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]
In 2008 I wanted to solid axle swap a modern (targeting ~5 years old at the time) and comfortable rig. I had it narrowed down to the Xterra or Explorer. The dismal fuel economy of the Nissan was the tie breaker. It turns out the Explorer 4.0 was indeed more efficient but still a POS when the timing chains let go at just 95k.
The 2nd gen ones are not cheap, especially with stick. With automatic there are a lot of solid-rear axle IFS front choices.
I’ve thought about buying a 2nd gen with a manual as an exploration rig for years but for my use it was too trucky to be my daily driver. A friend’s nephew has had both a 2nd gen pathfinder and a 2nd gen Xterra and found them pretty reliable. I’m guessing the pink milkshake problem really deflated the values overall though. My general impression is that they are decently built but that Nissan doesn’t sweat the engineering and build quality on its trucks the way Toyota does (and they still have some misses.)
We owned a 2005. The transmission on those early 2nd gens had a habit of mixing its ATF with coolant and making a strawberry milkshake you don’t want. There were pro-active fixes for it, usually involving a separate transmission cooler, which you might want for offroad anyway.
Also remember the chain guides being a potential failure point on that motor.
And is Nissan really that unknown in the off roading community? I get it, the 4Runner, Lexus GX, Land Cruiser, Jeeps are the trendy choices. But it isn’t like no one has heard of an Xterra. The old “based on a truck” Pathfinders weren’t bad either.
There’s a series of Mercedes E-class (I think during the nineties) that had the same ‘pink milkshake’ problem, usually at around 100-120’000 miles. Eventually Mercedes came up with a new radiator design, but it cost 1800 dollars (in my country, from the dealer). Still much less than a defective transmission, but expensive nonetheless.
S.W. Gossin is wrong in your chat there. Plenty of aftermarket distributors available for the VG33E. I know because I have an ’00 frontier and have changed myself. The bearings inside it basically grenade after a bit. It’s easy to replace. I actually rebuilt my original one (you can replace the bearings) and it works better than ever. The VG33E is a strong engine, if not super powerful. Yeah it’s got timing belts, so what.
That’s funny because the only experience I have woth the Xterra was my younger BIL had one. When it stops moving one day, it was because the timing belt had given up and grenades the engine. That said, I’m sure it had never been changed.
Well yeah you gotta replace it at the recommended interval. I believe it’s 100k miles.
I loved these back in the day. I’d still like to have one for my imaginary 5 car garage…
I hear Johnny ‘Bananas’ owns more yellow XTERRAs than anyone in the whole world!
I would suspect that anyone who is calling these “crap” has never owned one. I’m no Nissan apologist, but that just isn’t a fair characterization of the Xterra. The SMOD was an issue when these things were new – pushing two decades ago. Anything rolling around now has already had it’s radiator and/or transmission replaced. My 2nd gen was done around 35k mi. I’m now approaching 350k mi, still on the original, untouched engine, and the replacement rad and trans have almost 315k and still trucking. I have (recently) overloaded it with ridiculous payloads (7,500+ lbs) and it has never let me down. Wheel bearings here and there, brakes, tires and an absolute tank freighter or two worth of gasoline, and it’s humming along. My sister is one of the worst car owners to ever walk the earth and her first gen survived her neglect and abuse from new to almost a quarter million with nothing but consumables, only finally being sent to it’s grave after she ran out of talent on a curve. Archaic? Sure. But that means simple. Simple is reliable. Shitty gas mileage? You bet. It will rival the SUX6000. In the grand scheme, gas is cheap, fixin’em ain’t. These things are built to last. Snatch up a bargain and see for yourself.
For real I dont’ know why everybody here is complaining about the gas mileage. What offroad capable SUV doesn’t drink gas like it’s 1965?
Maybe because driving an real distances comes with a significant costs. Do the math. Beyond cost, there is also a huge environmental impact.
As for off-road capable SUVs with reasonable mileage:
Suzuki Samari
Suzuki Grand Viatra
1st generation Sorento
Ford Bronco (2.3L)
There are loads of diesels out there; their economies may vary by where you live, but in my state diesel is $0.70/gallon less than RUG:
Mercedes G240D
Mercedes G300D
Jeep Wrangler diesel
Jeep Grand Cherokee “ecodiesel”
Jeep Liberty and Liberty diesel
Chevy Colorado ZR2 diesel (not technically and SUV)
Range Rover TD6
For me, some semblance of fuel economy is a prerequisite. I absolutely love the way the Xterra looks and I find the bones attractive, but the lack of fuel economy is a deal breaker for me. This is the same reason I don’t own a Toyota SUV which have the perfect combination of low power, low fuel economy, and lots of unrefined noises from under the hood.
It’s refreshing to see others seeing Toyota for what they are.
The Bronco 2.3 can get mid-upper 20s if left on small tires and driven at moderate speeds. I’ve learned the hard way it can also get 12mpg driven at 75mph with 37s.
No offense but imo most of these aren’t directly comparable to the Xterra. Good look finding a clean Samurai, a Grand Vitara has similar gas mileage unless you get the painfully underpowered 4 cylinder. Nobody shopping an old xterra is cross shopping with a G-wagen or Range Rover new enough to get better mileage. Any MPG savings you get with a Jeep diesel will probably be offset in maintenance costs-and at least where I am the difference in cost between diesel and gas prices all but offsets any savings you’d get. IDK at least in the USA I realize after writing this perhaps you’re in a different market as some of these diesel SUVs you cite are very difficult and expensive to get here.
A friend used to work at a Nissan dealership. The technicians nicknamed those the “X-crap”. Gives a good idea for the reason they are so cheap.
Second Gens are cheap because they’re crap. Same for the Frontier and Pathfinder. The radiators like mixing trans fluid and coolant which then blows the trans and the engine at the same time. It’s a neat party trick.
I like them, and a few years back when I was auto shopping, I was bummed to find Nissan stopped making them in 2015. Plastic cladding has come back into fashion in a big way, so had Nissan kept with it, they might have something to battle Subaru with. That said, Xterra comes off like a ’90s name. I didn’t know anything about the XTERRA (all caps) triathalon until I looked it up, but after the ’90s, I think everyone got tired of being extreme all the time.
“after the ’90s, I think everyone got tired of being extreme all the time.”
We were living 21st-century lives but without the tech to keep up. It was exhausting.
Honestly, I think maybe their public image has been tainted by the sight of so many yellow rusted out Xterras, like the ones we see in Canada. It just feels as though it’s a much more cheaply built vehicle with reliability issues, though that’s just the impression I get. I don’t see the same level of crustyness from Toyotas or Hondas of the same age, on average.
Because Toyotas and Hondas rot their frames/subframes out before the exterior body panels.
These look best in yellow. Change my mind.
You could be speaking about any car and I would join you on the hill to die on.
In addition to all the mentioned issues in the comments there is also the aftermarket support. If you buy a Toyota or jeep there is so much aftermarket support. not so much with Nissan. My buddy had a lifted modded xterra and he was always the only not jeep or toyota at events. He sold it.
These were a strong contender for me when I was looking for an off-roader in 2017, when I ultimately decided on a ZJ. The main problems that decided against it were the weird, random issues, like the exhaust manifolds cracking and the lack of both easy to get and cheap parts, plus minimal and expensive aftermarket support.
The idea of a supercharger where I live at 5000 feet and wheeling even higher is appealing, but ultimately, these things just had too many cons. Although the joke is on me, I guess, because I ended-up rebuilding the ZJ engine anyway, though that was largely my own fault.
Clearly beauty, or coolness, is in the eye of the beholder.
I worked with a Columbian guy who arranged to have his Xterra stolen from his driveway so he could get insurance payout and he could get out of payments.
They are cheap because they are JUNK!!! Brother in law had a 2009ish Frontier v6/automatic. Was like 5 years old with 80k miles on it. Looked almost new. Drove great, that v6 had really good power. He had it for less than 2 years when it got the strawberry milk of death. New radiator and trans. There was a class action suit against Nissan that FORCED them to fix this for free. His truck had like 2000 more miles than what the free replacement period was for. Was on the hook for half of that repair, $3000, Nissan covered the other half.
Then within a few months the heat quit. Then the a/c. Then he traded that pos in on a new tacoma rather than spend 2k+ fixing all that.
I feel bad cause I was the person who told him to dump an IMMACULATE 2000 BMW 540i with 100k miles on it when it developed a misfire. There is NO WAY that BMW would have needed $5k worth of work in the next two years vs that sorry ass Nissan Frontier
I wouldn’t feel bad-100K is typically right around when the 1st round of big BMW suspension and cooling system maintenance items kick in.
I guess it comes down to knowing what compromises you are willing to make and whether or not you can see past a badge. If you can do that, you can usually save quite a bit of money for whatever the product. Shaq’s shoes are, what? $45? They work well and people play basketball in them, but they don’t have the jumpman on them……
Xterras hang the trails of Appalachia just as hard as anything else. Modding is harder, but it is almost more fun to see what innovations people come up with once let loose with a welder and a dream.
No one should be surprised I root for Nissan Trucks and SUVs (with caveats for various model years)
My mother (in her mid-70’s) is on her second XTerra. She loves it. It’s got 160k miles and for us, that insane. She never kept a car past 80k miles and she refuses to part with it. She loves it because it’s a real truck and not a car-based SUV and she lives in an area where we get some flood waters. She’s also just plain attached. I’ve tried to talk her into looking at a 4Runner and she is not interested. She also doesn’t like Jeeps because my late father had two Jeeps (both TJ’s, the second one was the rare long wheelbase unlimited) and she didn’t like the way the seating position felt). Nothing beats her XTerra.
So, I’m optimistic that the cult following will build because they are pretty awesome. She hasn’t had any major mechanical issues with it at all and it keeps on running just fine. Have there been other issues? Sure. It rattles. A lot. We’ve had bits of shielding and loose metal either secured or removed underneath and we still get rattling all the time. I don’t think it’s a build quality thing – it’s just an older, high mileage truck now.
I bought a Pro 4X with manual brand new in ’13. It was a fantastic vehicle. The biggest downfall was the fuel economy though. I sold it after ~20 months and nearly 40,000~45,000 miles since I ended up doing way more miles than I intended when I bought it. Replaced with a VW TDI that was pretty good, but that Xterra was still my favorite new vehicle I’ve bought.
I actually cross shopped for an Xterra with FJ’s as I wanted an SUV that could off road but wasn’t a wrangler. I test drove a CPO 2015 and it was a decent drive but then I test drove an FJ that same day and fell in the love with the FJ something about the drive just felt much better and also felt like I was driving a tank. I have heard nice things about most years of the Xterra’s but I know there were some years I think around the 09-11 range that would have strawberry milkshake issues with the trans (coolant mixing with trans fluid) so when I was looking I was making sure to avoid those years. But it does seem like last few production years of Pro-4x’s have held their value decently if they were up kept well and not to high miles just like FJ’s.
Weird, I test drove FJ’s (and Wrangler Unlimited, and 4Runner) when I bought my ’13 Xterra. The Wrangler was the “coolest” of the bunch because of the removable doors and roof, the FJ just felt perfectly fine, but seemed by far the worst for a daily livability standpoint. Horrible to see out of, weird doors, weird interior styling… It was good, just the Xterra felt so much more “normal” and meant to be used for typical things.
Hah I think that is why I didn’t like the Xterra because it felt so normal to me. The FJ isn’t to see out of and pretty impractical but I enjoyed it a bit more and I prefer the looks of 2 door vehicles vs 4 (even though the FJ does have suicide doors). Never test drove a wrangler as I just don’t care for jeep reliability but I would love removable doors and roofs. I really wanted an old 1st gen 4runner but clean ones are harder to come by in the Midwest and I would feel terrible killing a clean one in winter and off road.
Next piece: I XPELed my $3400 Xterra
I’ve owned an ’08 for about 9 years now, purchased with 97k, currently at 191k. In that time its been a fantastic vehicle overall, but it has had a couple of costly issues:
That said, its otherwise been super reliable. There’s nothing else similar I could replace it with without spending 3x the money, so I hope to keep it going for a while longer!
My 2005 has 180k and has had the same issues. Just did timing chains, guides, and water pump. Also replaced coils after a bad coil killed a catalytic converter due to a misfire. I swapped out the radiator to avoid SMOD a few years ago. The car has been bulletproof otherwise and is amazing off road
It won’t make you feel any better, but 150k is considered end of life for a cat. Government requires it lasts that long, any more is gravy. If you live in a state the doesn’t salt the roads but does check emissions, it’s really the main reason to pay attention to mileage when shopping used cars. For some vehicle classes, it’s only 120k.
Only reason it’s not a more common problem is that it’s so expensive OEMs need to build in some cushion to avoid the most mistreated 10% or so failing under the limit, which would be a ruinous warranty expense.
For the poor sods who live in California, the aftermarket catalytic converters are not an option. Gotta have the OEM originals or some aftermarket Executive Order CARB approved replacements. That’s not gonna happen with the costs of getting type approval for what would be a very limited market.
Xterras are awesome, but most of them have rotted out around here. Ones that haven’t command a premium, so they’re not quite the deal you’d expect them to be in the northeast.
Always liked them too. I can’t remember the last time I saw one up here in rusty New England.
Yeah. And no one is exactly giving the Xterra the “garage queen” treatment.
I still see my ’13 driving around my city. I know it’s mine because of where I mounted the hitch wiring and a few other super light “mods” I did during my ownership. It looks super rough after 11 Upstate NY winters. The back bumper (center section) is basically gone, rust holes scatter about the rear quarters and on the back doors, the hitch looks so rusty to basically be unsafe… it makes me sad. It looked like new still when I got rid of it in ~’15
Yep. Upstate NY as well, there’s no easy life for cars up here.
My FIL owned a beater 2004 model maybe 7 or 8 years ago. I considered buying it from him, but when I took one look underneath I hard-noped. Nope nope nope. And at the time it was only maybe 13 years old.
David Tracy circa 2017 would have hesitated.