# Would you buy an X-trail?



## SKZ (Jan 17, 2009)

Well I had my mind set on buying a CRV for quite the time. But the I realized that it could not tow my 1,500 LB boat/trailer. So my mind is not set on the more sleek Xtrail.

Some of the problems I have seen posted here have got me scared though. Like the door not closing and rust on the 2005 models :|

I have got a budget of Exactly $10,000 and I need a vehicle that will be reliable and able to tow 1,500 LBS.

Is the X trail the right vehicle for me?


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## tbk (Dec 29, 2008)

I would answer, but as I just bought one 3 weeks ago, that's your answer. And I spent months researching the small suv market. It was the test drive in the Nissan that sold me in the end. It handles and drives nicer than the escape, crv, highlander, liberty, and pilot. If you look at some of the concerns from those vehicles, it makes the Nissan look bullet proof. Plus everytime I called a mechanic about the Nissan, including the Nissan dealerships, they gave me what I thought was a pretty no nonsense straight, no hesitation "the x-trail is a solid car, don't hardly ever see them in the shop." The Xtrail also has the largest cargo capacity with the back seats up, and the 2nd largest with them down only second to the Highlander. In australia the xtrail is rated for something like 4000kg towing. Its only over here that because of the crappy aftermarket you are stuck with a class 1 hitch. I am personally going to get a class two fabed up. The xtrail also gets the best gas milage of all the small suv's and I will bet dollars to donuts that the 2.5 in the xtrail will tromp the 6 cylinder in the escape in acceleration. Also, as long as you find one with less than 100000km's it has a power train warrenty. Escapes only have 3 year/60000km powertrain. 

Well, the door not closing is a concern, but I don't really think it's that expensive to fix if you have to do it. They pull the door and replace the solonoid. I think someone on here quoted like 300 to fix it, but I could be wrong. Rust? Well, I plan on taking mine to krown as it isn't rusting yet. 
?
Now if you want one for 10000? The xtrail is not for really for you. I didn't see any with less than 100000kms for less than $12000, and those were curbside type places. Expect to spend 13-15K for a good one. Unless you want a basic fwd with no options, then you might meet your budget.
Cheers, TBK


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## SKZ (Jan 17, 2009)

Thanks for the advice, seems like you did your research and came to the same conclusion as me. As for the price, are you sure about that? Here's one from autotrader thats got just under 100K and is all wheel drive.

2005 NISSAN XTRAIL WAGON 4 DOOR


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## Ice512 (Oct 16, 2006)

other than the $10k ure plannin to spend did u put aside an extra 2-3k to replace necessary parts? 
Looks like you're gonna end up buying from a curbside/semi-curbside dealer and their warranty is very limited. Parts are gonna need replacing very soon on any 100k vechicle and you better for the $$$ ready, especially you are doing heavy duty towing. Afterall this is not a F150...lol

other than that happy shopping and welcome another GTA member !!


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## SKZ (Jan 17, 2009)

What kind of parts? In my eyes a reliable car would not need $2-3K in parts replacement after 100 clicks.


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## tbk (Dec 29, 2008)

Well the link you posted is for a ucda dealer. That is good. The price is pretty decent, I would say reasonable. The xtrails I looked at were all LE's top of the line. The lower models like I said under 100K (my criteria was 70K) were in the 12-14 range. You knock off $1000 for every 15000kms over 70000kms and 1000 for the older model year. Add the awd and I would say $10000 is pretty reasonable. I wanted to have at least a year of powertrain warranty just in case. You will likely get a 30 day warranty from the ucda dealers. If you read the australian xtrail sight you will get some good info on repairs. I bought this car because it has a solid engine and powertrain. You don't usually need major repairs on these vehicles. You can expect a brake job at the dealership to run 600 and to do suspension around $1500 But my information so far says the struts are really good and last well into the 150K, and the brakes need to be cared for (lube the caliper pins every year) and they should last 50 to 75K easy.


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## otomodo (May 23, 2008)

SKZ said:


> What kind of parts? In my eyes a reliable car would not need $2-3K in parts replacement after 100 clicks.


Mine has 93000km and i ve changed the rear bearing done some rust repair(under warranty)(hatch hand and left rear fender)Engine s ok transmission too.Every year i check the brakes,adjust the hand brake and do the normal stuff.By the way lots of fun on snow.


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## jeffqv (Mar 19, 2009)

*NZ X-Trail*

I bought my 06 with 98,000 km for $16,000 kiwi (about $9,000 us) direct from Nissan. Now got 115,000 km, towed the boat and done some mild off-roading. So far, minor service and brake pads. Pulls well, good fuel consumption and does pretty much what it says on the tin. Buy another one...well probably yes!


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## Xtrailguy (Mar 9, 2006)

I'm at 180000km on my XT now. 3 rear wheel bearings, and I had to do the brakes.
Other than that, it has treated us very good, with good fuel economy.
We have the 5-speed base model.
If you can find one that was well maintained, I would go for it.

I would buy another new one in a heartbeat, but they are not offered anymore here in Canada. None of the other offerings from Nissan appeal to me right now. The Rogue is too 'carlike' for my liking, and I'm hearing mixed reviews on it. Their other SUVs are heavy and like gas.


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## bobs69 (Aug 9, 2009)

*My wife's*

My wife bought one. I was nervous about it at first and didn't want her to buy the very first one she seen. She had been testing other brands and like the Nissan the best. Her's is top of it's line I think, leather and 4X4 etc. When I first drove it I thought it was odd that the instrumnet cluster was in the centre of the dash, but there is something nice about the wide flat hood.

Anyhow, can't say much about it right now other then Nissan seams to be treating her good and they seam to want to make sure she is happy with Nisssan (Nissan Canada called one night to ask if she was satisfied with the warranty work being done.) Now she bought it from a well established used car lot locally. It was running out of time for warranty and she hasn't owned if 6 months. But the second dealership we took it too (the first was a disappointment) has done the rear wheel bearings and brakes I believe and the left quarter panel rust repair. The impressive thing with the rust repair was that it wasn't much more then minor discolouration in the wheel well. 


Real nice, this is a first for having a car with warranty. I hope Honda is as good if need be with my first car with warranty!


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## mgfiest (Sep 13, 2009)

you know you can import and x-trail from Mexico... but not sure how much import taxes and other add on $ that would be....


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## warrenw (Sep 16, 2009)

This will be the first winter for my wife to drive our '06. I stayed away from the '05 when looking for one because of the known rust issues. We bought it for the seats and options. My wife as a poor back and the seats were the best we tested. The X-trail drives well, but not as planted on the road as the 2nd gen AWD CRV. The X-Trail is more for the money than a CRV. We own two Hondas as well and it is difficult to compete with Honda quality.
I doubt if you will find one for $10,000. We payed $15,700 for a '06 with 70,000kms. (a similar CRV was selling for $20,000)
We will know how this thing performs when the rubber hits the road. (actually rubber hits the ice and snow)


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## clydesider (Jan 1, 2008)

SKZ said:


> Well I had my mind set on buying a CRV for quite the time. But the I realized that it could not tow my 1,500 LB boat/trailer. So my mind is not set on the more sleek Xtrail.
> 
> Some of the problems I have seen posted here have got me scared though. Like the door not closing and rust on the 2005 models :|
> 
> ...


If you want total reliability, buy a Toyota if you can afford one.
X trail brand new is fine as it is covered by manufacturers warranty, but once you go outside warranty it is a complete box of tricks that will make a big hole in your finances. The sad part is that most Nissan dealers are so deceitful about known faults and problems. You have been warned!
Mike


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## ladybirdmt (Jan 11, 2008)

*buy-sell merry-go-round*

i've got my '05 Xtrail for sale with 118K km. wanted to upgrade and liked the '07 CRV- finally has back hatch lifting up instead of gate style w/spare tire. but prices are steep on CRV, honda dealers are arrogant and snotty, and CRV is not as good on gas as xtrail. starting to think if i don't get a reasonable price, will keep xt till it dies. i've had mine for 2 years, spent $3 on a bulb- and oil changes of course- no rust issues! tried to find out if and when to change timing belt, and nissan told me there isn't one- it's a timing chain--that was welcome news. overall it's been a good ride. the biggest issue for me is a possible breakdown in USA when we travel there-since never was imported to US-would have to wait for possible parts.
As an aside: the local ICBC shop here in BC town where I live, owns at least 3-4 XT's as company cars for their employees. I hoped it was because of its reliability, and not because Nissan gave them an awesome deal-lol! The XT is unmatched in snow- awesome, and variable 4wd switch is great feature. sounds like i talked myself out of leaving XT behind!!


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## Rick N Roll 007 (Nov 13, 2009)

Hi fellow xt owners, just picked up a 2005 xt se with 5 speed and I'm amazed with this little SUV. Was looking at the Jeep liberty very hard but settled on the xt and boy I'm glad. looking forward to the 4x4 action in the snow and ice.... cheers from Canada


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## chansen (Feb 7, 2005)

Rick N Roll 007 said:


> Hi fellow xt owners, just picked up a 2005 xt se with 5 speed and I'm amazed with this little SUV. Was looking at the Jeep liberty very hard but settled on the xt and boy I'm glad. looking forward to the 4x4 action in the snow and ice.... cheers from Canada


Ugh. We test drove a Liberty before we bought our X-Trail in 2005. What a horrible driving beast that is. The steering is wooden, it brakes like a cruise ship, and it apparently consumes gas like one as well.

Mate it with a good set of winter tires, and it is awesome in snow. I have a hell of a time trying to have some fun in the corners, it tracks so well.


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## Rick N Roll 007 (Nov 13, 2009)

chansen said:


> Ugh. We test drove a Liberty before we bought our X-Trail in 2005. What a horrible driving beast that is. The steering is wooden, it brakes like a cruise ship, and it apparently consumes gas like one as well.
> 
> Mate it with a good set of winter tires, and it is awesome in snow. I have a hell of a time trying to have some fun in the corners, it tracks so well.


Yes, I already went out and picked up some yokohama ice guards, these winter tires feell like all seasons but apparently are the best on ice and snow, but people with blizzaks will say otherwise.


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## Irish06j (Dec 29, 2010)

I agree with clydesider. I had a 1999 Honda CRV and a family member still drives it - only thing that has been replaced from the obvious consumables are the brakes and battery. When the X-Trail was under warranty it seemed to be OK except for the service engine light coming on due to a problem with the fuel system (guage and float inside the gas tank as well as gas cap). I have had to replace all wheel bearings, the rear stabilizer bar and bushings, the catalytic converter and now there seems to be a problem with one of the ball joints and the struts. Its becoming a money pit and I regret not sticking with Honda.


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## ladybirdmt (Jan 11, 2008)

Irish06j: weird to read my post on nov/09. I bought an '07 CRV last month. sold XT after the tire kicking Honda dealer offered 2G less than I sold for privately on craigslist. so far am happy with it, solid car. Our ongoing problem since may/10- with xt was indeed the master brake cylinder. Fortunate to find used part, as apparently it almost never goes, and was repaird in one day- $300 part included, before a buyer came and offered me what I wanted for the XT. Buyer loves Nissan, so went to a good home. I will say the XT is fab on snow/ice, but frozen doors, noisy brakes, cheap interior (despite not cheap purchase price), and worry about parts if out of country was the bottom line. it's our first Honda, so hope we have a good experience. (was happy to hear CRV has a timing chain as well). I have no illusions about used cars, so time will tell how good Honda is. As far as Toyota...my friend has a new Highlander and I was shocked at how non-cushy it was. felt like a hard suspension truck on a ride...not impressed, considering the cost of them! I hope I don't have to look for another vehicle for a long time, it is so tedious, and so much lying going on out there.


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## babber (Sep 3, 2006)

I would NOT buy an X. We have sunk so much money in ours it is rediculous. Everytime it goes in for an oil change we get a call saying somethig else is wrong. I cannot wait till Aug when we return it. It is a decent vehicle but it's loud as hell, as mentioned too many issues, OEM tires crap! We have never had to put so much money in a vehicle...ever.


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## Do Bamboo (May 3, 2010)

babber said:


> I would NOT buy an X. We have sunk so much money in ours it is rediculous. Everytime it goes in for an oil change we get a call saying somethig else is wrong. I cannot wait till Aug when we return it. It is a decent vehicle but it's loud as hell, as mentioned too many issues, OEM tires crap! We have never had to put so much money in a vehicle...ever.


Ya I'm glad I took the extended warranty when I bought mine last year.


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

I would buy another exy anytime. In the past 8 years of having one, it hasn't missed a beat, despite the numerous performance modifications I have added to it and my super aggressive driving style. It has done everything I expected it to do and more and it has provided me (and still does) with plenty of pleasure while driving. The car has always been serviced by Nissan since new and this what kept it in good shape. I have in many cases implemented preventative maintenance measures rather that waiting for the problem to happen and this has helped me avoid costly repairs. For example, I knew about the wheel bearings issue on our xtrail, so at the 100,000kms service I replaced the front bearing as a precaution and I have done the same thing with the Fuel Filter which Nissan don't usually replace. I have also addressed the concern of many T30 owners by fixing the loose intake butterfly screws, a problem which can have very serious ramifications if not addressed early.

All in all, it is a great car and certainly more reliable than many other car brands I have owned in the past.

Having good local Nissan support and a good dealer who shares your passion certainly helps you enjoy owning one with a great degree of confidence.


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## BrianJ (Nov 3, 2006)

Had ours for over four years now, mostly city driving, 70,000km total. The heater fan started acting up this winter, bought some bearings for 12 bucks on ebay and I'll fix that when it warms up per the directions on this forum. Nothing else has broken yet, always get a second opinion when the dealer says something is wrong. It's been a reliable and very practical vehicle, on the other hand if it were written off I don't think I'd cry about it. The dashboard seems to getting squeaky, it could just be the abnormally long and cold winter. Has anyone had the tech bulletin done on their dash (foam around the 3 mounting pins) and had the squeak eventually return?


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## babber (Sep 3, 2006)

Case in point; we brought our X in for maintenance #1 about a month ago. Dropped it off thinking the bill would be wabout 120$. Was out shopping, I get a call saying the right rear bearings are shot to the point he cant let us drive the X without signing a waiver. We ok the repairs (now up to 350). Wrong bearings come in, we are now Monday (x went in on Sat), we get a call saying when they were going to replace the bearings, the bushing (I think it was) actually was broken from so much rust....3500$ later that's what they said it was going to cost...Nice try I said. It would have sat in their lot cause I was not about to pay that. They came down to 1700$ I said Nope! I told them to take a look a our service records, always serviced at the dealership and look at all the work we have put in this vehicle. They then said that whole piece back there was so bad they have never seen it that bad. I said there you go....must be a faulty piece. I am almost affraid of the day we return the lease, we'll get a bill so high that we might as well just buy the damn thing. We take very good care of our vehicles and don't drive to much, our X has about 89k KMs and it's almost 5yrs old. I just feel sometimes that we got a lemon. I like Nissan (heck our 3 car is a 98 Altima with 113k kms on it) and we will keep it till it dies or we decide to trade it in.


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## ccrew (May 17, 2011)

aussietrail said:


> I would buy another exy anytime. In the past 8 years of having one, it hasn't missed a beat, despite the numerous performance modifications I have added to it and my super aggressive driving style. It has done everything I expected it to do and more and it has provided me (and still does) with plenty of pleasure while driving. The car has always been serviced by Nissan since new and this what kept it in good shape. I have in many cases implemented preventative maintenance measures rather that waiting for the problem to happen and this has helped me avoid costly repairs. For example, I knew about the wheel bearings issue on our xtrail, so at the 100,000kms service I replaced the front bearing as a precaution and I have done the same thing with the Fuel Filter which Nissan don't usually replace. I have also addressed the concern of many T30 owners by fixing the loose intake butterfly screws, a problem which can have very serious ramifications if not addressed early.
> 
> All in all, it is a great car and certainly more reliable than many other car brands I have owned in the past.
> 
> Having good local Nissan support and a good dealer who shares your passion certainly helps you enjoy owning one with a great degree of confidence.


THanks for your words
I am concidering purchasing an 05 XT so was wondering how you fixed your butterfly screws? Also hard to know if this vehicle is as bad as some here say, wish I knew for sure as I can't afford a payment as well as major repairs! 
Thanks, ccrew


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## NLX-Trailer (Jun 13, 2011)

Sounds like your greater problem might have to do with a shady garage, rather than a lemony X-Trail. How does one go from $3500 down to $1700? The rear bearings are shot to the point he cant let you drive it without signing a waiver??? Really?? That should have meant some serious noise back there.. you would have noticed. Sounds like classic scare tactics and highball estimate (whew, glad its ONLY 1700, not 3500!) scams to me.


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