So... I have a 2003 Xterra (4wd).

It is in great shape and has 80,000 miles on it.

Here's the deal, I still owe $9,000 on it.

With close to 2 years of payments left on this baby, I'm just nervous that I'm going to start hitting big money repairs that seem to come with higher mileage cars... in addition to my monthly payment.

What do you all think? I know it's impossible to predict for any given car, but what repairs do you think I can anticipate over the next 20,000 miles (I prob drive about 1,000 miles a month).

Does that make sense? Just looking for some opinions here.

I know I can sell or trade it in now for more than what I owe, so there lies the decision. Your input would be appreciated :-)

Shouldn't be anything major untill the timing belt is due. I still haven't had to do any major or expensive repairs to mine at 155k. If you really think you can get more than you owe then now might be the time to dump it as gas is only going to go up at this point and suv's are loosing value as the market gets flooded with them.

Come back in 20,000 miles and after your timing belt job, ask again

80k high miles? I passed that a LONG time ago.

Thanks for the comments. :-) I am leaning toward just paying it off. I really do like it... what's the timing belt job cost?? 5 or 6 hundred??

Is the recommended maintenance interval list posted somewhere on this site? Any lists of estimated mileage for "major repairs?"

(ie... Rotors - xx,000 miles, Timing belt, 100,000 miles... clutch, xx,000 miles)

Just curious... I know right now I need new front brake pads. I just had the belts replaced as they were cracking.

As far as the SUV market being flooded, that's a good point... BUT - I am thinking it may be wiser at this point to keep this vehicle, pay it off, then buy a lower mileage car (we are a one car family now)... I usually take the bus, bike or run to work.

Funny thing is... I live in a 1930 home with a tiny 1 car garage. The X actually fits, and almost no other cars or trucks we are interested in would fit. I wonder how many other people look at cars with the first factor being total length and width. :-)

I literally hit my windshield against the hanging tennis ball in my garage, leaving a few inches in the front, and just a few inches at the rear... can get out the driver's side, but not the passengers. maybe what I need is a new house... :-D

PS... anyone else in the Denver area? Recommendations for a good mechanic in the Central/East Denver area?

My '03 Just Turned 100,00 Miles Last Week...and still Counting....Nooooooo Problems Whatsoever !!!...Knock on wood !!!

Can't really add much except to say that I too have an '03, but mine will be paid off in about month (I think I have 2 payments left!).

I just had my front brakes done at about 35,000 miles or so. (Yes, I bought it new and only have about 38k miles on it now.) The indicators that are SUPPOSED to warn you to replace the pads didn't work - I didn't get ANY indication until the dreaded grinding noise. At which point it was too late and I had to replace the rotors as well. Total cost - about $450.

Long story short, this is the only repair I've needed to do so far and I don't expect any surprises. These are very dependable trucks. Just look at all the folks who will report 100k+ miles on theirs! I don't plan on selling mine anytime soon - even if we do have to pay $4+ for gas.

HTH anyway.

-G

You bring up a good point. One fear I have in replacing my Xterra is that I would wind up with a lemon. Even if under warranty, an unreliable car is really . I would gladly pay more in gas than be saddled with something untrustworthy.

I plan to keep my Xterra for as long as it continues to smile at me each morning.

_Lazza

That's amazingly low original mileage...but you know that.

My real question is how you could need new brakes at 35K? I mean no offense, I just really want to understand that. My original front brake pads were just replaced at 70K miles and the mechanic said the old pads were "just about done" (his words) - so I assume they still had something left.

As for the original question, the practical side of me thinks I should have dumped my X a while back because as a previous poster said, pretty soon it's going to be tough to give 'em away. I can afford the gas now because my commute is 5 miles each way, and if it gets ridiculously high, I can cut my gas expenses by 50% immediately by not going home for lunch. Still, I know my commute won't be that short forever. My X is paid off so whatever I get for it could go towards a new vehicle. Maybe a Vespa.

Fair enough question. I do mostly in town driving. Very little highway. Lots of stop-and-go. It only makes sense they'd wear faster. They checked the back brakes and they were fine. They certainly showed wear, but they certainly had a lot of life left as well. I mean if you think about, with the kind of driving I do, the fronts are just going to wear faster than the backs. They take much more abuse than the backs in stop-and-go traffic.

As far as the mileage, yes, I really only do have about 38k miles on it. That figures out to be just short of 8k miles per year. Not too bad, huh? But then again, I only live about 3 1/2 miles from work. That's why I'm not planning to get rid of it any time soon. No further than I drive every day, I can afford the gas - even at $4+ per gallon.

But that brings up a good point. How long can we afford the gas for our trucks? Certainly I'm an exception on the mileage so it's costing most of us much more than I pay for gas for the luxury of driving our rigs. So the real question is, how long? How high does gas have to get before we really start looking at what it's costing us?

-G

I drive a 2000 xterra and had some A/C problems shortly after it was bought. Right around 100,000 miles is when it started overheating due to the bypass hose, so I did that along with the TBelt job. The most recent thing I had to change was the radiator, at 145k miles. The plastic on the top of it had a small leak.

'03 and 153,000+ on mine, nothing major, though having to fill with premium relegated the X to a Winter-weather and weekend fun vehicle starting this past fall, especially with a 65 mile, one way commute....an '07 Honda civic hybrid does the daily grind now, mileage went from 16 to 52, the savings in gas actually outweigh the civic payment.

My timing belt job was about $1300.
My opinion is to keep the X. The reason being, they are reliable motor vehicles.
Sure the body may rust out on ya, but the engine will last quite well. Just think with the reduced weight and (AAS)advanced airflow system one will be burning less gasoline everyday!

I just traded my 04 5spd with 52k. I got 10.5 k from the dealer. I owed 5500.00 and I put the rest down on an 08 Altima 2door coup. My gas mileage has doubled and my payment is almost 90.00 less per month.

My '01 X has 120K miles, on 5K oil changes with dino oil, no repairs other than a warranty exhaust manifold, warranty leaking A/C hose, and routine maintenance. My timing belt, water pump, thermostat, and all belts and hoses cost $800. Not all cars are the same, but my unpampered X is still going strong. It is no longer my daily driver, so I plan on having it for many years to come. I'm not hard on brakes, so 60K pad changes on the front and rotors are still fine, I'm still on the original factory rear brake shoes.