Will be checking out this Trooper ..... thoughts?

[Patrollife]

Alright, so this Trooper was a complete lemon. It was a lot more banged up and rusted out in person. The owner wasn't there when I arrived, despite confirming he would be, so I wasn't able to look under the hood. I doubt I would have purchase it anyway, even with a lot of convincing, because it needed way too much work for my taste. So much so that I didn't even bother taking pictures. I did, however, manage to get a few shots of the lake .... at least the drive down there and the views made up for the dud.

 

[EricMcGrew]

Sorry to hear that! Was hoping it would have worked out for you. Like you said though... At least you got to see some beautiful scenery!. Thanks for sharing the photos with us. Let us know what else you look at, and of course, what you end up buying.

 

[Patrollife]

Thanks, Eric. I was, too. I had high hopes for the Trooper. I will say, though, that I saw at least four Troopers while driving down to the Lake that caught my eye. So there is still hope.

 

[Patrollife]

Not an Isuzu but will be checking out these two Nissan Patrols on Friday. The two-toned is gasoline and the tan is diesel. Both have around the same mileage, same interior conditions, clean looking engines, and same price (+/- $500). Which would you choose?

 

[EricMcGrew]

The diesel. I know of around 3 people here in Chile with this same model patrol, and everyone of them has said that their patrol experience says diesel over the gas. What motor is in the diesel, do you know? Because, there is one motor that I've heard you want to be careful with. One of the frequent guest on 4wd.tv is a Patrol specialist, and he talks about a series of Patrol motors that are know to be a bit of a problem. Maybe worth a look-see. I think the motor they complain about it the 3.0 diesel...(?) You'll have to look into that a bit more though.

Typically, I go for diesel over gas, just because of relative reliability, and robustness of the block. Much easier to repair, and even in, less than optimal conditions, you can usually limp them to a mechanic or a place where you'll be able to work on it. Gas motors not so much. Still, do you know if parts are relatively easy to locate? That's also a bit concern for me ALWAYS... My rigs are my DD's though, and when they go down, I have to be able to fix them right then.

Hope one of this works out for you. I'd love to have GQ or GU.

Let us know how it works out! Looking forward to seeing what they look like on closer inspection. Please take some pics.

 

[Patrollife]

Hi Eric. Man, you're like an encyclopedia with rigs. I was actually hoping you'd respond ... both are 4.2, 6 Cylinder engines. At first the two-toned caught my eye but I'm leaning more and more toward the Diesel. Since I have your attention, perhaps you can give me your opinion on a newer model this car company also has for sale. It's twice the cost of the 89 and 90 model years. I'm trying to decide which is the better bang for the buck purchase. The attractive part of the older models are that I can import them to the States when I'm done with my assignment in Guatemala, which is in 2017. I could possibly get my money back or more (with the right buyer). The drawback is, the age of the vehicles. The advantages of the 2003 model include: larger vehicle, trail ready, lower mileage, better condition, etc. The 2003 specs are Nissan Patrol GRX 3.0 TDi 4x4 4 Cil. There is not much that I would do with the 2003 other than maybe black out the wheels, add a roof rack, and maybe some extra lights up front. I have an RTT and awning in the states that I will want to ship, whereas the older model patrols would require a lot more modifications. What are your thoughts?

 

[EricMcGrew]

Well, I couldn't ever find the video that I was looking for to link here. However, it seems that the 3.0 gets a bunch of bad reviews for it starving for oil from time to time. The sump clogs, or something of that like. Honestly, I've not had the opportunity to investigate it any futher. At the same time though, there are plenty of people who praise their GU with a 3.0 in it. Honestly though, I have seen less negative conversation on the web about the 4.2 than the 3.0. The 2.8 seems to have the complaint that it's just underpowered. Still, have a Trooper/Jackaroo that is running a 2.8 tdi (4jb1-ti), I can imagine the Patrol wouldn't win any races, but still has the torque you would be looking for.

So, as to weather or not you should get the newer, or one of the older... That's a hard decision. IDK. Seems to me, the older ones could have more potential for your future. Importation possibilities, building/modding it to your prefference (for a the same cost as the newer, maybe even less). Where as with the newer one, you'll be getting a new a newer vehicle at a higher cost that's already modded. Still, will you be completely satisfied with all the mods as they are? My experience shows, that that is very unlikely. Almost everybody that I know who has purchased a modded car/rig has started "tweaking it" shortly after buying it, and the eventually end up changing almost everything that was already modded.

Also, something to think about is the following. I'm sure that you've looked into the cost of shipping your RTT, but if it's as expensive to ship to Guatamala as it is to Chile, you may be better off looking at building a sleeping platform in the back with slide out drawers, and just sleeping in the back of the rig. While sleeping you can fold down the back seats and store gear there, plus your roof rack. It'd probably be cheaper and work pretty good. Once again though just a suggestion.

So, trying to clarify a bit more... If the older are in GOOD shape, motor/chassis/mechanically over all/body/ect.. I would probably lean more toward them (personally). Still, I don't think the 2003 would be a bad option either. I just like my rigs to be to my specs. Not those of some other owner, and the 3.0 dialog on the web, would make me a bit hessitant.

Check out this thread and forum though if you can before deciding. http://www.patrol4x4.com/forum/nissan-patrol-gu-gr-10/3-0l-problems-18293/

Hope it works out either way. Make sure you let us know.

 

[Patrollife]

Thanks! Will keep you posted.

 

[Patrollife]

The wait is over. Finally settled on a 1990, 4.2 Diesel, Manual, 3-door Nissan Patrol!! Super excited to start the modifications! Picked her up at a great price, too!

 

[EricMcGrew]

Looks like a super cool ride man. Can't wait to see what you get done to it!

 

[Patrollife]

Thanks! First thing I'm doing is getting her cleaned up and serviced. As soon as I get the build going I'll post the link. Thanks for coming along with me on this journey. Your advice was much appreciated.

 

[EricMcGrew]

Thanks! Glad I could be of some assistance. I think that the 4.2 will be a good motor for you. Another plus is, even though you don't want to kill this vehicle, since it's older, it's a little less of a shock if it gets dented a bit or scratched. So, you will have more fun in it I think! Looking forward to you getting started on this.

 

[Patrollife]

The build thread has begun....albeit at a snail's pace

http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...ew-Build-1990-3-Door-Nissan-Patrol-4-2-Diesel

 

[EricMcGrew]

InterFJ, I think most of us are building at a snails paste. I'll start following now, so as not to miss a thing.

 

[Patrollife]

The owner of the Trooper dropped his price down in half.