patrolguy12
6th July 2012, 08:21 PM
Hi Everybody, I thought I would post this rather long thread on my experience in searching for an ex Telstra Nissan patrol.
I do this because well….. Basically these rigs are a great work/leisure combination and I can’t wait to see more both on this forum and on the road, but in saying that as with any used vehicle they are hit and miss when it comes to their history and I want to help ensure that any of you future buyers don’t get the raw end with these great rigs, I’ve spent a large amount of time and money researching these vehicles from searching car yards, paying for vehicle inspections through to speaking to current and former Telstra Tech’s!!!
Now to begin, as we all know companies such as Telstra, Sydney water and Broadcast Australia are just a few of the essential service providers that use both 4wd’s to access some of their more remote sites.
In saying that Telstra also used these vehicles also in metropolitan areas before recently upgrading to the Toyota hiace van for both its cost, size, space and practical features, you will normally be able to tell as the metro vehicles were never fitted with a bulbar, winch and dual battery system (also the location of the service centre on the logbook) can give a pretty good hint of what type of use the vehicle has seen .
As most 4wd enthusiasts would know Telstra tracks are great fun, and in saying that visiting these tracks do take a toll on any 4wd.
These ex Telstra rigs are around at most used commercial vehicle yards, normally with a exuberant price tag! Now it may seem like the most practical set up for you and is ready to drive away with sometimes all the necessities (winch, bulbar, dual battery system etc.) now this seems great but let’s look at why these things have these extras!
These rigs don’t have the extras not because they are a weekend warrior but more so because a select few of these vehicles cop an absolute hiding every day, now I am aware that yes they have had their regular log book services and yes you could run them to 500+ klm’s easy. This all seems well and good but keep in mind diesel isn’t a magical fluid that runs through every part of the vehicle ensuring the lifespan will run up to or exceed your expectations. Imagine your 4wd being taken offroad almost every day??? The wear and tear on your suspension, electrics and chassis (this was an issue with vehicles particularly) the extra weight of the service body was causing cracks on the chassis below the front cabin. Don’t take the following as gospel but apparently released a safety alert regarding this issue and I’ve read that in certain parts of Australia these vehicles were strengthened to stop this from happening.
Im going to keep this short but im now a proud owner of one of these beasts and happy as with it! I honestly couldn’t fault it… Im not here to bag used car dealers BUT if you wish to buy one please make sure you get a detailed inspection with it and don’t let overpriced car yards (specifically in south east QLD) try to take advantage of you! Yes they may have 12k worth of service body on them but as with any second-hand vehicle the value depreciates, you can find a stock vehicle with around 180klm on the clock for 30 grand (with a better history) as opposed to 220klm for around 36 grand just do your research!!!
Overall Ive seen some amazing things done with these beasts (especially with some of the guys on this forum)!!!. They are an amazing vehicle and I hope to see more of these things on the road and on this forum! Hopefully even catch up with some of you guys and get some tips for my own setup. But if you want any more info on the history feel free to shoot me a msg…. but if it comes to custom mod’s your probably better off checking out some of the other guys set ups on here… I havnt made it near that stage yet.
Cheerio y’all
I do this because well….. Basically these rigs are a great work/leisure combination and I can’t wait to see more both on this forum and on the road, but in saying that as with any used vehicle they are hit and miss when it comes to their history and I want to help ensure that any of you future buyers don’t get the raw end with these great rigs, I’ve spent a large amount of time and money researching these vehicles from searching car yards, paying for vehicle inspections through to speaking to current and former Telstra Tech’s!!!
Now to begin, as we all know companies such as Telstra, Sydney water and Broadcast Australia are just a few of the essential service providers that use both 4wd’s to access some of their more remote sites.
In saying that Telstra also used these vehicles also in metropolitan areas before recently upgrading to the Toyota hiace van for both its cost, size, space and practical features, you will normally be able to tell as the metro vehicles were never fitted with a bulbar, winch and dual battery system (also the location of the service centre on the logbook) can give a pretty good hint of what type of use the vehicle has seen .
As most 4wd enthusiasts would know Telstra tracks are great fun, and in saying that visiting these tracks do take a toll on any 4wd.
These ex Telstra rigs are around at most used commercial vehicle yards, normally with a exuberant price tag! Now it may seem like the most practical set up for you and is ready to drive away with sometimes all the necessities (winch, bulbar, dual battery system etc.) now this seems great but let’s look at why these things have these extras!
These rigs don’t have the extras not because they are a weekend warrior but more so because a select few of these vehicles cop an absolute hiding every day, now I am aware that yes they have had their regular log book services and yes you could run them to 500+ klm’s easy. This all seems well and good but keep in mind diesel isn’t a magical fluid that runs through every part of the vehicle ensuring the lifespan will run up to or exceed your expectations. Imagine your 4wd being taken offroad almost every day??? The wear and tear on your suspension, electrics and chassis (this was an issue with vehicles particularly) the extra weight of the service body was causing cracks on the chassis below the front cabin. Don’t take the following as gospel but apparently released a safety alert regarding this issue and I’ve read that in certain parts of Australia these vehicles were strengthened to stop this from happening.
Im going to keep this short but im now a proud owner of one of these beasts and happy as with it! I honestly couldn’t fault it… Im not here to bag used car dealers BUT if you wish to buy one please make sure you get a detailed inspection with it and don’t let overpriced car yards (specifically in south east QLD) try to take advantage of you! Yes they may have 12k worth of service body on them but as with any second-hand vehicle the value depreciates, you can find a stock vehicle with around 180klm on the clock for 30 grand (with a better history) as opposed to 220klm for around 36 grand just do your research!!!
Overall Ive seen some amazing things done with these beasts (especially with some of the guys on this forum)!!!. They are an amazing vehicle and I hope to see more of these things on the road and on this forum! Hopefully even catch up with some of you guys and get some tips for my own setup. But if you want any more info on the history feel free to shoot me a msg…. but if it comes to custom mod’s your probably better off checking out some of the other guys set ups on here… I havnt made it near that stage yet.
Cheerio y’all