I have a 2002 Nissan Pathfinder and I love it. I bought it in 2006 and it has 156,000 miles on it. I am ready for something and here are the options. Buy another 2002 with low mileage for all the reasons you all know about that year and the 2003.Just great years. I have found a couple with mileage around 75,000 for around 8,500. My daughter wants my car and I am going to have a tune up done on it for her. Nothing wrong with it at all,
Or get for me a 2011 Juke. I don’t know why but I love that car. Been told I won’t get much better gas mileage unless it stays in the eco mode. I can pay cash for the Pathfinder. Will have to finance the Juke. Makes me nervous that it’s sort of new but I have heard from those who know that it’s a good car.
what say all you guys in the know.
Kathy
@Kathy…I would forget about the older Pathfinders. At $8500 it’s a steep price to pay for a vehicle that’s over 10 years old. I would go for the Nissan Juke if you really like it. I have found that Nissan vehicles are just as reliable as Toyota or Honda. Make sure you give the Juke a long test drive and have your own mechanic look it over before you buy it.
I looked at a couple of reviews for the Juke and they get a pretty good rating. The Juke will also hold it’s market value a lot better than a used Pathfinder. Financing is a downside but the Juke is a better overall vehicle for the money.
@KathyInTexas
Consumer Reports gives the Juke excellent reliability ratings
Is “bug eyes” big enough for you?
I’m sorry, but that’s what it looks like to me.
One of my “relatives” has a Juke and he loves it. He has had more problems with the dealership than the car itself.
The Juke gets much better gas mileage than the Pathfinder. I compared the 2002 Pathfinder with auto and 3.5L engine and 2WD to a 2011 Juke with auto and 1.6L. The estimated city/highway/average mileages are 14/18/16 for the Pathfinder and 27/32/29 for the Juke. 4 Juke owners posted worse gas mileage, averaging 21/25/23.1. While a lot worse than the EPA estimate, that’s still a lot better than a 2002 Pathfinder. Note that the Juke uses Premium while the Pathfinder uses regular. Still, I think the increase in efficiency will more than offset the increase in per gallon cost.
Another vote for the Juke. The pathfinder that year is a good but thirsty car. Try one out on an extended basis to see if you like the smaller car . Check the Rogue out too.
Thanks everyone. I am leaning that way after a burning bush experience where I butt dialed the dealership. I had their number in my phone after taking in the pathfinder for a check engine light. I hated dealing with dealerships but my mechanic couldn’t figure this one out. I started with the service guy by asking if he was on commission and he said everyone was. So, I asked, how does a client feel secure when the person they are dealing with is encouraged to find more problems to make money. I ended up liking him because he let me talk to the mechanic directly, who, of course told me I needed a new harness, but then said he wouldn’t do it if I could find someone who would give the car a inspection sticker off the record. Interesting. Anyway. Going to drive the frog as we call it down here. Let you know.
The Juke has to be one of the ugliest cars I’ve seen lately. But that’s a subjective judgement, and you might not be as offended by The Frog.
I guess I’ve got to agree with that. It looks like they had a ton of sealed beam headlights left over and just had to work them into the design.
Warranty and car payment or budget for repairs repairs has been my philosophy. I have gone both ways, and getting lazy prefer extended warranty for the life of the loan. This is an unpopular choice on this board, but knowing I will have no repair bills for 5 years till I pay off the loan is worth the $200 a year to me.
Regardless, unless you live off road and need 4 wd and the carrying capacity of a mid size SUV, given the price oOptionsAnd it’s potential to rise further, I would absolutely never buy another Pathfinder regardless of how few miles it had. In this day and age, it eats too much gas. Go for an economy car (juke or otherwise) and count your savings in black gold (petroleum) I have a mid size SUV and it gets much better gas mileage then a 2002 Pathfinder…and the fill ups still kill me. I would think it might be an easy decision, once you deside to by another. IMHO, the Juke is fine though turbo charging reliability for the long haul is worrisome to me, but I would recommend something more economical still…like a compact car.
OP, just about everyone working on cars is on commission no matter if it’s a dealer or independent and in most cases you would be incorrect in thinking that someone goes looking for problems just to drive the bill up.
There are 2 sides to that sword. If a mechanic points out any other additional problem then they’re accused of gouging or making work out of nothing. If they don’t point out a potential problem and it crops up afterwards then they’re accused of oversight or neglect.
The fact that you talked to a mechanic is great and it’s unfortunate that this can’t occur more often as it can weed out a lot of that 3rd party misunderstanding due to a service writer, etc being inserted into the middle of the problem.
The downside to this is that standing there talking means the mechanic is standing there talking for free. His paycheck depends solely upon turning wrenches; not conversation.
The appearance of a car is subjective but the Juke is downright hideous in my opinion. It’s not Pontiac Aztek ugly, but not from lack of effort.
The stylists must have been at the club after work and jotted the design down on a napkin at some point before last call… 
Mechanics working for cities, counties, etc. are not on commission
The only qualms I have abou buying a late model low mileage used car is that I always think to muself “I wonder why it’s back on the lot…must be something wrong with it”. But if the Juke is what you want, and it passes a good checkup by a trusted mechanic, go for it. “Ugly” is a purely subjective term.
I wonder why it’s back on the lot…
I asked that question and my 24 year old daughter had a quick answer. Many of her friends bought the least expensive new car they could find when they graduated from college. When they could afford a nicer car two or three years later, they traded the stripped first car in on the new car.
Or, it could be a lease return. I’ve purchased several such vehicles, and they turned out to be good buys. Since the leases enforce mileage caps, regular maintenance & penalizes lessors for any cosmetic damage, they can sometimes be in much better shape than the average trade in.