Four-wheel drive. Manual transmission. Body-on-frame. Solid rear axle. Short overhangs. Handsome, muscular good looks. The Nissan Xterra had all the makings of a collectible off-road SUV, and yet, if you look at the listings for used ones, you’ll see: They are pretty much worthless. In fact, I found a rare, manual, supercharged model for a song, and I’m still wondering if it’s a scam.
The Nissan Xterra’s cheapness has been a “thing” for years, but I would have thought that, by 2024, things would have changed. Real off-road SUVs have boomed since COVID, especially in light of modern SUVs (including legends like the Land Rover Defender) having become unibody, independent suspension-featuring street machines. Surely, by now the Xterra isn’t still a bargain? A nice Jeep Cherokee XJ could be had for pennies 10 years ago, now a nice one will cost you 10 Gs.
Not so with the Xterra. It remains unloved by the American automotive marketplace.
I bring this up because, while browsing Facebook Marketplace for smoking hot car deals even though I totally shouldn’t be given the absurd number of vehicles I already have clogging up the Galpin parking lot, I discovered this:
My screen brightened on its own, a church choir began to sing, and a golden halo hovered above my laptop’s monitor. Look at it: A manual transmission, four-wheel drive, supercharged Nissan Xterra, and in a nice blue color, no less! All for the absurdly low price of $3,400.
I asked the seller if there’s anything wrong with it. No, apparently it runs and drives fine. Then I asked other Autopian authors if this was a scam, and no, it’s probably not. These things are cheap, though part of that is that they do require some maintenance:
Add to that the fact that supercharged models are apparently absurd gas-guzzlers that struggle to reach the double-digits of fuel economy, and they require premium fuel and timing belts (on the 3.3-liter models, which made between 170 and 210 horsepower; later VQ40DE engines made over 260 horsepower, had chains, and were generally considered quite reliable), and the case for buying an Xterra gets a bit weaker.
Still, despite these issues, the vehicle is enticing to me — and actually, not just me. Folks on Reddit are wondering the same thing that I am:
Here’s another Reddit post:
Many of the answers say the Xterra’s cheap pricing comes down to branding in a world where Toyota and Jeep reign supreme. Here’s a quote from Redditor deliberatelycurious:
I think a lot of it’s got to do with the brand – Toyota has a name that Nissan just doesn’t. That, and the lower availability of aftermarket accessories. You also do make some “compromises” but most of us don’t feel like we compromised at all! Compared to the 4Runner, which is the Xterra’s closest competitor, you get an interior that’s not as fancy and lacks many of the bells and whistles. That, however, is one of the things that makes the Xterra so be great: its no nonsense approach.
That, and I like the look/size of the Xterra way more than the 4Runner, which is why I drive one!
Here’s Redditor huckyourmeat2:
They don’t have the name recognition of Jeeps or Toyotas. They aren’t converted into dedicated wheelers as often, so stock vehicles in good condition are easy to find, driving the price down. They are basically just Nissan’s budget truck (Frontier) with an SUV body. The engine, while solid, is an old design, hasn’t been updated since the 2nd gen was introduced, gets crap fuel economy, and isn’t particularly powerful. Early 2nd gens have a rep for radiator problems.
Having said all that, I love mine. I only wish that aftermarket accesories were cheaper and easier to come by…
Here’s sarge21rvb:
It’s simple supply and demand. More people want 4runners or jeeps, so they command a higher price. It’s also kinda meh as an on-road SUV. Very little creature comforts and the gas mileage leaves a bit to be desired. It is very large inside, though (can fit an entire queen sized mattress inside the car), and its off road capabilities make it very practical for bad weather, too.
And here’s WombatWithFedora:
It’s not a Toyota or a Jeep
I think branding is indeed a big part of the equation; it’s not exactly easy to make inroads into the off-road mainstream. The old Toyota FJ Cruiser, for example, didn’t exactly sell in droves. In fact, in the off-road scene, the top dogs have always been vehicles that have had a certain it factor. Obviously, there’s the Jeep Wrangler, which is descended from the World War II Jeep, and has a convertible top; there’s the Toyota Land Cruiser, which has been legendary around the world for 70 years; there’s the Bronco, which has a long-established name and a convertible top; and there’s the 4Runner, which built its reputation for reliability over the last four decades.
The XTerra isn’t exactly as bulletproof as the Land Cruiser or 4Runner; it doesn’t have the pedigree or convertible top of the Jeep or Bronco; and its styling isn’t out of the world, so it doesn’t make up for those deficiencies. The Xterra just doesn’t have an it factor to sling it over the top and into the mainstream, even if — on paper — it seems like a wild bargain. And it really does seem like a smolderingly hot deal; here’s a look at all the Xterras on the front page of my Facebook Marketplace search:
Hot damn those are all cheap. And here’s the thing: Though they may not be Toyotas or Jeeps, though they may get terrible fuel economy, they may be a bit primitive as on-road drivers, and though they may require a decent amount of upkeep, they’re still absolute beasts off-road, especially with a slight lift and some 32s or 33s.
They’re tempting. Very, very tempting. Especially with a stickshift.
[Ed note: You’d better buy an Aztek first, is all I’m saying – MH]
I’ve always had a soft spot for the Xterra, and I don’t want an SUV because of the MPGs, but hot damn those prices are enticing…
We have a family friend with a pristine early second gen Xterra. She is an older lady with a matching Rogue (same color and pinstriping), and is very meticulous about maintaining her cars. I have wanted to offer to buy her Xterra from her if she ever decides to sell it, but she has said repeatedly that she plans to keep the car until she goes into the grave, so that offering to buy it seems too close to implying I hope she dies soon – which is definitely not the case.
I drove a ’13 Pro-4X MT Xterra for 6 years and it was rock solid, fun to drive, surprisingly capable off road, pulled my raft trailer like a champ and had overall low coat of ownership. It eventually developed a weird, undiagnosed starting issue that only occurred at high altitude and extreme cold, but unfortunately I live in the rockies and enjoy winter sports, so it was major problem. After three or four go around with the dealer and independent shops I had to get rid of it, but still miss that truck…and still curious what failure mode was causing the starting issue.
Non-oem distributors are available on rockauto for $130, and OEM are $300….fairly reasonable in my book for a part that’ll last 200k.
All body-on-frame (and the Unibody 96-04 pathfinder/QX4) Nissans were built better before the F-alpha platform. Before anyone attacks me, I’m not talking about performance, I’m talking about every little thing not fucking breaking on them all the time. Exhaust manifolds, interior plastics, radiators ruining transmissions, finicky electrical stuff, etc..kinda like how the GMT800’s were great, the GMT900s that followed… not so much.
So, pre Alpha Xterra’s (1st gen) are built very well. Yes the VG33 is slow, but you know what, they last longer than VQs with normal maintenance.
And yes..that maintenance includes the timing belt on the VG which the VQ doesn’t have.
VQs are good, but they do have their issues.
The Xterra is almost as good as a Toyota but at a much lower price 🙂
Nissan still makes an Xterra for the middle eastern market. It’s based on the Navara. They need to sell it here.
I have shopped the Xterra and Frontier a few times and each time I went with something else. I wasn’t aware of the VQ40 in the 2nd gen, because I never liked the look of the front end compared to 1st gen. The VG33 always seemed way under powered, and inefficient, especially when supercharged.
Pretty much why I ended up with a ‘12 manual frontier last year instead of a taco – literally half the price.
…can someone clarify “the pink milkshake of doom”? and what’s the “SC” to be rebuilt?
SC is a Puffer.
Stop talking like my hero! He was a God, you are just a Taco…/s
The Pink Milkshake comes from Alpha platform Nissan trucks/SUVS (Frontier all the way up to Titan/Armadas) had the transmission coolers inside the radiators break so transmission fluid mixes with coolant. Happens to a lot of Titans/Armadas with age. If I got (another) Alpha platform Nissan I’d replace the radiator if it was original.
Thank you! I guess the boys that milkshake brings to the yard are mechanics who then charge you out the wazoo to fix everything. [I mean, rightfully, but definitely a poor design.]
The best option is a simple bypass. Get an aftermarket transmission cooler, stop using the factory trans cooler. Problem solved.
I always figured it was b/c of a lesser-known corollary of the Michael Scott – PT Cruiser phenomenon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmySnudIny8
“I found a rare, manual, supercharged model for a song”
So is it a holy grail?
My former boss had this ‘holy grail’ from new…supercharged failed pretty early on. He never bothered to fix it. As long as it hauled his kayaks, he didn’t care.
Yeah, figured as much…I never liked these much…I was playin around since David calls a lot of things holy grail
Family had two, a first gen and a 2nd gen, The 1st gen never had an issue, 2nd gen after 120K miles had the passenger side cat pack in and needed to be replaced. Other than that they were reliable AF.
They’re an underrated gem for sure. Keep hyping them, maybe my ’02 will go up in value.
If you look hard you can even find them in orange!
Same thing as the Titans, Quests, Maximas/Altimas of the world; Nissan is the pinnacle of hit ’em-where-they-ain’t, possibly rivaled only by some Chrysler and Dodge models. I’m certain that Mr. Gossin would agree with me.
The difference is that Nissan makes better cars than Chrysler 😛
Can you speak more to or rephrase this “hit em where they ain’t”, I’m curious
American expression from baseball meaning to go where everyone isn’t expecting, even if it’s not the strongest normal option.
As in, the defense knows you go left usually, so they move left, so you hit it (much more weakly) to the right, “where they ain’t.”
In this usage, everyone knows Toyota and Jeep are the best, so they cost the most, so go the other direction for cheap. Get 80% result for 50% cost.
Xterras are inexpensive to purchase because they didn’t cost all that much when new as compared to 4Runners. I have a stock 2004 V-6 4Runner, and my friend has a stock 2004 V-6 Xterra (both are automatics). Other than the greater ground clearance on the Xterra, the better overlander is the 4Runner. My friend was shocked when we took my rig for a whole-day excursion on some rough Forest Service roads in Idaho–the ride, the noise level, the stereo, the interior appointments–even the air conditioning–were clearly superior to what she had with the Xterra. Plus, all 4th Gen 4WD 4Runners had lockable Torsen center differentials so you could run 4WD on any road surface at any speed–a real plus when the interstate goes from bare to covered in snow every 100 yards. But still, an Xterra is a fine off-roader for someone on a budget.
I’ve had exactly one issue with my 2006 SE with over 200k on it that wasn’t normal wear and tear, which was the chain guides.
The “radiator problem” is actually an issue with the transmission cooler core being on the same stack as the engine radiator. Occasionally they’ll crack and dump coolant into the transmission. You fix this by bypassing the trans cooler if you never tow anything or plumb a small core into the loop for like $50.
Otherwise it’ll go through anything you point it at and parts for it are actually pretty reasonable. Honestly I really think Nissan just hated it for some reason. The only part that kinda sucks is the gas mileage is abysmal, 15 around town and 19-20 on the highway, but that shouldn’t be a surprise.
I’m currently looking for ’16 to replace the ’06 with because I’m not paying Land Cruiser or 4Runner prices.
edit: There’s been two problems. The other is a relay on the IPDM that occasionally fails and you get a crank – no start. The Nissan dealer sells them for like 8 bucks so just replace it and keep one in the glove box.
and honestly on the mpg let’s be real any capable 4wd is just as bad. I had 2 XJ Cherokees and they got 15 or 16 in town and maybe 20 mpg on the highway unless you were running car tires. A good buddy reported similar mileage for his ’98 4Runner. Not sure why anone’s complaining about it.
That mileage is significantly better than the EPA rating if I recall.
Economics 101: people don’t want them, so the price is lower.
It doesn’t get much more complicated than that.
No, they are not “cool,” else people would have bought them in the first place.
Bad mileage, good for very few uses that not enough people require.
And Nissan. We still haven’t gotten over my wife’s 1988 240SX, which was shit, so those feelings linger on.
My bro-in-law had a yellow one with blue trim, which suited him perfectly as a U-Mich fan.
Real question might be: why are you trying to pump interest in Nissan Xterras? We shouldn’t have to wonder about any ulterior motives on here.
“No, they are not “cool,” else people would have bought them in the first place.”
I strongly disagree with this logic. See FJ Cruiser/i3.
I think that Nissan rides this weird line between “Japanese reliability” and “I got this at a BHPH lot, so let’s send it!”
I think this sums up Nissan perfectly
There are people out there who thought the PT cruiser was cool. And the Nissan Figaro.
I’m one to talk; I like the Bangle Fiat Multipla, the Renault Avantime, and the Aston Martin Lagonda. Hell, I nearly bought a Towns Hustler cheap off Ebay a few years ago. And I am currently watching ads for a Mia electric car/van thing at a reasonable price – because who amongst us doesn’t need a barely-a-car with a central driving position? (https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/mia/electric)
People mostly buy cars that they think are the kind of car someone like the person they want to be would own. Even people who buy sensible, frugal, hair-shirt cars buy them because they want to think of themselves as the kind of people who are too clever to fall into the trap of buying a car because of what it says about them. Cars for them are deliberately designed to be as undesirable (albeit utilitarian) as possible. That tends to limit the demand from enthusiasts many years down the line.
The worst of all possible cars in my book are those that are dull, practical, dull, reliable enough that you don’t even get to scrap the bloody things after a few years, and dull. The only market for the Xterra is people who want the best value for money for something that does exactly what the Xterra does.
Hey now, the Lagonda is perfect
Are you implying that the Bangle Multipla isn’t?
Not at all! I was merely reacting to the implication that it’s weird to like the Lagonda. It’s weird not to!
That towns hustler is truly something else, and not remotely what I expected from the name either
The six wheel versions are central-wheel-drive, which may be unique on anything approaching a production vehicle as closely as the Hustler does.
There was also a version designed to accommodate the Jag V12, of course.
The only market for the Xterra is people who want the best value for money for something that does exactly what the Xterra does, and obsessive Veronica Mars fans.
Those weren’t cool, they’re dorky.
Does this ^^^ guy know how to party or what!?
Sadly, I do not.
They’re cheap because everyone wants a 4Runner. I’d still rather have one of those but the 1st gen Xterra is still a mighty fine truck.
I’ve read not so great things about the cooling system on the 2nd gens but I think other Nissan trucks of that era had similar issues.
My buddy had a yellow face lifted 1st gen. Looked cool, had a ton of miles, was shockingly crude. The engine NVH was surprisingly bad when I rode in it, almost as coarse as the ‘69 C10 I had at the time. Still though, every time I see one, I’m tempted.
Yup, its branding. Same with Mitsubishi Monteros, Isuzu Troopers, Rodeos, Nissan Pathfinder. Its not a Jeep or Toyota so it doesn’t have the same it factor. All are good off roady options though.
I don’t know as much about the Xterra itself, but a nice engine with a fun transmission is just a tiny part of being “insanely cheap.” IMO “cheap” includes some kind of value proposition, and it just seems like these are appropriately priced. That price is low; the value is low. Add in maintenance, repairs, and gas, and the low price dissolves in a hurry and you realize that inexpensive is not the same as cheap.
Blaming it on not having cachet like Ford or Jeep or Land Rover is a deflection from the fact that this is a lesser product. You want cachet? Go make it. A huge engine making just-over-malaise era power, sucking down gas in everyday usage, constantly threatening you with Nissan build quality? Not cheap. Just inexpensive to buy.
So other than the last thing, a 4Runner?
I always liked the way they looked. They never sold them in the UK. Over here they have the X-Trail (which I know they sold in Canada as well). The X-Trails are stupidly cheap. You can get a decent 4WD version for £2k (~$2500) easily. They don’t look as good as the Xterras though.
IIRC from when I was looking a couple of years ago, old X-trails are cheap because they’re either non-ULEZ-compliant old diesels that still aren’t particularly economical, or petrol versions that are hilariously expensive to tax.
I had a diesel version which I liked back in 2005 as a temporary (long story) company car. My wife and I liked it. Of course, as you mentioned, they’re non-ULEZ-compliant, so not an option. A ULEZ-compliant 2005 2.5L petrol model costs £415 per year to tax. That’s not as bad as slightly newer cars (I think the cutoff for the higher rate is 2006 or 2007), but you’re right, it’s not cheap and not very economical.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405240068629?sort=relevance&advertising-location=at_cars&drivetrain=Four%20Wheel%20Drive&fuel-type=Petrol&make=Nissan&model=X-Trail&postcode=W1T4BJ&transmission=Manual&fromsra
https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax-rate-tables/rates-for-cars-registered-on-or-after-1-march-2001
The cut off for the 700 quid bracket is 23 March 2006. No car registered – I think, maybe it’s build date? – before then is above 400.
Saw a bunch of X-trails when I was in Mexico last year. Don’t know much but they seemed like a solid small CUV that can only actually rough road-which is as much as most folks really need. Too bad they don’t sell them in the USA.
I have a buddy who doesn’t know much about cars and bought a used Xterra simply because he wanted a small SUV. Never did a minute of research. Boy was he shocked when he discovered it got 15mpg on a good day. I guess that’s acceptable for an off-road vehicle, but it kinda sucks goats for a DD.
My daughter’s stick shift JK gets about 16mpg commuting 25 miles each way in DD use. She finally bought an Accord Hybrid figuring the fuel savings would make the monthly payment.
VQ40 is a nice engine. The 6MT is a nice pairing with it.
The rest of the vehicle feels cheap, and with road salt will disintegrate like a first-gen Mazda into a pile of rust.
It’s effectively a shorter 3rd Gen Nissan Pathfinder.
They are cheap because for decades Nissan has been producing junque, on par with US manufacturers. Check the prices on 20 year old Chevy Blazers. If you buy an XTerra, you deserve what’s coming – a steady stream of mechanical failures.
Honestly, I’ve had friends with XTerras, and they say they are pretty good. But shortly after the XTerra is when Goshen ran Nissan into the mud, quality wise. And I bet the modern reputation is what is hurting the old reliable