New (baby friendly) rig - Xterra?

[Fatsquatch]

With my beloved Explorer now in her final resting place and the insurance payoff pending, I'm on the hunt for another vehicle. I've got my heart set on a second generation Xterra, probably in the 2005-2007 range for budget reasons. But with our son due in May I want to make sure there's room in the back for all of our gear, plus all the baby-related shit. A lot of our camping gear will just go on the roof but we'll still have a fridge in the back (which would be back there full time), plus dry goods, backpacks, etc. I just want to make sure there's still room for things like a stroller or a pack n play as well. Not even for trips but just for day to day since this will also be my daily driver.

So I thought maybe some of the Xterra owners could offer some input, maybe give me an idea of how much gear can fit back there. Worst case scenario we move up to a Pathfinder. More room, still fairly capable, but less aftermarket support.

 

[Rogue Beardsman]

I don't have kids or back seats in my X anymore. I personally think the way the back doors are shaped that it would be hard to get a car seat in an out all the time. I would go to the forum www.thenewx.org and search on there. Im sure someone has brought it up before. Also. That year range did have issues with the radiator and transmission fluid mixing. Referred to as SMOD so there is also information on what to look for when buying an xterra. Sorry i dont have the links. Im on my phone in the app. Good luck!


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[Fatsquatch]

Yeah, the radiator issue is familiar to me. My brother in law happens to also work at the same dealer as a master tech and I worked there for a while myself. I won't lie, the available resources is a big determining factor with going Nissan.

Good point on the rear door. I could see that getting old real quick.

 

[roamingram44]

Does it have to be Nissan? A 4runner would be similar to pathfinder size with more of an aftermarket

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[Justin Forrest]

I had an 07 X for years. Plenty of room for kids and stuff. The rear doors are to skinny for getting in and out of. Capable and comfortable rig. Mine was a POS though. I bought it new and it broke down the first time at 2000 miles. It was love hate relationship for about 8 years and 100k miles.

 

[CapeXterra]

I've had my 05 Xterra for over a year now with three kids in it. Mine also is my daily driver. I got mine for the same reasons your looking for. My kids range from 7 to 11 but I also have to put my booster seat in still. The doors are small but it is very doable as my sister baby and stuff has fit just fine, you just need to plan how you load the kids first. The roof is also higher and can fit more cargo in it. I'm still shocked at the amount I can fit inside the rear cargo area. Hope this helps and best of luck.


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[Billy "Poserlander" Badly]

Echoing the rear door complaint. They are narrow, and though it's not difficult for me (I'm 6'3"), my wife has trouble getting the kid in and out. Otherwise, as long as you're willing to use the roof for storage, they are solid vehicles and could be a great choice.

One other thing I don't love is that I can't get the driver seat in a 100% comfortable position no matter what. It'd be great if it would slide back maybe an additional 1", but that could just be me and my long legs. I've got a more comfortable driving position in our 2008 Ford Focus actually...

 

[Fatsquatch]

Does it have to be Nissan? A 4runner would be similar to pathfinder size with more of an aftermarket

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It doesn't particularly have to be a Nissan but I have always liked the Nissan platform and I'm familiar with them. I've just never gave thought to how kid friendly they are. An older 4Runner wouldn't be a bad option by any means, if I could find one within my budget.

 

[EZCHEVYZR2]

With my beloved Explorer now in her final resting place and the insurance payoff pending, I'm on the hunt for another vehicle. I've got my heart set on a second generation Xterra, probably in the 2005-2007 range for budget reasons. But with our son due in May I want to make sure there's room in the back for all of our gear, plus all the baby-related shit. A lot of our camping gear will just go on the roof but we'll still have a fridge in the back (which would be back there full time), plus dry goods, backpacks, etc. I just want to make sure there's still room for things like a stroller or a pack n play as well. Not even for trips but just for day to day since this will also be my daily driver.

So I thought maybe some of the Xterra owners could offer some input, maybe give me an idea of how much gear can fit back there. Worst case scenario we move up to a Pathfinder. More room, still fairly capable, but less


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[EZCHEVYZR2]

Stick with the Xterra , plenty of room inside and on top, better off road then pathfinder,
Just my opinion! Got a 6'3" son plenty of room in back !


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[TerryD]

It doesn't particularly have to be a Nissan but I have always liked the Nissan platform and I'm familiar with them. I've just never gave thought to how kid friendly they are. An older 4Runner wouldn't be a bad option by any means, if I could find one within my budget.

We handled one kid with a lifted two door Cherokee just fine, I think the Xterra will be a good fit for you. It's all a learning experience! I like my Xterra but all three of my kids are mobile and pretty self reliant so that helps tremendously. The problem with the 4runners is that you can buy a nice Xterra a decade newer with 1/2 the miles for the same price. That's why I choose one myself. That and the chronic head gasket issues with the 3.0l and 3.4l Toyota V6 engines.

 

[KD7WCD]

I have an 07 that we bought with a baby in mind. We ended up putting a lot of miles on it before we finally had our daughter.

My little 4 year old girl loves "Daddy's Truck".

I have not had any troubles with car seats or doing multiple days of camping including a long trip from Az to Wyoming and back.

Camping gear comes down to personal needs I would guess. We use an OzTen that I carry on the roof rack.

I'v had my "X" from new and just turned 130k. A lot of that has been hard traveling in the Sonoran and Mojave Desert . Have never had the mentioned radiator problem. It has been a great rig and I plan on running mine as long as it will keep going.

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[Fatsquatch]

Echoing the rear door complaint. They are narrow, and though it's not difficult for me (I'm 6'3"), my wife has trouble getting the kid in and out. Otherwise, as long as you're willing to use the roof for storage, they are solid vehicles and could be a great choice.

One other thing I don't love is that I can't get the driver seat in a 100% comfortable position no matter what. It'd be great if it would slide back maybe an additional 1", but that could just be me and my long legs. I've got a more comfortable driving position in our 2008 Ford Focus actually...

Yeah I'm about 6'3" but I have short legs and long torso so leg room isn't usually a problem. And she drives the Cube every day (well, not now lol) so I'm not so worried about her being able to get a car seat in and out, as I am just getting it to fit without having to push the front seats up.

With the Explorer I had built a storage system but whatever we end up with now we're just going to use Plano cases for our gear and we kept the roof rack off the Explorer for that reason. The only thing that will be in the back all the time is a fridge. I've been wanting one for camping but just for daily use as well. Being able to keep lunch and drinks so I'm not constantly hitting up the gas station or the drive thru.