# Buying Used - Advice Re Dealer Questions



## franticvike (Jul 7, 2014)

Hi all, 

I've browsed through the forum quite a bit already and I have to say there is some great stuff on here. 

I currently drive a 1994 D21 Harbody pickup, but it's only 2wd. I need a couple more seats and a couple more powered wheels and I've liked what I've seen about the X-Trail. A friend has one as well and has only good things to say. I've found a local one with just shy of 100k on it and I'm starting to talk to the dealer. I put the following list of questions to him, still waiting for answers, but I'm hoping the pros on here can point out a few extra things that I should look out for or ask about.

Any help is appreciated and thanks for your time. By the way, I'm Canadian, so looking at 2005/2006 XTrails. This one is an 05, LE, 5 speed.

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How did your shop get the car? Trade in? Rental? Fleet? Auction? How long have you had it? Is it a BC car? Air care?

What do you know about it's repair history? Do you know where any work has been done? 

A few specifics on that: 1 rust issues,particularly rear wheel well drivers side or rear hatch handle? ‎2 wheel bearing repairs/issues? 3 intake manifold butterflys corrected or any issues with them? 4 any problems with the 4 wd?

Have any recall problems been handled?

I notice it's right near 100k, has scheduled maintenance been done? Has your shop worked on in since it came in?

How are the consumables, tires, bra‎kes? How about the interior, any smells, smoking car?

‎Accident history? Floods? Have you got the carfax or other reports?

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Thanks again all.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

I think you are just asking to be lied to by the dealer. I very much doubt they could tell you everything about the vehicle history unless they sold and serviced it.
As to what to look for-- well with a manual you will want to make sure the clutch is operating properly. Its fairly expensive to replace. If an auto make sure all gears and overdrive work fine and are smooth shifting, and after you buy it change the fluid with a couple of drain and fillls. Do not have it flushed.
If AWD look carefully for signs of leaks around the front transfer case. If no leaks and the AWD system is operating properly you will want to change its gear oil. Same deal for rear diff.
Have all cv boots examined for leaks.

Have tie rods and ball joints inspected.

Rear rust is really not that big a deal, it was looked after as a recall and based upon all of the X trails I see very few have advanced rust in the rear wheel well area. As for the rear hatch, all of the rusting is due to the screws that hold the license plate light and the steel spring in the handle that rust. Easily wiped off and treated for the most part, but that is another topic. 
Wheel bearings are a non serviceable sealed type that do go on the X trail. Our 2006 has required both left and right rear bearings to be replaced. Front ones never posed a problem so far. So have those checked.

X trails also go through brakes more frequently than some other vehicles, but the brake part costs are not horrendous. 
If you get one, a cool thing is the amount of info you can find on forums to diagnosis problems and fix them. Not to mention its easy to find the Nissan servicing manual for it. Its a fairly user friendly car to work on.

Frankly the best thing to do is to have it completely examined by somebody you are paying. 
Re recalls for a 2005-- the fuel filler neck is currently being replaced by Nissan as part of a recall.
Re intake manifold butterfly screws, from what I can tell has not been much of an issue in Canada as it affected series 1 more than series 2 X trails. And even then the issue was more linked to the Sentra Spec R which was way more likely to operate in high RPM ranges. But if you want to the procedure to remove and lock tight them is to be found on this and other forums.

PS-- if you are going to have it examined you might consider trying to find a private sale. I think you will get a better price and it will be easier to judge the vehicle and its history. Seems to me that prices offered for trade ins are about half what a dealer will sell for. Good luck


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## franticvike (Jul 7, 2014)

That's very helpful quadraria10, thanks.

For what it's worth, the morning after I sent my list of questions the dealer raised the price by $2,000 on their website and has yet t get back to me.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

That is awful. Curious what are they asking for a 2005 LE. I am in the Ottawa Gatineau region and when I look on Kijiji there are relatively good deals to be had with some private sales, compared to what dealers are selling them for. 
Personally I cant recommend them highly enough. Terrific vehicle, fun to drive, fantastic in winter. Has lots of great features, and its surprising what you can fit into it when you need to. Have maintained our 06 Bonavista and it still drives like new. Maybe even better than new with iridium spark plugs and 225 55 17 tires. Also put a sat nav dvd bluetooth unit w back camera in which looks and works great. Kind of made it new to me all over, lol. 
It is a better vehicle than the Rogue. Surprising how many parts it shares with Infinity models. Top seller in Japan, England, Australia, and won lots of awards. Good reliability scores as well. Its undervalued in Canada, which means you get a good deal on a used one here compared to elsewhere on the Planet. I also note they are cheaper here than they are in western Canada. Good luck finding yours.


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## franticvike (Jul 7, 2014)

Thanks again. They were asking 9,995, now up to 11,995. I'm hoping to find an LE stick shift AWD with under 100k for around $10,000. I think patience is the key. Fortunately my D21 is still ticking along so no rush.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Well I don't know if you will find one with less mileage in time...Its going to be a rare find.
Not a single LE manual on Autotrader or kijiji in ontario regardless of mileage. SE manual can be found with everything exept leather, and side air bags. Personally, I find black leather gets hot in summer and is cold in winter. Think it also looks better with the two tone cloth, but that is me. Good luck in your search.


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## franticvike (Jul 7, 2014)

Sorry, I meant SE/LE. Only options I care about are manual trans, AWD and sunroof.


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## 69camarorag (Jul 24, 2014)

Just picked an 05 SE one owner with 228k for $4000. I am a service advisor at a Nissan dealer so repairs and maintenance are cheap for me. Vehicle needs rear brakes and oil cooler reseal. It also needs blower motor bearings which I will do myself. My cost on blower is $300.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Congrats 69camarorag. I admit to being a bit biased, but I really think Nissan hit a home run with the t30 X trail for the most part. Nice to see a Nissan service advisor picking one up used. Its pleasant to be in with good light inside the cabin, the ride and power are surprisingly good. Its great in winter and I have been amazed a few times at what you can fit into it. 
Re Blower seeing you are going to be doing it yourself, you should try doing the bearing replacement with appropriate sized sealed bearings. Cost under 15$. Been good for over 2 years now on mine. Otherwise there is finally someone on Ebay selling replacement motors for about 80$ last I checked. Mind you the Nissan one comes complete with the lower cage assembly. Its a fun job lol. Enjoy getting your X trail in top shape!


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## chadn (Jan 28, 2010)

just be forewarned that replacement parts for the x-trail are sometimes hard to find or are ridiculously expensive through Nissan. This is mostly due to the fact that the x-trail was never sold in the US. 

You can get replacement filters, brakes, engine parts by cross-referencing other nissan models (altima, sentra). But it's almost impossible to find exhaust, suspension or body parts other than from a nissan dealer. 

For example, I ordered replacement fog lights for a Renault Clio from Ebay.UK. It worked out to about $40 a fog light versus $250 each from Nissan. They were an exact duplicate of the original lights on the x-trail.









CLIO MICRA LAGUNA ALMERA PRIMERA ESPACE QASHQAI FOG SPOT LAMP / LIGHT RIGHT SIDE | eBay


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Actually Chadn there is no problem finding replacement exhaust parts, same with suspension. Napa has pretty much everything but can be quite pricey. Its also worth calling a Nissan dealership as many parts arent that much more expensive and better quality.
And of course as you have pointed out, Ebay is your friend and you can get some terrific deals on specific parts if you are willing to do a bit of research.
Of course I think all of this is pretty irrelevant seeing you could say the same about Honda CRV or Toyota Rav parts being expensive, not to mention an X3 or 5 or a Volvo or VW, especially when it comes to body parts.


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