One thing I never got to figure out was getting a vehicle that would suit my needs. I was either living too low to afford a vehicle or I had other priorities.
While I realised I obviously needed a vehicle to move around, I wasn't exactly particular about getting.
I however got a deal from a relative for a super-used SUV which was past its lifetime at over 350k mileage - an uninteresting Pathfinder R50 (1997) with an updated 1999 front facelift.
Now before you crucify me, this vehicle works but is not not in any way in good shape as per the metrics of a good car.😅
The state of the vehicle before purchase
He was planning to sell it off to a farmer who would retire the vehicle to farm work.
I considered the possibility of getting it and how much it would cost to get in good shape for cruising within the city for my video jobs.
He offered to sell it at 600 dollars!
I couldn't resist it, considering how much I'd get a more modern car.
The uninteresting underpowered VG33 engine was still kicking. In fact, except for body work and oil leakage, most of the vehicle was still working - it moves!
The engine gives just over 160hp, but I bet it's probably significantly reduced now for a vehicle that's over 20 years.
The 'bulletproof' VG33 engine
I decided to throw in the cash and get it, and do repairs.
Now there's a lot of work the car needs, but I thought I won't be spending as much as a used modern car in total.
- And so I started with all four tyres which were practically gone, including the spare.
I initially bought used tyres, but got disappointed. In fact, one of the tyres got burst at some point.
So I put in money for brand new ones.
It took me a while to gather money for quality tyres, but I haven't regretted putting brand new tyres ever since.
- I serviced the vehicle, changed all the oils, oil and fuel filters, put in a new fuel pump, did some minimal body work, fixed the leaking exhaust pipe and a few other fixes.
- Also changed the front brake pads and calipers and the Master brake servo. It's so difficult to find relatively new OEM parts for this vehicle by the way.
The Master Break and servo
The front wheel brake pads. The rear wheels are however the drum type
- Changed headlamps, lights, the battery and a few electricals.
After doing all these, I still had one problem. The vehicle was still leaking engine oil and power steering oil.
The engine oil keeps leaking
I had it checked twice and the technicians changed the sealing for the engine oil underneath.
The steering rack was advised to be changed, but I couldn't afford it. So they went to fix it.
The steering rack is old but it still works. I'm skeptical about changing it, cos it's an OEM part
The power steering oil stopped leaking but the engine oil still kept leaking.
I might have to go back to the mechanic. Someone mentioned to me that it could be that the interface between the engine and the transmission is badly sealed.
More so, the engine seat on one side was already weak.
So I'll probably go together that fixed and see if it still leaks.
I hope it doesn't.
I also noticed the front rims get REALLY hot from braking, even after changing the brakes. I understand that the front brakes take over 90% of braking effort, but I didn't think the rims should get so hot.
Could it be because I use steel rims or perhaps cos my tyre widths are rated 255 instead of the recommended 235?
Or perhaps because I have drum brakes at the back?
Any ideas?
There's still a lot of work to be done on the vehicle, especially with body work and the interior.
The interior upholstery and look still needs work
The vehicle currently works but addition to its current problems, it sucks at gas mileage with a saddening 10mpg around the city🥵.
It's torque feels in tune though, as it has no problems with loads and light towing (after all, I bought it to help load equipment for work anyway).
I guess I'd fix the problems one after the other.
Let's see how far I can get with it!
It drives just okay at the moment. Nothing interesting about the drive feel. It doesn't move fast, it's not too slow. It just moves. And of course it moves over anything.
I hope I can get to fix things as time goes. I feel it's probably a long ride to get this oldie to a comparable pristine state, close to a more modern used car.