Offroad-Express

Looking at a 1996 mistral td27 for a 2nd 4x4 while I rebuild my ute.
Is there anything of importance I should look for before I consider buying?
Cheers.

If sunroof model, look for rust in sills. Drains block and they hold water in sills, rusting inside out.
Apparently they prone for rust under rear seats as per terrano- I'm yet to see it personally.
Fuel pumps (electronic ones) can give grief.
Check condition of auto, they can give problems if old oil or been overheated (eg towing without trans cooler)
Crash will let ya know all the ins ands outs

most of the '96 models are non inter cooled. but a v small number are the face lifted ones, with bonnet vent.
are you looking at the non inter cooled, or the facelift one with ETI motor.
Most of the mistral's that i've seen have had poor maintenance on their cooling system. look for rusty water in radiator. i.e.. no coolant
running very cool on temp gauge either means the thermostat has been removed, or it is stuck open.
if it drives with a reluctance, then a surge, from a standstill, it often means the fuel pump is on the way out.
the trans is a bit weak(if not maintained) so walk away from one with dirty fluid. trans coolers are your friend, though the facelift models have one from factory, in front of radiator(not large, but does the job fine, though I'm yet to tow with it)
if the front suspension and steering bushes are worn, they can be very hard to get the wheels aligned properly, so if it has uneven tire wear, or if it doesn't drive sweetly, then just be aware you made need to spend some money. There are plenty on the market, and they are good value for money, so you can afford to keep looking till you find a well maintained one, so you don't need to spend any coin on it while you are doing up your ute.
For instance, $4k for one that hasn't done much towing, and doesn't live at beach, with an owner who is a regular servicing convert, will be a far better buy than a $3K one that is either thrashed or not maintained. $1000 doesn't go far once you have to start fixing a 4WD diesel.
check the windows all work, as the factory regulators have a design fault that causes them to fail. But hey, on a 19 year old vehicle, who's complaining?
how tall are you, as the driving position is a little more cramped than say, a Surf?

Ok I went and had a look and it has been used on the beach so walked away from it. Already have a beach bashing nissan
Have found another terrano thats in way better condition for the same price so may end up with that instead.