Road Trip Cars - Test Driving the 2nd Gen 2005 Nissan Xterra, 2005-2015

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Road Trip Cars - Test Driving the 2nd Gen 2005 Nissan Xterra, 2005-2015
Our goal is to bring you reviews of road trip cars, road trips, great destinations, helpful tips and reviews of accessories that can help you and your family on your next American Road Trip.
Growing up as a kid, road trips were always a fun thing for me. Mainly because of my dad. He loved to get in the car and just drive. We would go for miles and miles just exploring the country side. Along the way, we would find a place to eat, get out and take a picture and even make home movies. We had a great love for the automobile, traveling the great American Road, and for its people, sights and sounds. So, I guess this channel is in part dedicated to my dad and to all those who love road trips like me.
I have been driving the 2005 Nissan Xterra for a while now. I like the the way it feels like a truck. However it is not intrusive like other trucks can be. It is still nimble and maneuverable. This is the SE 4x4 and is equipped with a bull guard, tow package, BFG All Terrains and running boards. It even has a first aid kit in the back on the lift gate. The Xterra drives well. It handles very well, even with the all terrains. It has good acceleration from it's 4.0 V6 including plenty of cruising power on the freeway. The 4x4 system is easy to operate and is excellent off road. This is not the offload version but I never had a problem.
So that is all the good stuff but here is the bad. From 2005 to think 2010. Nissan made faulty radiator lines that go into the transmission to cool it. Right about 80k miles, those lines deteriorate and radiator fluid leaks into the trans destroying it. Nissan knew of this problem and if you took it in to fix, you find out that they extended the warranty to fix. But you had to be under 80k miles. I was. I was told that i received a new radiator and new trans and what caused the problem in the first place had been solved. Well, that was not the truth. I did get a know radiator but a rebuilt trans. That is not so bad but Nissan did not re-engineer new lines that would prevent it from happening again. So, they put new but same faulty parts on the car. 60k miles down the road, it happens again. This time Nissan doesn't want anything to do with me and say it's my problem.
I did have the car repaired and another shop and they knew of this problem. They said it was a common problem that Nissan did and they installed a bypass so radiator fluid does not go into the trans at all. Problem solved.
Other then this, I do like the Xterra. It handles road trips very well, It's comfortable and great offload. Just be aware of this problem when considering getting one.