Chicago man buys Nissan Pathfinder for $525, fixes it himself, resolves a major factory defect and then gives it away to a 16-year-old for free
- This Nissan Pathfinder turned out to be a bargain
- An ingenious sidestep eliminated a ‘factory defect’
- Now, the SUV is the perfect first car gift
Published on Feb 16, 2025 at 2:00 PM (UTC+4)
by Jack Marsh
Last updated on Feb 12, 2025 at 1:19 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
After buying a Nissan Pathfinder for just $525, this Chicago man cheaply fixed a ‘factory defect’ and took it on an emotional rollercoaster.
The Nissan Pathfinder is not the fanciest of cars in the world.
But for a first car, this SUV is ideal, costing little to run and boasting enough room for a party escort.
So after this Chicago man bought a Nissan Pathfinder for just a few hundred bucks, this small restoration project became the perfect gift.
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Nissan Pathfinder restoration becomes the perfect gift
SUVs are quickly turning into the perfect material for restoration projects, take this Porsche Cayenne for example, which turned into one mechanic’s best purchase.
Even the most lavish SUVs like a Rolls-Royce Cullinan are making for incredible turnaround projects with flush profits.
In this case, though, a Nissan Pathfinder was about to be one of the cheapest transformations yet.
YouTube restoration expert LegitStreetCars bought this Pathfinder for just $525, as the car was written down as having a ‘major factory defect’.
But as it turned out, the car didn’t need much convincing to get back up and running.
Straight away the Nissan Pathfinder burst into life, and despite needing some new oil, it was drivable.
However, there was some obvious funk going on internally, with a lack of power and speed.
Still, this overwhelming ‘major factory defect’ was quickly eradicated.
The issue stemmed from the transmission radiator, but the YouTuber fixed this with the savvy use of an external cooler.
After installing the cooler and replacing the spark plugs, sensors, air filter, and cabin filter the Nissan was finding its path back to the road.
Finally, after a bit of a clean-up, the restored Nissan Pathfinder was then donated to a 16-year-old lad who had been working at a family-run shop for years, sweeping floors and lending a hand on his father’s car projects.
While it was not quite this beastly Nissan Patrol that is more powerful than a Bugatti, the Pathfinder will prove to be a worthy present for the young lad.
