Anything I should be looking for on a 2003 QX4?

[Mike W.]

Just picked up an '03 QX4. 130K, seems very clean and well maintained, only problems I'm seeing are a bad drivers door brake and the plastic is chewed up on the tailgate latch making it hard to latch. New radiator, water pump, hoses and shocks among other things. Runs well, drives well I even got 19 and 18MPG on the first two tanks. Anything I should keep a special eye out for or not a lot of weak points but nothing lasts forever?

[302LVR]

Sounds about right with the MPGs, i'm getting around the same if not maybe 2-3 more MPGs since i threw in a K&N drop-in filter and modified my factory airbox to breathe in more air. The one thing i would look out for and this trucks are notorious for is that rear sway when you're driving, usually on the highway, and it's due to bad bushings on the rear upper & lower control arms. Hope that helps.

[BazookaJoe]

Hey I recognize that car. Did you happen to pick that up in Sausalito? I took it for test drive. The previous owner did a ton of maintenance on it which made it an attractive buy. Seemed like a nice ride. I don't think you'll have much to worry about with it.

The only think that killed me on it was all the scratches it had. Kind of weird how the previous owner put so much effort into maintenance but totally neglected the body. Not trying to knock it, it was just my opinion at the time.

[Mike W.]

Hey I recognize that car. Did you happen to pick that up in Sausalito? I took it for test drive. The previous owner did a ton of maintenance on it which made it an attractive buy. Seemed like a nice ride. I don't think you'll have much to worry about with it.

The only think that killed me on it was all the scratches it had. Kind of weird how the previous owner put so much effort into maintenance but totally neglected the body. Not trying to knock it, it was just my opinion at the time.

Yep, that's the one. He said he'd had it for sale for a while but I hadn't seen it listed before I jumped on it. He did have an awfully busy schedule which I'm guessing complicated selling it.

[BazookaJoe]

I've been looking for a nice QX4 in the Bay area for almost a year now. It's difficult because all the really nice one's with low miles are 2wd and I'm looking for 4wd. It's also hard to find one with the heated seat/limited slip package out here. I owned an '01 QX4 for ten years and it was the best car I ever had. The only thing they can't tolerate is road salt. They rust out in a bad way. You have no worries there.

He told me he just replaced the brake pads on it. I'm surprised you're having trouble with it.

I thought long and hard about that one but I couldn't get over the price vs the paint issues and it was going to need tires.

[jscricca]

@Mike W.

Did you buy this in Sausalito?

I was looking at this but never got the chance to look at it. It seemed like a gem although he was asking too much.

Looks like you had a snagged a good one. I just picked up an 03 Pathfinder LE and I'm currently going through a checklist of things to inspect and replace. So far my only issue is an incorrect gas gauge.

[bryanmenard]

Rear main seal and all the standard oil leaks (valve cover gaskets, oil cooler, any leaks behind the timing cover) And if it needs a rear main seal, use a transmission shop, not a general mechanic.

[Mike W.]

No problem with the brakes, it's the door brake that's bad. I might be using incorrect BMW terminology, but the part that keeps the drivers door open in a parking lot, not the things that stop you.

Yeah, price was a little on the high side, he came down some but not a ton. But it is 4WD and it took me a while but I've learned to buy the best car, not the cheapest one or the best value. The best vehicle will be cheaper in the long run. Tires will be a hit, but such is life and at least I'll have A/T instead of some passenger car all season.

[bryanmenard]

No problem with the brakes, it's the door brake that's bad. I might be using incorrect BMW terminology, but the part that keeps the drivers door open in a parking lot...

Tires will be a hit, but such is life and at least I'll have A/T instead of some passenger car all season.

The doors didn't stay open well when new so that's not exactly a huge deal

When I got my 2003, it had brand new Uber-premium Michelin street tires on it and I had to switch immediately to All terrains because I really do go off road (a lot) and they didn't fit my needs at all. It grieved me to throw away such great rubber but such is life. A used tire shop gave me $50 each for them so I felt better

[Mike W.]

The doors didn't stay open well when new so that's not exactly a huge deal.

Yeah, I noticed none of them stay open well, but on the drivers door it's like there's nothing even there to hold it open.

[atraudes]

Sort of off topic, but it came to mind because you mentioned it's hard to find heated seats/limited slip. I'm going to be selling my QX4 pretty soon and am still sort of deciding what the right price is. It's 4WD, heated front and rear seats, LSD, interior's in great condition, exterior is good overall, and has ~180k miles. I've put a ton of preventative maintenance into it and kept up on the routine stuff. There's no outstanding issues.

Offhand, what would be a reasonable price to you?

[atraudes]

Naturally as soon as I ask it occurs to me that region can affect the price quite a bit as well. Still curious to hear opinions though!

[04pathse]

Naturally as soon as I ask it occurs to me that region can affect the price quite a bit as well. Still curious to hear opinions though!

Well KBB says it is worth around $1900 private party, $800 trade-in to a dealer...

[bryanmenard]

My 2001 has the winter package with the heated seats and limited slip. My 2003 doesn't. I notice a big difference off road but, all in all, I can live with either and they're both decent in sand. I've had no issues with the axle in either of them. Limited slip is rear-only so it's not a total get out of jail free card. The open diff, you can add an ARB air locker if needed. The limited slip can't.

As for the heated seats. It's a fun thing to impress people (mainly because they are front and rear) but I never use them in south Texas

[RR425]

Keep an eye on oxygen sensors and rear bushings.

[Mike W.]

Keep an eye on oxygen sensors and rear bushings.

O2 sensors are new or recent and I have seen the thread on the death wobble. 130K now, any mileage it typically becomes a problem or just whenever depending on use and the luck of the draw.

[BazookaJoe]

Atraudes, If your car has lived in WA state it's whole life there's a good chance it's probably not a rust bucket which helps the price tremendously. I live in Cali and have a solid idea what they are going for on the West coast. I'm thinking you could get between $3000-$3500 for it. I see a lot for sale with that kind of mileage and that's about what they are at least asking.

[MisterH]

Naturally as soon as I ask it occurs to me that region can affect the price quite a bit as well. Still curious to hear opinions though!

Well KBB says it is worth around $1900 private party, $800 trade-in to a dealer...

When pricing used cars I've found that KBB's estimates are totally disconnected from the real world and are meaningless. The older the vehicle, the more inaccurate they are. Seems that the most comparatively reliable index of value is local Craigslist private party ads.

[atraudes]

Thanks guys! Examples in good condition are going for $4-6k around here ($6k usually being dealers). I've seen a few people that post here grab them for around $2k and end up with either a basket case or a really long todo list. It did spend its whole life in WA, so the body on mine is completely rust free.

Like you said, KBB rarely has any bearing on the real world so I wanted to get a feel for what people thought was reasonable. Sorry to thread-jack you Mike W. In retrospect I probably should have just opened a new one.

[Mike W.]

Like you said, KBB rarely has any bearing on the real world so I wanted to get a feel for what people thought was reasonable. Sorry to thread-jack you Mike W. In retrospect I probably should have just opened a new one.

It happens. If that's the worst thing that happens to me this week, it's still a good week. Not to worry.

[fueler]

Nice buy. If it is indeed factory stock with 130k miles on it, then there is nothing to keep an eye on other than fluid levels. Just do oil changes, don't do transmission fluid changes or any weird stuff that they offer at the oil change shops.

I also have some BMW's (2001 540, 2014 X3) and they are totally different. BMW's leak/lose fluids, have weak cooling systems, and give weird random problems in general. They are night/day compared to a Pathfinder/QX4!