I am thinking about purchasing a 2000 Pathfinder LE. It is 9199$ and has about 55,000 miles on it. New battery, tires, brakes. I test drove it and seemed in good working condition.
Just wanted to see what everyone on the forum thought regarding this deal/year. It is my first car purchase, so I am a little nervous......
Thanks!
2000 Pathfinder - Good Deal?
Re: 2000 Pathfinder - Good Deal? (burger7)
In no particular order;
The mileage seems kind of low for a 2000, how come...maybe it really has 155,000 miles, sometimes it's difficult to see the difference. What was the vehicle used for, short city driving or long trips, a highway vehicle is usually a lot better. Has the vehicle been driven year round or just summer use.
If a private sale check to make sure the vehicle hasn't been stolen, ie: does the owner have copies of registration and insurance since new. Is it a local vehicle or was it originally purchased somewhere else. Ask your insurance company and local police to check the VIN number.
Check the value in the Kelley Blue book;
http://www.kbb.com/
Are you buying from the original owner.
Is the owner of the vehicle a smoker, smoke usually wrecks the upholstery and head liner.
Has the vehicle been kept in a gargage.
What color is the vehicle, some colors don't have good resale.
Has the vehicle ever been in an accident.
Has the vehicle been used for towing a trailer, boat, etc.
Has the vehicle been used for offroading.
What kind of tires did the owner put on, are they the right size for the vehicle, check in owners manual.
Are there any leaks under the vehicle or on the engine, diffs or transmission and if so why haven't those been fixed.
Has the air cleaner system or exhaust system been changed or is it stock, if the muffler is original you may have to replace it soon.
Did the original owner install a screen in front of the rad and trans rad to protect those,...are there lots of rock hits on the rads, if so plan on replacing them.
Check for rust at the bottom of the doors, fender wells, door sills, etc...has the vehicle been rust proofed and if so with which products.
How is the paint, has the vehicle been kept waxed, if not it may need a paint job.
Is the vehicle currently on extended warranty, is that transferable or can you get extended warranty.
Does the owner have all the service record receipts and has the vehicle been serviced as to schedule. Check the service schedule here, page MA8, MA9, etc;
http://www.thenissanpath.com/f...A.pdf
If the vehicle was serviced at a Nissan dealership then they will have a record of all service work and past problems as well.
Take it to a Nissan dealership, tell them pre-purchase inspection and have the vehicle checked over for everything including has it been used with the correct fluids, engine compression, condition of rad fluid, transmission, plugs, alignment, play in the driveshaft U-joints, etc.
There are lots of excellent Pathfinders for sale as these where usually purchased by responsible owners, so if you don't like anything about the vehicle including the color, wait for another one. Test drive lots of the same model or year to get a feeling of the difference between OK and excellent. Make a list of the things you like and don't like about the vehicle, if there is anything in the 'don't like list', find another vehicle.
If you are willing to spend a little extra money look for a 2001 or newer as they have the VQ35 V6 engine which has a lot more power and which feels like a totally better vehicle and will have more resale value when you sell it imo. The VQ35 is bullet proof if not abused.
If you really do like the vehicle and want to buy it, tell the owner you would much rather have a 2001 with the larger engine and see if he drops his price by about $2500...that would be a pretty good deal then. If he doesn't drop the price then he's just waiting to sell to which ever fish will pay his top dollar price for a vehicle with a mediocre engine imo.
Modified by Greybrick at 6:02 AM 2/10/2008
Modified by Greybrick at 6:10 AM 2/10/2008
Modified by Greybrick at 6:14 AM 2/10/2008
The mileage seems kind of low for a 2000, how come...maybe it really has 155,000 miles, sometimes it's difficult to see the difference. What was the vehicle used for, short city driving or long trips, a highway vehicle is usually a lot better. Has the vehicle been driven year round or just summer use.
If a private sale check to make sure the vehicle hasn't been stolen, ie: does the owner have copies of registration and insurance since new. Is it a local vehicle or was it originally purchased somewhere else. Ask your insurance company and local police to check the VIN number.
Check the value in the Kelley Blue book;
http://www.kbb.com/
Are you buying from the original owner.
Is the owner of the vehicle a smoker, smoke usually wrecks the upholstery and head liner.
Has the vehicle been kept in a gargage.
What color is the vehicle, some colors don't have good resale.
Has the vehicle ever been in an accident.
Has the vehicle been used for towing a trailer, boat, etc.
Has the vehicle been used for offroading.
What kind of tires did the owner put on, are they the right size for the vehicle, check in owners manual.
Are there any leaks under the vehicle or on the engine, diffs or transmission and if so why haven't those been fixed.
Has the air cleaner system or exhaust system been changed or is it stock, if the muffler is original you may have to replace it soon.
Did the original owner install a screen in front of the rad and trans rad to protect those,...are there lots of rock hits on the rads, if so plan on replacing them.
Check for rust at the bottom of the doors, fender wells, door sills, etc...has the vehicle been rust proofed and if so with which products.
How is the paint, has the vehicle been kept waxed, if not it may need a paint job.
Is the vehicle currently on extended warranty, is that transferable or can you get extended warranty.
Does the owner have all the service record receipts and has the vehicle been serviced as to schedule. Check the service schedule here, page MA8, MA9, etc;
http://www.thenissanpath.com/f...A.pdf
If the vehicle was serviced at a Nissan dealership then they will have a record of all service work and past problems as well.
Take it to a Nissan dealership, tell them pre-purchase inspection and have the vehicle checked over for everything including has it been used with the correct fluids, engine compression, condition of rad fluid, transmission, plugs, alignment, play in the driveshaft U-joints, etc.
There are lots of excellent Pathfinders for sale as these where usually purchased by responsible owners, so if you don't like anything about the vehicle including the color, wait for another one. Test drive lots of the same model or year to get a feeling of the difference between OK and excellent. Make a list of the things you like and don't like about the vehicle, if there is anything in the 'don't like list', find another vehicle.
If you are willing to spend a little extra money look for a 2001 or newer as they have the VQ35 V6 engine which has a lot more power and which feels like a totally better vehicle and will have more resale value when you sell it imo. The VQ35 is bullet proof if not abused.
If you really do like the vehicle and want to buy it, tell the owner you would much rather have a 2001 with the larger engine and see if he drops his price by about $2500...that would be a pretty good deal then. If he doesn't drop the price then he's just waiting to sell to which ever fish will pay his top dollar price for a vehicle with a mediocre engine imo.
Modified by Greybrick at 6:02 AM 2/10/2008
Modified by Greybrick at 6:10 AM 2/10/2008
Modified by Greybrick at 6:14 AM 2/10/2008
Re: 2000 Pathfinder - Good Deal? (Greybrick)
Here are the two service recalls for the 2000 PF, find out if those have been looked at by the dealership;
http://x.nissanhelp.com/forums...s/384
http://x.nissanhelp.com/forums...s/384
Re: 2000 Pathfinder - Good Deal? (burger7)
$9,199 for a 2000 with 55,000 miles on it is a very good price. If the vehicle is in good shape, you could have a good deal.
You didn't mention too much about the options (is it a 4WD?) but with the mileage, the price sounds rather low. Pay attention to why the seller is selling it and how they came by their price.
Read on below for my 10 questions I always ask and what you should expect to get as answers.
Here are the 10 questions I ask every seller when I look at a car:
1) How long have you owned the vehicle?A: I like to buy from people who have owned them for several years at least or who have had it in the family. Of course dealers don't have a history. If a private party has only owned it a few months, that's a red flag.
2) Do you have service records and manuals available?A: If they don't they either haven't serviced it or they don't keep good records which could mean it doesn't get serviced regularly or that periodic maintenance isn't performed. I have oil change records from 2001 in my glove box, but I am missing stuff too.
3) If you were to keep the vehicle, is there any work that you would want to have done on it?A: This usually gets a more honest answer from people than asking, "Is there anything wrong with it?"
4) Has it ever been in an accident?A: If so, how major was it? Do they have photos and/or repair bills or insurance claim paperwork available to show you.
5) Do you have the title in hand?A: If they have a clear title that they can sign over to you, great. If not, get the number of the company that has the loan as well as the account number and have a cashier's chack made to THE COMPANY with the loan, not the private party. This way, you know that the money will get to the lien holder. If they owe $5,000 and sell it for $9,000, then give them a check for $4,000 and one for the lender for $5,000.
6) Why are you selling it?A: Seems like an obvious question, but their answer should make sense. You don't have to agree with it, but it should seem reasonable.
7) How did you arrive at your asking price?A: In your case, $9,199 seems too low. Call the seller and get all of the details of the model and options as well as the VIN for the vehicle. Go to http://www.nadaguides.com, http://www.kbb.com, and http://www.edmunds.com to get priceing info for the vehicle. You can average the three to get and idea of what it will be worth. Edmunds is always much lower than the other two for some reason. KBB is always the highest.
8) How long have you had it at for sale?A: This will let you know if you can offer him less. If he has had it for sale for two months, he is obviously not getting offers. If you offer him something close to what he wants (95% or more), then he should take it. If you want to try for a bargain, start at 90%. If he is selling his house too, offer 85%. Some of this depends on what he owes.
9) What is the VIN #?A: If they refuse, don't buy it, period! Use the VIN to run a Carfax report (carfax.com) on the vehicle. DO NOT BUY A VEHICLE WITHOUT A SEEING A FULL CARFAX REPORT FIRST. It is $30 and will tell you if the car has been salvaged, totalled, in three accidents, sold 6 times in 5 years (probably a lemon), registered in Louisiana during hurrucane Katrina, had the odometer rolled back, etc. This will also help you track down some ownership history if you are buying from a dealer. Most dealers provide a Carfax history free now.
10) Do you have any problem with us taking it to our mechanic to have the vehicle inspected?A: Take it to a mechanic to have a pre-purchase inspection performed. My long-time mechanic does them for me for free, "I don't care if you bring me 50", he says, "just don't buy a car until I've looked at it first." He knocked two cars out of the running before we bought this one. It had a couple of minor things and I knew what it would cost me to fix them before I went back and negotiated the pruchase with the seller.
You didn't mention too much about the options (is it a 4WD?) but with the mileage, the price sounds rather low. Pay attention to why the seller is selling it and how they came by their price.
Read on below for my 10 questions I always ask and what you should expect to get as answers.
Here are the 10 questions I ask every seller when I look at a car:
1) How long have you owned the vehicle?A: I like to buy from people who have owned them for several years at least or who have had it in the family. Of course dealers don't have a history. If a private party has only owned it a few months, that's a red flag.
2) Do you have service records and manuals available?A: If they don't they either haven't serviced it or they don't keep good records which could mean it doesn't get serviced regularly or that periodic maintenance isn't performed. I have oil change records from 2001 in my glove box, but I am missing stuff too.
3) If you were to keep the vehicle, is there any work that you would want to have done on it?A: This usually gets a more honest answer from people than asking, "Is there anything wrong with it?"
4) Has it ever been in an accident?A: If so, how major was it? Do they have photos and/or repair bills or insurance claim paperwork available to show you.
5) Do you have the title in hand?A: If they have a clear title that they can sign over to you, great. If not, get the number of the company that has the loan as well as the account number and have a cashier's chack made to THE COMPANY with the loan, not the private party. This way, you know that the money will get to the lien holder. If they owe $5,000 and sell it for $9,000, then give them a check for $4,000 and one for the lender for $5,000.
6) Why are you selling it?A: Seems like an obvious question, but their answer should make sense. You don't have to agree with it, but it should seem reasonable.
7) How did you arrive at your asking price?A: In your case, $9,199 seems too low. Call the seller and get all of the details of the model and options as well as the VIN for the vehicle. Go to http://www.nadaguides.com, http://www.kbb.com, and http://www.edmunds.com to get priceing info for the vehicle. You can average the three to get and idea of what it will be worth. Edmunds is always much lower than the other two for some reason. KBB is always the highest.
8) How long have you had it at for sale?A: This will let you know if you can offer him less. If he has had it for sale for two months, he is obviously not getting offers. If you offer him something close to what he wants (95% or more), then he should take it. If you want to try for a bargain, start at 90%. If he is selling his house too, offer 85%. Some of this depends on what he owes.
9) What is the VIN #?A: If they refuse, don't buy it, period! Use the VIN to run a Carfax report (carfax.com) on the vehicle. DO NOT BUY A VEHICLE WITHOUT A SEEING A FULL CARFAX REPORT FIRST. It is $30 and will tell you if the car has been salvaged, totalled, in three accidents, sold 6 times in 5 years (probably a lemon), registered in Louisiana during hurrucane Katrina, had the odometer rolled back, etc. This will also help you track down some ownership history if you are buying from a dealer. Most dealers provide a Carfax history free now.
10) Do you have any problem with us taking it to our mechanic to have the vehicle inspected?A: Take it to a mechanic to have a pre-purchase inspection performed. My long-time mechanic does them for me for free, "I don't care if you bring me 50", he says, "just don't buy a car until I've looked at it first." He knocked two cars out of the running before we bought this one. It had a couple of minor things and I knew what it would cost me to fix them before I went back and negotiated the pruchase with the seller.