Revs rides

[Revelations]

Sometimes its the old and simple vehicles that I come across that I end up liking much more than I thought I ever could. Bought this old Xterra this summer just for a ride back to BC (a BC reg vehicle stuck in Alberta). I brought a 2017 Ram to Calgary for export and instead of renting a car I bought this, serviced it, and drove it back to BC. Its basically mint outside with zero rust. But what sticks out is it's super simple and utilitarian nature. Nothing is fancy, everything looks and feels rugged, surprisingly smooth on the road, and its actually not all that bad to drive. Really brings one back to when vehicles like this were the norm and how much everything has changed in such short time. Planned on keeping it for my second oldest boy, but he's heading back to school (the coast, where he won't really need a 4x4) his 97 Prelude gets far better mileage and somewhat more practical. A 4Runner in this condition would sell well over $10K, but the Nissan's just don't have that following or reputation.

This is built off the Frontier truck frame and has the reliable 3.3 V6. Plenty of aftermarket for turning these into proper trail rigs. With whispers of Nissan bringing the Xterra back it'll be interesting to see what transpires. Hope I have luck selling it before the snow flies.

[Johnnymac]

I always had a soft spot for the first gen supercharged version.

These are decent off roading rigs that are capable and reliable but doesn't have the same following as the 4Runner or FJ Cruiser.

[Firm]

Cool rig, I like these, and they do have some enthusiast base, but certainly not as much as the Toyotas, or even the XJs. Looks like a nice clean example, I am sure it'll sell quick.

[RRocket]

I've always liked those too

[Bubba]

Nice find!

[dkazzed]

Still killing it out there Rev. BC's still a time capsule.

[Revelations]

Still killing it out there Rev. BC's still a time capsule.

Thanks! Get some cool stuff out here for sure.

[Revelations]

As soon as I'm not looking for something it seems to find a way to me. Since I sold the last Escalade ESV I had a few years back I have had no luck finding another. All have rust. Period. Even if the owners advertise as rust free, the rockers and underside always tell a different story. So I gave up finding either a clean ESV Escalade or Denali XL from 2003-2006 and bought a 2014 Suburban after our 2013 Sub was stolen last summer. Being a ordinary black Sub it really wasn't worth a show and shine. The GM800 truck just have something special to me. They seem so well built and solid, and the powertrain of the Denali/Escalade line is just rock solid. I think I want one more just due to the fact they are getting hard to find and most have well over 300K now.

This week this 2006 in a rather uncommon Quicksilver paint entered my life. Totally unexpected and in a really strange way. So off to the far reach of southern BC to fetch this big mama (15 min from the Washington border). Really nice older couple has owned it for the past 18 years, that said its had no kids, no pets, and the inside is very well kept. The exterior is a solid 8.5/10, no rust and the paint is excellent. A few minor scratches and a headlamp polish is really all it needs. I dislike this style of wheel, other than that I love everything else. With just a hair over 200,000 km this powertrain is just getting started. Now a hard decision needs to be made. Keep the Sub, or this. I'd honestly like to just store this Caddy in a barn/shop for another 10-20 years and preserve it. This is the last year of that body style and the market seems very hungry for nice examples. I feel in the future they will certainly become more collectable.

[Johnnymac]

I would say you would likely get more enjoyment out of using it than you would with the possible money you could gain from preserving it for a long time.

While I too would assume this will be a collector car someday, maybe like the old Broncos or Blazers that are so valuable right now.  I would question if this example would be the right one to do that with.  If it had 100,000kms less I might feel differently, but we both know that 200,000kms is a point where a decent number of buyers stop being interested.

[Firm]

Nice find! As you said, clean examples are getting pretty scarce, and the market is strong on them right now as enthusiasts are realizing this is pretty much peak full size SUV. I agree it needs better wheels, plenty of OE+ type options available as they're compatible with newer generations, even up to the current models. I'd lose those black mud guards too.

I think the answer to your question comes down to how you're using your family hauler...If your usage is such that you could use and enjoy this thing, adding miles, but not rust or damage, then I'd use it and enjoy it. Miles is a badge of honor on these, and they hold up well if you give them a little care, so miles alone isn't a reason to not use it.
However, if you're driving on salty roads, or gravel, or just generally rough use that's going to beat it up, keep the Suburban for that stuff, and use the Escalade for nicer driving.

Our is over 300K kms now, 305ish I think. You'd never know looking at it. But it's now in a salt free climate, and I keep on it with maintenance. Looking forward to another trip to Florida with it in the couple months.