Qx4 2001 - front suspension issue

[Ozimandius]

Hi All,I think this is my first post here. I'm planning to buy a 2001 Qx4, 4wd, with 106,000 miles on the clock. Before I wanted to commit to buying it, I got it checked out, and even drove the car drove well (I checked it out, loved it), it needs a lot of replacement, such as front shock absorbers, gear mounts, front arms, and the total cost would be approx. 1900 USD. Is this normal for a car of this age? I'm greatly intimidated by this and this might be a deal breaker for me. Please let me know!

I've been a long time Nissan fan, and have a 2006 Tiida currently, which I absolutely love. I really really want to buy a 2001+ Qx4 due to its design, interior, and performance, and wouldn't mind buying this much if this is normal wear and tear.

Btw, I'm being offered the car for USD 5900.

[Empty V]

Welcome to NICO Ozi(nice screen name). The front struts are normal wear and tear but I don't know what the gear mounts and front arms are. I'm sure someone else can help with those.

Billy

[Ozimandius]

Heylo, thanks for the reply! The front arms were small 6 inch long arms between the wheels and the actual suspension, and looked a bit bent. The gear mounts are fine as my eldest brother (had an Altima, now it's an Infiniti FX35!) had to change his Altima '07s mounts too, and this was when the car had been driven for 75,000 kms!

Btw, as I'm in the UAE, we speak in terms of kms, not miles

So the Qx4 is being offered to me for AED 21,000, but is an US import (salvaged no doubt, as there had been an accident in the US, which was repaired in Dubai) and the cost of fixing those parts from the stealership is AED 7000.

[Ozimandius]

And I should add, the other problems with the car are:

1) Cruise control doesn't work2) Seat controls and memory buttons don't work, but tilting the seat works. The seller says it'll cost AED 700 to fix them both, is this true? (1 USD = 3.68 AED)3) Front brakepads need to be replaced, no problem4) Rear bumper corners have scraps5) Front bumper has scrapes too, front right hand side of the bumper has a small hole6) Interior is stained, can be fixed

[Ozimandius]

.:Bump:.

Any advice would be helpful guys, as I've never owned a Qx4 before, and don't know any other Pathfinder/Qx4 owners.

I received a quote from the dealer for USD 1793, out of which USD 1385 is for the parts alone, and the rest labor.

They quoted me for the following parts:

Lower Arm Assembly Left & RightFront Stabilizer Link AssemblyFront Wheel Bearing Left & RightLower Ball Joint Left & RightAll Transmission SupportAxle Boot Inner & Outer Left & RightFront Shock Absorber Left & RightFront Brake PadRear Brake Pad

[Natedogg1701]

thats quite a laundry list of repairs. well the R50's are a great relyable truk, but usually wen u get a salvage vehicle they are plagued with issues up until you get rid if it, they they all magically go away. lol but alll the parts you need saound like its just that time to be maitinanced, and that the previous owner(s) along with the accident it was in took their toll on it. IMO its not worth it, the repairs your looking at down the road could just pile up and up, and when you start doing certain repairs it reveals more hidden issues that always cost more money. just my opinion based on experiance.

[Ozimandius]

Shoot, this sucks, but thanks. I really liked it, and its very very hard to find a Qx4 2001 onwards reasonably priced, because 99.9% are imports from US or Canada, as they were never really sold in Dubai, which is sad. I've been in cars with suspension issues, and this one felt like it had none. It was a huge shock when they lifted it and started making a list of parts to be replaced!

Sigh. So despite the low price tag (it IS low, isn't it?), it's still not worth it eh? I've been in the Pathfinder 2003 LE and SE, and they both feel like trucks, and have a rough ride, but its hard to figure out why, considering they all share the same platform, with the only difference the interior and the auto AWD controls.

Secondly, Pathfinders are WAY common here. If I can't find another decent Qx4, I might have to ask someone to import one from the US or settle for the 2006 Pathfinder, again, a US import, as it's around 20k cheaper (in AED) than the GCC spec'd ones, here are some examples:

http://dubai.dubizzle.com/clas...ape-2/

http://dubai.dubizzle.com/clas...-2005/

http://motors.souq.com/Nissan/...o%3D1

http://motors.souq.com/Nissan/...o%3D1

[Ozimandius]

Here's a new post with the guy's actual ad, this is the one I was referring to:

http://motors.souq.com/Infinit...o%3D1

It has 5 pictures so it should give you a good idea about its condition. It does have cosmetic issues, which are minor, such as bumper scrapes which are quite common here due to parking issues.