Thinking about buying a pathfinder

first post to first off, hi everyone

im thinking about trading in my reasonably reliable Kia
Sedona 06 plate for a 09 or 10 plate Pathfinder. Im
currently looking between garages for the best price.

is there anything i should be aware off before taking the
plunge and buying one.
reliability needs to be key for us, we have 2 small
children and not alot in the way of spare cash to be
throwing at it, i dont want to be trading in a fairly
reliable car with its foyboyle and niggles (with only
37,000 on it) to land myself with a car requiring
expensive parts etc.

my main concerns are

brake system : how does the braking system fare, is the
pathfinder heavy on brakes shoes, disks etc.how much do
brake pads / disks cost? im forever replacing mine on the
Kia. ive replaced the kia ones so far in 5 years, about 4
times at least, maybe 5. including drums and callipers.
not to mention tyres, i think im in double figure with
tyres (remember , 37,000 on the clock from new!)shocking
really

MPG : im going to be doing 100 mile round trip
(motorway/main rd mix : 70:30 split) to work now from
tomorrow. i did 20 miles per day until then. Will the
pathfinder cost be a huge amount. the Kia is around £98
to fill, i get around 345 miles out of it.


anything else i need to be aware of that potentially goes
wrong?

thanks

We have the 2.5 diesel. Our fuel economy is about 32.5mpg.
Towing, it only loses about 3mpg. At the minute ours has
heavy brake dust on the fronts only. Mind you I've just
done 1100 miles in 4 days touring the outback of Scotland.
She's in next week for a check up. Let you know the outcome
of the brakes....

Jayster wrote: We have the 2.5 diesel. Our fuel economy is about 32.5mpg. Towing, it only loses about 3mpg. At the minute ours has heavy brake dust on the fronts only. Mind you I've just done 1100 miles in 4 days touring the outback of Scotland. She's in next week for a check up. Let you know the outcome of the brakes....

Thanks,

32.5 mpg I think is about the same as t KIA. What mileage are you
getting out of a tank of fuel?


How do u find the car? Would u recommend it?

DealerSceptic wrote: All I would say is check everything with a fine tooth comb.  I am probably not the best AD for a pathfinder, mine is a 55 plate and I have had a lot of problems with it.  Check the heater pipes to the rear, they cross the axle and mine wore down so needed replacing.  Local garage did a patch up job as he said to replace the pipes would cost around £600 for the parts and would be a major stripdown to fit.  Other jobs I have had to do are thermostat, air con radiator, alternator and currently have an undetected issue which will probably cost me a truck load o cash, only had the car 18 months but it is a 55 plate.  Last car was a honda and couldn't kill that, struggling to keep this one alive. All that being said, I do like the car, it will be a shame to see it go, fuel economy is around 34mpg regardless of use (apart from short cold journeys) havent noticed any excessive brake wear, tyres will be expensive and services arent cheap even at a local garage (if you have a decent service). My next car will be a CRV.

 

thanks

 

we have a 54 plate honda for commuting and its had nothing wrong with it really. the odd seatbelt sensor warning but thats about it.

great advice

Mine weren't the air con pipes, it was the heater pipes for the rear controls etc.  The only other option to replacing with a patch up job was to seal the pipes and not use the rear controls and heating vents, but didnt want to do that.  The repair has worked very well though and shouldn't re-occur as the new pipe pieces are flexible and will handle the issue.

Point taken with the air con pipes though, another reason to change the car.