Advice on inspecting used D22's

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Ben899

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I'm looking to buy a Str single cab.
I can only really afford something that has around 250,000ks, 2006+ between 10-12k

I just have general questions in regards to reliability as I've always had vehicles under 150ks.

Obviously every vehicle has been driven and maintained differently so I guess my questions are as follows.

Would any of you buy a second hand Str with 250ks in confidence?

What are some major mechanical issues to be wary of?

What should I inspect in particular when I go and check out it out?

And just any other advice in checking out well used d22's?

Regards,
Ben






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when a vehicle gets a few K,s on the clockparts do wear out, the main parts on the navaras that do need replaceing after time are firstly the Timing Chain,if the chain should break while your driving the cost of repair can be up to $8k as not only would the chain need replacement but also engine damge will occur as pistons with bend valves etc etc . so the first part that Must be replced before anything bad should happen is the full timing chain kit then your safe.
next major part that will breakdown after time would be the Injector Pump, another costly item to replace. the Navara diesel engine likes its engine oil and filters changed at 5 to 10k intervals plus the fuel filter every 10k. last thing would be to find out how old the Clutch is as with any high K car the clutch would be nearly gone if it hasn,t been replaced within 100k ago. honestly i don,t think its the best idea to buy a car with inxcess of 250K,s on the clock unless you have a spare car for all parts. look for someting with no more than 150K,s. i can get you a beauty str 2013 with 80k on the clock for around 20K, its my sons .
 
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Service records are a big one for me bud. Regular oil and filter changes.. Thought u may be able to do a little better than that kms wise. Plenty of good guys on here to give honest advice. Goodluck buddy. Cheers
 
While there might be very little danger of it happening, please don't take any of the following as gospel. We can only go on experience and there will be lots of different opinions.

Generally, the best advice on buying a Nissan, if you really want it to last, is to spend the extra and get a Toyota (lol). Though all (half) jokes aside (sort of), the D22 is generally a very good, tough little ute. The motor is generally good and the drive train seems good also, perhaps except for the front diff if you want to do much 4wd-ing (not a Nissan problem, seems a bit small and weak in all these type of vehicles). The front suspension is crap, but I still far prefer to drive one of these than a hilux.

I would buy one with that many km's on it, though as with all used cars, there is a risk. Then again, plenty of people drive complete lemons out of the showroom (even Toyotas).

If it's been looked after, that's not a huge amount of km's at all and you should get quite a few more years out of it. If you know someone who is used to them, a lot can be learned just from starting and listening. If not, you will have to rely on your own evaluation. Check for all of the usual things like oil leaks, strange noises. Don't worry of it takes a few seconds or more for the oil light to go out (when starting cold), not uncommon. Take it for a drive and find somewhere to put it in high/low range and 4wd to listen for transmission noises. Give the chassis a bit of a look at the stress points.

While many of the problems mentioned above could happen, that doesn't imply they will. A lot depends on how it was used (heavy towing etc). A good service history will help, as a lot of problems come about from lack of servicing. The fuel pumps can suffer if the filters aren't changed regularly. The oil needs to be changed regularly not only for the motor, but it lubricates and cools the turbo.

That's something (IMO) that is likely to be a bit tired with that amount of km's on a stock Navara (the turbo). Mine was basically clapped out about 170 thou. Though it didn't let me down, just lost a bit of go, new turbo and all good. At any rate, people rarely get rid of cars because they are going well (though some do simply update) and it's possible it could need some work. The idea isn't necessarily only to see if anything might be wrong with it, but what work might need to be done. It might not be much. There is still every chance you will get a good reliable car, even at that amount of km's.

Anyway, good luck with it.
 
I have a MY08 DX single cab 2WD manual and it has been pretty reliable but some things are a pain to work on.

Had to replace the radio aerial - damaged due to my fault - had someone do it for me and they claimed it was very difficult with little space to work with.

Just fixed the fan heater/AC blower resistor. Some models of the Navara have the resistor bolted to the mixer box but on mine - it is at the back of the fan and access is extremely awkward and simply not set up to replace easily - you need to use a offset screwdriver and a lot of cursing. Failure of the resistor pack is common with most people only with the fan operating on the highest speed which has no resistance applied. When removing the old unit discovered the metal backing plate had rusted and it blew the edge of the printed resistance board to pieces when the rust expanded. More common is failure due to heat stress.

One rear axle oil seal leak the only other thin to have fixed.

Mechanically the engine has been brilliant - no issues - no issues with the engine and the clutch is fantastic even if you cannot rush the gear changes.

I have heard lots of issues on forums but other than the fan blower resistor pack - haven't had any others.

Since moving to a rural area, I would prefer a 4WD but that is hardly a complaint.
 
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My 2004 3ltr has 360000ks of towing 2 tonnes behind it now. Only time I drop the trailer is to trash it off road!
It gets an oil and filter change every 10000ks and thats about it.
Still original injectors etc.
Motor untouched.
Changed the clutch at 280000ks.
Still all original brake rotors etc.
Im keen on on a new ute but am waiting to kill this one first.
Seems to be a hard task
 
You usually get a inkling on different people also. Pull up at someone's place and their house and other gear is kept mint you can probably guess the vehicle is looked after also. Same applies to boats and other maintainable items. Just a tip.
 

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