Nissan Patrol 3LTR to buy or not to buy??

If you are going to buy a 3lt the newer the better. Early ones gave a lot of trouble. The standard 1hz motor is an extremely long lived motor, in fact I cannot recall anyone rebuilding a well serviced one. Do a search on this site for 3lt patrol problems and you will learn heaps. The early ones were called grenades
good luck Pete

I had a 2001 model 3 ltr diesel, did 180000 km without spending a "dime" on it apart from the services and 1 set tyres.

Now have Navara 2.5 ltr and will go back to the Patrol next year ... Why the Navara is great off road but poor fuel economy, also the tub has very limited height and the Engal won't fit.

Hope this helps

Hi Westozal,

I have a 2003 3.0TD GU Patrol and have found it much better than my previous 80 series 1HZ cruiser.

While much is said about the 3.0TD engine issues, this mainly applies to the series II model and not the series III on from ~2002 on.

While many will give you an opinion of whats better, I have put my money where my mouth is and bought the Patrol and have been VERY happy with it for the last 4 1/2 years.

When I bought the Patrol, the main competitor was the 100 series 1HZ cruiser and after the ashmatic performance of that engine in the 80 series, I couldn't do that again. And I didn't want the IFS of the TD 4.2 100 series, hence the Patrol won out. And I have never regretted that decision at all.

The power and torque of the 3.0TD is very good with the only downside being the torque at idle to about ~1200rpm. After that there is no comparison between the 3.0TD and the 1HZ. And I have averaged around 11L/100kms compared to the 12.5L/100kms in the 80 series.

When I had my Windsor Rapid van, the cruiser averaged 17l/100kms while the Patrol averaged ~15L/100ms with the Patrol doing it MUCH easier, could easily stick on 100 km/hr up the hills wheras the 80 series would struggle to maintain 80 km/kr.

Now having said all that, I have just put my Patrol up for sale (ad went in the ExplorOz trader last night) as my lease is nearly up and its time to update. If I had my time again, I wouldn't hestitate to buy the Patrol again given my circumstances and needs at the time (but must admit i have just ordered the 200 series GXL TDV8 with KDSS)

Cheers

Captain

My work car is an 06 3.0 litre Patrol. I find it very capable onroad. If you drive it like you hate it it is more than capable of passing road trains.
Offroad it is less capable. Because it has very limited torque low down it is difficult to drive slow. It wont grind just off idle like a landcruiser ute will & tends to stall or dig a big hole.
I have driven the bigger motor Patrol that a colleague drives & I find that it is much better offroad, but not as good on.
I think that your choice will depend on where you will be using it the most.

Kev

Hi Alan

Our 3 ltr td is the most comfortable vehicle we have had, and towed our Bushtracker caravan easily. It is auto, so we were limited to 2.5 tonne to be legal. With a caravan of 2.2 tare, we couldn't pack much and stay legal, so it has been superseded by an F250. It is for sale and in the Trader. What weight is your pop-top when loaded?

We have had Landcruisers for many years, and found our Patrol more comfortable, and has more leg room.

Our son got a second hand 4.2 litre Patrol and is very disappointed with the performance after the 3 litre and the petrol Patrol he had previously.

Motherhen

If you are tall, the GU patrol is not a comfortable driving vehicle.. Try and buy a diesel if going offroad because if you buy a big petrol, you will need a fat wallet and a fuel tanker following you around.. Michael

If you were looking at the Landcruiser why not the 04 Hilux Dual Cab T.D ???

They are quite hard to get but worth there weight in gold in my opinion...Just before the newer model


Cheers

Make sure you do some reading over at the Patrol4x4.com forums. Seems even the CRD's are now starting to go pop, but at much lower km's. The current list of the ones that went bang and have been noted in the various forums is over 90 vehicles.

They have a lot of useful information to help make sure your new one does not suffer the same fate.

Hi WestOzAl

Its a problem isn't it, but at least you have some where to move.

I've hung onto my 4800 Patrol longer than expected simply because there is just no better performing unit that you can buy.

Everthing else has either less wheel articulation, less power or more noise or is not as tough and the lack of choice is really depressing.

I don't like paying 1/3rd more for fuel , but that 1/3rd really only
equates to some $1500 a year and changeover costs like stamp duty, other taxes alone , resetting up another car even without the overwhelming depreciation costs are considerable.

In your case is it worth the cost of getting a car you feel would be a compromise?
Maybe holding on to what you have for another year or two and saving is a better option.

The 76 series may have some of its flaws covered by then and at least they will be cheaper 2nd hand.

Hi All,
Thankyou everyone for taking the time to reply to my thread. I agree with you Robin that if I purchased a 3 ltr it would be a compromise, with that said if you want a live axle wagon there is not much choice at the moment.
Being honest my heart says 4.8 and to hell with fuel prices but my head kicks in and says economy, economy.
Again the 3ltr does not enjoy the best of history re reliability and I wonder how having that nagging doubt hanging around would sour the experience of ownership.
At the end of the day the 4.8 is much hungrier, however, I have not heard/read of any major problems with them.
I think I should have kept my 80 series .
Regards Alan.

We have just gone through the same process as you.
We decided on the CRD 3lt Patrol due to the cost/comfort/features over the Cruiser 76 series. $56000 on the road with bullbar,spotties,towbar and 6 year extended warranty.
Our opinion is if the 3lt does go bang it won,t be our problem for 6 years and we are still $8000 better off than in the basic GXL 76 series. That cost saving is alot of touring for us.
Also the Patrol tows my 5.1mt boat no problems.
As for the new CRD going bang there is only 2 such cases reported 1 suspicious and the other having had the oil left out when being serviced by the dealer.

Hello again,
Well I have bitten the bullet and brought a Pootrol 3ltr.
Its a 10/2004,one owner, must be last of the older shape ST model in Moonstone. Has 83kms on dial.
Manual with Steel Nissan bull bar and spotties,reece type tow bar and Roh mags shod with 285/75 Coopers ATR tyres. Spare brand new and others about 50 to 60 percent life left . Has window tint as well.
Cost me 31k, is this an ok buy?
Regards Alan.

Hi Westie,

You say, "I also have considered the 100 series standard diesel as another alternative ,however the power figures are not that impressive, nor the economy from what i've read." What about one of these with an aftermarket turbo? (And an EGT gauge, of course!...)

Ian