Member - Algee (NSW) replied:

Be very careful. The 3lt is great but you do not want a series one engine. There is a knonw problem and they have a tendancy to die in a major way. Just make sure it has a series 2 engine

Nomad replied:

I get lost all the time. LOL

The 4.2 is really indestructable. Good for towing but is old tech.

I've got a 2000 3lt and tow a camper trailer and all the junk you need when you have two billy lids to take with you. I have grossed near 4 tonnes at times and the truck has performed faultlesly.

Keep in mind that the early 3lt, like the 2000 GU11 has had a lot of bad publicity about the reliability of the motor. A number of them have sh*t themselves. Nissan have honoured their warranty even after it has expired. Sure sometimes you've got to stand on your digs a bit to get satisfaction. However I think that is pretty general with all motor companies. Some dealers aren't helpful either.

Hard decision mate but I would go 3lt again. I am very happy with it.

Truckster (Vic) replied:

TROLL!!!

duncs replied:

The arguments above are all sound. I've got a 4.2 and I was, at first, dissapointed with the fuel consumption but I now know a couple of guys who have had probs with the 3.0l. Not all major and they have had good service from the dealers. I traded to a newer car because the old girl was starting to let me down. This happened only twice. Once in Louth and once at Lake Eyre.

For me reliability is what it is all about. Because I go to remote places and occasionally on single car trips I'd go the 4.2l again. If your just playing close to home and in company with others then I think the 3.0l would be the go.

Mate at work has 3.0l gets 1100k from a tank I get 750 - 800k from the same tank.

Now that has probably confused you more

Duncs.

Tim replied:

Something else to be mindful of, in NSW the police use the DX 3L TD patrol for a number of roles. Being police vehicles they can be driven very hard when they are cold. Check the logbooks for prior owners to see where there from or you will notice ex-police cars have sliding windows in the cargo area.
Tim

Billy replied:

I notice you are looking '98 to '00. The 3.0 only came out in '00 and the early are the problem. IMHO you would only want a 4.2 in that model year unless the donk has already been replaced. Also 3.0 is the only one in Auto if that is a factor for you.

W from Jerilderie Motors Pty Ltd replied:

I as an unbiased non franchised motor dealer who lives out the bush & makes my living selling 4wds to public with the same worry that you are having today ( & to whoever/wherever I read on post on here last week blasting car dealers, & how they make $7000 per car, bring yourself & your accountant & the tax commissioner to our business any day & you will be in for a rude awakening, & re auctions never think those cars are " ready to USE " & If you are on " here " looking for info that alone in itself could be a worrying factor for you in an auction situation , but never forget the cars that go to auction this week have usually been passed over by regular buyer dealers chance a week earlier before you the public got a chance your $ you decide )
I look on here regularly & as someone who travels 4-5000k per week in Ex Govt 4wds every week regularly doing sales & deliveries from Warrnambool to Weipa, the amount of negative feedback people can read here amazes me.
Everyone who rings my number about to retire & live the dream & tow their van " always has to have 4.2 " & I say to all, come with me for a trip this week in a 3 litre with loaded car trailer on back while we do a delivery to Toowoomba or Gympie overnight & come next week on same trip in 4.2 with similar load &you will not need to ask me the question you will know yourself.
Here are my own personal views
Remember a 4wd is always a compromise we want it to be a car & a truck
Yes 3.0 early series were drama, later with bigger sump been no drama to us ever.
In Aust big distances but SMALL world market for manufacturer they also needed to COMPROMISE
80 Ser Cruiser Turbo Multivalve everyone loved & had to have one.
Toyota dropped Turb 80 Nissan jumped the market & the size now suits more households wives than the 100 Series Toyota
Nissan to counteract 80 series turbo bang turbo on old style motor still fuel guzzler still no power to pass a B Double truck when I am doing 100k tonight loaded on way to an interstate delivery.
Yes I have done a gearbox in Gu 2002 4.2 & off road & market 3 weeks waiting on Nissan fix but box not replaced ONLY the one gear.
3.0 Diesel Injected latest technology economical & powerful SUITS world market so Australia gets also, remember If you think Diesel tonight in Dubbo or Coonabarrabran @ $1.07- $1.12 is expensive, think about prices in Lebanon & forget 4.2 Motor.
The 3.0 Litre is good around town great on highway & towing @ legal limit ( or over ? ) nightly I get 7 km/litre out of usually auto (IF WE HAVE ONE in stock the night I am going) towing tandem with Commodore or Stateman or Subaru on the back.
I fill both tanks @ home $100 in @ Goondiwindi all niter & still plenty showing on guage @ sale venue in Brisbane.
They will pass any truck anywhere & regularly hear on Ch 40 " that thing with trailer on back has plenty of grunt. "
Re Auto & Manual in 3.0 Turbo DI Motor in Nissan I find the auto is more user friendly & suited to the power band in the rev range in Diesel Turbo.
To all you first time buyers of 4 wds remember trucks use diesel cars use petrol you are buying a truck so go diesel
In your petrol car you can rev it up @ lights & go to 7000 rpm if desire,
in a diesel that will never happen & all your power is in a narrow rev range & neither you or I can bang it through 5 gears as quickly as it can automatically change through 4 gears & by having auto I find it more powerful in passing range I need it @ in auto with a car on back than I ever find the same vehicle in auto
& to finish, you are buying a compromise between a car & a truck, your best compromise around town 90% of its use is close to 30mpg in 3.0 litre compared to 15mpg if lucky in 4.2
the most user friendly economical powerful CARLIKE 4 wd you will ever buy is turbo auto & never forget who wears the pants in most households & after selling 4wds to retirees for years let me tell you it is not YOU.

TD6 replied:

imlost,
All good answers and there is no definite. It's a bit like asking the ford, holden question or 2 stroke vs 4 stroke in outboards. If you want proven reliability then go 4.2. From a mechanical point of view that is the only choice.

Member - Captain (WA) replied:

My, arn't times a changin!!!

If you had posted the Nissan 3.0TD vs 4.2 TD question only a few months back, every man and his dog would have said "go the 4.2, the 3.0 will blow up and is unreliable".

Granted the first series II 3.0TD's have definete issues, but the series III is a great motor. Its power and economy make for a great 4WD that will handle the suburban chores without a fuel tanker behind. It will also tow a load AND still have power to overtake.

Point is, its good to see that the 3.0TD is getting past its poor reliability reputation in series II guise and starting to be seen for the good honest performer that it is in series III. No motor is without its issues, but the series III 3.0TD is proving to be as reliable as any other diesel.

Cheers

Captain

W from Jerilderie Motors Pty Ltd replied:

& I am not " brand " biased like all you 4wd lovers ( lucky you did not get me going on all brands or I would need to take typing lessons ) but remember they are still a truck regardless of all the manufacturers trying to hide that fact with all their bells & whistles
but there is one major difference,
you are buying yours wanting it to last for ages,
we are buying our wanting it to last in stock as short a time as possible,
but I do love taking calls off all the experts & sitting there thinking as I am listening
" If only they knew what B------t they are speaking, come for a 3000-4000k turnaround trip over a 48 hr period & they may speak differently "
but regardless of all
WE ALL have one common denominator
want the best value for $$ & retention of value
& overall the nissan 3.0 is not a bad $ for $ & $ for use package,

it will never ever sound as good or smoothe as a 6 cyl, but don,t let it deceive or bias your thoughts that chugging noise is in any 4 cyl diesel, they still go pretty well.
the wife usually likes the shape
the husband likes the size & worries about more than he needs to ( because what is use of you worrying about it when Nissan employ engineers to worry about shortfalls etc )
the kids like the legroom
the mid 6 footer farmers who have no headroom in a Cruiser find more room in it than most,
& all know when they have done their 4wd initiation trip they stay with it & enjoy or have a marketable commodity in their driveway

Member - Roachie (SA) replied:

I'm one of those who have consistently "bagged" the 3.0ltr version of the GU.
I have read the well-detailed accounts put forward by the gentleman from Jerilderie Motors (g'day mate; I'm originally a Narrandera bloke). He is obviously well-travelled bloke who knows a good truck when he sees it.
I am certainly willing to concede that the 3.0ltr has been harshly treated for it's earlier problems. I still have trouble getting my old fashioned brain to accept a truck that size can operate successfully on a 3000cc motor.

The 4.2 has a proven longevity record. Given there are quite a few 3 ltr owners on this forum, would it be an idea for me to suggest that their owners post an update on how many klicks they have racked up on their trucks and over what period of time. They've been around for over 4 years now, so I would imagine some of these are getting up towards 400,000klm by now.

I willingly accept that a 3ltr version will out-perform my old-banger 4.2, despite the 3" exhaust I've added which have allowed it to breathe more freely. However, I did not buy my truck to be the quickest etc. In fact when i bought it, I owned a Safari 4.2turbo GQ at the time. I went into the Nissan shop and wanted to test drive a new GU. The bloke only had a 3ltr auto as a demo and I took it for a drive. Damn thing nearly gave me whiplash; it went like a scalded cat!!!
I went back and he asked what i thought. I said it's a ripper, can I order one please, but with the 4.2 motor (about $2000 dearer). The bloke couldn't understand why I'd want to pay MORE for what I acknowledged was a SLOWER truck. I tried to explain I wanted longevity, not race car ability. If the Patrol had come with the option of a 6.5ltr n/a Chev motor for an extra $8k, I would have bought that instead of the 4.2ltr as well.

I'm really pleased for the owners of those series II and III 3.0ltr trucks that are having a good run and sincerely hope they continue to do so. I will stick with the slow-poke 4.2 and see what happens.

Utemad replied:

Now when you read this, take into account that I know f all about Patrols.

Some of you said series 1 is trouble make sure is series 2.
Others said series 2 is trouble make sure is series 3.

Does this mean when a series 4 comes out people will be saying "series 3 is trouble make sure is series 4"? Has the series 3 been out long enough to be able to assume that it is trouble free?

Perhaps people should say what the trouble is.

Buy a Rodeo :-)

Utemad

imlost replied:

thanks to everyone who took the time to answer.i think ill be doin a bit of test driving before i (the misses) dicide on what is the best choice for me
thanks again and keep safe