Noo! Pathy is gone

Couple days ago, there was really bad weather up in the northeast. Icy rain, black ice and whatnot. At 2 am in the wee morning, my dad is driving the pathy back from work. He didn't realize how bad the road was. At the top of a hill, he brakes lightly. Then all goes wrong. He said the wheels locked and it the car started to slide out of control. IT crossed to the opposing lane, jumped the curb, hit a tree, and another, spun around and hit another tree, I think. That is a scenario I deduced from seeing the accident site and the damage on the car. The car is totaled and can't be fixed. Fixing is more than the value of the car. It is a 2002 Nissan Pathfinder LE with 70k only. The whole suspension in the rear is messed up and it looks like the axle and other parts kinda shifted over to the left. The left front is damaged, and the shake the car received messed up things in the interior. No hope. The adjuster's gonna come on Monday and probably write it off.

I loved the thing and was hoping to drive it for many long years. The new vehicles suck. Can't mess with the Pathy styling. Here the pics, sadly. Thankfully, my dad is safe. Good thing it wasn't a front end collision.

Thats my dads coffee mug, dented.

You think they will total the mug ?

what do the guys say? that will buff right out.

Honestly, I'd go for a next generation Pathfinder. find a nice, used 2005 for low teens.

We've absolutely abused ours for close to 90k miles and its only needed a fuel level sender replaced.....

So sorry. Those side steps & wheels don't look like 2002 LE OEM items; were they on from day 1?

FWIW those Bridgestone Duellers are the absolute worst tires I have ever experienced in wet weather.

I realize this occured on ice, however did the ABS activate?

Ouch. Glad all were OK.

Out here the tree people(not up on the pc term for them) would be upset about the tree bark issue. If they total it out, would it count as free for the 24 hours of lemons? Glad no one was hurt, sorry about the coffee cup.

If a replacement Pathy is a sensible choice for you, does that make you Pathological?

Though I do not have an SUV I have really liked the Nissan products that I have owned and think the Pathfinder is a great choice. Based on this I just did a search on autotrader and in my area there seem to be some great deals to be had on Pathfinders.

'04 w/ 80k for $9.9

'02 w/ 60k for $10.9

To me, that seems like a lot of vehicle for the money. I am sure that you have also considered the Xterra but it may deliver a harsher ride and of course there is the Infiniti version if you want the leather and better carpet.

Ooooo... Off-Road buggy donor?

B02S4 wrote: So sorry. Those side steps & wheels don't look like 2002 LE OEM items; were they on from day 1? FWIW those Bridgestone Duellers are the absolute worst tires I have ever experienced in wet weather. I realize this occured on ice, however did the ABS activate?

Yep, they were OEM. I'm not sure about the abs though, My dad was kinda dazed from the incident. Looking at the car, it was a serious accident.

Datsun1500 wrote:

phillyj wrote: Yep, they were OEM.

Well then you got taken. Those are stock 02 Pathfinder SE wheels, 02 LE's came with different style 17 inch wheels standard. Not that it matters now.... I would take a hard look at a Nissan Xterra, they are more like the old Pathfinders than the new Pathfinder is. To at least answer one of your questions, the V8 Grand Cherokee is full time 4wd while the 6 Cyl. is 2wd with the ability to put it into 4X4. Most (if not all) V8 Explorers are full time 4wd while the 6 Cyls. are 2/4

how do the gas mileages compare on these full time awd and the 4x4 option mode versions? Also, the Jeep wrangler has an automatic awd? Whats that?

Datsun1500 wrote: ...I would take a hard look at a Nissan Xterra, they are more like the old Pathfinders than the new Pathfinder is...

Aye. And if buying new (heck, even used), arguably the better bang for the buck...