New to forum with a QX4

[Mike W.]

Hello all, longtime BMW enthusiast here with a QX4 I picked up a couple of weeks ago now. Still a BMW fan but for years now I've been wanting something to get off road in and their X series are just not up to the task. The process of elimination pointed to a Pathfinder/QX4 or maybe Xterra. Found a very clean QX4, almost by accident and grabbed it. A little on the high side price wise, but I think I've finally leaned the lesson to buy the best vehicle, not the cheapest. Looking forward to some quality time on the dirt roads in Utah's National Parks soon!

[302LVR]

They are great and reliable trucks. I've owned my 03' Pathfinder SE 3.5L since 05' and only have 131k miles on mine and have only had to do minor maintenance stuff on it but i would say it's way more reliable than my 02' e46 330i. I shall stay quiet on that subject and keep it peaceful but i'm pretty sure you know what i'm getting to....lol. Welcome to the forum.

[bryanmenard]

I have two. They're great cars. Welcome. Keep your oil leaks in check. Use premium fuel. Use quality oil. If it's a 4wd model, use AUTO at least occasionally. Don't run in 2WD for months on end. Keep the drivetrain used if you have it. I have over 250k on my 2001 and almost 189k on my 2003. Every day is a new adventure. I consider them one of the finest cars ever built, especially with the VQ engine...they're downright fun to drive for an SUV

[Mike W.]

They are great and reliable trucks. I've owned my 03' Pathfinder SE 3.5L since 05' and only have 131k miles on mine and have only had to do minor maintenance stuff on it but i would say it's way more reliable than my 02' e46 330i. I shall stay quiet on that subject and keep it peaceful but i'm pretty sure you know what i'm getting to....lol. Welcome to the forum.

Eh, not to worry. In spite of my sig I like the older ones more anyway.

I have two. They're great cars. Welcome. Keep your oil leaks in check. Use premium fuel. Use quality oil. If it's a 4wd model, use AUTO at least occasionally. Don't run in 2WD for months on end. Keep the drivetrain used if you have it. I have over 250k on my 2001 and almost 189k on my 2003. Every day is a new adventure. I consider them one of the finest cars ever built, especially with the VQ engine...they're downright fun to drive for an SUV

Interesting. No oil leaks currently. Premium not even just midrange? Oh well. Good info on the 4WD part, I'll try to remember to do that, it's the whole point of the vehicle. While no sports car at least it's got new shocks and it's not in the least bit wallowly like many passenger trucks, especially the ones from GM.

[Buzzman]

Keep your oil leaks in check. Use premium fuel. Use quality oil.

Not to start a debate (it's been done on here already), but I've been using regular gas for 10 years with absolutely no issues.
No need to run premium fuel. Waste of money.

[BazookaJoe]

It'll run on 87 but with this vehicle there's a more noticeable difference with premium. Mine always had an audible knock when I ran 87 in it.

[Mike W.]

Sounds like midrange locally and the high priced stuff on trips. I can deal with that, I don't see it racking up a ton of miles.