KMM
Kelsey_DirtSunrise
After about three months of working at Overland Journal, I decided my current set of wheels - a Toyota Celica, just wasn't cutting it anymore. It wasn’t that it was a particularly bad vehicle, in fact I became quite affectionate for the little red car. Being around a plethora of 4x4’s all day meant that my eyes occasionally wandered off into the distance and caused me to start reminiscing about the 4x4’s I owned in my past.
My first car was actually an older Nissan Pathfinder - which I really liked. I found it to be capable on the trail and reliable on the street where I mainly used it to go back and forth to work. After 200,000 miles and a replaced transmission I decided it was finally time to let go. A few non-descript average cars later and we’re back full circle with my Toyota Celica.
The love of my Celica and the desire for an off-road capable vehicle prompted my rash decision to purchase my 1985 Toyota Tacoma. Sometimes the only way to find out what you like is to jump in and try things; so in hopes of keeping my Celica and still having a more “off-roady” Vehicle, I made a spur-of-the moment purchase (very rare for me) of a 1985 Toyota pickup. This truck was full of character, or as some said, it needed to be “de-ghetto-fied,” which it did. The right front blinker was custom fit with a reflector off of a traffic pylon, the sound system needed a little toning down as it blew out the headlight literally, and losing the multitude of ‘bro stickers’ that randomly decorated the truck was a must as well.
After driving it off and on for a month or so I decided this was not what I wanted as I was constantly opting to drive my little Celica because it has more space. My original plan was to gain space with an SUV. So I decided I was going to sell my Celica and make a complete plunge into a 4x4. The two SUV’s I had been considering were the Toyota 4Runner and the Nissan Xterra.
Both the Toyota and Nissan were reliable, well built, and I had owned two of both brands. I did find the lower price point of the Nissan charming. I really liked the back window that rolled down in the Toyota (a plus for my dogs). I liked the way they both looked, leaning in favor of the boldly Styled Xterra slightly. I also really liked the way the Xterra drove. It was more of a truck-like ride compared to the softer ride of all the 4Runners I had driven. I decided I would go for the Nissan as it seemed to be more in my price range, but I will admit that I still kept an eye open for a 4Runner.
The Nissan Xterra named after the XTERRA off-road triathlon race series that Nissan sponsored through the end of 2006. Is a small SUV, there are three models:
The XE:
2.4L 4-cyl. engine
Manual transmission
Up to 17 cty/22 hwy mpg
4-wheel drive
The SE:
3.3L V6 engine
Automatic transmission
Up to 15 cty/19 hwy mpg
4-wheel drive
The SE S/C:
3.3L V6 Supercharged engine
Automatic transmission
Up to 14 cty/17 hwy mpg
4-wheel drive
I knew I didn’t want the supercharged model and I needed more than a 4 cylinder so my search for the middle SE model began. Turns out finding an Xterra that is 4WD was harder than I thought. A lot of 2WD models were on the market. I found my Xterra on Craigslist the same day I had sold my Celica. I went and looked at it that day in fact. It was amazingly clean, had lower miles than anything else I had looked at, and was right in my price range. This was the truck for me!
The Project:
My plan for the Xterra is to create a very capable yet basic 4x4 vehicle. It will be an ongoing project as I am still learning about what I need, what will be useful, and what I want. I plan to put a suspension kit on the car as the shocks that are currently on there are pretty much done for. I also want to install a radio for safety reasons as well as putting together a bug out bag and miscellaneous other safety items. I am excited to grow in my knowledge of vehicles and off-road driving along with my Xterra.