Nissan Terrano
Submitted: Friday, Mar 28, 2003 at 16:58
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Brian
Would like a "warts and all" opinion on buying a s/hand Nissan Terrano . I have been told that there are a few with manual g/boxes but the autos are more economical ? Also a friend has a Terrano , he claims 13ks per litre , is this feasible ? If this is reasonably accurate this would be about 30 mpg for us "fogey" generation !! Also a mechanic reckons that the transmission is not real strong for towing and costly to replace ? I believe a transmission cooler should be fitted if towing?
Last question !! Would it tow comfortably a 15-16 ft old style caravan which would be heavier and higher than the latest caravans ?/
I await your comments ,
Kind regards ,
Brian
Reply By: paul - Friday, Mar 28, 2003 at 17:35
Friday, Mar 28, 2003 at 17:35
gotta ask which terrrano ? There were so many including a 2.4L petrol and an intercooled turbo diesel that were imported by nissan from Spain, an terrano's that are
grey imports that had nothing to do with nissan.
I had the 2.4L petrol non-
grey import and sold it 6mnths later, just no grunt at all - seemed fine on bitumen, but loaded up and off road it just sunk and wheels would not turn. The intercooled turbo diesel, however, was by all accounts a gem, just not a popular shape and came out at a time when small diesel engines weren't popular.
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Reply By: mik*2 - Friday, Mar 28, 2003 at 23:10
Friday, Mar 28, 2003 at 23:10
What year are you after Brian? I have a '92 model and it has been a reliable car. I am selling at the moment because I have just bought a late model Pajero. In the two years I had it, I overhauled the alternater and that was it. By the way it is an import. Just trying to understand pauls statement, not a real Nissan?????? It was made by Nissan for the Japanese market so is full of extras which you don't get here in the same priced vehicle. If you are after a later model Terrano (australian compliance) these have the same size motor as the jap imports. 2.7 TD not 2.4 as paul said (this is the earlier Hilux Surf). I have an auto and I get around 10l per 100 k's so if your mate is getting 13 he's doing
well. If you are looking for an import, don't be fooled by people telling you you can't get parts. Nissan have a full parts list fop these vehicles. Most of the part numbers are the same as the Australian Pathfinder and the rest aren't a problem. As far as towing goes. we have an auto, there has never been a problem but remember you are looking at a 4 cylinder diesel. It is never going to be a race car even if it has a turbo. If you are looking at jap imports, lift the carpet under the rear passenger seats and
check for rust. This was the most important issue I found when looking for
mine. I reckon the manual is the way to go if you are constantly towing but the auto works
well off road. Hope this info helps......
By the way I am not trying to sell you
mine!
Good luck
cheers
mike
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Reply By: Eric - Friday, Mar 28, 2003 at 23:10
Friday, Mar 28, 2003 at 23:10
Brian.
I commented on the terrano once before and got an angry response, so I just recomend buying some thing else, even a disco diesel will be less trouble and a hole lot better on fuel and off road. Eric.
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Reply By: Member - Clive- Saturday, Mar 29, 2003 at 00:31
Saturday, Mar 29, 2003 at 00:31
Brian,
I have been in the motor trade for all my working life.
Several years ago I was involved in preparing Terrano's for WA licensing after import. As far as I am aware the majority around are imported from Japan, and I have seen some pretty shocking ones.
Some parts I believe are not available locally for a lot of imported vehicles, so be aware of what you are purchasing.
Clive
AnswerID:
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Reply By: dr650 - Sunday, Mar 30, 2003 at 21:27
Sunday, Mar 30, 2003 at 21:27
Brian, I have a 99 nissan terrano II AUSTRALIAN relase 2.7tdi owned it for about 2 years now and have done sand and rocky tracks in SA, vic and found it to be very good have had only 1 problem with so far and was very low on power turned out to be airflow meter bleep it self , replaced by nissan (around $1000 part) under warranty and back to flying agian and even better with my new set of cooper ST havent been able to stop it yet.
Have also towed 8ft inclosed trailer on highway and still had plenty of go. fuel alot better than petrol 4wds
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Reply By: jules - Monday, Mar 31, 2003 at 12:44
Monday, Mar 31, 2003 at 12:44
Hi - we have had our '91/92 model Terrano for just over 3 years - 2.7 turbo diesel - we get about 11k per on average towing a 7x4
dingo camper trailer fully loaded - never had a problem - we have manual -
we too, have done the alternator - and am just replacing the water pump - we have done 100,000k since we bought it - up to the Center, back down the Ooodnadatta and
all places thereabouts - up to outback Qld - a week on Fraser Island and my Terrano has never put a foot wrong - as for parts - go to a Nissan dealer (in
Melbourne I have found Dandenong to be the best) - any auto lec worth his salt should be able to fix anything electrical and any good mechanic can fix anything else - we also get out oil filters, petrol filters etc from a truck parts dealer - don't go to speed shops or 4wd shops they sometimes
don't want to know you - are thinking of updating later this year - would like the Terrano 11 about 89 - manual of course diesel of course
by the way I drive this car every day to work and have no problem approx 70k each day - through heavy traffic no problems.
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Reply By: Dan - Monday, Mar 31, 2003 at 23:04
Monday, Mar 31, 2003 at 23:04
Hi Brian
I dont't own a Terrano but my mum does.Its a 1992 auto model and she reakons its the best veicle she has ever owned. Exelent fuel economy 800 k's+ per tank when travelling on the open road at about 100-105kph.Yes, i think the manuel uses a little more fuel as my friend owns one the same model and it uses slightly more.
Definately
check under the rear seats as my mums had a large patch of rust,$300 to get cut out.Another inherent problem seems to be the altenator, have heard of many in the Terrano's needing replacing, cost my mum $700 to replace.
Other than that it runs beutifully, very reliable and easy to maintain.
I've taken it off road a number of times and the only problem was its ground clearence, if your gonna be doin alot of off roading i'd suggest upgrading the
suspension. On the other hand on the open road its a pleasure to drive.I was supprised at the amount of leg room in the front and back,very comfortable.
I'm only 19 so i dont know how much you will value my opinion but im so impressed by the Terrano that im saving my bucks for one.
I'm planning on doing a trip around oz and towing a 12-15 foot pop-top so im gonna buy a manual model and fit a turbo timer,bull bar and up grade the
suspension. I'm also interested in their performance when towing a van so hopefully we can get some feed back on that issue.
Oh
well, their my thoughts and opinions, hope it helped
Cheers.......Dan
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Follow Up By: Brian - Monday, Apr 07, 2003 at 03:53
Monday, Apr 07, 2003 at 03:53
Thanks to all you blokes out there who answered my queries on the Nissan Terrano, i certainly had more positive
feedback than negative , just one other query , the Terrano11 built in Spain, is it much different to the previous model apart from a more rounded body shape ??
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