Nissan Armada, Infiniti QX56 overall reliability

[VanLifer39]

I'm still in my attach search for a new rig for Vanlife. I've been steadily waiting and banking all of my money.

The Armada has appeared in my searches on FB market and OfferUp app. I have been searching for a used first Gen Sequoia or LC 100 series, but they're either overpriced, or a mess from the faulty frames manufactured from Dana that lead to rotting frames.

I'm questioning if the Armada is a reliable vehicle. In my previous experiences with Nissan, there haven't been good overall reliability reviews/ratings. I've seen plenty over 200k miles, but the common fault is bad fuel pump that can lead to CAT failure. There's also numerous postings on other sites about transmission failures from lack of maintenance of the tranny. Cracked manifolds has been another common weakness of the 5.6 from Nissan

The VK56DE looks to be very reliable, with the exception of smaller not engine related items. The 2UZFE in the Sequoia and LC 100 models and the LC Prado AKA GX70 is very reliable and proven time and time again, but it uses a timing belt. The timing chain in the VK56DE adds to the longevity IMO.

Thoughts?

 

[JTK]

I believe you'll find the Armada, Titan and Frontier to be some of Nissan's best vehicles.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Check this recent thread out. Likely already answers most of your questions. But I second @JTK - the body on frame Nissan's of that vintage are some of the most reliable vehicles made. They do require proper fluid maintenance. Purely from observing on Nissan specific forums, it seems those who never change fluids have a lot more problems. Who would have thought? / sarc.

Pick a Nissan V8 4x4 family hauler.

A friend is considering one of these 3 vehicles. Price is the biggest limitation, so trying to get the most value per dollar here. But also trying to be careful and not get a moneypit. Do any of you have personal experience with these? Any known issue areas? The V8 Pathfinder would be ideal size...

bobistheoilguy.com

 

[Snuckster]

had an Armada and currently a 2nd gen Xterra

Armadas are pretty reliable and well put together aside from bad choice of dash plastic and Nissans insistence on using football jersey mesh style fabric on their seats. Stuff has a tendency to snag on things a bit. The rear AC lines also have a tendency to rub against the body and leak all the r134 BUT this does not effect the front AC (separate circuit) and the front alone is powerful enough to cool the back down here in hot af Sacramento so its a non issue IMO. The engine and transmission are essentially bulletproof and they are deceptively fast. They drive like they have at least 50 more horsepower than they are rated at because of the gearing and transmission. Gas mileage as somewhere around 11-13MPG innacity and 15-17 freeway.
Stock they are extremely comfy to the point two different people in the passenger seat fell asleep on 30 minute drives LOL. The AWD setting is perfect in the rain/dirt roads and offroad they aren't bad for their size once you remove the step rails and install Bilstein's. As far as vanlife is concerned (something I am also interested in BTW) inside they have enough room to easily sleep me two GSDs and camping gear. Stock they make 130amps but they have a smart charging system so just make sure you ground everything to the chassis (NOT THE BATTERY) so the sensor can read the draw through the grounding cable otherwise the charging system will never keep the battery topped off. The roof has room for at least 400w of solar with another 100w on the hood and can easily fit a 100ah lithium battery with room for 12v fridge/freezer.

fwiw I'm looking at building an offroad capable small travel trailer to tow behind my Xterra for full time living. If I didn't have my dogs I'd have zero problem doing vanlife thing in an Armada

 

[VanLifer39]

Snuck, thanks for the great summary about the Armada. I'm still very much on the fence about the rig, because growing "1983" up Nissan has yet to put out a small car to compete with the Civic and Corolla with regard to longevity. There's older Impreza models that I will see from time to time with the bulletproof EJ22. The larger vehicles like the Altima and Maxima also have longevity issues even with VQ power plants. The Armada looks like the best bang for the buck used. I have seen them at a fraction of the cost of a nice Sequoia from the same generation.

I stumbled upon a reliability video on YouTube for the first Gen QX56. It looks like a money pit.

 

[Snuckster]

I cannot speak on QX56 because they are just not very common in my neck of the woods but I assume most of the problems they have are electrical in nature and they probably have a more sophisticated/complex algorithm AWD setup

The frame issue on Toyotas happen even out here in California. I've seen Lake Tahoe area trucks with frames rotting away. I like em a lot (One of the guys over here has a built one) but as far as pricing goes they are maybe 1k or so more than the comparable Armada.
4.7 has a timing belt (that may or may not have been replaced by previous owner so you have to factor that into the price imo) The 5.6 in the Armada has a timing chain.

oh an another thing
Armadas are bigger in every dimension than Sequoias (especially width). They are somewhere between Tahoe and Suburban size where the Toyota is closer to a Tahoe. They also have independent rear suspension and the Toyota is a solid 5 link axle. Stock Armadas ride like a 90s luxury car. They also tow substantially more if you go that direction.
Toyota has a larger aftermarket but its geared more toward 4runners and hardcore people with Land (and FJ) Cruisers.
If I was building an offroad machine I'd get the Sequoia (EVERYONE runs a Toyota innawoods out here) but for a mostly street driven daily life rig Armadas are difficult to beat for the price.

like I said
I'm actually very interested in van life though I have to build a trailer because I have two GSDs and 'only' an Xterra so feel free to share some of your thoughts on whatever build you have in mind.

 

[VanLifer39]

I cannot speak on QX56 because they are just not very common in my neck of the woods but I assume most of the problems they have are electrical in nature and they probably have a more sophisticated/complex algorithm AWD setup

The frame issue on Toyotas happen even out here in California. I've seen Lake Tahoe area trucks with frames rotting away. I like em a lot (One of the guys over here has a built one) but as far as pricing goes they are maybe 1k or so more than the comparable Armada.
4.7 has a timing belt (that may or may not have been replaced by previous owner so you have to factor that into the price imo) The 5.6 in the Armada has a timing chain.

oh an another thing
Armadas are bigger in every dimension than Sequoias (especially width). They are somewhere between Tahoe and Suburban size where the Toyota is closer to a Tahoe. They also have independent rear suspension and the Toyota is a solid 5 link axle. Stock Armadas ride like a 90s luxury car. They also tow substantially more if you go that direction.
Toyota has a larger aftermarket but its geared more toward 4runners and hardcore people with Land (and FJ) Cruisers.
If I was building an offroad machine I'd get the Sequoia (EVERYONE runs a Toyota innawoods out here) but for a mostly street driven daily life rig Armadas are difficult to beat for the price.

like I said
I'm actually very interested in van life though I have to build a trailer because I have two GSDs and 'only' an Xterra so feel free to share some of your thoughts on whatever build you have in mind.

I've entertained a cargo van build but many have lots of rust on the base boards. Cargo vans also lack the plastics and fabric that line the cargo area. A build out is necessary in cooler climates. The Nissan NV2500 was on my radar at one point due to using the same Armada VK56 but they're expensive and far and few to come by.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Snuck, thanks for the great summary about the Armada. I'm still very much on the fence about the rig, because growing "1983" up Nissan has yet to put out a small car to compete with the Civic and Corolla with regard to longevity. There's older Impreza models that I will see from time to time with the bulletproof EJ22. The larger vehicles like the Altima and Maxima also have longevity issues even with VQ power plants. The Armada looks like the best bang for the buck used. I have seen them at a fraction of the cost of a nice Sequoia from the same generation.

I stumbled upon a reliability video on YouTube for the first Gen QX56. It looks like a money pit.

He goes to the Nissan engine - on the PVC side of course and says "See, this thing is all varnished up - it awful. Maybe he should have shown the no PVC side but its conveniently already finished. Then he goes to the Toyota and says - see - this one is not! Toyata is Better.

The Armada was not maintained. Look at my VQ Nissan engine at 395,000 miles. He is comparing apples to oranges. Varnish is a function of not enough oil changes. https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/t...vers-395-000-miles-nissan-xterra-vq40.376175/

I hate youtubers that make up stories on quality, when its the owner that maintained one and not the other. Disingenuous youtube click baiter, much like Scotty.

Then he condemns the Armada because it has a bad driver side wheel bearing and drivers side window motor at 150K. I mean these are hardly fatal. That Armada is pretty rusty, so its seen a fair bit of salt. I wouldn't buy it for that reason, but not the others if the price was right.

I didn't see anything in his video that would scare me off other than he charged $1500 for valve cover gaskets, a seal and a inspection.

 

[UncleDave]

The last 5 minutes is gold - So in the end he decided to fix it and mentioned that it was a WAY better tower and family cruiser taking your family to the lake than a Tahoe.

 

[SC Maintenance]

If they want to compare a 15 year old rusty non maintained QX to a similar age and treated Toyota - I would be interested.

 

[andrew_j]

There is a reason Toyota costs more, they are actually desirable used with high mileage and beyond reliable at old age . Yes frames however not all spent their life in salt areas , I am unclear if the Tundra recall carried to the SUV too.

 

[Snuckster]

There is a reason Toyota costs more, they are actually desirable used with high mileage and beyond reliable at old age . Yes frames however not all spent their life in salt areas , I am unclear if the Tundra recall carried to the SUV too.

Toyotas seem to live a different life than most other trucks over here. On one hand they are by far the most common rigs you see on the trails outnumbering Jeeps 2 to 1 but you almost never see any used as work vehicles and when you do its usually a newer (VERY clean) Tundra. The trucks actually used for work like landscaping or w/e are usually Silverados, F-150s or.......Frontiers.

Toyota gets the benefit of having more 'mindful' owners compared to most other brands imo
to put it another way
I bet there are fewer Corollas running around on bald tires than Altimas let alone Sentras if you catch my meaning