G'day, I am seeking knwoledge & wisdom

[Chunk]

I am looking to buy a 4WD & i like the look of the Nissan patrol. I am thinking of the GU series, turbo Diesel, 4cyl, Auto & 7 seat.
I previously owned a Mazda SDX Bravo 6 cyl EFI auto, but never got ot take it off road.
I have a young family & want to start camping & beach beach driving with them & little off road experience.
I am looking for a patrol around $20k and ones i have seen around that are all just over the 200,000 klms.
What should i be looking out for or wary of with vehicles around that mileage.

Would appreciate guidance.

Chunk

[HippoNZ]

Welcome to the forum chunk
These trucks are bullet proof so I wouldn't be put off at all if the truck has done 200k even being turbo.
I few things I took into mind when buying mine was
Does the truck start first pop
Does it blow smoke
Any concerning noises coming from the engine, knocking,rattly etc
Get amongst it and really thoroughly look at the engine bay and defiantly climb under the truck and give that a look too. Look for signs of repairs, possible future repairs like rust and also check for oil splatter to indicate there is either a leak or something has blown before.
Take her for a test drive and see how smooth and well it drives, look out for excessive vibrations in the body, through the steering etc. Does it loose power at certain rev ranges. Does the clutch feel good and does it change gear without a hitch. Make sure you test from a cold motor to a warm motor and different speeds, like town driving then highway as certain problems show up on different conditions.
Check the service history also
And for piece of mind you could always get a mechanics test done too.
That's all I can think of at the moment lol
Goodluck and look forward to hearing the outcome

[Bob]

Welcome chunk. Join in the conversations and enjoy

[Chunk]

Thanks HippoNZ. Forgot to mention looking for an auto. What about the price range, is the $20k for 200,000 reasonable? Are ther any major service requirement around that milaeage?

[HippoNZ]

Ok with an auto as always it won't be perfect at first but once it warms up listen to hear/feel it clunk or not when it changes gear. Does it select gears nicely I.E going from P to D does it slide nicely or grab and take a bit of effort moving. If it clunks it may indicate wear and tear. Service wise depending on it's previous history the usual oil,filters,coolants,hoses etc would most likely need doing. Being a turbo things might be different but I've never had one to tell you sorry. There are few fellas on here with GU's they'll be able to explain more than I can but I have a GQ that's done 330k and the only major mechanical part that I know of that's been replaced is the start motor. These things will reach 500k easy as along as you service them regularly.

[Maxhead]

Welcome onboard Chunk.

20k will get you a decent 3l with less then 200000km.
Heres a couple on car sales for a start: http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/...2%20753%201621

Be patient and be prepared to travel and you'll find what you're looking for

[Bigrig]

G'day mate - welcome aboard. Great people, information and laughs on here mate, so feel free to join in and make the most of it.

Where are you based? $20000 will get you a lot of vehicle if you take your time and it will have less than or at least around 200K on the clock and still be a solid start - mine was $7500 originally stock and is a 92 model that only had 251K on the clock ...

A couple of examples:

http://carsales.mobi/cars/details/?R...&Cr=3&trecs=99

http://carsales.mobi/cars/details/?R...&Cr=2&trecs=77

http://carsales.mobi/cars/details/?R...&Cr=4&trecs=77

http://carsales.mobi/cars/details/?R...&Cr=5&trecs=77

Going a slightly older model as an example you might be able to stick around 200k on the clock (knowing their should be plenty of life left in it if well maintained) and get it cheaper - leaving money for mods etc!

Good luck with the hunt mate and let us know if we can assist with specific information once you find a model your keen on.

Enjoy!!

[MudRunnerTD]

G'day Chunk, welcome to the forum, the guys are steering you right. enjoy the Patrol when you get it.

Cheers MR

[beansathome]

if u are looking at the 3.0L do some searches on this site older modle gu have a grenading problem 20k should b to hard to buy provate with kms under 200k i got my 3L turbo desil auto for 28k it had 128k on the clock and i bought it from a car yard.

there is plenty of info on this site with bucket loads of help this is by far the most frendlest forum so dont be afraid 2 ask stupid questions

[the evil twin]

Be very wary of the pre 2002 build ZD30's. There are a heap of good ones out there that are stuck with low resale because of the reputation but have been rebuilt or mod'd to stop the #3 or 4 piston issues.

If you tread carefully you will get a good one or try and find an extra couple of $ and get a post 2002 vehicle.

The Auto works really well with the ZD30 engine