The quest for Bmillsskier's Pathfinder

[BCMtnHound]

… my Jeep … I'm doing a buck forty on the highway!

Last time I was in a Jeep (YJ) was in the 90’s. No way would I ride in one going above 110kph. Or are you driving a Cherokee or other more reasonable wheel-based style jeep?

[AdironRider]

2 door JK Wrangler. It held its own but it definitely takes some effort. The older YJ's no way though.

[heckacali]

https://olympic.craigslist.org/cto/d...794199105.html

[XXX-er]

I havent followed the 22 very important pages, Is buddy still looking ?

I have 2 aquaintences with pathfinders, the craftbrew bartender and the DJ/ pisten bulley driver, buddy manages to fit all his gear in the Pathfinder

These vehicals are rust buckets

[BmillsSkier]

https://olympic.craigslist.org/cto/d...794199105.html

Very cool. Straight body, manual swap. Rebuilt title and 200k mi raise eyebrows but I'm putting it in the to be considered pile, thanks.

Keeping tabs on another one that shows promise, bone stock which is exactly what I'm looking for.

[heckacali]

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...-pathfinder-8/

[BmillsSkier]

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...-pathfinder-8/

Been following very closely. Have family in Seattle that offered to go up and look at it for me.

[Mazderati]

Oh, baby.

[AdironRider]

I can't imagine you will find a better example than that.

[BmillsSkier]

Me neither. Similar condition examples pushed over $20k in recent sales so I'm hoping this one stays under the radar for a bit longer.

[Ted Striker]

As a former degen from East Van I recognize that spot. I'm sure it's gentrified over the years, but when I lived near there it was ghetto adjacent.



There aren't any big brand dealerships around there, so it's sitting on one of the used car lots along E Hastings St.

Only two things I'd caution you on. First, that car most likely has sat unused for (possibly) years. That can introduce electrical gremlins and fluid leaks down the road. I'd take a good look at all the rubber, and everything that gets greased as well.

And more importantly, someone needs to thoroughly inspect for rust. BC - especially Vancouver - dumps a metric shit-ton of salt on the roads every. single. winter. Even if there isn't a single snowflake.

[BmillsSkier]

As a former degen from East Van I recognize that spot. I'm sure it's gentrified over the years, but when I lived near there it was ghetto adjacent.



There aren't any big brand dealerships around there, so it's sitting on one of the used car lots along E Hastings St.

Only two things I'd caution you on. First, that car most likely has sat unused for (possibly) years. That can introduce electrical gremlins and fluid leaks down the road. And more importantly, someone needs to thoroughly inspect for rust. BC - especially Vancouver - dumps a metric shit-ton of salt on the roads every. single. winter. Even if there isn't a single snowflake.

You hit on my top 2 issues.

There is clear rust on the bumpers - fine, you can replace/refurbish those.

One of the pics shows a control arm with clear flaking rust - again, fixable but what else is corroded?

There’s fluid leaks evident on the diff and mid-undercarriage that I can’t tell its source.

One of the service invoices says “ticking noise from engine” - I head that once in my Pathfinder - right before the engine seized. I don’t see a subsequent service invoice that says it was addressed.

Across all the auction sites this one would normally be at or above $10k with a day left so I’m guessing there’s something more to the story. I’ll see what my fam has to say about it if they get up there tomorrow.

[XXX-er]

The DTES was always sketch but it would be way more ghetto now, homeless tent encampments on the side walks

I used to work with a hotrodder car guy who lievd out in the valley and he told me a car on the BC side of the 49th would be a rust bucket while the same car 10kms away on the washington would be rust free cuz it would be pretty rural and no salt

[Ted Striker]

Yeah, that used to be true. Whatcom County didn't use any salt at all for years to protect the watershed from getting too salinated, but they bought some fancy equipment and we do get all of the hills in towns/residential areas brined whenever there's ice in the forecast.

[Ted Striker]

...I’m guessing there’s something more to the story. I’ll see what my fam has to say about it if they get up there tomorrow.

It could be as simple as people don't want the import hassle (I've done it both ways, and it can be a pain, but it's totally doable on this car)

From a quick scan of the documents, it looks like it's spent most of its life in the lower mainland (slang for Vancouver + suburbs) which is good because it never gets too cold to wash the salt off.

This really could be your white unicorn! Good luck, and let me know if can help in any way.

[BmillsSkier]

Thanks Ted, I will!

[Djongo Unchained]

They all tick like that. And it has a known historical exhaust ticking sound.

Yer not gonna see another one in that condish anytime soon. That amount of rust is super minimal.

If I could somehow verify the condition and provenance, I'd be a serious bidder. If I were looking.

Don't think I've seen a 95 with leather seats and full sport package. Have them check the shocks to see if those work too.
New bumpers on ebay for cheep.

And my 95 has had almost zero electrical issues and fluid leaks started after 180k miles. I'm at about 250k now.

Blows my mind how solid it is considering the age and I went from babying it to just regular maintenance about 7 years ago.

[bennymac]

I’m not gonna try and refute an east van degen like Ted with regards to Vancouver’s road salt use

but I’ve seen a ton of pristine looking cars from the 80s and 90s around that city. I don’t mean collectible cars - I mean like a Plymouth Acclaim in hunter green that still looks like it’s fresh off the showroom floor with gold accents and Corinthian leather seats and not a speck of rust.

And I’ve spent a lot of winter weekends in Kits when on my way to or from the mountains and I’ve never seen a salt truck on those hilly streets even when they get barricaded for being literal ice rinks.

So I wouldn’t write off a lower mainland assfinder as it could be still mint

[Gcooker]

Salt is not a concern in Vancouver compared to literally anywhere else in Canada with the exception of the far north where it’s too cold so they throw gravel and rocks on the ice.

Vancouver cars are the cleanest, most rust free vehicles that come out of Canada… as long as they don’t rot outside in the rain and grow moss inside and out… which is worth looking out for.


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[Ted Striker]

I’m not gonna try and refute an east van degen like Ted with regards to Vancouver’s road salt use ...but I’ve seen a ton of pristine looking cars from the 80s and 90s around that city.

lol, yeah I have too. It's really a matter of people who take care of their vehicles, and those who don't.

And how great would it be if this is the one? It's even white!

[bennymac]

I believe the OG assfinder was black and I think bmills is of the “once you go black” mindset.

Nothing that a can of spray pain can’t fix though!

[Ted Striker]

Oh yeah, you're right. I knew it wasn't a "color" color, but this has gone on so long I forgot it was "none more black!"

[Mazderati]

Is the search over?

[heckacali]

$9700 Winner had bid on 3 old Porsches in the past....

??

[BmillsSkier]

Really, really, really sad about missing out on this one.

I keep telling myself that it wasn’t meant to be cause it wasn’t black.

In reality it was reality that kept me from putting in the winning bid. We are putting on an addition right now and it was either a jack and Jill bathroom or this Pathfinder.

I had a very hard $10k ceiling and with import costs and shipping to the east coast the lowest I was getting into it was around $13,500.

I had my cousin check out the car this morning (she said it was “super clean”) and I was talking to the dealer and various importers/shippers until 45 minutes till the hammer dropped when the bids went to $9000.

Ugh. Seriously, this one occupied a lot of my time and thoughts this week. Lots of regret that I’ll be able to contemplate when I take a shit in the new kids bathroom scrolling auction sites.

Fuck.