Which should I buy?

The 04s seem to have more problems; however Nissan has been taking care of them in most cases. I have a 04, made in January 04, and have had very few problems. A couple of minor problems were taken care of by my dealer quickly.
See if you can get the repair history of the 04 you are looking at. That will tell you if there have been many problems with it.
Another thing to consider - the warranty. The 04 still has a engine/powertrain warranty at 40K miles, but the rest expired at 36K miles (unless it has a transferable extended warranty.
The 04 will have the old brake rotors, unless the update has been done. The repair history will show this.
If the 05 has much lower mileage, and you really don't have to have all the options, it may be the better deal.

The dealership just faxed a 'Carfax' history report on the vehicle.
I shows that it was purchased 12/03 in the same town that I am buying it in. It was a one owner vehicle. It doesn't show a single trip to the dealership on the Carfax report. I find this a bit curious. Is it possible that a dealership would doctor a Carfax? Surely not.
They've gotten the $$numbers$$ to where I wanted them to be. I think I'm leaning toward picking it up this afternoon. As it turns out, the leather, dvd, moon roof options mean a LOT to my family.
Even if the Armada hasn't had any problems in it's first 40K miles... it hasn't been owned by me!!!

I'd still appreciate any insights into this decision.

Thanks

The 04 sounds good. If you should have any brake rotor problem, they extended the warranty on them. You can tell by looking at the rotors if they are the new style. If you get the 04 I can post pictures of the old and new style rotors so you can see which you have. Also you can click on this link to check all TSBs (Technical Service Bulletins) that have been issued on the 04:
http://www.nissanhelp.com/Bulletins/Armada/2004/1.htm

Hey,
I have an '04 Off Road with 40k on it. Except for the brake problem, which Nissan fixed at no cost, the truck has been problem free. OK, now I've done it; probably fall apart today on the way home......

RunningHorn65 said:

The dealership just faxed a 'Carfax' history report on the vehicle.
I shows that it was purchased 12/03 in the same town that I am buying it in. It was a one owner vehicle. It doesn't show a single trip to the dealership on the Carfax report. I find this a bit curious. Is it possible that a dealership would doctor a Carfax? Surely not.
They've gotten the $$numbers$$ to where I wanted them to be. I think I'm leaning toward picking it up this afternoon. As it turns out, the leather, dvd, moon roof options mean a LOT to my family.
Even if the Armada hasn't had any problems in it's first 40K miles... it hasn't been owned by me!!!

I'd still appreciate any insights into this decision.

Thanks

Click to expand...

Carfax wouldn't show dealer visits, would it? Is this at a Nissan dealer? I would think they would be able to bring up the service history. I would insist on an extended warranty if I were buying it, preferably one of the Nissan warranties.

Keith

I have an '04 as well. I've read about numerous problems experienced by early owners but mine has been fine - the brake rotors were the only issue I had and the dealer promptly replaced per the service bulletin. I have a loaded (custom leather, roof, dvd) rig that I purchased new and the extras are great for my family.

I bought a left over 04 in Dec 05, and LOVE it...find a good dealer and work through the bugs, well worth it......my 03 Focus[yuck0] and my 05 sierraHD both had more minor and major aches than my mada, and the truck hasn't seen 500kms since the 'mada came home!

Upgrade the brakes!!!!! This should not cost anything.

I am very happy with my 04. Brakes were fixed and love it.