I have a 2002 Xterra with a P0301 check engine light that appears on occasion. It came on and started giving some rough performance for about 10 seconds. Directly after the engine making a bit of a shaking and slight rumble, the check engine light flashed for about 30 seconds to a minute and than flashed solid. It originally came on 7 months ago before happening again only a couple weeks ago. My mechanic checked it out both on the first occasion and then again when it happened a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to replicate the poor engine performance or code reoccurance and he tried all the likely things like spark plugs, fuel injectors, ignition coils and probably others. He told me the only way he could find the issue is if it happened predictably or in a way he could check issues right when the issue was happening. Anyway, he said that the it could be fixed if it were most anything except for engine compression, which he also said he checked and was normal. However, this doesn’t rule out that it would be the issue if he was able to replicate the problem. Since the car seems to be working normally for now. Is this a good time to start looking for a newer used car with much more predictable life and availability? I am looking at Toyota Highlanders and secondly Honda Pilots. I would value any opinions since this is a singing frog that could perhaps get worse and then be a driveability issue. Also, not sure how much more I want to put into it for future maintenance. It has been a good car for me and wondering if it’s a smart time to move on. Thank you!
Would be the time to look at avnew vehicle. The xterra is reportedly in development planned for 2028.
Check out the Honda Passport along with the Pilot and Highlander. Passport is a 2 row version of the pilot geared more to the off road segment but still comfortable.
Comes down to personal preference as I’d recommend any of those. At least this way you’ll be prepared when you hit the point of needing to replace the Xterra. We were in those shoes in 1990 when our vw died to be revived for a week.
Time for a better mechanic
I would consider replacing the vehicle for the poor fuel economy, not necessarily for a misfire repair.
Were those parts replaced or simply reviewed?
If no obvious problems were discovered during inspection, the spark plugs and ignition wire set should be replaced as preventative maintenance, also the distributer cap and rotor based on inspection.
He might be hesitant in replacing any parts for an intermittent fault. If the check engine light illuminates 6 weeks later, a customer might demand a refund. Also, when a customer states they intent to replace the vehicle, the technician might predict that the customer will toss the repair estimate in the trash. So why spend excessive time diagnosing an intermittent problem?
A family member of mine has a 2002 Chevrolet truck that he bought new. It’s had a couple of ongoing problems overt the years, and he’s poured a bank full of money in “fixing” the same handful of problems. It’s become unreliable at this point.
The most recent time he took it to the dealership (his insistence), they informed him they were no longer interested in working on anything over 20 years old. That was a bit of a wakeup call.
I’d suggest you keep that in mind since yours is about the same age. If your life circumstances have changed, then it’s a good time to look for a new vehicle.
My answer to that question is No this is not a good time to look for a used vehicle. Have you looked at web sites and seen the rediculas prices used vehicles have now? Yes , new vehicles are also expensive but they come with full warranty and lower loan rates.
Thank you, wolyrobb!
Thank you, Nevada_545!
Thank you, ledhed75!
A TV financial guru recently advised that it is unwise to spend more on repairs than a vehicle is actually worth. (Duh!)
According to the Kelly Blue Book, a 2002 Nissan Xterra has a typical private party value of $1,500 to $2,150, and a trade-in value of $600 to $1,000. The variation in price depends on the trim level and whether it is RWD or 4WD, and–of course–on the vehicle’s condition.
When were the plugs, wires, cap, and rotor last replaced? Coil? These are all maintenance items on a 24 year old vehicle.
I would not consider that an absolute rule… Going from used car to used car it can be better to spend money on the devil you know rather than an unknown devil…
Going to a new car, or a lightly used car, I’d agree, time to move on.
I didn’t see your mileage anywhere, or I missed it one… This is a 20+ year old vehicle so you will probably start having some issues out of it from time to time… I would be more concerned about the mileage and how well it has been maintained over it’s life… If it has 250K+ miles then might be time for an upgrade, but if not then it has some life left in it (generally speaking)… Intermittent issues can be very hard to find at times…
Again, depending on mileage, putting more money in a vehicle than it is worth is not a factor to me unless it is doing it over and over again, or something major really fails, you can spend $4000 a year on your vehicle and that is only $334 a month, cheaper than even a decent used vehicle, plus your ins didn’t go up…
You are just going to have to do the math and figure out what works best for you…
24 years old, a Nissan, and having to rely on a mechanic for basic work suggests a new car may be a better alternative.
A compression test should be done at some point though before investing in more work. Also there has been a rash of fake parts that look like oem so you could just b3 getting counterfeit parts.
Good point, this could be done while replacing spark plugs.
That’s not just happening at dealers. I know a number of independent shops that have an age limit for cars they take in, usually at 20 years, one goes to 25. My mother lives 2 states away and needed some car repair. It took me 4 phone calls to find a shop willing to fix the brakes on an 85 Buick.
Definitely agree that the “when to replace” decision differs for different people.
My own rule of thumb is when the vehicle starts becoming unreliable, my life circumstances change…and/or if the wife wants something new. But your mileage may vary from mine.
For those that missed it…
I’d add:
- Regardless of the engine condition, everything else on a 20+ year old vehicle is…20+ years old. You may fix one thing, and then the law of averages says another thing is more likely to fail just due to age.
- Personally I think it’s better to trade in or sell a running car while it still runs. I’m no math genius, but I’m less inclined to pay the same money for a non-running car than I am a running one.
When my diesel gave out I talked to the dealer. He said a car without an engine wasn’t worth much. So I put an engine in.