Ok ..I see you dudes driving the brand new
$ 25,000 X's through 3 feet of water and mud , driving over 1-2 foot rocks, scraping through a thach of trees....

How in the hell do you keep the "X" road worthy? Do you guy's not give a shit or do you have oodles of money...

I'm planning on buying a SUV before the end of the month and I'm wondering..If I can beat the shit out of a Xterra like you guys do in these picture and still have a road ready family truck..well then it looks like I'm buying a "X".

For nearly all of us, our X is also a daily driver we really can't afford to be without. We're not "beating the shit" our of our Xterras. We're attempting things that are within reason, knowing there is a chance of damage. The X can take a lot, but driver skill and sensibility have more to do with it. Sure there have been a few drowned alternators, dented doors, bent tie-rods, one crunched fender, a few bumpers, and even a gas tank, CV joint, and radiator lost to the trail (last 3 on the same rig), but generally if you wheel within the limits of the vehicle and within the limits of your acceptable risk, you should come out OK.
Hook up with others, watch and learn, and take proper care of your vehicle. Maintenence before and after hitting the trail is very important. Wash the underside thoroughly, check/change your driveline fluids and bearings/CV joints if you spend a lot of time in mud/water. Invest in protective gear like skid plates and boulder bars/sliders to minimize expensive underbody damage.

It really comes down to using your head.

Brent

[ 11-11-2001: Message edited by: OffroadX ]

most of us do a lot of the maintenance ourselves, unless it is warranty work. if you use your xterra for a lot off roading-generally you build it that way. ex- arb bumper, bilstein shocks, aftermarket a arms, aal's,after market t-bars, and aftermarket tires. yes, you do occur scratches and such on the trail-it's part of off roading. it add's character to your x. you buff and wax your x, and go on. the general feeling with the xterra's is- it's not your ordinary suv, it's made to be modified!! look at all the after market part's available!!! if your worried about look's and such-buy an explorer- where 90% percent of those vehicle's never see a dirt road!!!- only grocery store parking lots

I just reread my post and I sound like an ass..

That wasn't my intention...

The more I think about buying an X the more excited I'm getting...

I just got up to have a late night snack and it is snowing outside...Last winter it didn't snow here till January...I guess I have to put a rush on my decision...

BTW how is the "X" in snow"?

[ 11-11-2001: Message edited by: Cobra427 ]

I didn't really get much chance to test mine out last winter, we got some snow but not much and it never got a good pack nor did it re-freeze etc. since they plow/salt around here ruthlessly because most folks here turn into blithering idiots when it snows. The time I did spend was uneventful though, I had no problems on my BFG AT KOs.
I don't seem to remember any complaints, only praise, though some were mixed about how the stock tires handled.
Make sure you get an X with the limited-slip rear diff. When it works, it will help keep you going, though it is a double-edged sword in that it also makes it easier to break the rear end loose if you aren't prudent with the gas. I assume you're getting the 4x4 model.

Brent

Truth be told... I've gotten more damage parked out in front of my house than I've EVER gotten on the trail. Matter of fact, the worst "damage" I've gotten on the trail is a few light scratches on the plastic trim here and there - and that hides well with "Back to Black."

We don't off-road with the intention of hosing our truck. I must admit, I'm a bit more squeamish than most, though.

The best advice is to wax your truck really well the day before an outing, and 99% of the time, any "scratches" incurred will just buff right out, as the wax is scratched, not the paint.

Just read your "snow" part, d'ohhh!

Where are you that it's snowing?! I wanna know!!!

As for how the truck is in the snow? Damn good! I bought my truck specifically for snow driving (I snowboard way too much) and I gotta say, the thing totally kicks ass. If you forsee a lot of snow driving, you'd be well advised to ditch the stock skins and get yourself some real tires, though. Not that the stockers are THAT bad, but you could do a lot, lot better.

I can offer some advice on the scratches. When you're driving down a trail and the overgrown bushes threaten your paint with their spikey tips, keep these ideas in mind:

- Turn up the radio really loud so you don't hear the fingernail-on-chaulkboard effect they make.

- Think soft, cuddly, bunny and kitten thoughts.

- Keep thinking "my truck is invincible, nothing can stop me!"

- Whatever is past those nasty bushes is worth it. I've imagined waterfalls full of naked nymphs with handfulls of gold nuggets.

- Chicks dig scars.

And as long as all you end up with is surface scratches, they come out. It might take a bit of elbow grease and some paint cleaner or compound. And as for the plastic bumpers, well they're cheap plastic, live with it. You could use Mother's B2B, this stuff works wonders on hiding scratches. As for the really deep ones, use a dremel with one of those buffing wheels.

New Brunswick , Canada....

We've gone through the last 6 months with about 10 days of total rain and average temps of 70 to 90..and It has to start snowing before I can buy my "X"...

I can just imagine the car sales people when they woke up ths morning...salavating because they know that white gold brings 4x4 customers...think they will haggle with me now?

There is no "X" club up here ..allthough I see alot driving around. I should start one once I get my "X"...

We do have a couple of "Jeep", "GMC", ect. clubs up here. The "Jeep" club has a charter and the 1st law in the charter is a "Tred lightly rule"...is this the standard in most 4x4 clubs?

Yes I'm looking at the SE-SC 3.3L engine...why not? It is the same price as the SE... with 30-40 more horses..

[ 11-11-2001: Message edited by: Cobra427 ]

I know of at least 2 guys here ( or were here ) from N.B. I'll see if I couldn't dig up their names. Then again, all depends where you are exactly.
The X was just about made for our Canadian Snow, but I also suggest real winter tires.

Can you search for members by location here??

[ 11-11-2001: Message edited by: xcanuk ]