Hi everybody,
I'm new to this forum. I'm from Illinois, and I'm thinking of buying a 2002 XTerra 4wd, with the 3.3 V6 and manual transmission, to replace my old Ford Explorer.
Now, the car I'm looking for is this: http://myeuromotors.com/vehicledetails.php?vid=298
I have a few questions for you experts..
which are the common issues with this truck? What kind of maintenance is likely to be required at that mileage (130000 mi - stuff like timing belt, clutch, transmission issues...etc).
I know that all the above is heavily influenced by how and where the car was driven and by the level of maintenance that was done. However, maybe you can give me some general hints and a list things to look at when I'll be at the dealer.
Thanks a lot, I appreciate any help

Massimo

buy this one. Over 4k in mods already done for you. MXO Chris's X

One of thoes pics was of him draggin my big ass back up that hill at Haspin so we all know that everything works.

I looks like the passenger side has had some sort of damage. Look at how the paint on the passenger door does not match(fade and wear) up to the rest of the truck. You do see some scratches on the passenger side of the front bumper. Also look at the back passenger quarter panel by the fuel door.
I would definitely figure out if the truck was wreaked.

It is always a risk buying a used car from someone you do not know...good luck.

wheeled but not wrecked. mostly what you are seeing is mud and shadows. There is a small dent on the fender but that is about it.

I disagree. As far as the passenger door, the front one, if it was just "mud and shadows", it would not be consistently darker than the rest of the truck in ALL the pictures. IMO, it definitely looks like the door has either been repainted (without a good match) or it has been replaced entirely. My guess would be repainted, for some reason. Plus, where's the "mud"? It's being shown/photographed for sale and it looks pretty clean to me. I don't see any "mud".

I'm not trying to burst the guy's bubble. Just trying to get him to see what he may not be seeing. If it wasn't for the question about the door, I'd say the rest looks pretty good.

My .02...

-G

you two are talking about 2 different trucks.

Gonzo, I diagree withb your disagreement, I can tell you for a fact that it is all one color. Having been all up close and personal with this x ( that is me in one of the pics ) I can assure you that it is all one color, and it matches.

I disagree with this whole disagreement since you are talking about two different trucks.

I'll disagree about any truck I care to, and there aint nuttun you can do about it.

Oh and I finally did take a look at the other one, and that thing has been used like a drunk chick at prom.

While I do appreciate Craic's humor (this time... ) and the whole juxtaposition of the disagreement, I was talking about the OP's post. THAT truck looks like there is something going on with the passenger's door. If it were me, I'd look at that area of the truck VERY closely.

I had a CJ-5 once that I had been told by the dealer (yeah, I know, used car dealers...) that it had been wrecked. He went on to say that they had "checked out the entire truck and everything was fine". I asked, "Really? Care to put that in the purchase contract?". He hesitated but then went on to say that he didn't see any issue with that if I was concerned. He did and about 4 months later a buddy was following me to work and said that I was crabbing down the road. I had the truck checked at a frame shop and found that the truck had not only been in a wreck, but it had been rolled (they worked on it after it was rolled so they already knew the truck - in fact they had told the dealer NOT to sell it because of the damage - yeah, it was in a very small town) and that the frame was not only twisted 2 inches, but also diamonded an inch and a half. I immediately took it down the block back to the dealer and told him what I found and that I was voiding the purchase contract. Remember what I had them put in the contact before I would buy it? I also said that he was going to correct the situation with another (almost new, less than a year old) car or I would see him in court for false representation on the jeep. I left with that car for about half its blue book value. We kept that car for about 4 years and never had any problems with it.

My point is, while we can play armchair-quarterback for the OP all we want and can only make judgments on what we see in the pic's, the OP has to make the decision. All I was saying is that there APPEARS to be something going on with the passenger door. Look at it and see for yourself. Only you can decide. Just make sure your bases are covered before you sign the purchase contract.

-G

I just bought one 140000 miles
Looked to be in as good if not better never wrecked .
I have all the repair records
Price $3500