Should I keep the Pathfinder?

[keepitornot]

I have a 2001 Pathfinder LE with 112,000 miles on it and it has been great to us. We've done the usual maintenance (just did oil change and brand new tires). Only problems have been cd player (died a few miles after warranty expired) and 02 sensor issues. Backseat windows are a bit slow now and I think the brakes could need replacement.

Unfortunately, we had an accident with our 6,000 mile Honda Ridgeline. While it was very minor incident (no airbag deployment), the damage was structural. Now we would have to write a check if we tried to sell the Ridgeline. The Ridgeline has been repaired and seems to be fine. The Pathfinder has been great and no payment makes it my favorite. Should I cut my losses and get rid of the Ridgeline and keep the Pathfinder? Or vice versa? I've seen a lot of posts where Pathfinders have 200,000+ miles with original transmission and only minor issues. Thanks for your help!

[srellim234]

If it's paid for and you aren't sinking money into it why would you part with it? No use for two vehicles any more so one sits in the driveway?

I think a consideration is which one is going to cost you more to keep. Will selling the Pathfinder pay off the loan on the Honda or will you still be saddled with payments on a car that's been in a wreck? Was the damage to the Honda something that will cause any anxiety in the future if and when you wind up taking it for an extended trip? Emotions should factor in a bit in addition to the financial considerations and confidence in the vehicle is a biggie.

I'm sure you've heard it many times but I would suggest taking out a piece of paper and asking yourself every question you can think of relating to both vehicles. See which one has the most "pros" compared to the "cons". Once you've done that the sheet may wind up being heavily in favor of one car over the other.

[Dattebayo]

That chassis model is much better than the previous pathfinder regarding issues with driveline and electrical gremlins, so I'd say keep it.

[keepitornot]

Thanks for your reply. Yes, it is the extra vehicle in the driveway at this point. The sale of the Pathfinder added with the amount we would have to pay to sell the Ridgeline would leave us owing $10K on a $36K vehicle. I think the confusion is in the unknowns. Which would be more reliable? The 112k mile Pathfinder or the repaired Honda. The shop that repaired it has a good reputation - they took a LONG time to repair it (not sure if that is good or bad). It is difficult to tell which one would have more problems since the new one shouldn't have any - but repairs did include replacing a solenoid in the transmission and an overhaul of the front end including the apron. The idea is - if it only takes $10k to go on a car with 6,000 miles is that the better bet than the super reliable Pathfinder. Also - the perceived loss of approx. $16k in a new, but crashed and fixed vehicle. The hard part for me is giving up the Pathfinder which has been a gem for the truck which has some unfortunate blindspots (terrible in the back) - and also giving up the $16K. In the end no one was hurt - so that is the most important issue.

[Dattebayo]

I am confused, can you clean that up a bit?

[keepitornot]

Hi Dattebayo, I love your Mario guy. Sorry, I was replying to srellim 234 and hadn't yet seen your post. When you say the chassis model is better - that is for the Ridgeline (better than the 2001 Pathfinder's chassis). Less gremlins in the Honda you think? Thanks again.

[Dattebayo]

BTW, that <--- is Stalin.

I meant the previous pathfinder model was worse then the one you currently own.

I also meant I didn't understand your reply to the other guy... There are too many words.

[keepitornot]

I thought he looked familiar - oh and I'm one of those sinister left-handed people. You are right too many words. Summary of the problem - will have to let $16k go on a car with only 6,000 miles on it. Conversely - sale of Pathfinder would result in only owing $16K on the Ridgeline. Is there a better choice or just a preference?

[carloslebaron]

You had both vehicles before the accident with the Honda one, and selling the Pathfinder won't help to recover any lost. On the other hand, selling the Honda will hurt you more -economically- right?

Keep the honda if you really have to keep one of the vehicles only. As you mentioned, the accident didn't harm the mechanical or electrical but the structural only, and such a problem has been fixed already. While the Pathfinder has started to give you electrical problems, and requires of greater maintenance. Don't compare your Pathfinder with others, because it is true that vehicles can last thousands of miles, but...How? In several cases, replacing transmissions, pumps, etc, that will deteriorate as far as more miles are run. Check which one will potencially give you less problems for the next two, three, five years, and make your decision in base of this.

If I'm in the same situation, I may sell the Pathfinder, and with that money I should try to customize the Honda Ridgeline somehow, in order to forget the scars of the accident, and enjoy the vehicle.

[keepitornot]

Great thoughts. Thanks Carlos.

[Bubba1]

To summarize, I believe, you have two vehicles: an almost new Ridgeline you're financing that had some minor accident damage recently repaired by a reputable shop, (that so far appears ok) and a 10 yr old reliable Pathy that's starting to have age related gremlins and items wearing out. You're asking which would be a more reliable vehicle to keep for the next few years? I assume keeping both, is not an option.

Both vehicles have good reliability reputations, but I think if you take the emotion out of the decision process, and affording the payments is not an issue, then you'll conclude the Ridgeline is the better bet of the two for long term reliability over the next few years. Why?It's essentially a brand new vehicle, with new parts, with a full warranty. Unless the car is misbehaving, there's no reason to assume the shop did not completely repair that damage.

Now if you are having problems affording the car payments on the Ridgeline, then it might be a different story. the old Pathy should save you some money, but the savings will likely be more than offset by the financial loss of selling a vehicle to which you don't have clear title plus the increased repair costs that go along with 10+ yr old vehicles that you won;'t have with a new one for a few years. Pathy's are great vehicles but as you can see, things begin to wear out after 10 years even on reliable vehicles. That's not going to stop.

Hope that helps.

[keepitornot]

Very helpful! That is exactly what I wanted to know. I've always been told it is cheaper to keep a car forever than have a car loan. I think I felt guilty for getting a car with a loan and now I was worried I was continuing to make one bad decision after another (i.e. shouldn't have gotten the car loan, then had an accident, and now going to give up a reliable Pathfinder for a car with a note (I'll pay off asap) that could give me more trouble than the Pathfinder). I guess the unknown factor exists all of the time (in fact that is with all things in life). The odds must be in favor of the car with 100,000 less miles. I'll have to gamble on letting my Pathfinder go. Thanks again. I really appreciate your help.

[OriginalWheelman]

Well, it is cheaper to keep an old one going than buy a new one, if you have maintained it. That argument is only relevant if you're talking about acquiring the new car. Since you already own both, it's irrelevant unless selling the Ridgeline will eliminate your payment, but It seems it would not. Since you own both it's purely a maintenance issue, and a new car will be cheaper to maintain than a used car.

[keepitornot]

Now that you put it that way, I think I better keep the Pathfinder. The repair took 4 months and during that time the Insurance Rep said the shop wasn't doing a good job and the car would never be right. The shop has a perfect reputation and the insurance guy may have been a hothead. Regardless - my husband looked at other trucks and bought one with low mileage (bad idea). So now - we have 2 car notes where we had 1. When he bought the used truck - the intent was to sell the Ridgeline when it came back from the shop. He was only unhappy when he realized he would have to pay $10K to sell the Ridgeline. I say - $10K to avoid paying the remaining $16K and we can pay off his used truck and be done with our bad decisions for now. Thanks for the reality check. I appreciate your help.