Flite

I've been looking for a Toyota pickup (hilux) for a while and cannot for the life of me find one optioned how I want in good shape. While looking today I stumbled upon what may be a good deal on a '92 Nissan hardbody 4x4 that's supposedly in really good shape.

If any of you have any general info on these things, please share it. I don't know much about them. I was in the same boat with the Toyotas until I asked here. Are there any engine drivetrain combos to shy away from? Major maintenance to look for? Problem areas? Help a brotha out. I'm looking for something to commute back and forth to work, and maybe go out to the beach with every now and then. I don't foresee doing any major offroading with it, just a minor lift with some tires that would be more beach friendly.

JDM74

How many lifted hard bodies do you see on the road? Not much aftermarket support. At least not as much as the Toyotas. Toyota owns the small 4x4 truck market.

kashimiru

rust is always a concern for them. bed, undercarriage, floor boards etc. especially if its been to the beach.

92 would come w/ either a single cam KA24E (similar to the 240's, but minor differences exist) so it'd have a timing chain w/ guides that could be suspect, or it would come w/ the single cam 3.0L VG30E found in almost every 80's and 90's nissan v6. Has a timing belt that ought to be replaced every 60k, along w/ the idler and tensioner pullies - the studs they mount to get weak over time, snap and valves say hi to the pistons. v6's are notorious for exhaust leaks when either manifolds crack or manifold bolts snap which can lead to costly repairs if they haven't been fixed already.

got independent front suspension, which people hate on all the time. The SE-V6's come w/ limited slips in the rear, and there's a wide variety of gear ratios out there, depending on the drive train.

94, the trucks got an upgrade to the interior (more modern looking dash vs the old boxy 80's style) and exterior (new front grill and regular headlights instead of sealed beams iirc)

if taken care of, they can last for hundreds of thousands of miles, just like the yota trucks.

Flite

Yeah but I've been researching, and now I've got this uncomfortable itch about the frame issue the '95-'00 Tacomas have.

Why can't I just find a good clean ~'95, single cab, 4x4, 22re, yota with a/c?

JDM74

edit: After seeing pictures of the frames of some of these Tacos involved in this recall, I don't blame you for not wanting to try to buy one. I know there was a good reason I always liked the Hiluxes better.

Thats a 14 year old truck that has most likely been driven a lot. Anybody that has one really doesn't want to get rid of it, lol. Where have you looked? It took me some time to find my
'90 and it wasn't in the best shape when I found it. Pick up a copy of the trading post on Tuesday and the truck trader too. Check in both of those. Also check in the newspaper. That's where I found mine.

Flite

Trust me, I've been searching hard. I'm fairly particular in what I want though. Finding one is hard enough, finding one in good shape is a real challenge. I don't want one that's rough. I want one I can take home that day and start driving back and forth to work right away. Getting off road is secondary.

I'm going to look at this high mile '00 today. I'll be looking REALLY close at it. If it wasn't for the fact that I can get it for about $2k under KBB, I wouldn't even consider it. Plus, there's always the Toyota buy back program if it has frame issues down the road. We'll see.

JDM74

Good luck with the 2000 today. From seeing the pictures of some of the Tacos that have the issue it should be really easy to spot by just crawling under the truck and looking at the front leaf spring hanger area. Take a philips screw driver with you and poke the frame in that area. If it feels solid, you should be good to go.

Flite

Here's a couple pictures of the frame. There's no "bubbling" rust, just this surface stuff that any car has. This is the worse spot as well. Most of the frame looks new. I suppose exhaust heat makes this the worse place. This is the right frame rail by the forward leaf spring hanger.







And the truck itself:









Everything works, 4wd hi and low, clutch bypass, e-lock rear, windows, A/C, clutch feels good, drives smooth, no leaks, steering's tight, etc etc. I mean, it's a $5000 truck and if I didn't know better, I'd guess between 60-90k miles. I might pull the trigger.

JDM74

Truck looks good. I think I would have to pull the trigger on that one too for 5K. You're going to like the E-locker.

FairladyZTT

I dont know much about the Nissan trucks but I do know that I have had the Nissan Z's from 84 and up. They have all carried the VG30E. I tend to stay with the turbo versions but I have had a few N/A's. I have owned an 84 NA, 85 NA, 84 Turbo, 85 Turbo, 87 Turbo, and an 88 Turbo. Further more, I also have 4, 96 and 97 pathfinders that range from 140k to 210k. They have the VG33E in them. I have never encounter any engine or transmission problems in any of them. And I beat the shit out of them. Save 2. I had one that the A/C locked up and snapped the belt (85 NA), puncturing the radiator line and causing the car to overheat. And the other was my 97 Pathfinder, I didnt have antifreeze in it and it froze over last winter and pushed a freeze plug out. I replaced it with a tune up and a new timing belt and it runs just a strong as before with 150k on it.

I do have a 98 Frontier 4x4 Pick up that I am piecing together for myself. and I should be picking up a 98 5 spd here soon in trade for one of my pathfinders. I am not sure if it is 4x4 or not. but I can let you know if you might be interested.