Looking at purchasing Sport Trac, Need advise

[soon2bsick]

Alright it has been quite a while since I have been on this forum. I joined a few years ago when I had a 2000 Mercury Mountaineer 5.0 AWD

After losing my job I was unable to afford the gas in it, I started to do some odd jobs and getting back and forth was costing me a ton. So I sold the Mountaineer for a compact car that I oh so diligently attempted to make myself like. The only thing I ended up liking was the 25mpg

Shortly after I acquired a great job and now I am ready to get rid of the beater and have a nice vehicle again that I can be proud of owning and modding.


So here is the dilemma, I realize everyone here will be biased but I'm just looking for some input.


I put in a credit application for a local car lot yesterday and they called me this morning and told me that I was approved for anything on the lot under 13,000


Right now I am stuck between two different vehicles they have,


2003 Nissan Murano 93XXX AWD
2005 Ford Sport Trac XLS 102XXX 2WD


Now the Nissan gets (supposedly) 4-6MPG more than the Explorer/Sport trac

However I have heard some terrible things about the CVT transmissions in them as well as other various common issues they are prone to have. I realize each vehicle will have these but according to reviews the Murano has a lot.



I drive a total of 40 miles day 5 days a week, which is 50% highway. Gas is a bit of a concern but not the complete deciding factor.


Murano Pros:

Lots of extra features
stylish
good gas mileage
leather

Murano Cons:

Known for tranny problems
No bed


Okay,

So now this is why I like the sport trac.

Being that I live here in sunny Florida and I work for a vacation home company I am back and forth to the beach a few days a week. I take my dog to the dog beach for a couple hours after work which includes hauling sandy beach carts and beach stuff.

The Rubberized floor, I've seriously wanted this in every vehicle I have ever owned. I can't stand carpet, It's just there to get dirty.


The bed, it would be perfect to throw my beach stuff in.



I guess I am just looking for some input from people who own the sport trac.
The murano is in the exact color I wanted if I were to get one...white

and the Sport trac is in the EXACT color I wanted if I were to get an st

how freakin crazy is that??


Here is pictures of the two vehicles

if anyone has any comments or advice I would greatly appreciate it, I go Monday to the dealership

thanks

 

[fifthranger]

I know someone who got rid of a Murano for a Ford Edge because of issues and poor gas mileage. I would lean towards the Sport Trac. I am in a position myself where I am contemplating getting rid of my Ranger, yet I don't want an Explorer or Escape or any car. I really like pickups, so the only alternative is a Sport Trac. Good luck.

 

[mwweimer_2001]

Well, by posting on an explorer forum you already know what everyone's answer is going to be. I'm sure you can do alot more with that sport trac than you can with the nissan.

 

[soon2bsick]

I know someone who got rid of a Murano for a Ford Edge because of issues and poor gas mileage. I would lean towards the Sport Trac. I am in a position myself where I am contemplating getting rid of my Ranger, yet I don't want an Explorer or Escape or any car. I really like pickups, so the only alternative is a Sport Trac. Good luck.

thanks for that, I don't know anyone personally or have friends who know people who has owned a murano so I haven't had anyone to ask. But from the reviews I have found online there is a lot of expensive (tranny replacement) issues it seems to repeat.


I realize by posting here there would be a lot of biased replies however I received a lot of help from this forum a few years back

 

[Clusterpup]

The ST has way more utility then the Nissan. If you want to do mods you can probably do more with the ST also. What part of FL are you in? Heres mine on South Beach, Miami Beach.

 

[JohnnyO]

Get the Sport Trac, change all the fluids, and drive on.

 

[soon2bsick]

The ST has way more utility then the Nissan. If you want to do mods you can probably do more with the ST also. What part of FL are you in? Heres mine on South Beach, Miami Beach.

Oh cool
I am in Naples

 

[Clusterpup]

Cool, there is another guy on here with an ST from Naples.

 

[LONO100]

being a sport trac owner who loves his rig, ill try to be as little biased as possible. i think the questions you need to ask yourself the most is whether you would prefer to have a bed or not, if you plan on doing any modifications, and if you would prefer a fancier interior compared to a tough, utilitarian interior. do you plan on going off road at all? if you dont need a bed, you dont plan on doing mods, and you dont plan on going off road, and you prefer creature comforts and street styling compared to utility the murano might fit your needs better, if you are an outdoor person who needs something that can handle carrying gear, and you plan on bringing your friends along, and you want to go off road and do some mods, go with the sport trac. now here's the part where im going to be biased by showing you my ST after some mods with the help of the forum:

 

[gtyates]

I have an '05 ST, same color as the one you showed in the pic., Charcoal Beige Metalic. I love mine!! I have around 73k on mine. Very versatile vehicle!! On the Murano I, too, have read about transmission issues with the CVT, especially the earlier years. My brother has a newer Murano, but they have not had it long enough to have devloped tranmission issues, so can't say one way or the other. I personally think the Murano is about the smallest "mid size" SUV on the market. Nice looking, but small.

 

[soon2bsick]

Well thank you to everyone for your replies, I think I have made my mind up, I am going to go with the sport trac

I'm not sure if I can do much off roading in a 2wd. But the comments about "rugged" is something I definitely need. I drive up to my moms ranch every weekend. I get in my vehicle with muddy shoes or sandy shoes from the beach.

When I went to the beach earlier this week I loaded all my stuff back into the back of my dad's SUV, All I could do was sigh when I realized how much sand I was going to have to vacuum out of it later. So with that being said I really would like a bed,

This particular ST doesn't have a tonneau cover so I will have to get one

 

[swshawaii]

I drive up to my moms ranch every weekend. I get in my vehicle with muddy shoes or sandy shoes from the beach.

When I went to the beach earlier this week I loaded all my stuff back into the back of my dad's SUV, All I could do was sigh when I realized how much sand I was going to have to vacuum out of it later.

As an added bonus, you're going to love the Trac's "bare" rubber floor.
Vacuum not needed, an air compressor blow gun works great.

 

[JohnnyO]

I'm not sure if I can do much off roading in a 2wd. But the comments about "rugged" is something I definitely need. I drive up to my moms ranch every weekend. I get in my vehicle with muddy shoes or sandy shoes from the beach.

Add good tires first, if you need more then get a limited-slip for the rear if yours doesn't have one from the factory (being a 2wd in Florida, it is very doubtful).
For a mostly street driven truck the Powertrax No-Slip or Detroit True Trac are the best choices.
Also the OE shocks were junk the second the Trac rolled off the transporter when new, so replace them if they look original. It will be worth it.
Monroe Sensa Tracs at Sears are fine. The NAPA store-brand shocks are really Sensa Tracs just painted blue and half the price.

 

[SouthernSAR]

Cool, another Naples resident switchin to a Trac Glad to hear you've decided on the Sport Trac, you won't be disappointed in it.

PS- we have a dog beach???


Also- as for gas, in the stock setup driving around here I'm able to get decent mileage. I've been getting about 16 city, and that number increases a LOT on the highway.

 

[soon2bsick]

Cool, another Naples resident switchin to a Trac Glad to hear you've decided on the Sport Trac, you won't be disappointed in it.

PS- we have a dog beach???


Also- as for gas, in the stock setup driving around here I'm able to get decent mileage. I've been getting about 16 city, and that number increases a LOT on the highway.

woot 239.

yeah ha, It's on estero blvd in between bonita beach and fort myers beach.



Those monroe sensa tracs are pretty cheap priced ($45 a piece at local auto store). Is there a step up from this shock I should check out? I don't mind putting out 300-400 on a good set

 

[LONO100]

if you have 400 to spend on shocks, you cant go wrong with a set of billsteins. i think 4hweelparts is having a shock sale right now, check them out.

as for the rubber floor in the tracs, its one of my favorite features of my rig. living on the west coast, we are in sand all the time when we hit the beach or go fishing, and mud when we go hiking and mountain biking and the rubber floors are worth their weight in gold when it comes to easy clean up.

 

[soon2bsick]

thanks for the advice, I'm going tomorrow to check the Sport Trac out that I posted. Hoping everything checks out alright

 

[01STrunner]

I had to have my car on campus for a straight month and hated not having the utility of a truck to throw my bikes in and just go somewhere. I say ST.

 

[soon2bsick]

Hey guys, The lot I checked out was a little sketchy. They told us one price that my payments would be over the phone then I got there and it was $68 more a month than they told us. so I think I am going to pass on that one.

I'm really finding it tough to find sport tracs locally, But hopefully something will come up. I'm leaning towards finding one that is 4x4 now. I might have to drive a little farther north to some bigger lots to get one but I'm going to keep my eye out.

I went ahead and put my car on craigslist today, My father is going to let me drive his jeep so I can go ahead and sell my car and have that extra cash for a down payment.


Hoping I have a couple lined up to check out this coming weekend

 

[Clusterpup]

Hey guys, The lot I checked out was a little sketchy. They told us one price that my payments would be over the phone then I got there and it was $68 more a month than they told us. so I think I am going to pass on that one.

I'm really finding it tough to find sport tracs locally, But hopefully something will come up. I'm leaning towards finding one that is 4x4 now. I might have to drive a little farther north to some bigger lots to get one but I'm going to keep my eye out.

I went ahead and put my car on craigslist today, My father is going to let me drive his jeep so I can go ahead and sell my car and have that extra cash for a down payment.


Hoping I have a couple lined up to check out this coming weekend

There are a bunch on sale in Miami, check out autotrader.com. I also suggest a 4x4 if you plan on doing some mods, like lifting, bigger tires, etc.