Nissan Xterra or other Suv?

I'm thinking of getting a SuperCharged Nissan Xterra 4x4. I know someone here must have one.

Any comments about their reliability? Performance? Dependability? ect?

Anyone own an Xterra? Or what you would recommend as an alternative SUV?

my friend jeremy has a bright yellow supercharged x-terra. and i gotta say the thing is pretty sweet inside and out. though i don't like how the backseat has less headroom than the front (they mount the rear seats higher from some reason dunno why) and i don't really like how the cabin makes you feel kinda locked in it is a nice ride nonetheless. but if you are actually going for an SUV i'd suggest the toyota 4-runner with 4-wheel drive and the V8. or a ford expedition as those things seem to have no flaws in my eyes. nice sturdy triton V8, 4-wheel drive, third row seating that can be removed. and a really large and in charge vehicle as opposed to the x-terra. i say go for the nissan as granted it has a couple flaws it's still a great car. but if you want to pay the extra money the expedition or 4 runner is the way to go.

The Toyota 4 runner would also be an option if you're dead-set on Japanese like many consumers.

The Toyota would have a higher resale value (however you will still lose your ass like with all new car purchases). Reliability would be about the same. Parts and repairs would also be closely tied between the two.

Like most Japanese cars, you'll get washing machine reliablity and washing machine personality.

I'd get a Montero Sport... I used to have one, and when I took it offroad the thing plowed over shit...

Xterras are nice, but I hate the "roots" style blower they have on it... I can see going up a 30+ degree incline at WOT and burning up some valves...

No supercharger... turbo would be better... maybe a diesel truck crew cab?

Dunno, if you have any questions you know where to find me...

Mitusbishi is famed for poor quality control. I'd steer clear of anything with the Mitsu on it.

Are you looking for something more sporty or something with more utility?

If I had to get an SUV in the 40k price range, the VW Touareg would be at the top of my list (won 1st place in a mid-range SUV competition in Car and Driver). You can get the Acura MDX for a bit cheaper--more sporty but the towing is pretty lousy and it's not so great for off-road. Competent, but you can get better offerings.

I've never heard anything about the Xterra.

What price range are you looking at? New? Used?

I know if I wanted to get an SUV for my next car, either a used Landcruiser or used GX470/LX470 would be at the top of my list. I've driven my mom's Landcruiser time to time (eg., when my car was unavailable) and though the thing handles like an absolute brick (and feels like it's going to pitch over in high winds), it's like driving a luxury truck.

Magnaflux said:

The Toyota 4 runner would also be an option if you're dead-set on Japanese like many consumers.

The Toyota would have a higher resale value (however you will still lose your ass like with all new car purchases). Reliability would be about the same. Parts and repairs would also be closely tied between the two.

Like most Japanese cars, you'll get washing machine reliablity and washing machine personality.

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Yep, 4Runner is an excellent 4x4. It's definitely one of the ones I'd suggest.

I'd personaly get a Murano if they're within your price range. SE Murano starts right at 30k where as the SE Xterra starts at 25k. IMO, extra 5k well spent.

I've test drove a Murano before, very smooth riding SUV that handles more like a sports car. It really feels "small" when you're driving it.

Either way, Nissans are very well built cars, so I'd stick with that company.

Abasuto said:

I'd personaly get a Murano if they're within your price range. SE Murano starts right at 30k where as the SE Xterra starts at 25k. IMO, extra 5k well spent.

I've test drove a Murano before, very smooth riding SUV that handles more like a sports car. It really feels "small" when you're driving it.

Either way, Nissans are very well built cars, so I'd stick with that company.

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I'm not saying Nissans suck or anything, but their interior has taken a turn for the worse. I still think Nissan makes overall quality cars (except the interior at the moment) though. The vehicle I'm most interested in right now from Nissan is their Titan truck. I definitely need a towing vehicle.

Magnaflux said:

Mitusbishi is famed for poor quality control. I'd steer clear of anything with the Mitsu on it.

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ditto. i've always had problems with mitsubishi. from their cars feeling cheap and plastic to their cars actually being cheap and plastic. they've never come off as a good company to me. it could also be because they made the planes that bombed pearl harbor... but i'm not that patriotic.

Oh yeah, and if you don't enjoy car maintenance, don't get any sort of turbocharged/supercharged engine. It'll save you some headaches in the long run. If you plan on using this thing for its wilderness-conquering properties, a supercharged engine isn't that great. Better to focus on torque, more torque, and lots of torque.

Ely13 said:

Oh yeah, and if you don't enjoy car maintenance, don't get any sort of turbocharged/supercharged engine. It'll save you some headaches in the long run. If you plan on using this thing for its wilderness-conquering properties, a supercharged engine isn't that great. Better to focus on torque, more torque, and lots of torque.

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yeah but a turbo charger will get you more torque. as well as a lot more horsepower than initially on the car. turbo kits increase a car's speed and acceleration. whereas a supercharger would focus more on the increase of power leaving the acceleration at a lower level so it'd take longer to get up to a good speed. what he should do is get a turbo charged engine and then put on an electronic supersharger and a bigger turbo as well as a racing chip and computer, intake kits. and a ported and polished exhaust manifold as well as headers, shaved heads, increased compression ratios by putting on longer piston rods and a new crankshaft and new camshafts as well as new head gaskets and intake and exhaust valves. some wider cat backs and exhaust pipes and wider piston chambers as well as bigger fuel lines and a larger throttlebody kit with more throttlebodies per barrel, or a large carburetor with 4 or more barrels and since it'd be 4-wheel drive larger axles (dana 66's perhaps) with limited slip dual differentials and a transmission with close gear ratios so as to get more accelration out of it. give the vehicle a 4 inch lift, new leaf springs, new shocks, some heavy duty brembro brakes. manual transmission so you can control shifting on hill climbs. also it'd help to have overdrive on there if possible. and larger tires with big thick treads. all in all it'd cost you a fortune but an x-terra like that could tackle about anything. install a snorkel too so the car can go underwater. wow i think i went on a rant there.

The Xterra has turned into a "chick" car, I wouldn't get one.

If I got an SUV I'd get the BMX X5. The X5 4.8iS is 360HP.

Also like tonk said the Montero Sport is nice too

Kim _Kaphwan said:

all in all it'd cost you a fortune but an x-terra like that could tackle about anything. install a snorkel too so the car can go underwater. wow i think i went on a rant there.

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Well, I just wanted to note that since it seems every other car nowadays has some sort of device to inject more air into the engine. The performance boost is nice, but it does unkind things to the engine. If it's only a 2-3 year interim car, it's not a big deal.

Ely13 said:

Well, I just wanted to note that since it seems every other car nowadays has some sort of device to inject more air into the engine. The performance boost is nice, but it does unkind things to the engine. If it's only a 2-3 year interim car, it's not a big deal.

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Honestly a super/turbo charged engine can last just as long as an NA engine.

The largest problem to their longevity is young male drivers.

Magnaflux said:

Honestly a super/turbo charged engine can last just as long as an NA engine.

The largest problem to their longevity is young male drivers.

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I'm not sure about the first part, but I agree with the second.

I was talking to someone about their Diablo this weekend and he mentioned to me that the biggest complaint about Ferraris was that they use a rubber belt (instead of a chain, though this was finally changed) and that the biggest complaint about Lamborghinis was that the clutch wears out so quickly. When I asked him why (re the Lamborghini) he said that it's not because of any manufacturing flaw with the car, but that North American drivers don't know how to shift gears properly while going uphill While most manuals will simply stall if you don't do that whole handbrake routine, a Lamborghini will actually let you continue driving, and it'll let you grind the hell out of the gears.

That reminds me of a car show some years back. I spoke to a Ferrari tech, we were discussing the most common complaints (and stupid customers). He said most people with complaints on Ferrari's cars simply don't drive them hard/fast enough as they were designed to.

The rubber belt (timing belt) is often used since it absorbs valvetrain harmonics and results in a smoother running engine.

Supercharged engines are different from the factory than NA. They have lower compression ratios, more fuel delivery and are generally altered to handle the increased output. NA engines that have superchargers attached to them will most likely not give the same performace as an OEM supercharged engine over its lifespan.

Magnaflux said:

That reminds me of a car show some years back. I spoke to a Ferrari tech, we were discussing the most common complaints (and stupid customers). He said most people with complaints on Ferrari's cars simply don't drive them hard/fast enough as they were designed to.

The rubber belt (timing belt) is often used since it absorbs valvetrain harmonics and results in a smoother running engine.

Supercharged engines are different from the factory than NA. They have lower compression ratios, more fuel delivery and are generally altered to handle the increased output. NA engines that have superchargers attached to them will most likely not give the same performace as an OEM supercharged engine over its lifespan.

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Hah, yeah. Though, conversely, a Ferrari is more of a luxury sports car than a driving car. This guy was thinking about getting a Modena, so he went over to his normal dealer (who deals with Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and other makers in the same tier). So, they went on a test drive with the Modena and came to a hill. He floored the thing and... the result was uninspiring, to say the least (it's like the difference between flooring a Jag X-Type after being used to a Mercedes C32 AMG). The dealer looked a bit sheepish and said the same thing he said earlier--while the Modena engine is as smooth as silk, it doesn't have much oomph to it. I know this guy would love to have a Maclaren, but it's more than he wants to spend on a performance car (especially considering that it only gets driven a few times a month at most. Though he doesn't admit it, I think he enjoys doing maintainence work on it as much as driving).

I don't like BMWs, but I will say I admire their engineering philosophy--that superchargers are shortcuts to power. I haven't read up on superchargers, turbochargers, and such very much (as none of the cars I'm potentially interested in use them), so most of what I say about them come from what I've heard from other performance car owners who generally don't like superchargers either. Biased, yes, I know

Volvo XC 90

Otherwise just get a Subaru Outback

Bobak said:

Volvo XC 90

Otherwise just get a Subaru Outback

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Thats a lesbian SUV ()

Anyhoo, we have gone way off topic here... Mike is not buying an SUV to go out in the wilderness with.

And if he wants some balls, a Chevy Trailblazer LTZ is quick as hell and powerful.

Yeah, in all honesty, i'm actually just looking for something to be able to tug the whole family around in, without looking like a tool. 4x4 is a nice feature considering i like to snowboard, and the mountains sometimes require chains/etc.

We have a baby on the way, a rowdy dog, and then the 2 of us, so a normal car won't cut it.

I'm actually going to sell my M3 for this, so i need something with some balls (for my sake), and i've heard the supercharged Xterra fits the bill (and the budget).

The 4Runner is probably my second choice, followed by the Land Rover Discovery. (i'm thinking like under 30K used). Some of my friends have recommended the Ford Explorer or Chevy Tahoe, but i'm hesitant to go American (especially the ford).

I think ideally we want 2002 or newer, ~30K or less miles, in the 30K or below price range.

Ely13 said:

Oh yeah, and if you don't enjoy car maintenance, don't get any sort of turbocharged/supercharged engine. It'll save you some headaches in the long run. If you plan on using this thing for its wilderness-conquering properties, a supercharged engine isn't that great. Better to focus on torque, more torque, and lots of torque.

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Yeah, I don't mind the extra work needed for a turbo/supercharger. I had a turbo eclipse in the past, and loved it (despite the extra work it needed)...

I don't know what the crash tests are for the newer Xterras, but they do not look like something I'd entrust with a family.

(that goes doubly for the Land Rover/Range Rover which, if hit from the side, offers little to no protection like a Jeep Wrangler).

The Subaru Outback that Bobak suggested is also a great idea. Still a sporty car, you can put quite a bit of stuff in there, very family oriented and you have AWD.

You could pick up a Land Rover dirt cheap. They depreciate like Jaguars (if not faster). Pneumatic suspensions can require some hefty bills but not likely for the first 10-15 years.

The Land Rover may be too much for you, since it is among the greatest 4x4s on the Earth. They don't ride very well in spite of their suspensions, corner like a pregnant pig on skates, and get terrible mileage. However you'll be blingin'.