

ps. I will try to dig up any photos I have, but an ugly divorce and only taking few pictures at that time limit what I can show you. I am sure I have at least a few pictures of some of my off road rides though!

Here are the first pictures of my 2000 Xterra 4x4 5speed. It only has 66 K miles and runs great (so my sister and mechanic say) It is going in for some body work today and has been fully serviced thus far. It will be put on a truck, within a week to be transported from new Jersey to me in Oregon, within a week. I am not sure how long it will take to get here, but the first quote was 3 weeks and that ain't working for me! I am excited to get it here.

Nice! The anticipation must be killer. :D

I can't believe you found a 2000 model with that low mileage. Great find!

Sounds like you have had many great off-roading experiences throughout your lifetime, I can't wait to hear more of them, and see pictures of your rigs.

Also, welcome to the club.

It turns out that my X is a SE and not an XE. It does have the sunroof, but it also has the SE on the trunk lid. I am sorry for this confusion!
Itsme

ps. Take a look at the original 10 year old exhaust pipe.... still not rusted away yet! 66 K miles really shows there, but the guy did manage to wack both front sides! It is also block stock and the thing needs serious lifting in the front!

Welcome old timer!! :D Nice find on a '00 w/ such low miles. Can't wait to see what you do w/ her once you get her back home.

Well, it is still in New jersey, but came out of paint and body. It had a dent on the front left fender and keyed on the two rear doors. The body is now done, except needs to be buffed out. I will do the trim, when I get it to Oregon and remove the mud flaps and rails.

It is coming along, but I am still waiting for a decent trucking price to get it here to me!
Itsme

Well, it is still in New jersey, but came out of paint and body. It had a dent on the front left fender and keyed on the two rear doors. The body is now done, except needs to be buffed out. I will do the trim, when I get it to Oregon and remove the mud flaps and rails.

It is coming along, but I am still waiting for a decent trucking price to get it here to me!
Itsme

Welcome! :wink-big:
Looks great, and looks just like mine did stock...

great stories

I decided to fly back to New Jersey and pick up my new to me 2000 Xterra. I will pick it up, see if it needs any extra tweaking and drive it back to Oregon!
Leaving here 10/13.
The shop I have it at has done many little issues I wanted done, before I got there. She is serviced, the dent fixed and painted, two tires put on the front, new tie rod ends, alignement, new belts, battery and etc etc!
I will try to make a fun, but all too short trip back to oregon (or-y-gun to those folks that don't know how to say it!) and figure out what she needs for my uses!
Pics to follow on my return!
Itsme

good luck and have a safe trip

I was not sure if I should put this here, or not, but it all seemed related so here it is!

I flew from Oregon to Newark, New Jersey. I went to see my new to me 2000 Xterra. It was great to finally see it eyeball to bumpers! It had a few things that I wanted to still do before I drove it back to Oregon. I had the whimpy single row alluminum radiator, so I went out and found a brass and copper two row replacement. I bought it in Point Pleasant, NJ for $140 and put it in right away. I drove it around and I thought I could smell clutch. Knowing a stick shift was not a good thing for New Jersey's busy stop and go traffic and even though it has only 66K miles, I decided a new clutch was in order. I didn't fuss around trying to get the perfect clutch, I just knew a non OEM would be a better choice. I had my sisters friend's auto shop replace it for me. I stuck around for a week and then drove it back to Oregon in three days. I rented two motel rooms for a few hours each and made it back almost exactly in three days. Not bad for an old worn out fart!
The weather has been pretty nasty since I got back, but between rains, I got the front bumper painted black.
The center two vent/ac adjusters are missing and I need a new/used set to go in there. So far no wrecking yards have them around me and the dealer wants like $65 for those little pieces. I will keep looking for them.
I am very happy with the way it performed on the way home. I do know from the original owner, that the spark plugs are the originals and it idles a tiny bit rough. I downloaded the codes (none were on the CES) and Kock sensor and evap leak showed up. I had not tightend the gas cap and think that is why the evap code was there.
Itsme

Yeah, it is as low as it gets. I have already asked about the re-indexing and will do that as soon as the weather cooperates!
Thanx Itsme

The OEM clutch is one of the best ones to get.. hopefully you just worded that wrong lol

Shoulda told me you were com in out, I'm a few miles north of Newark....coulda helped you get her in top shape before the drive out

The OEM clutch is one of the best ones to get.. hopefully you just worded that wrong lol

Lol, he said non OEM...just figured i would warn ya before the trolls come haha.

Nice xterra btw, very low miles. Just need to get that front end up a bit.Seems like youve got the same thing i have other than the color.

Thought I would post a pic of the front end up now. The weather has been ugly, so I haven't removed the nerf bars yet, but it is coming along!
Itsme
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/tt243/ItsmeWayne/100_0435.jpg

http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/tt243/ItsmeWayne/100_0434.jpg

Its always hard to tell in pics, but just for clarification...the X is supposed to have a nose-down rake.

The AMOUNT of rake is about 1.5" lower in front than the rear...if measured at the front and rear of your steps, to the ground.

1" lower in front is OK too, and just within range.

All trucks in the US come like that (Not just Nissan's). It improves mpg, handling, braking, cargo handling, and a few other things, and the steering geometry is set-up to work with it like that, etc.


Huge numbers of people want their truck's to sit "Level" though, so, an after market business of selling "Leveling Kits" blossomed in response.


Anyway - Just tossing that out there in case its relevant/useful.

:wink-big:

I had hoped to get the rear end done, before the weather got ugly, but snow and no garage, have put on the brakes for a bit.
It sucks without a good place to work on stuff!
The process continues!
Itsme

I had hoped to get the rear end done, before the weather got ugly, but snow and no garage, have put on the brakes for a bit.
It sucks without a good place to work on stuff!
The process continues!
Itsme

I know, when the tools stick to your flesh, it really slows things down.:kalt-big:

I find a tarp over the areas being worked on, running the engine a while to get the truck warm at least, and using some halogen work lights, etc, can make it warm enough to do some hour-at a-time type projects, like shackles.

:wink-big:

boy o boy i dont miss that kind of cold weather. grew up in IL/WI, brrr.
welcome to CX.
yeah another 2000 owner.. :D