Help me pick my next used SUV
 

Guys,

My 2000 Nissan Xterra with 169,000 miles is showing its age, started to run like crap lately. I put in a new distributor that did nothing. Computer OBDII codes are not telling me what the problem is...long story short, it is time to let it go.

Tomorrow I am going to the dealership, and I have to come back with something. I have been using my 911 for commuting lately, but just messed up the exhaust system with backdate exhaust, and another long story short, I need another car to get to work on tuesday.

My budget is, well, as low as possible, but let us say $15k max. We have sports car (1978SC), a sedan (2001 lexus ES300), and we need a replacement SUV for week-end trips to home despot, bad weather commute and vacation trips.

The dealership I am going to has a 2005 Nissan Xterra, a 2003 MB ML320 and a 2001 MB ML 320. The specifics are below. I will come back with one of these three. Which would you pick?

2005 Nissan Xterra Off-Road - MB Motorsports
2001 Mercedes-Benz ML320 - MB Motorsports
2003 Mercedes-Benz ML320 - MB Motorsports

Either the '01 Merc or the 05' Nissan. I would probably avoid the 03' Merc just based on price.

The Nissan at first glance looks to be in nice shape.

Ford Explorer...I got 150K out of mine before I got a smokin' deal on a Taco

Do yourself a favour and do NOT buy the first series Merc. They were full of teething problems and nothing but trouble. You can't give them away in Europe.

I have read that Mercedes management absolutely threw the book at their engineers and told them the next series (new body—introduced 2005/2006) had to be perfect, and the new series is pretty damn good as a result.

Thanks guys. It is going to be the Nissan. More recent, more reliable and more practical.

Not much for shopping around? Of the three I'd take the Nissan, but the same money would buy you a nice 4Runner which is superior to all three.

The Xterra looks nice, but I don't see anywhere in the ad where it says it is a 4X4. They do make 2 wheel drive Xterras.

They do make 2wd Xterras. The one linked is, however, a 4WD, but it's not an 'Off Road', it's an 'S'. That's not a horrible price for that particular Xterra, but hopefully they will still work with you. You'd pay a couple grand more for a comparable 2005 4Runner, fwiw.

Have you tried new injectors in your old Xterra? That engine (shared with other Nissans of the era) was known for going through them.

E

Did a shop or dealership run the scan or was it with a cheap home scanner or (worse), an app on your ipod? Bad injectors should throw some sort of code and I agree w/ Kaisen that those are long-lasting engines and vehicles if maintained. Unfortunately, even the best cars and trucks usually need some infrastructure investment @ that age/mileage. :cool:

minivans make allot more sense than SUVs. better ride, better mileage, more room, usually a little less expensive, etc.

A Toyota sienna is a really good vehicle.

I went to the dealer, took a test drive, and really liked it. Even if I fixed my old one, it would remain a clumsy piece of junk that I don't like driving anymore. But that one, with the 4.0L V6 and 265 hp is a whole different animal. They gave me $1,500 trade-in for the old one. The new truck is now sitting on my driveway :cool:.

You can't take a minivan on a dirt road to go fishing with a kayak on the roof. The kind of stuff I like to do ;). Plus, we do get snow here in New Jersey, so the 4WD feature is not just for show off. I have sometimes commuted in the middle of a snowstorm, and the Xterra did great.

I use that software on my laptop:

PCMSCAN - Palmer Performance Engineering, Inc.