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how reliable is the armada compared to other suvs?

9K views 18 replies 14 participants last post by  regdawg 
#1 ·
im planning on spending some money on a new used suv.

overall, how reliable is the armada compared to lets say a honda pilot or toyota sequoia? what are some maintenance items i should know about the armada?

the one im lookin at is a 2005 4x2 with 100k. the pilot needs a timin belt change every 100k roughly and the 2005 and under sequoia need belt replacements as well. how many miles does your armada have?

thanks for your help fellas.
 
#2 · (Edited)
I have a 2004 Armada with 134,000 on the clock and I have only had regular maintenance on mine. It has a timing chain so don't have to worry about that. Manifolds tend to crack as they have on mine but that is not a big deal to me. There are a lot of aftermarket manifolds/ headers you can get though. The brakes on the 04 and early 05 tend to warp and there was an upgrade rotor that should have been applied. I have put some r1 concepts slotted rotors on mine and have not had any warping problems. Other than that all I have had to do to since out of warranty which for me was since 60,000 miles was just oil changes and diff tranny and transfer case oil changes and the serpentine belt which takes 10 minutes to do. So overall it has been a reliable vehicle for me.


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#3 · (Edited)
04 with 114K miles..not anything major. From my stand point is reliable. :)

BUT for you I cant say. its a used vehicle and we dont know what the previous owner did or didnt do to it. I would suggest you look at the problem section and see if the recall etc has been addressed.

Most common things are mentioned above.
 
#4 ·
thanks for the replies.

I owned a 90 nissan pathfinder before for several years and it was good. just basic maintenance. We currently own a nissan altima hybrid and it's good as well. I also owned many hondas. so I'm assuming the armada will be just like the other typical japanese companies honda and toyota as far as regular maintenance goes. I think I'm going to pick the armada over the pilot and sequoia.

thanks dudes
 
#5 ·
got a 08 75,000 miles no major issues. knock on wood. had some issues with rotors in the beginning, again like mentioned before i think they were inadequate for the size of vehicle, since new rotors by nissan at 45000 ive no issues. had a tranny supply line go one a few years ago but it was covered.

other than that i LOVE my armada and when this one goes I'm getting a ride to nissan to get another one. i love the style, looks, performance, size. i highly recommend it to anyone in the market.

clearly its hard to foresee any issues with a used car but i would be hesitant to buy i 4x2. the armada is so great and versatile i think the 4x2 limit would be an inconvenience down the road.

good luck
 
#6 ·
Mine is a 2005 with 115k miles. I've had the front Diff rebuilt twice for failed pinion seals, I replaced the Transfer Case Drive Shaft Pinion Seal (was pretty easy to do once I got a impact wrench and seal puller), I've replace all the POS clamps on the Trans Cooler lines, I've had both Exhaust manifolds cracked and replaced once and they're now both cracked again so I'm preparing to install headers. Magnaflow sells replacement Catted Exhaust Manifolds for a better price than OEM. That's pretty much everything I can think of other than the Radiators tend to crack so alot of people replace them with a full Aluminum Radiator, I just read that Koyo is coming out with one next month but for now the Long Tru Cool has been a good one.
 
#7 ·
How bad is the brake issue on these armadas? I've been reading a lot of threads on different forums about bad brakes and faulty ones especially 04-07 models? Is this a small sample or is this wide spread? Brake lights going on and then other brake issues?
 
#9 ·
I just hit 100k on mine and pretty much standard maintenance and a few small things under warranty....mechanically 100% great soo far. I had an Expedition prior and had a few issues with it
 
#10 ·
flowmaster muffler

I was wondering if someone can shed a little light on the subject of why the flowmaster is not a good choice for the armada? I had got some responses on the introduction thread but would like to hear more about it. Same goes for the k&n cai. Anybody?
 
#12 · (Edited)
'07 SE w/ 117k+ miles. Nissan replaced the AC control module, and that's it! No major issues at all. Brakes are wear & tear items, but understand that there have been greater issues in a small percentage. The radiator on mine cracked a couple thousand miles ago. Cheaper to replace with an aftermarket radiator (in most cases). I'm pretty sure mine has an issue with cracked manifolds also (loud exhaust leak that quiets down with increased driving).

Long story short, reliable, dependable, roomy, AND can tow with the best of others. If you don't mind the lower fuel mileage, its a great choice (IMO). If you're buying used, make sure you're comfortable with assuming its a well cared for vehicle. Good luck!


**edit**
I almost forgot. Sway bar bushings tend to wear out after 100k. You'll notice when the front end starts squeaking.
 
#13 ·
I purchased mine used in April with roughly 97K. So far, due to failed parts, I've had to change:

*Both front struts - upgraded to Bilstein HD's
*Replaced sway bar bushings
*Replaced Radiator

These 3 items cost me roughly $400, purchased all online except bushings, went to dealer. Installed myself, with the help of this forum, or a side mechanic I've used in the past.

Other items since I've purchased are the fluids (oil, tranny, differential). Planning to do the power steering fluid, change the belt and plugs soon. Other than these things, its been fun taking the mada out on weekend roadtrips!
 
#15 ·
I just hate that it scratches easily. I found yet another deep scratch. My mada is a scratch magnet for some reason....:mad:
 
#18 ·
172,000 miles, runs better than new, and I don't want another auto payment for a while!!


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