[test]

I'm currently looking at two vehicles for a bug-out vehicle.

In Norway, Nissans are cheap, and the parts are in abundance from what I understand.

That's why I chose these two:

http://www.finn.no/finn/car/object?finnkode=15812092&sid=xz2cbaoA96r051844&WT.svl=Bilde

Diesel, driven 240000km, manual gear and little rust.

Then we have this one:

http://www.finn.no/finn/car/object?finnkode=15805831&sid=xz2cbaoA96r051844&WT.svl=Bilde

Pretty much same as the above, just a year older and driven 123500km.

Since I'm no car guy (more of an MC type), can anyone give me any knowledgable feedback as to the ruggedness/usability of these trucks are?

From what I gather, they're pretty solid. The engine is a sturdy little 2.5l and are 4x4.

More then that I don't know. Never had a Nissan before, except for a 300ZX.

Thanks for the help.

 

[trixie]

i like the first one better. but the second one has a winch. you can run 31" tires on them without a lift kit. my buddy had/has one just like that but 4cyl gas here in america. it gets poor mileage with gas like 14 city 18 highway at best. but the 4 cyl is strong. just curious, whats the dollar value??

 

[test]

Not really sure Trixie, haven't really exchanged any bucks for crowns lately.

But I think it's, 1us is 6kr.

I'm not worried about the winch etc. I'll be adding a cow gaurd, winches (front and rear) and a rollbar with flood lights to it. I'll also be getting bigger tires.

If I end up getting one. Already have a prelude as a daily driver, so this will be for when SHTF.

Thanks for the input.

 

[trixie]

wow if that means $4000 thats a super high price for that truck. in america anyways. but they are cool trucks i'd love to drive a diesel version.

 

[test]

Yeah, everything in Norway (and most of europe) is waaay more expensive then the states, most notably, cars.

 

[Thedragon]

I had one years ago before it was written off in an accident.
It was the 2.5 diesel 4 cylinder 4x4.
Tough vehicle but do have some inherant problems.
The cluster bearings in the gear boxes are troublesome more so when carying or towing heavy loads.
The oil seal on the pump at the rear of the alternator are a problem, spaying oil through the alternator requiring a rebuild or exchange alternator.
Genuine nissan seals must be used, not generic.
Had problems with the front crank oil seal, leaking after a number of replacements.

 

[test]

Thanks Dragon, that's exactly the type of info I was out after.

Do you have any advice on how to toughen these weak spots up? Or do I have to live with them and fix them when they break?

 

[thorjeep]

Interesting, what type of terrain will you be going though in the BOV?

 

[test]

Typical european mountain type terrain. A lot of rock, loose sand and mud. A lot of rocks etc.

 

[Qscuba]

Solidus, they are very tough and capable vehicles with alot of aftermarket support in your neck of the woods. if you would like to see some options of what can be done check out Arctic trucks in Iceland.

 

[Grinnan Barrett]

Do the have service records on either vehicle? Oil changes are critical to the life of an engine either gas or diesel. To me it looks like both have had some parts replaced. I assume it is due to rust from roads. From what I could see I like the second one better. It could use some paint but that is minimal. First one from looks of interior has been run pretty hard. If you can drive them do so. If you can have YOUR mechanic look at them do so. Best wishes and happy driving.

 

[Thedragon]

Solidus,
The gear boxes were inherantly weak, particularly the overdrive bearing.
I had my gear box rebuilt, but about three years later the same problem again.
A common fault is the oil seal between the box and the 4x4 torque converter failing.
This allows the gearbox oil to leak or pump itself into the converter, hence the gearbox bearings don't have enpugh oil.
One way we have fixed this problem in Aus, is to fit a bypass hose between the to modules, so the oil flows back into the gearbox.
Oil types are a bit of a problem as each transmission module uses a different grade of oil.
The oil vac pump seal on the rear of the alternator was fixed by using a nissan seal rather than generic.
Front crank oil seal could probably be fixed with machining and genuine seal.
Also, nissans need the valve clearances checked and adjusted every 10,000 Km I think it was. Not sure on that one.

 

[thorjeep]

Typical european mountain type terrain. A lot of rock, loose sand and mud. A lot of rocks etc.

Ok, Thanks, I don't know about your terrain.
(I am not sure about nissans except my 1988 300zx )

However given your terrain, lighting is important:

Rollbar, great investment!
Lights on the roll bar, well maybe. Having lights up high like that is good for long range lighting, like Baja racing. Lights up that high cast a long shadow in front of the grill (Which you need to see in slow-speed rock crawling) , reflect light off the hood into your eyes (destroying night vision) and catch on every low hanging branch known to man

I have found off-road lighting is best in front of the grill, and on either side of the windshield with a handle so you can reach out and direct it like a police teardrop (and a switch, they tend to shine on the hood and blind as well)

However in a rock-heavy terrain, a set of rock lights are great. I have a set of LEDs behind the front wheels, and in front of the back wheels so you can see exactly what/where your tires are on. And a set of regular lights illuminating the pumpkins underneath, so you can see what you are cought on.

In night driving at difficult terrain, it is not the big HID lights focusing on what is coming up, but the details of what is right now you need to focus on.

Plus you don't attract passing satellites

If this is of any help let me know and I can go on. Otherwise as far as the capability of the Nissan, ask here:

http://forums.off-road.com/nissan-all/

if you decide to join, let me know, I am a old man on that forum, I'll give you an introduction :thumb:

 

[test]

Do the have service records on either vehicle?

Thanks Grinnan, I emailed them here the other day asking if they have full service records etc. and they both did. I'm hoping to go see one (if not both) of them next week.

Thor, thanks for the advice. I don't plan on having the lights on the roll cage facing forwards. I'd like to have four lights up there, to pointing back to the bed of the truck and beyond, then two others pointing slightly to the sides of the truck facing of course, forwards.

I do plan on putting up two strong lights on the cattle guard. Hopefully these will be low enough to not interfere with driving.

I'll also stop by at the Nissan forum you posted.

Again, thanks all for the help. I'll keep this space updated.

 

[crazykeren]

it is a high price for this truck , http://www.10facts.com/article/Autos/Cars/Nissan/Nissan-300ZX.html

 

[test]

Sorry for the no interest in the thread on my part. I went ill and unfortunately have not followed up on either of the sellers of the before mentioned trucks.

I think I'll wait a little while longer to see if something else comes on the market to a little more reasonable price. (Although, those prices are already more then reasonable here in Norway.)

 

[gridless]

I've owned 3 Nissan 4x4 King Cabs. I maintained them regularly and put them through hell, but they each went well over 200,000 miles before I traded up to the newer one of the time.
I'm looking into possibly buying another one this summer. I just put a new V-8 in the Dodge, but I miss the smaller size vehicle. Great maneuverability.