Any known major faults for these apart from some had rust in floor? Are they capable tow vehices for about 1.5 to 2 ton? Most seem to be over 200,000km, would like to hear owners opinions on these. Not interested in the 3 litre petrol versions. Cheers
kingfisher21,
Dec 28, 6:59am
Engines are bullet proof, little lacking in grunt but you can wind the boost up a little which makes them go a fair bit better, auto trans are fairly good if maintained and make sure you use an aftermarket cooler if towing. I prefer the Terrano's, Mistrals are a little cramped interior wise. That applies to the TD27T engines, don't get one with the later 3.2
seadubya,
Dec 28, 7:10am
I've got a 2.7 turbo Terrano, 330k on the clock, well serviced auto, I was told to watch out for rust in bottom of front guards if the drains get blocked (which is too easy to do with leaves from above). Tows 2 cube of green firewood rings out of the bush with ease, I haven't done any long distance tows, but it behaves itself under load on an unmaintained dirt track. No problem keeping up with modern traffic with a bit left in the tank for passing etc which it may not have without the turbo? Getting about 13 litres per 100km on the Peninsula and a bit better on the open road. Make sure you have a play with all the gears in high and low, an unmaintained gearbox should show itself. But with a good gearbox and no rust they make a reliable work horse.
ambo11,
Dec 28, 7:24am
Cheers guys, Terrano sounds good as whatever we end up getting will be doing a lot of green wood towing (2.5 cube a time). Like Bighorns but have heard horror stories, Toyotas seem damned expensive for the mileages etc,guess anything can give problems though. Cheers
xs1100,
Dec 28, 7:27am
have had a nz new pathfinder for the last 16yrs and sweet as,lookig a bit sad on it these days but still gets a wof every 6 months and never had a problem with it service it once a year.now reduced to a dog/boat towing truck but can leave it for 3 months and still roars into life mines a 2.4 petrol manual but mint trucks done 330ks
kingfisher21,
Dec 28, 7:32am
Bighorns aren't as bad as a lot make out, I have a MU which is basically the same mechanically and it's been as reliable as. The biggest fault with them is a neglected cooling system, they do use an awful lot of coolant hoses and this is what kills most of them, a hose bursts and then it's cooked.
monaro17,
Dec 28, 7:53am
You must mean not tk touch the later 3.0neo, the 3.2 is very similar to the 2.7 but more powerful and just better all round
horses7,
Dec 28, 8:09am
Cant go too far wrong with the Terrano,either 2.7 or 3.2 are both great engines,have owned both and while the while the 2.7 is a great engine the 3.2 kills it for power and is just as reliable,the one to avoid is the 3.0 litre engine from late 98 on as they were grenades,both 2.7 and 3.2 engines almost indestructible,my 3.2 was fitted with factory standard external trans.cooler and this is a must for towing with anything no matter what it is. overall great trucks and still a fair few good ones around,still sought after for good reason
xs1100,
Dec 28, 8:42am
its actually only the zd30 until about 2003 after that they are fine but a heap of early ones brought in in safaris an terranos,the 3.2 is the same block but taking it out to the limit get a 2.7 turbo and so long as looked after go forever
xs1100,
Dec 28, 8:43am
biggest problem is the autos if they go can be a 2k repair
franc123,
Dec 28, 10:49am
I could go into a comprehensive list of things to check on D21, R20 or R50 Mistrals and Terrano's to go through when buying but its just as easy to do the following to quickly disqualify any examples that might LOOK good, as mentioned the TD/QD diesel is pretty tough BUT it needs to be remembered that some of the bits hung off them (alternators, starters, water pump/visco fan unit, injector pumps, transmissions) are less so, and many of these things are for sale because they are costing $ to keep going. These things like all 90's Nissans also give above average problems with body electrics.
OK basic checks are, don't buy anything that seems to be running hot, has rusty coolant or rust stains on the engine, there's big problems ahead, likewise dirty trans oil, excessive engine oil or power steer leaks or ANY signs of diesel leaks until confirmed where leaking from. ETi (electronic diesel injected) versions in particular need close inspection and attention paid to how quick the engine fires hot and cold, whether it blows white or grey smoke at any time or has any weird un-diesel like hesitations when taking off. they're all signs of a crook airflow meter at best or a buggered pump at worst. $$$$$. The check engine light should come on at startup and stay off the rest of the time, be suspicious if it doesn't work at all or comes on when driving, likewise transmissions that up or downshift rough or don't pick up R or D quickly when selecting. Anything that seems soft in the suspension or brakes or ducks and dives under braking needs a thorough looking at, particularly rear axle bushes. Really anything that has any or all of those issues should be avoided, its likely to be a money pit.
mals69,
Dec 28, 10:08pm
If you do a search for terrano you will find plenty more info on here - been covered quite a bit. Manuals can develop a fault due to a factory oil lubrication fault at around 150k - most will have been attended to.
Had mine 10 years plus and spent about $300 - its done 175k. Like any vehicle if you can be patient go for low k as you can and one that hardly been off the road.
franc123,
Dec 28, 10:36pm
That's actually another thing you should be weary of if anything, suspiciously low kms for a 20yo diesel vehicle, and one where the owner tells you its cost them only $300 in 10 years should especially be avoided lol.
seadubya,
Dec 28, 10:41pm
Hi franc, my Terrano had one of the avoidance points on your list, rusty coolant, I flushed it all and it is now full of green. What should I be watching out for / prepared to replace/repair in that regard? Thanks. (It doesn't do or show any of the other warning signs mentioned)
mals69,
Dec 28, 10:48pm
Be prudent to take each case by case. In this case its owner retired from the coalface at 29 so the need for 10,000 km yearly trips to work and back is not needed. (Not his only vehicle either)
franc123,
Dec 28, 10:59pm
Keep a close eye on it for a while to see it doesn't start leaking anywhere, especially the water pump. I hope if it was that bad the radiator got a proper flush out?
franc123,
Dec 28, 11:03pm
For sure. I was just highlighting the fact that odo disconnecting does occur and the need to look out for wear and tear that doesn't fit with the distance on it.
mals69,
Dec 28, 11:10pm
True - yes they are very common for the tickle and fiddle
seadubya,
Dec 28, 11:20pm
Thanks for that, will do. When I got it (cheap wood truck/spare vehicle) I disconnected top and bottom hoses and ran a hose through it for a while with a bit of muslin cloth held over bottom outlet with a rubber band. Only got a few very small flakes caught up, the rest was just rusty coloured water. I haven't noticed any leaks hot or cold since, (would stand out on clean concrete). I have noticed that the level likes to sit at the top of the radiator fins though, whether I do 50km or 500km it will always take a cup and a half to top up the radiator, while the reservoir level doesn't change much.
andy61,
Dec 29, 12:28am
Try to get the Terrano over the Mistral, the Mistral is built in Spain,Euro electricals mean the Mistrals are terrible for electrical problems,very common for failed electric windows, central locking,headllight switches, etc. I had a Mistral ,changed it for a R50 Terrano because of the dodgy electrics.If you get a R50 Terrano, its very common for the rev counter to play up, cheap to have it repaired.
rob_man,
Dec 29, 12:32am
Often caused by the cap not sealing 100%. It won't draw water back from the reservoir. It will push the air out when it heats up and draw air back as it cools and the reservoir level stays the same.
seadubya,
Dec 29, 12:55am
Cheers for the reply, all clear around the radiator top so I might replace the cap (looks ok but so do most of them).
kazbanz,
Dec 29, 3:32am
I would follow Franc's list. But before even going"there" I would be asking if the owner has PROOF of fuel pump repair/replacement. By now the pump has already failed or is going to. Being a diesel I'd be taking the odo reading with a SHAKER of salt.
desmodave,
Dec 29, 4:32am
I bought a 1991 v6 2 door auto recently just for a hack and dog vehicle so no bloody white American bulldog hair contaminates my Fairmont .Nissan lived in North Canterbury so was hardly close to Karamea to check it out 1st .$1600 buy now and took the gable thinking its not much to lose if its a heap . New wof and reg seller said no rust and went well . Quick day trip over to Chch to collect it and it never missed a beat on the 400+km return trip . Car has no rust issues is straight and drives well . The tyres were getting down and i dont like getting stuck so picked up a set of near new Maxxis Trepadore off road tyres for $475 so that should keep me going for a few years . West coast is hard on vehicles so see no point spending to much coin to go off road . Lucky they still make petrol as its a heavy drinker .
ambo11,
Dec 29, 4:32am
Thanks franc, for that advice. I'm usually pretty good at looking at vehicles but with these things I'm a novice really. If I'm going to end up spending a reasonable amount I'll ask for it for a few hours and get it looked at.
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