02 Nissan Pathfinder v. 00 Isuzu Trooper

Really? I thought the pathfinder from the earlier generations were built to handle off road

Stop being dumb and just buy a 4Runner.

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I got a beater r50. It's so rusty underneath it. the front strut towers have a recall for rusting out. The damn oil pan hangs so low I don't see how you can do any real off roading without decent protection. Mine needs so much work I'm thinking of junking it.

I'm not sure if you're aware, but in places like the Midwest, 4runners are going for 5k at the lowest. That's for something in daily driveable condition. Most are 200k+ "super clean engine starts and runs real good" from dealers or Normies trying to cash in on the bubble with their rusty, beat up 4runner so they can buy a newer model.

4Runners cost a fucking fortune here, like $6000 at the low end

See
You understand the situation. Good man

I've got 4k to buy a SUV. Ford Escape? Explorder? XL7? XTERRA? trailblazer?

I know nothing about them

If 4k can get you a decent XTerra, I would go for it. They're a bit meme'd in my area now too, so the prices have gone up.

Make sure the pathfinder isn't a rotten mess. I've had one for years and it's been the most reliable vehicle ife driven.

I've located one with 94k miles and it's been driven and maintained, not sitting. I may just jump on it unless the trooper is that much better.

The Trooper is a much more serious vehicle if you're looking to off road.

I suppose that's true. The only trooper near me is 130k miles and about $800 cheaper. I just don't want to sacrifice reliability/parts availability

I used to work out of my R50, installing satellite dishes. As I said, the most reliable vehicle I've ever driven. If the new ones weren't shit, I'd probably be looking at one of those right now.

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>I'm not sure if you're aware, but in places like the Midwest
Pic related. Yeah, I know they're not cheap, but if you want reliable and capable, you can't beat it.

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I mean, if I wanted a superior handling roadster, nothing will beat a Lotus or Caterham, but if I want something pretty great for less money, I would get an MX5 or FR-S/86.

My point is, I asked about these two vehicles because they are both supposed to be reliable and can be capable off road, while also within my price range.
I'm not saying you're wrong, though. I would 100% be buying a 4runner if I could find an affordable one that was in good condition.
You are a better man than I, for I am a poorfag. (V8 4runner is on the tip top of my list, btw. Just too much $$$)

I have an 02 pathfinder, just watch the oil consumption, and pay attention to the exhaust (if it burns oil) and apart from that it’s pretty reliable. It’s about as good off road as you’ll ever need. Has a low range and great approach and departure angles. It’s also unibody which means it’ll ride better than the trooper, unless you’re one of those people that like old truck rides. Don’t expect it to handle well though. It’s RWD has an open diff, no traction control, and the steering is extremely vague.

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Forgot to mention, the 3.5 VQ engine is pretty good, it has lots of low end grunt and kick back, but don’t expect it to be fast. It sounds great and provides stress-free driving

I have a 95 Trooper with the 3.2l, its got some front end damage from a previous owner (bought it as a beater for 700 ameribucks so i was happy with the condition) and the old electronic locks are starting to get finicky but besides that its been a great car. had it for a bit more than a year and only basic maintenance needed so far. Ill probably be moving on to something a few years newer and in better condition (even another trooper if I find a nice one) and I cant recommend them enough. only thing to point out though, aftermarket stuff is super hard to find and spare parts are also getting a little scarce. still a great and usually underappreciated 4x4

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if a good condition trooper was in my area with 130k miles i would jump on that shit in a heart beat. my trooper in this pic
is nearing 230k, they last forever if taken care of

Thank you all very much. I'm going to go look at the Trooper today and the Pathfinder later this week.

Both of them are great in their own way, but consider a 3.5 Montero. They drive similar to the Isuzu Trooper (a little more trucklike than the Pathfinder), but have quite a heavy duty drivetrain. They have diffs that'll put a halfton pickup to shame.

The pathfinder is going to be more luxurious, better suspension and better engine (Nissan VQ is a very smooth and successful engine) The Isuzu is going to be more reliable and has more space, but the interior is pretty drab, and the engine is lackluster.

I really wanted one. I checked out a 95 SR montero, looked super clean, when I got there it had a rotted middle exhaust. They wouldn't let me drive it as it wouldn't even idle without throttle. (Shady dealer didn't tell me any of this obvious shit when I called.)
No other decent montero examples within 200 miles.

I think after all the research and input from Veeky Forums, I'm going to get this Trooper. I don't mind a rougher ride as I actually like the feeling of riding in an older BOF vehicle. Plus, the drivetrain is supposed to be pretty damn solid on it and that's a big plus.

I owned a 98 pathy that was a great car soooooo I decided to upgrade to a 2002 Infiniti Qx4 and holy shit that thing has cost me money. Owned it since 2013 and this is what I've replaced: oil return line from the cooler blew. Exhaust system from the cat back plus all 4 02 sensors (hole in the mid and muffler now so gonna do that part again). Charcoal canister and evap control module, swirl control valve solenoid. Alternator and battery. Oil pan. Ball joints, control arms, front stabilizer arms, calipers, pads×2, rotors×2, drums and shoes, front wheel bearings inner and outer. AC belt×2, serpentine belt×2. Fuel filter ×2. Radiator. Spark plugs. Shocks and struts (passenger side spring broke this winter). I need to do the u joints still, rear wheel bearings, change the rear diff fluid and transfer case, rear trailing arms and o rings for the oil pump. So in short buy the fucking Suzuki. Oh and it burns oil because the VQ likes to do that and if anyone tells you it doesn't they are a liar.

Nice thing about Isuzu 4wds is they have boucoup aftermarket offroad accessories available like air lockers etc