Faults:

The car is now about to turn 6 years old. There is a small tear in the side bolstering of the driver's side leather seat. Other than the cosmetic tear, this SUV has been amazing!

General Comments:

I bought my girlfriend at the time a near $20,000 Tacori Platinum engagement ring with matching wedding band. 1.5+ carat on the solitaire with channel set diamonds all the way around the band. In order to help fund the purchase, I sold my Mustang GT. I love my wife and was happy to drive my father's 1995 Nissan Pickup XE that had only recently turned over to 100,000 miles and was still in immaculate condition.

I didn't get out of the parking lot with my new jewelry purchase before a lady in an Acura MDX hit me head on. My father spent over 20 years with Nissan Manufacturing in Tennessee before his untimely death at 47 years young - illness. I loved that truck and was upset that I was now going to have to take out an unnecessary car loan, but it is better than owing money for a ring. I guess I figured that if I could never offer my wife anything else in life, that I would get it right with the ring.

I set out in search of a Pathfinder. I knew them to be amazingly reliable SUV's that would give me the quasi utility of both a truck and car. I was incredibly disappointed with most mid 2000's Nissan products including the 2006 Pathfinder. Carlos Ghosen's cost cutting put emphasis on motor and exterior with very little left for the interior.

I found an immaculate 2004 Nissan Pathfinder, reminiscent of the great cars throughout the 1990's. This was the last year of the Japanese manufactured unibody. It's a bit smaller than its successor, but drives wonderfully and feels as new as it was when I purchased it at about 35,000 miles.

I love this truck so much that I intend on having the leather side bolstering repaired where it is torn. The rest of the interior on the LE Platinum Edition is Infiniti quality, sharing the remainder of the QX4's parts bin - smoked wood trim, electro-luminescent gauges, metallic "platinum" paint on the exterior and wheel finish, etc.

I plan to keep this truck until the wheels fall off. I am proud to own a vehicle reminiscent of the Nissan that my Dad spent so many years working for. While I am happy that Nissan Smyrna - an incredible manufacturing plant with wonderful people - is now manufacturing the body-on-frame Pathfinder here in the states, I hope the next generation SUV returns to the dynamic styling (personified by the new Maxima and 370Z) that it once held.

As for my beautiful wife, I always ask her how my Mustang is driving on her finger ;)