The X in question is my dad's yellow 01 SE with 206K on the clock. After 5 years with less than 100$ in repair costs it now appears to need a head gasket. Coolant is in the oil and a gurgling sound is present after shut off. Limited heat in the car. And losing a half gallon of coolant per week. Our regular mechanic is a GM guy and has a busy schedule and suggested to go to a shop more inclined to the repair on Nissan's. He did suggest moving on to a new vehicle but can understand us wanting to fix it. Now $$$ is the main issue. The question is whether to find a lower mileage motor or just do the head gasket. Opinions would be greatly appreciated as well as any leads on a low mileage VG33 and or a good mechanic with a fairly affordable rate. Thank you in advance guys. And side note my 02 X is doing well and I'm planning to redo my headliner in the spring black with a thin blue line front to back.

I’ve had the head gasket professionally done on my truck by a friend (under 100k at the time) a few years ago. The head was removed and decked. I had timing belt and water pump changed (might as well while the shit all apart) when it was done. I’ve got a great local mechanic friend here in Brooklyn who did the job for me.



Not everyone thinks getting the heads decked needs to be done and I know a crazy Russian guy that successfully did his own without.
Is your dad's truck over heating?

I also know a guy in PA that swapped the engine on his 1st gen and could ask where he sourced the part and who did the work if ya want.

I’ve got a lot of mods and personal love in my truck and have always thought of running it until one of us is in the ground…

That said; if I did not have any mods and/or did not wheel and/or have my wife’s CX9 to drive when necessary I think I’d move on the new vehicle rather than fix or swap the engine on a 2001 Xterra with 206k unless I wanted to do it myself as a project and did not depend on the vehicle.

It's been one of the most dependable vehicles he's owned. He wants to drive it until it can't be driven anymore. It's a rust free car and stills looks great. It only overheats a little when it starts to run low on coolant.