Hello all, new to the forums! I am a previous owner to a 17 tundra which I got new and just sold due to the crazy car market. I have decided on an older armada or a qx56. I am buying an 05 armada tomorrow and I've been looking hard for about 2 solid months. I was wanting black leather, and 4x4 with tow package and good condition for a good price. Finally about to pick up one tomorrow. I took a look at it tonight, it looked to be in good condition other then a few minor quirks. Sunroof doesn't work 100%, paint fading on hood, roof and fenders, and little plastic cover near the shift knob is broken. It needs new tires and the wheels are fugly. It has 130k miles. Seemed to drive ok. Carfax was clean, looks like maintenance was done as suggested what I can tell.

Couple questions for you guys.

It currently has 20 inch wheels with low profile tires. I would like to downsize the wheels to smaller wheels with larger tires (offroad aggressive look). I believe its standard height without a lift. What are the suggested wheel size and largest tires i should go with without rubbing?

Secondly. Is there anything I should be looking for with this vehicle? Any known issues ?

Any other suggestions or comments welcome. Thank you all in advance !!

The 05 Armada was one of the earliest model years of that design.
Things to look for:
- Listen for possible cracked manifold. They as in many other V8s of the time were designed thinner to heat up faster for emissions but were prone to cracking. SO listen for that. Costs about $1k per side to do with medium quality parts.
- Check the coolant. If it looks like a milk shake the transmission is on its way out very soon. Usually once it starts they cannot be saved. The transmissions are actually good on these cars but beware of bad radiators.
here are the parts numbers involved :

21410-EA200 [seldom referenced, but may have been installed in some very early 2005’s.]

21410-EA205 [2005 – either 2/09 or 8/09. Listed on some parts websites as P/N 21460-EA205. There is some confusion as to when these were used. Some literature states until 2/09 and other literature states 8/09. P/N IS ASSOCIATED WITH SMOD. ]

21460-EA215 [2005 - either 2/09 until 8/09, see above. Listed as discontinued and replaced by 21460-9CAOE on Nissan parts websites. P/N IS ASSOCIATED WITH SMOD]

21460-EA265 [production dates unknown other @Surf and Snow's Xterra built in 04/05 and my own Xterra built in 09/05. P/N IS ASSOCIATED WITH SMOD.]

21460-ZL11A [8/09 through 2010 model year, isolated reports of SMOD, however I have not been able to verify.]

21460-ZL31A [production dates unknown. Listed as discontinued on Nissan parts websites , no known reports of SMOD.]

21460-9CAOE [2011 – 2015 model years – no known reports of SMOD] This is the part number for the most current version as of 11/16.
Any other aftermarket radiator will also do.
I have a griffen in my V8 powered pathfinder ( same powertrain as Armada)

Those two items are the only major things to look for
These engines themselves are almost unbreakable unless an extrenal event acted on them ( like with any other engine)

So just use common sense. I recommend a mechanics inspection with any vehicle this age.

Here is a thread from our Pathfinder sister site on the subject of bad radiators possibly ruining a transmission.
This is about a V6 but same parts numbers apply:
https://www.thenissanpath.com/about-to- ... 17198.html

Several suggestions:
1) Since you have cracks in the console cover, do yourself a favor and inspect underneath it. If you find a giant accumulation of snack crumbs and soda pop, clean it out with some wipees and compressed air before it jams or kills your shifter.
2) Since the sunroof works half-a$$, blow your front drains out tout suite and pop the corners of the carpets up to make sure you haven't bought a flood car.
3) Make sure all the stuff on the steering wheel works. Those spiral cables are notorious for failure.
4) Make sure you have both good heat and A/C. There's a "water control valve" at the righthand firewall whose job is to shut down flow to the heater core with the system on max A/C. They're likewise notorious for failure. Stuck closed you'll get little or no heat, stuck open your max A/C will be less than max.
5) If you have a power hatch, give the actuator shaft a shake. It can rotate on its axis, but there should be no other looseness. If it rattles or clunks at the bottom it means the shoulder screw is coming loose from the actuator motor, pull back the lefthand cargo panel and tighten it before it causes big problems.
6) The few drivetrain problems in the gen1 Titan/Armada are all in either the rear end or driveshaft carrier. Fresh hypoid in the rear and a good inspection of the axle seals and shaft carrier may save you a lot of grief down the road.