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archangel
5th May 2011, 07:02 PM
Hi all,

I would like to get into some light to medium difficulty 4wding, and camping with my young family... I have about 18k to spend and would like something fairly strong - ie engine wont go bang even though its second hand and will probably have 300k on the clock :) I have been told to stay away from 3litre diesels in gu1 and 2, however these seem to be the Patrols I can get in my price range... is the 4.5litre petrol/gas a good option in a gu2?

Sorry for all the newbie questions! I have been looking on carsales and most vehicles in my range have around 250-300k kms so I'm a bit concerned about the longevity of an engine :) (or are these like fords I6, and they last forever?)

Appreciate all the advice so far and hopefully to come!

Dhuck
5th May 2011, 07:12 PM
Welcome to the forum mate

chester
5th May 2011, 07:42 PM
G'day mate and welcome,the early 3 litres do go bang not so much the later one's.If the 4.5's are like the 4.2's in my GQ then they are thirsty.I would try and go a diesel if you can more for the klm's to a tank on a trip.My problem is you can't get gas at places like erica,licola and dargo.Another thing to think about mate is for 18k and a bit of hunting around you good get a really good 4.2 turbo diesel in a GQ,a bit older than a GU i know but just as good and very reliable.
cheers
chester

Bigrig
5th May 2011, 07:53 PM
Hey mate - what about something like this? Not sure on your thoughts, but for the cost of a flight and some time to drive it back (or get it shipped), don't discount picking up something in another state ... just an idea anyways ...

http://carsales.mobi/cars/details/?R=10473403&Cr=5&trecs=76

Bigrig
5th May 2011, 07:54 PM
Or this ..

http://carsales.mobi/cars/details/?R=10374396&Cr=10&trecs=76

Bigrig
5th May 2011, 07:57 PM
One more for good measure - I guess it's a hit and miss like anything, but good examples are popping up all the time ...

http://carsales.mobi/cars/details/?R=10214415&Cr=16&trecs=76

mrcrazydude
5th May 2011, 08:22 PM
for 18k you can choose from almost anything!
the 2.8 diesel wasn't for me, but don't discount them out of hand. There's a lot of really big advocates of them. Don't know what your area is like, but in sydney, there's good clean 2.8's for anywhere from sub 10k through to about 16k

i bought a 4.2 GU but that would be out of your price range - even with the super deal I got & would leave you with no coin for work. (always "plan" to spend money fixing a few things up - if you need to, you haven't blown the whole budget, and if you don't end up needing too, then you've got some spare coin to do tyres or other mods to suit yourself)

on the other hand, check out a GQ.
they are a super truck that is really hard to kill, almost identical to the GU except for the body & styling primarily. I do think the GU is a little bit more comfortable, but it depends what you actually want it for.
18k should be able to get you a really good well set up GQ.

just my 2c

TuffTD42
5th May 2011, 08:39 PM
Hi all,

I would like to get into some light to medium difficulty 4wding, and camping with my young family... I have about 18k to spend and would like something fairly strong - ie engine wont go bang even though its second hand and will probably have 300k on the clock :) I have been told to stay away from 3litre diesels in gu1 and 2, however these seem to be the Patrols I can get in my price range... is the 4.5litre petrol/gas a good option in a gu2?

Sorry for all the newbie questions! I have been looking on carsales and most vehicles in my range have around 250-300k kms so I'm a bit concerned about the longevity of an engine :) (or are these like fords I6, and they last forever?)

Appreciate all the advice so far and hopefully to come!

The petrol patrols are great & have heaps of power, but they drink like there's no tomorrow. Your best option would be a either a GQ or GU with a TD42 & preferably turbo-ed. The 2.8 & 3.0 have known to give some grief to there owners. The last thing you want is to shell out 18G's only to have to find another 10G's to fix it. The GU's with TD42's are pretty pricey but I have seen a few about for your money, mainly DX non turbo models like the one in this link http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180660635881&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT. Might be the way to go & save $3-$4000 for a turbo kit down the track. Good luck.

Cheers Jono.

TuffTD42
5th May 2011, 08:54 PM
Here's a pretty neat GQ for the right money http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NISSAN-PATROL-95-4-2L-INTER-COOLED-TURBO-DIESEL-/190529914251?pt=AU_Cars&hash=item2c5c77c58b

AB
5th May 2011, 08:57 PM
Not bad at all!!

Turbo, 185k on the clock, plenty of extras!

Bigrig
5th May 2011, 09:13 PM
Not bad at all!!

Turbo, 185k on the clock, plenty of extras!

Seriously!! At current price, that sounds like a bargain ...

archangel
6th May 2011, 07:49 AM
that GUII looks pretty good - is there much to worry about with the 3litre diesel on the gu2 as opposed to the gu3? Thanks to everyone for the input! I am learning a lot looking at the forum already!

Finly Owner
6th May 2011, 10:00 PM
Hi and welcome to Nissans Nut House Archangel

Tim