Please advice on used car.

abdalimohd · Sat Dec 15, 2012 9:45 am

Hi I am planning to buy a pathfinder 2002-2004 model, 3.5 SE. Is it fine for the offroad? I couldnt find any tow points on this car, hope its possible to fix the tow points on both ends. pls give me ur opinions.

Ali

Sat Dec 15, 2012 2:41 pm

Hi Ali, pathfinder is a very good car for offroading, go ahead you will not regret buying it as it is cheep to run and maintain and it keeps it's value

tintin · Sat Dec 15, 2012 7:43 pm

True, the pathy is a good ride for the desert. Plenty of support in Mussaffah and parts are cheap. Plus, you can make them look really mean too!

Sat Dec 15, 2012 10:16 pm

I agree with both Ali and Tintin itss agood car but is it 4 or 6 ciliner if it 6 cilinder its good for offroading and more power than 4 c

tintin · Sun Dec 16, 2012 7:48 am

Just realised we forgot to mention the recovery points. What you could do is speak to the dealership and see if they have any recovery points for sale and then get them fitted somewhere else/do it yourself. There should be at least one on the front and one on the back, but maybe it was optional, not standard when they were being sold originally.

Or you could look in the scrap yards for a trailer hitch and front recovery hook. Don't use the ball type hitch receiver though, they can break and if they do they can kill people!

abdalimohd · Sun Feb 17, 2013 9:43 am

Hi All, another confusion came in while searching for the car. I found US and GCC spec cars. What are the differences b/w these specs? Is US spec good for desert? If we buy US spec, can we convert it to GCC (if necessary for desert) by changing some parts or something like that? US spec is more common in the used car market.

tintin · Sun Feb 17, 2013 10:56 am

There is no real difference in US/GCC/EU spec cars. The main theme seems to be most things written in English are translated to Arabic (user manuals, service sheets etc.). I'm told that some have slightly better cooling systems, like stronger engine fans, but otherwise they are all made in teh same factory so will have the same parts and problems as each other.
My old Grand Cherokee for instance was supposedly a US spec, but I've been in a GCC spec and looked under the bonnet and there was nothing I could see that was different, and trust me, I knew every single part of the ol' bulldog like the back of my hand so I would've noticed.

Osprey · Sun Feb 17, 2013 12:51 pm

Hi, I owned a 2004 V6 Pathfinder with a 3.5 engine for a year - bought it for 28K and it was excellent both on and off road - no trouble at all and went very nicely on sand (they are really light and would usually drive out of any stucks easily in LO gear). Strongly recommended vehicle. These are reliable and comfortable on the road. You should find one within that price range with <200,000kms. Try to get a clean one with some service history, mine was like new inside.

Although they could cost less to purchase I would also recommend staying as far as possible away from Jeeps (unless you own a workshop, have endless patience and funds or want to buy your own tow truck too!).

Uncle · Sun Feb 17, 2013 1:52 pm

evans97 wrote: Although they could cost less to purchase I would also recommend staying as far as possible away from Jeeps (unless you own a workshop, have endless patience and funds or want to buy your own tow truck too!).

..That's a good one man, bulls eye.

......The only thing you should check with US imports is make sure the cooling system is the same as GCC specs. Other than that, the Pathy is great and very capable offroader.....3.5l six cylinder engine.

abdalimohd · Sun Feb 17, 2013 2:05 pm

Happy to know that there is not much difference in US and GCC specs. But, do you recommend to change the cooling system like engine fan / radiator for better performance on sand? how much it may cost for Pathfinder? Some said A/C compressor is better in GCC spec. Any idea?

Please advice on used car.

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