Offroad-Express

hi all Im looking at buying a nissan safari and would like some advice on what things i should look out for when purcahsing and what sort of price i should expect to pay looking for something swb 1990+ in good condition for a mix of on and offroad use, any adivce would be apperceiated

Look for little rust around rear sliding window frames and roof rails ,that been serviced regular , changes gears easy auto /manual ,trans levers shift easy hi/low in and out of 4wd radiator in good condition water nice colour brakes work good pads, suspension bushes good condition ,front hubs easy to move

hi mate,as coxsy said + look for rust in firewall seam and under back seat,safari's also are known to have a few issues with the dash cluster so make sure you check all gauges are working,if it has lecky windows check them and the central locking are working.as for price have a look on tard me.

Aside from whats been mentioned, I'll add:

1. Rust in the rear quarters, even if it's been chopped. The wheel tubs too..
2. Solid front axle wobble, most SFAs I've driven do wobble a bit but it can be bad. Its normally a sign of incorrectly shimmed or worn kingpin bearings, but could be suspension bushes.
3. Seeping or leaking oil seals. Main ones that go are the front diff inner axle, look for oil stains down the inside sidewalls of the front tires. The rear main (engine), bit of a decent job to change.
4. Worn bushing in the radius arms, upper and lower arms etc. Can be time consuming to change, especially without a hydraulic press.
5. Its common for the power steering high pressure line to rupture in some fashion. Easy enough and cheap enough for any hydraulic shop to fix up for you though.

On mine I've also had a fuel pressure issue (worn rubber lines), stripped front seat attachment points (may of had something to do with a 1/2" drive 24" break arm..), coolant leaks, blown clutch, re-con'd injectors. None of which I'd call major issues (except the clutch..), more annoying than anything.

Just having a decent critical look and test drive should tell you if there is anything up with the truck. Ensure you engage the hubs and test 4H and 4L, you're not meant to use 4x4 on road but better than finding out its busted. Price wise a decent condition mid-km's stock one should be about 7-8k but I've seen fully kitted out ones in the area of 16-18k and sell. TD42's will be slightly more that TB42's and turbos add about a grand to the price.

Overall awesome trucks and starting to get popular again. Super easy to work on too, everything is just big and/or heavy and engine/drivetrain parts are sometimes pricey due to the fact they are big powerful trucks.

IMHO, SWB's in the right hands with simple mods go a long way and LWBs bottom out on things due to the chassis length but also very good trucks.