Hello & whats ya thoughts,,,

[haz77]

Hi all,

Had our late model 95 2.7td terrano, manual, for about 5 years now and over all very happy with it, put 80'ks on it taking it to 274'ks now (no odo switch!) and starting to think about up grading, its been so good to us I wish it would just last forever but the logic of sell/trade while its still going ok & worth a few $$ is taking hold.

We dont 'off road" as such, we live on shingle, tow a boat, move horses around the place frequently & head to the ski fields as often as possible so everything but really, no polish & school runs for this 4x4.

Been thinking a late model Patrol might fit the bill or a Prado but they seem to fetch such a high price, a 05 auto Diesel Challenger has also just come up locally, size wise this would work but would it be a slug with the 2800 motor and are the scare story's a reality with these trucks, clearly something makes them worth 30% less than the Nissan / Toyota equivalents?

[slide]

would it be a slug with the 2800 motor and are the scare story's a reality with these trucks, clearly something makes them worth 30% less than the Nissan / Toyota equivalents?

30% less as mitsi don't have the 'name' that toyota/ nissan do..
Scare storys are there for every make and model. Search up D$D for examples. And have you taken one for a drive? May only be 2.8, but it'd leave a terrano in the dust for acceleration. And economy too.

[haz77]

Thats a worry!

Recently Ive known a mate whos 97 landcruser blew the bottom end, a pal whos 96 surf gave him a $4500 head bill & a guy at work whos 99 pathfinder 3.0d cost $5k after it did what he later found out these engines are prone for,,, while our trusty terrano chugs on & another mate up the road lords about his 95 pajaro 2.8d cus having only paid about $4500 for it he can scrap 3 of them for the price of buying a good toyota!

Hoping to take the challenger out over the weekend, may as well take the opportunity to try one since its local, out of interest is it possible to stop the odo on a challenger or is this not common on these?, always my first thought when looking at buying a used 4x4D as so many have false K's on them

[the quadfather]

type in the rego plate on carjam.co.nz and it will bring up a history of the car and should tell you if the ks are genuine. Make a note of the ks on the vehicle when you test drive it. Hope this helps

[haz77]

Cheers, have used car jam before but if your sensible about how you use it then the k's would still be even, just wondered if its something to look for on a challenger as not all vehicles can have it done, if they have mechanical drive for example.

[nzlux]

My 1994 pajero was an electronic speedo, while I didnt bother putting a switch in, as I would rather know the k's my vehicle was doing for servicing etc, I would say it is possible with a Challenger.

If you are worried about the k's being low you can always look at things like wear on the pedals, gear knob etc to see if the wear is consistent with the k's

[coxsy]

a challange diesel will not suit your needs at all , another model woujd be a better idea

[sublimenz]

Have you thought about getting another terrano?? I have a 96 v6 petrol Regulas only done 111km. Its a little thirsty around town but I mainly do open road driving and am getting around 14km per litre. plus they arent to badly priced I paid $7k for mine, Its a great tow wagon I recently trailered my S2 landrover from the Coromandel back home which is nearly 700km with no hassles.

[NJV6]

a challange diesel will not suit your needs at all , another model woujd be a better idea

I would suggest it would be ideal actually.

Like any engine, there are things to watch - things to watch for the 2.8, they do go well performance wise, worth doing the top timing chain tensioner guide at 150km or so, they get a little bit worn and this can put the timing a bit out or worse, break bits off it, the injector pumps can leak diesel into the engine oil when they are really worn out so the pump may need done up at some stage, and being an alloy head at some stage it will probably give up the ghost.

I have a 96 v6 petrol and am getting around 14km per litre.

Ha ha 7.14L/100km.... pull the other one!!!!

[sublimenz]

a challange diesel will not suit your needs at all , another model woujd be a better idea

I would suggest it would be ideal actually.

Like any engine, there are things to watch - things to watch for the 2.8, they do go well performance wise, worth doing the top timing chain tensioner guide at 150km or so, they get a little bit worn and this can put the timing a bit out or worse, break bits off it, the injector pumps can leak diesel into the engine oil when they are really worn out so the pump may need done up at some stage, and being an alloy head at some stage it will probably give up the ghost.

I have a 96 v6 petrol and am getting around 14km per litre.

Ha ha 7.14L/100km.... pull the other one!!!!

sorry to burst your bubble mate but thats what Im getting per tank. maybe you need to check your driving style

[haz77]

Thanks guys,

Yes had thought of another terrano but ideally we would like a bigger more powerful truck next that said they still are a great value 4x4, no I wouldnt buy a petrol 4x4 the father inlaw has a petrol Triton, a mate has a v6 surf infact any 2.5+ltr petrol anything Ive ever owned or known of sucks like a choir boy even before you start towing, which 70% of our use is doing.

Very helpful comments on the Challenger thanks, think its going to come down to a Pajaro, Prado or a Challenger, depends what comes up at the best price, our budget / ability to justify changing stops at about $16k & I wont buy over 200'ks which I know leaves me quite limited.

Been a few nice late 90's TD prados about at good prices lately so going to have a read up on them,,,

[kbjj]

a challange diesel will not suit your needs at all , another model woujd be a better idea

I would suggest it would be ideal actually.

Like any engine, there are things to watch - things to watch for the 2.8, they do go well performance wise, worth doing the top timing chain tensioner guide at 150km or so, they get a little bit worn and this can put the timing a bit out or worse, break bits off it, the injector pumps can leak diesel into the engine oil when they are really worn out so the pump may need done up at some stage, and being an alloy head at some stage it will probably give up the ghost.

I have a 96 v6 petrol and am getting around 14km per litre.

Ha ha 7.14L/100km.... pull the other one!!!!

sorry to burst your bubble mate but thats what Im getting per tank. maybe you need to check your driving style

Buggar me, my Charade drinks 7.2L/100km, thats one economical V6

[callum007]

I would easily recommend a 05 vintage challenger for your requirements. Well maintained it'll do you many a years good service. Check its service history if possible and all the usual stuff.

Seems a simple question late 90's vehicle or mid 2000's. Its not like technology improved much in that time..

[pjb]

sorry to burst your bubble mate but thats what Im getting per tank. maybe you need to check your driving style

Dude, you must be using miracle gas! There isn't a single mid-size V6 around that's getting much better than 10 l/100km (even that would be super-economical).

http://www.fuelly.com/car/nissan/pathfinder/1996

Assuming you have the 80l tank - you'd be getting about 1100 km per tank!?

[haz77]

I would think its reasonably safe to say 14km/ltr is being confused with 14ltrs/100km.

Gets me how much some of what are in reality now quite old toyotas with 200+'ks on + what the japs took off! can still fetch $15k+, just shows what a hole there is in the market, I mean how long can they really hold that value / keep running like a $15k truck, surely sooner or later they will all lead to a big repair bill.