[Madoc]

(Full disclosure I am Canadian ) Huge wall of text, ive been researching/obsessing over this since Friday morning
I notice the whole transmission thing was a mess, but that talk of it has dropped off to nothing is that because its fixed, or everythings been said?

The one I'm looking at is a 2014 SL with like every add-on known to man (incl the 187$US cargo matt my gf likes, the tow package/backup camera I want etc etc) two owners 53k km (32k miles) asking is 28,000

<huge explanation on why I want the pathfinder rather then the other things in the class snipped, short version I love it and don't like the others, cost, maintance costs...its just the whole transmission blowing up thing...>

Now at 32k miles, that's past where everyone seems to report the issue and on a test drive I at least couldn't make it do it. Does that means I'm safe from that? (THIS IS THE MAIN CONCERN )

Problem is to make it affordable I was thinking of going 7 year on it, problem with that is then it has to last 7 years....it would then be 10 years old I checked and I see a lot of 2007's available which is amazing considering around that time was the radiator killing the transmission issue. So in theory if the cvt lives, with regular maintance stuff (which is fairly cheap on this vehicle) it'll last.

<carproof snipped because I'm not allowed to do that says forum software, I am not a bot damnit>
I have some concerns with the carproof, first guy had it for less then a year....that seems odd.

Other problem is its a Honda dealer, so for a third party inspection should I bring it to a Nissan dealer?(there is one LITERALLY across the street) Will the Nissan dealer just tell me its bad to try to get me to buy from him (the Nissan dealer currently doesn't have one). Will they even do it? Obviously I'd have to pay for it but will a dealer inspect another dealers car?
Other then when the first guy had it the last 2 years of maintence stuff seems blank (dealer gave me the manuals to look at)

I have an appt to yay or nay it tomorrow evening and kind agonizing over the choice. Obviously I need to talk to the dealer more just wondering on that CVT thing.

Thanx for any info however anecdotal, if I do buy it I'm sure you'll hear a lot from me over time

 

[JayArras]

Welcome to the forum. :welcome:

Two red flags for me would be 1) already two owners with only 53 kilometers and 2) buying from a Honda dealer, you won't get the extended warranty. Another couple of points are whether the recalls have been performed and whether it might have been a buyback due to lemon laws.

I know that buying a new car is an emotional experience, but don't fall in love with what might be trouble later. Better to take your time and do your due diligence. Good luck!

 

[Bushman]

Run, do not walk, away from this. Bad juju....

 

[Steven Kohler]

Problem is to make it affordable I was thinking of going 7 year on it, problem with that is then it has to last 7 years....it would then be 10 years old

Question is, do you really want to be that upside down on a vehicle. I can't forecast what is happening in my life over the next 7 years, but I've managed to keep the vehicle loans to the point that either selling them or having it totaled in an accident isn't the end of the world. How is your life going to change over the next 7 years?

All you need is for your job to change, unexpected children and the significant other situation to change and you may need to get rid of the vehicle while still owing thousands.

I know the features on the vehicle are nice. One my vehicles has all the toys (the Nissan), my other car is 15 years old and a base model. Sort of sucks, but it gets me back and forth to work and it costs me nothing but gas and insurance.

If you are really set on stretching the payments out that long, you can get a stripped 2017 Pathfinder for $32-35K. Yes its more money, but you won't be as upside down. (http://wwwa.autotrader.ca/cars/niss...&wcp=True&inMarket=advancedSearch&rcs=0&srt=4)

The Nissan dealers are always willing to negotiate.

 

[marz989]

Now at 32k miles, that's past where everyone seems to report the issue and on a test drive I at least couldn't make it do it. Does that means I'm safe from that? (THIS IS THE MAIN CONCERN )

No. There is no magic number where you are out of the woods on the CVT problems. It really seems to be dependant on how the vehicle is/has been driven.

Just my two cents worth... I would move on from this particular vehicle. First of all, 2013/14 were the worst years for CVT problems. Those original CVT's by far had the most problems, some of which went undetected while causing internal problems that will surface later. Second, as has been mentioned, 2 owners in 32K miles is probably a red flag. The problem is no one is going to tell you the truth about why those two owners got rid of the vehicle.

If you take it to a Nissan dealer to have it inspected they most likely won't tell you anything about the CVT unless there is a major problem. Some Nissan owners have had problems getting Nissan to admit there is anything wrong.

I would:

1) look for 2015 or newer. Nissan has improved the Pathfinder CVT over the years and the problems are less frequent the newer you get.
2) try to buy certified pre-owned. That will get you the extended power train warranty. When a dealer certifies a vehicle as CPO, they perform an inspection, but they also pay a fee to Nissan. Essentially they are paying an extended warranty premium for the vehicle and rolling it in to the price. In the U.S. the CPO limited warranty is 84 months/100,000 miles I believe. You can look it up for Canada.

If you can't afford the 2015 right now, wait 6 months and try again. The prices will come down. Good luck.

 

[jman]

Hi Madoc

You've received enough comments to make you want to run away from the PF.
With the PF you get a lot for your money and that is why the majority of us ended buying one. The issue is reliability with a major component which is the transmission, if it fails once out of warranty, you are doomed.
The 13 and 14 were indeed the ones with more transmission issues, other issues were around minor components such as visors, roof rack trim which appeared the improve in later models. Nissan issued multiple software upgrades (not recalls) for the CVT shudder, that solved the issue for some units. Some other vehicles have had the valve body replaced and a few, more than one full transmission swapped.
You could check the vehicle maintenance history at the Nissan dealer, that will tell you what went on with those two.
If you decide to move forward I strongly recommend to get a SL with the Tech Package which gives you Navigation (a crappy one), Bose audio (not a "state of the art" system but definitely better than stock), memory seats, panoramic moon-roof and a few other perks.
Keep us posted.

 

[Kelly Zollo]

I'm fairly new here but I certainly wouldn't stretch out a car loan on a used Pathfinder for 84 months/7 years as I would feel you could end up upside down in it. The only reason I would do above even a 60/5yrs on a used, is if they were offering 72/6 with 0% APR on the new ones and my budget allowed for the new purchase at the better interest rate.

When we have used car shopped in the past we have always stuck to at least buying used with only 1 owner or a lease/rental if we can. That way we know the vehicle was at least taken care of. 2 owners over 32K seems like a big red flag to me.

 

[elirodriguez2132]

The dealership is trying to buy my 2017 pathfinder with 100,200 miles does anyone have a clue why?

 

[Rxdawg215]

The dealership is trying to buy my 2017 pathfinder with 100,200 miles does anyone have a clue why?

If they buy yours, they hope you’ll buy a new one from them. Without turn over, they don’t have a business. How much are they offering?

 

[JayArras]

The dealership is trying to buy my 2017 pathfinder with 100,200 miles does anyone have a clue why?

We get those notices every couple of months. They are just trying to generate traffic for their showroom, but you KNOW that they are not going to just buy it outright without you buying something from them. If your Pathy is running fine and you like it, just ignore them. If the contrary, maybe you'll do better on a trade than you might otherwise.