Wot to do

[Cracker]

Gday fellas
Im just about to finally get my first patrol but in stuck with a decision.
Do i get a newer patrol like 05-07 pretty stock 150,000-200,000 kms $20,000-$25,000.
Or i hav my eye on a 2003 gu 3 180,000kms all the fruit compressor awnings racks lift kits gauges lights winch? Any advice be helpful thanks

[Cuppa]

Depends what you want to do with it I guess. If you like how the 180k is set up & are likely to make use of it then I reckon it’s a no brainer if the price is similar or less.

[MEGOMONSTER]

If your gonna spend 25-30k on a stock car, you still need to drop 10k on top to match the other vehicle.
So may be worth while buying the earlier model and only spending a few k to fix how you want it.

[threedogs]

Personally Id go the common rail diesel with no accessories
DI motors have a bad reputation so maybe hit and miss,
whats the history like on the DI 2003,
I'd go the stock CRD and start fresh then you know where you stand
And do it up the way you want it

[Cracker]

Apparently the 2003 di has been very well maintained. Been reading heaps about di vs crd and very much confused myself wot i wanna do lol. I wanna get one with fruit once i buy i wont hav much money too as all fruit. Just worried the 2003 di maybe a lil too old but it would vey much suit wot im after hence this my predicament lol
Cheers fellas

[threedogs]

I have a 2004 DI with 205,000 on the clock and IMO drives like new .
max boost is 19psi and 10 psi at hwy speeds, blows a lot of other 4x4 away
where are you as you can test drive mine if near by?

[happygu]

Cracker,

I will preface this by saying that you need to buy the one you can afford, allowing for the accessories you need (not want).....

I would also add that buying the CRD over the Di would be the best option in most cases, as the reputation of the earlier Di's can be questionable in some instances.

There can be problems with any motors, but less likely with the CRD. Main issues stem from head gaskets or cracked heads, or loose oil pump bolts on a small portion of the early ones, and the Di can suffer from Head issues which more often stem from cracked heads, cracked pistons which lead to expensive rebuilds.

Having said that, my old 2003 model, which I sold to one of my customers is still going strong at over 300,000 klms, so they obviously dont all have issues. Every time I speak to him, I urge him to move it on, as the older it gets the more likely something is to go wrong and it wont be cheap - everything seems to be expensive to fix, but I guess if you are paying $100 per hour it racks up pretty quick

Mic

[happygu]

Oh, and the later Di's seem to go a little better, acceleration and fuel economy wise than the CRD

[Cuppa]

Re. Di’s & CRD’s & my earlier comment about the decision being a no brainer. Have to say I omitted to put my brain into gear - didn’t even consider the different motors, sorry.

[Crate]

I am kind of in the same position as you, not just yet but 12-18months away from upgrading the old GQ to a diesel GU in the sub $30k price bracket. I have changed my mind 300 times already and am likely to change it again, but currently my thinking is the best option is a 04-06 DI 3.0 ST (ST-L if I can find one) manual sub 150,000km, the reasons being:

- I can't justify paying the same money for a ~2000mdl TD42
- I prefer the styling of the GUIV onwards
- I do all my own maintenance and whatnot and believe that the DI is eaiser to "fiddle" with for performance gains etc
- I am dubious on the early CRD's for a couple of reasons, oil pump bolts coming loose is one and fuel consumption is another
- I believe the DI's are more durable when it comes to bad fuel


If I was in the market right now I would buy this:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/171358315779?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

[happygu]

I have owned 2 Di's and also 2 CRD's, and my vote is with the CRD's ...... even though I have had no trouble with any of them

Here is my run down for you

01 lacked a little low down grunt off the mark when taking off with a load .... Fixed with a chip

03 More grunt off the mark, and went like a rocket with the chip

Fuel economy was the same with both Di's.

07 CRD Better grunt off the mark again, but slower than the 03 rocket. Never bothered with a chip, as it seemed adequate.

11 CRD Same as 07, but a little less grunty off the line.

Fuel economy same for both CRD's and use 0.1 - 0.2 litres more per hundred than the Di's

[apalsson]

+1

I have had 3 GUs, a 2001 manual, 2005 auto and 2009 manual

The 2001 was a bit "sluggish", especially taking off. We towed an Ultimate Offroad Camper a lot behind it and even the sub 1,000 weight was a bit of a load on it. This got fixed with a DTronic chip
The 2005 came about as a Novated Lease car through my work. For some reason, I never liked that car. At the time, we had a 23.5 foot caravan and towing it was a non-stop struggle. I think this car was probably the most sluggish of all of them
When I bought the 2009 a few months ago, I specifically set out to find a stock, low mileage manual car. This one had some 46,000km on it and was completely stock.

The main difference between it and the 2001 is much better power on takeoff but I often wish I had a bit more grunt at higher RPM. We tow a 1500Kg offroad van with this one and it's often a bit slow
Another difference is definitely in the consumption. When towing the Ultimate on difficult outback tracks, the 2001 used some 14 - 14.5L/100Km. When I tow the new van (even on highways), I hardly get much better than 18L/100Kms

Even though I loved my old 2001 and it never let me down in any way, I still feel the 2009 is in many ways a better car. Back with my old one, the grenading was becoming a known issue so I always had it in the back of my mind and therefore bought extended warranty from Nissan that I kept active till I sold the car. I don't have the same concerns over the engine in the new one. There seems to be plenty anecdotal evidence out there that the latest CRD engines have less issues than the old 2001
When/If budget allows, I might consider a chip for this one to try to address the consumption issue a bit

[Crate]

Great to have the firsthand feedback, thanks for taking the time to write it up guys.

[threedogs]

@ Crate if $30k is your budget your better off looking for a 2006 4.2td

[Crate]

Yeah 3D that would be nice, but $30k will be the limit inc mods and a 06 TD42 would be beyond that currently (unless its a complete steal). But like I said its a year or more away so that could change :-)

[Cracker]

Thanks fellas for making my desicion even harder hahaha.

[mudski]

@ Crate if $30k is your budget your better off looking for a 2006 4.2td

Yer good luck with that. Add another 10k and you'll get one.

[mudski]

+1

I have had 3 GUs, a 2001 manual, 2005 auto and 2009 manual

The 2001 was a bit "sluggish", especially taking off. We towed an Ultimate Offroad Camper a lot behind it and even the sub 1,000 weight was a bit of a load on it. This got fixed with a DTronic chip
The 2005 came about as a Novated Lease car through my work. For some reason, I never liked that car. At the time, we had a 23.5 foot caravan and towing it was a non-stop struggle. I think this car was probably the most sluggish of all of them
When I bought the 2009 a few months ago, I specifically set out to find a stock, low mileage manual car. This one had some 46,000km on it and was completely stock.

The main difference between it and the 2001 is much better power on takeoff but I often wish I had a bit more grunt at higher RPM. We tow a 1500Kg offroad van with this one and it's often a bit slow
Another difference is definitely in the consumption. When towing the Ultimate on difficult outback tracks, the 2001 used some 14 - 14.5L/100Km. When I tow the new van (even on highways), I hardly get much better than 18L/100Kms

Even though I loved my old 2001 and it never let me down in any way, I still feel the 2009 is in many ways a better car. Back with my old one, the grenading was becoming a known issue so I always had it in the back of my mind and therefore bought extended warranty from Nissan that I kept active till I sold the car. I don't have the same concerns over the engine in the new one. There seems to be plenty anecdotal evidence out there that the latest CRD engines have less issues than the old 2001
When/If budget allows, I might consider a chip for this one to try to address the consumption issue a bit

You can't expect a lot out of a 3L diesel... Especially when towing. I've done just about every mod possible to squeeze the living shite out of my Di and its still a slug. Then I chuck my camper on and its a slug on meth. But it is only a small engine. Hopefully one day it will grenade and then I have no excuse to get real motor. :) Well got one but I just need to build it.