Ex Telstra Nissan Patrol

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

Nice write up Cam, looking forward 2 seeing some pics of your rig in the members ride thread ( hint, hint )

Patrolguy great writeup,
When we sold our last 4B many people wanted to know if it had been used in 4WD,
I honestly thought it was a stupid question. Why were they looking at one if they wanted one that had not been used?
Go buy a new one if thats what you want.
Sure some 4B's can be abused, some may be in 4WD every day but that doesnt mean they are trashed.
Using a 4WD is not a speed sport, those Telstra guys are trained slow and steady due to the wieght they carry and OHS compliance.
They are not in 4WD all the time and K's added to the front end are no different to K's added on the rear if you know what I mean, they are built to take it.
Telstra sites here are not that hard to access, even the ones on the hills, I have driven my Hiaces to them to work. They are provided 4WD's for load carrying ability, stability and safety when it rains on the acces tracks etc.
I am all for a thorough inspection and taking time to find what is right for your needs.
Now we (forum member) have used our vehicles as they were designed to be used, have we just excluded ourselves from the market place?
I agree with some of your post but not all.
Now you have found one you will not be dissapointed they are an awsome canvas to build the "perfect" recreational vehicle on.
And the price is going up - with the 4.2 especially.
Chers Macca

Mate just brought an ex teltra 2009 DX for $16K just over 100k on the clock, mechanical check gave it the all clear. He's since fitted the smaller flares and will up grade the suspenion soon, nice clean ride, as for the service utes, CAT service utes have all I think had the Chassis strenghtened as earlier ones all cracked. They carry a ridiculas amount of gear

Not that the QLD coppers use Patrols (they have T... T... T... I can't say it, but they aren't a Nissan and the model could be described as something that carries troops) but they are generally very good value because they are rarely used in a hard core off road setting, get regularly serviced, come kitted out with dual batteries, bar, winch, spotties ect and never carry heavy loads. The main wear points are the clutch and engine as most of their driving is graded dirt roads or highway where the most 'work' they do is getting driven fast.

Hi all,

Been a while guys but hope my thread helped, its been great to learn a heap from you guys too.... I havnt been back for a while due to work commitments but all is good now!
Macca, couldn't agree more bud, although there are still heaps of Telstra towers and repeater towers around Australia which still require a 4wd access.

Particularly around the Central and Western Queensland area, especially with the recent 3G or telstra 4G networks. Most of the regional areas outside of a capital city are well set up for accessibility but there are still many sites still only accessible by 4wd, also including areas such as Fraser Island (just to name one) in which a 4wd is no option, there are many more sites with locked accesses (not that I have trespassed on these properties *cough cough*). and whilst staff were provided with training to be able to use these vehicles lets admit as with most fleet vehicles.... It's not mine, therefore not my problem!... (I may be guilty of this) lol...... we may have to agree to disagree..... respectfully Sir :)

However I must agree on the price going up! I recently jumped on a few sites to see what the value was and they have actually nearly jumped in price.... whats the go there?

Where in Victoria can I purchase a second hand service body for my 05 td42 coily?


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