I have been thru this exercise and should be picking up my Armada today or tomorrow.
First, it turns out that many '04s have a number of annoying little problems like rattles, brakes, 4WD indicator lights, and uneven seats. There is no guranty that they all have been fixed in the '05, but you can bet that Nissan is a lot further up the learning curve with the '05s. So, unlees they are giving you the '04 for a significant amount UNDER invoice, I would target an '05.
Secondly, Regarding LE vs. SE, there are more differences between an SE and an LE than immediately meet the eye. Make sure that you understand them and balance it with your preferences. As soon as you start upgrading to or adding to an SE, you might as well have sprung for an LE in the first place.
Here are what I jotted down as differences between the LE and SE ('05s anyway)
MECHANICAL
LE comes w/ heavy duty battery....SE does not
LE comes with towing hitch receiver......SE does not
EXTERIOR
LE comes with 18" wheels....SE comes with 17"
LE comes with puddle lights (think they are on underside of mirror)....SE does not
LE has that full chrome grill in the front....SE has partial chrme, supplemented by color matched plstic.
INTERIOR
LE has power flip outt rear windows....SE has manual flip outs
LE has transmission temp guage...SE does not
LE comes with 2nd row captain's chairs and center console...SE comes with split bench
LE comes with leather....SE comes with cloth
LE comes with power passenger seat...SE does not
AUDIO
LE comes with upgraded Bose system...SE had standard
LE has 10 speaker system w/ subwoofer......SE does not
LE has dual medium playback w/ wireless headphone capabiolity...SE does not
So if any of that is important to you, you need to go for the LE. The trick will be to get a great price on an '05 LE. Check out the company that advertises on here. They offer Nissans at $500 below invoice price.
I hope this helps.
First, it turns out that many '04s have a number of annoying little problems like rattles, brakes, 4WD indicator lights, and uneven seats. There is no guranty that they all have been fixed in the '05, but you can bet that Nissan is a lot further up the learning curve with the '05s. So, unlees they are giving you the '04 for a significant amount UNDER invoice, I would target an '05.
Secondly, Regarding LE vs. SE, there are more differences between an SE and an LE than immediately meet the eye. Make sure that you understand them and balance it with your preferences. As soon as you start upgrading to or adding to an SE, you might as well have sprung for an LE in the first place.
Here are what I jotted down as differences between the LE and SE ('05s anyway)
MECHANICAL
LE comes w/ heavy duty battery....SE does not
LE comes with towing hitch receiver......SE does not
EXTERIOR
LE comes with 18" wheels....SE comes with 17"
LE comes with puddle lights (think they are on underside of mirror)....SE does not
LE has that full chrome grill in the front....SE has partial chrme, supplemented by color matched plstic.
INTERIOR
LE has power flip outt rear windows....SE has manual flip outs
LE has transmission temp guage...SE does not
LE comes with 2nd row captain's chairs and center console...SE comes with split bench
LE comes with leather....SE comes with cloth
LE comes with power passenger seat...SE does not
AUDIO
LE comes with upgraded Bose system...SE had standard
LE has 10 speaker system w/ subwoofer......SE does not
LE has dual medium playback w/ wireless headphone capabiolity...SE does not
So if any of that is important to you, you need to go for the LE. The trick will be to get a great price on an '05 LE. Check out the company that advertises on here. They offer Nissans at $500 below invoice price.
I hope this helps.