Down to 2 x's. Both 2002's, both 27000 miles.

One is a 5 speed supercharged with tow package and alot of aftermarket crap I would simply get rid of. I love that option group, but the vehicle has obviously seen some off road time and looks like its 3 years old (faded and scratches in the plastic trim). 19000 is the offer.

One is an auto SE that looks like it has never seen dirt and could be on the new car lot without being noticed. It is also 1000 dollars more.

My question is, how much do I worry about the type of miles and how much value is lost because of the towing (coleman camper) and well-used condition. Is it true that 1 offroad mileage is worth about 15 pavement miles? Really not sure how much of a deterrent that should be?

A vehicle that has alot of obvious offroad miles woulddn't be my personal first choice. Who knows how hard it's been knocked around, what stress has been put on what components...

By your comment about removing alot of the aftermarket "crap" I'm going to assume you yourself don't want to do alot of offroading, so that particular X makes even less sense then.

BTW - have you checked like http://www.autotrader.com? Lots of good used vehicles on there - esp if you are willing to travel some short distances. If you are slumming at the dealers to get financing, there are tons of places on the Internet (or your bank or credit union for that matter) that will finance.

Either way, please read a site like http://www.carbuyingtips.com to get some pointers. Even buying used, you can seriously save some $$$ - dealers make WAY more money on used cars than new cars, so that means there is that much more room for you to negotiate a killer deal!

Good luck!

On the one that looks like it's been offroad - don't judge that by the plastic pieces (most of the plastic trim pieces are pretty inexpensive to replace). Look *under* the vehicle. That'll give you a good idea if it's really been in some harsher areas.

use autotrader.com and be patient ..there are very good deals out there for "like new" Vehicles ..I paid 18,000 for my 2002 SE/SC with 4500 miles ....And I agree with Doc ...don limit your distance ...a one way plane ticket and a road trip ...

http://community.webshots.com/photo/60313693/60313925nCCKoT

Seems like very sound advice. I actually talked to the service department where the SC was serviced and they told me the gentleman has MS and is no longer able to drive a stick, and never really knew how because they had to replace the clutch at 19,000 miles. Maybe not a killer, but certainly a red flag. I really like the interior of the SC and I really prefer a manual. They also mentioned he often related stories of his off-roading adventures. Off roading in a manual while not being able to drive a manual might be a bad combo.

That was a good point on the plastic trim, maybe I could do some pricing on that. I am trying to figure out if i could even get the roof rack back to stock form since they bolted goofy looking lights into there. Thats the kind of aftermarket "crap" i am referring to. He had guages added decently to the dash to measure things like light amps and towing heat.

I couldnt really tell much from looking under, although it did show more rust than typical. The more worrysome thing was under the hood where there was dried mud caking alot of the components and the battery holder showed alot of rust.

I am so strongly wanting that option package...but it sounds like no matter how well its priced it may be one to avoid.

Just get yourself a new X....no worries, piece of mind, you would be the sole owner, and you can mod it anyway you want....if you are going to spend that much money, might as well make it last...and buy NEW

I love your idea of a new one...but it would have to be a bare bones xe and I would want a manual transmission for both the fun and the cost savings. I have searched dozens of dealers without turning up any manual xe's. I am not sure how willing dealers are to special order and include the rebates/incentives.

Time is your best friend - if you search autotrader.com and are patient, the perfect X will come.

Perhaps the SC/5 speed isn't as bad a deal then, if you can believe the background info provided to you.

I have a 5 speed SC, and I love it. And yes, the interior is quite nice - my X is also a Just Blue, so the interior and exterior go together quite well.

Just remember, the SC requires premium fuel.

Think about that long and hard - it can add up quick. Yes, the SC is a blast - esp. with the 5 speed, but it does have a permanent price penalty.

Then also think about the SC itself. Several owners have talked about having to have theirs replaced near the 30K warranty end. I got an extended warranty mainly because of the SC and all the 4x4 stuff. After reading here more, it seems the 4x4 stuff is old tech that is solid and reliable so I may not have to worry about the 4x4 stuff as much as the SC.

Not trying to totally talk you out of the SC Just trying to give you a heads up - it does have it's trade offs.

But having an SUV that is faster than my Miata is fun and practically speaking comes in reall handy when I have to dive left to get to the carpool lane when I drive the X to work.

Just wanted to post my vote for autotrader.com. That's where I found my X. Picked up my 34k mile red 2000 4x2 for just under $12k, which happened to be my budget and about $3k under book value. Extra bonus for it being but 45 minutes away.

If not for the one I bought, I would've waited another year or so and missed out on all the fun I've already had in the last month.

Yeah, it's not a 4x4, but I treat it like one. Can't wait to tackle the mud today's heavy rains caused.

Thanks again, I love autotrader as well. That 5 speed SC is a tough find though.

Anyone think there is any merit to taking it and have the local nissan dealership do a thorough inspection of it....or would they even do that? I dont trust the dealer its at as far as "101 point inspection". I also need to make sure since there is a performance exhaust and some light wiring done on it there is no warranty impact.

go with the one without all the aftermarket crap becasue you dont know how hard it has been abused and something might be about to snap in their so spend the extra money and get a big peice of mind.

I just wanted to say a sincere thank you to everyone who threw their two cents in. I know its a pain in the butt to answer questions like those, but I appreciated the insight and considered all the views.

At the last minute I considered a new XE, with the 1500 rebate, invoice and 1.9%...pretty cool. I still ended up going with the supercharged with 26,000 miles believe it or not.

I was able to track down the dealership where all maintenance was done and talked to them for half an hour and got a detailed printout of all the work done. The aftermarket exhaust was actually the Nissan performance exhaust and installed by them. The truck had oil changes every 3000 miles on the dot. I guess that gave me the peace of mind that even if he did a little recreational off roading, he took care of servicing religiously. The price ended up at 17800 as well....so it still ended up pretty well below new. Thanks again for the feedback!

Congratulations on your new ride! You got a very fun configuration!