Why would you get a car that gets such bad fuel economy?
Why would you get something slower?
Why would you get something older?
Why would you get something with higher miles?
Why would you get something with less features?
I’ve had several people ask my why I got rid of my car and the answer is pretty simple, but also not.
First off, I got bored. I’ve owned 3 different cars over 4 years, but they were all similar once you boiled them down to their basics: high-mileage luxury sedans. I get bored of cars fast, but that’s expedited by the fact that it’s mostly the same experience, just with different features and levels of speed. I live in the Ozarks, my fiancee and I want to do more hiking and exploring and this fits that much better than a probably soon to be lowered sport sedan.
Second, my G37 needed work, a lot of work. It needed new front pads and rotors, a transmission mount, a lot of paint work, all new fluids (oil, transmission, both differentials, coolant, and power steering), and a full exhaust, likely including cats. Sure that’s a lot of stuff I can DIY to save money, but that’s a lot of time and that’s something I don’t have much of. Not including paint work, that would have still been close to $1500, not including any labor. It still ran and drove great, but I was at the threshold of losing a very small amount of money or investing a lot into it. I was into the G37 for $4500, this Xterra is worth about $4000, possibly more in Illinois (my home state) since it’s completely rust free.
Third, this is exactly what I wanted. Mechanically, it’s excellent, with no leaks or drips to speak of. The suspension is all super solid. It’s very quiet and smooth, considering it’s a truck based Duplo block on wheels. I’m actually pretty sure it’s quieter than my G37, due to a much lower idle on the highway (2100 RPM vs 2800 RPM). It’s comfortable and easy to drive and just eats up the miles. The interior is in very good shape, with minor wear on the seats and steering wheel, but no rips or tears. The body work is solid with no dents, just a couple of hail dings, some normal scratches, and some swirl marks. Everything perfect for a daily that will get some trail time and likely get scratched and scuffed during its use. Everything is super easy to work on and parts are cheap and abundant. Sure, fuel economy isn’t great but with it taking regular VS premium, fuel costs are very similar to the Infiniti’s. Insurance is less, oil is less, brakes are less, everything is at least equal but usually less.
And I’ve already put it to good use. I’ve already taken it down 5 different trails and I’ve got plans to take it to more. I’ve got a few minor maintenance issues to take care of, but once I get those done it’ll be ready to go for a long time. I’ve upgraded the stereo with some Kicker speakers and a Pioneer head-unit. There’s plenty of other things I want to do to it, but nothing crazy. I plan on keeping this a while because I know once I inevitably get bored of it, I’ll just let my soon-to-be-wife have it.
