Towing: 4Runner vs Pathfinder and V6 vs V8

[WillK]

Wow! That's some crazy sheeyit right there! Some of these 'independent' dealers are really shady. I'm glad you figured things out before you signed any papers.

Good luck with the Nissan you're going to look at. If it fits your needs, then that's the best vehicle for you. I have a co-worker that's a Nissan nut and he's gotten a lot of miles out of his Pathfinders.

Good luck!

 

[NinjaPyrate]

Yeah I'm kind of confused how a 8 year old vehicle could only have 23k miles, and also how I feel about it.

 

[T4R2014]

I don't think a Nissan dealer would be changing odometers. Even if they did and you have proof then you could sue them.

 

[WillK]

Check the carfax. It should show mileage over the years.

As for that low of miles, I just drove a 2007 Seqouia last weekend that has a whopping 26K on it. First owner drove it 8K miles in 5 years and the second owner (Manager at Toyota dealership) put 18K on it in just over two years, so it's possible.

 

[NinjaPyrate]

I didn't really think they'd mess with the odometer - I'm more unsure of what kind of value I put on a vehicle that has such low miles (the lowest in my search) but it 8 years old (the oldest in my search).

 

[WillK]

You can try Edmunds and do the 'TMV' thing. The other thing I do is some car websites have a the BlackBook trade in tool. I input as much information about the car I'm interested in and it will give you the trade-in (wholesale) value.
I then use that as a starting point with the dealer. Doesn't always work because sometimes it depends on what they paid for the car, but it does give you a good idea of the true value of the car.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I didn't really think they'd mess with the odometer - I'm more unsure of what kind of value I put on a vehicle that has such low miles (the lowest in my search) but it 8 years old (the oldest in my search).

I've often struggled with trying to define this grey area.

One one hand you want a low mileage example when looking for a used vehicle, but how low is acceptable and for what age?

I'd be thrilled if I found say a 1988 4Runner with 5k on the Odometer, but then I'd have to stop and think about the damage from sitting around and essentially rotting, unless they took extremely good care of it.

So when does low mileage and age become a bad thing?

 

[MikeInNH]

I don't think a Nissan dealer would be changing odometers. Even if they did and you have proof then you could sue them.

Friend of mine in NY owns a Nissan dealership because of that. The old Nissan dealership got caught (several times) by the state of turning OD's back. The state then shut them down. At the time his dad owned a GMC and Pontiac dealership. So they ended up buying the franchise rights from Nissan and the rest of the new inventory.

 

[4RunnerSR52004]

Unless your towing A LOT & over 5000lbs the V6 is MORE then capable of handling your trailer. The V8 has a mere 40Lb more of torque which is quite sad in my opinion & the better mpg the V6 receives is more than worth NOT getting the V8 in daily duties! The 4.0 is a great motor & will handle whatever you throw at it!

 

[grey_ghost]

The majority of those independent Brooklyn/Queens are shady as hell, especially when they have a body shop attached.

I think you can safely remove the words "Brooklyn/Queens" out of that sentence and it still rings true.... pretty much all across the country.

 

[28.]

Oh boy, here we go again. This shouldn't turn into a V6 versus V8 thread, but let's get this clear: The 4.7 V8, while marginally better than the V6, is an outdated, underpowered interference engine that was killed off for a reason. 270hp / 320 ft-lbs is sleep-inducingly mediocre. Yawn. AND the V8s are known to have a common exhaust manifold cracking issue (pricey fix), timing belt (pricey fix), generally get 1-1.5 MPG less than the V6 - hands down more expensive to maintain than the V6 for all the reasons above.

You can't go wrong with either OP, but if the right truck you find turns out to be a V6, I woulnd't even think twice and just pull the trigger.

:nono:
Dude you can't be serious? The 4.7L has been dubbed as one of the most reliable engines Toyota has put out period.. One of the main reasons it was used on their flagship Landcruiser and LX470 trucks..

 

[ryosten]

I've often struggled with trying to define this grey area.

One one hand you want a low mileage example when looking for a used vehicle, but how low is acceptable and for what age?

I'd be thrilled if I found say a 1988 4Runner with 5k on the Odometer, but then I'd have to stop and think about the damage from sitting around and essentially rotting, unless they took extremely good care of it.

So when does low mileage and age become a bad thing?

I've got a different train of thought on this...interested to see your response.

If I'm buying a used car I don't mind high miles if the car itself is clean and well maintained. The way I look at it is that the car more than likely has highway miles and the if there is evidence that the previous owner took care of the car then it probably a solid car that didn't have much if any trouble. The biggest drawback is the big maintenance items are coming sooner but hopefully that is reflected in the price as well.

I'm leary of a 10 year auto with 25k on the clock unless it is something special.

 

[nevada]

I'd be struggling with a 2006 going for 18k

:fear:

that's what I paid for my 06. that was the going price for them around here. in fact, it was a bit lower than some others I found.

Not to drag us all back into the v6 vs v8 thing, but here's my perspective: after driving the v6, i didn't consider looking for a v8. in my mind, the v6 was adequate for its intended purpose and the v8 wouldn't have been worth the MPG penalty.

until you put some weight behind it, then that 1-2 mpg "penalty" will go the other direction.

Unless your towing A LOT & over 5000lbs the V6 is MORE then capable of handling your trailer. The V8 has a mere 40Lb more of torque which is quite sad in my opinion & the better mpg the V6 receives is more than worth NOT getting the V8 in daily duties! The 4.0 is a great motor & will handle whatever you throw at it!

you're talking peak power. I would GUESS(since I haven't compared dyno charts) that the v6 power curve is much higher, and that the v8 holds more torque for longer, at a lower rpm.

also, the v6 will use for fuel with weight behind it, than the v8 will.