Hello All! Brand new member - in the process of purchasing an XTerra and thought this forum could help out a bit --

I am a former Jeep owner and have recently looked around at Land Rovers(too many potential problems). Thru it all I have continued to read great things about Nissan - SO --

What got you into your XTerra ? What keeps you in your XTerra?

Thanks!

First of all, Welcome to the Club!

I recently bought a new 05 Xterra. Several things got me in it. First, I had been looked at the original Xterra before I bought my 2000 Nissan Crew Cab Frontier. It was a toss up between the two, as the reliability of Nissan is phenomenal, and both the Xterra and the Frontier would do the towing I needed. That being said, in December of 99 when I bought my Frontier new, I had a motorcycle. I wanted to be able simply to toss the motorcycle in the back and go, thus I went with the Frontier.

I no longer have a motorcycle, and the redesigned 05+ Xterra called to me much more than the new Frontier. Bang for the buck and utility, it was the best deal going. It had everything I wanted without a lot of the gimmick crap that others have. Add to that, I did my research and waited to find a dealership that had a leftover 05 into 06. They were hurting to get rid of it, and so the almost 6K off the sticker price didn't hurt at all. I love the amount of storage space, the towing capability, and the people hauling ability as well. The light trail riding that I do is easily accomplished by the Xterra even in the 2wd Xterra.

Which model are you thinking about getting? Are you lookng at a new or used Xterra? Are you thinking 2wd or 4x4? 6MT or Auto? What are your needs? What part of the country are you in? Since you had a Jeep, perhaps I'm being presumptous in guessing, but you have done some trails.

Thanks for the welcome! As far as model I am just starting the search - will probably go used as it will not be a primary vehicle. I plan to use it for hauling (dogs ) and trips to and from Home Depot. Will probably stay in 2wd with automatic. I loved the Jeep but here in Houston it gets a bit too hot with the top off - and with the top on you really limit your storage space.

Thanks for the welcome! As far as model I am just starting the search - will probably go used as it will not be a primary vehicle. I plan to use it for hauling (dogs ) and trips to and from Home Depot. Will probably stay in 2wd with automatic. I loved the Jeep but here in Houston it gets a bit too hot with the top off - and with the top on you really limit your storage space.

Same here, 'cept for the dogs. I needed a Home Depot mobile, and a 4X4 for the NY winters.

Welcome to the club! and good luck on your purchase. :)

I was a life long Jeep fan, until my last purchase; at 39K I had to replace the rear end @ 900 bucks (3k out of warrantee and Detroit did NOTHING to remedy the problem), at 80k the clock spring broke @ 158 bucks, at 89K and again at 110K I spent over 3,200 bucks to fix the infamous "Jeep death wobble" trackbar, tie rods, tie rod ends, bushings, shocks, tires, steering damper until the sway bar replacement resolved the problem.

That vehicle cured my Jeep jones; I've had my '06 S X for about 2 months. I've put 6051 miles on it and have NO issues. It rides better, less road noise, and has more of a quality feel.

My first two mods have been to replace the speakers and tweeters (all original speakers suck) and a "Its a NON-Jeep thing and I do understand" decal for my rear glass from DecalDrive.com.

Sounds like a great decal. Sorry you had a bad experience with the Detroit crowd. My bad experience was with Ford a few years back, and now I have been with Nissan for about 7 years or so.

Hartdl,

Just thought I would mention that you might want to look at the thread I started about a project Xterra. I ran across a couple this evening. Since you are looking for one for dog hauling etc., there is a theft recovery Xterra for I think 6500 for sale.

Donald

Same thing for me.. '05 Wrangler Unlimited.. 6th Jeep I have owned.. at 3 weeks old, they had to tear apart my engine.. TWICE!! ever since.. nothing but problems, recalls, etc. etc. What made it worse, dealer and Chrysler no help at all.. none.. they lost a loyal customer.. for life! We have an '06 Xterra X 4x4, and after 10,000 miles now.. NO PROBLEMS.. awesome power.. and I have climbed every trail that I have been on with the Jeep with no problems.. and the ride home is 1000 times better...