Back in February I picked up a tranny from lowridah313 and he had just gotten an Xterra. I had read alot about the Pathfinder, so I knew the Xterra was good with the same platform and drivetrain. Basically it has come down to either an 05+ TRD Tacoma or an Xterra. Because of it's price (if i happen to break something off-roading or the like, I have more money to fit and put into it) and limited potential/aftermarket (Tacoma can't take boost as far as I've read) and alot of off-road aftermarket. From the start I wanted something small, the Tacoma is quite a bit larger. My parents have a 2002 Ford Escape V6 AWD and I love it, but it's just not rugged enough for me, and the X is about the same size as the Escape. So in the end I decided for the Xterra, specifically the Supercharged version since it opens doors for more power. The hard part was trying to find one that was a manual gearbox.
Toronto had a few, but dealers there seem to like to rip people off when it comes to not fixing stuff and fixing stuff, including my parents and my best friend. I found one at Haldiman Motors, which I know many people who have gotten cars from there and will all good experiences. I found it last weekend (after they closed) but was working on BC all week so fortunately it was still there, but ironicly as we arrived, someone was just getting into it for a test drive. Fortuantely i was a quick spin, probably just a joy rider. After giving it a through drive, and getting an ok from my parents, we signed the papers and should be ready for pickup come the end of the week, so it'll be a long week, hehe. Honestly, I wanted any color but yellow. Don't get me wrong, I like he yellow, but I know that if I'm somewhere I'm not suppose to be, you'll be able to see me for miles.
Don't worry, the Mx-3 isn't going anywhere. Having a second vehicle just means that I can take the time to build up a new motor instead of rushing and throwing in just another ZE.
