I am new to the forums, and to Nissans. I got an 02 Xterra SE 2 days ago, with 88k mileage and took it to the mechanic because I smelled coolant.
After running diagnostics, the bring me a laundry list of things they say "need" to be done to this car.
Any mechanic can take one look at me and size me up as an easy target, and it is true. I do not know anything about cars, don't plan on ever really working on them myself and wouldn't have the time anyways.
Back to my point- According to the mechanic---
-Needs to replace radiator $245
- Upper and lower radiator hoses $160
-Thermostat $160
-Major tune up $330
-Complete Timing belt- $650
-Valve cover gasket leaking $320
-oil change $23
-clean the battery (?) $20


seems excessive to me, but what do i know?
any ideas?

Take it somewhere else for a second opinion,

Is the rad bad? if there is a hole in it, you would not be able to drive. You can get it fixed for 30-50 bucks depending on what is wrong, if there is anything wrong.

clean the battery???? $20.00 ??? WTF? is that 20 bucks for the cleaning solutions (soap and water) or 20 bucks labor? $650.00 for "complete timing belt" and $160.00 for a thermostat ? you can buy the Complete Timing Belt Kit yourself for around 300 bucks here ( http://www.courtesyparts.com/nissan-timing-belt-kit-2002-2004-xterra-p-448.html?cPath=532& ) and that price INCLUDES A THERMOSTAT ! Also, these are NISSAN PARTS, not some off the wall brand. I know you arent looking to do the work yourself, but thats just trying to show you what you are getting charged $650.00 for.

Other than the smell, does it run rough, sputter, miss, hard starting, stall, overheat marking its territory (leaving puddles or dripping when parked) etc.. etc...

You definatly need to get another opinion, and so some checking on the link above for cost of parts that they claim you need, or post up where you live, find a member on here close to you to check your X out for you, and hell, if you lucky have them fix if up for you, for a fraction of the cost, or a few cases of beer even!!
oh, and do NOT BE AFRAID to ask questions of the members on here, or try and search for info on the site before you dump a lot of $$$$ out for repairs.

good luck and keep us posted.

I think you may have nailed the problem perfectly. Some shops will gig you for whatever they think you'll pay for. On the other hand, some say the timing belt should be changed at 7 years or 105,000 miles, whichever comes first, so this shop could be following that guideline.

I lucked out in finding a guy with a small shop who is a retired Nissan Master Tech. FWIW, he just replaced my A/C compressor and I asked him about my timing belt since my '02 has 95K miles on it and he said changing it at 105K miles would be fine (in other words, he didn't mention the 7-year thing).

The guys that do the "Car Talk" radio show have a page on their website where you can enter your zip code and find customer reviews of mechanics in your area. I've had good luck with it and suggest you use that site or another review-type site to find a mechanic people believe to be honest, then take your X there and get a second opinion. It may cost you $50-75 but if it saves you hundreds, obviously it would be well worth it.

Another lesson here is to get a mechanic to check the vehicle over before you buy it. Good luck, and please let us know how it works out.