Vehicle & Technical > Nissan

Terrano buying advice

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aaron:
Any hints or tips on buying a terrano 2 would be greatly appreciated!!!! Thanks

Jonathan M:
Ok, first a plug for www.nissan4x4ownersclub.co.uk where the majority of members are owners of terrano's or the illegitimate brother known as the Maverick  :D and who have a wealth of knowledge about the vehicle.

Where to start. Dependable, relaible, comfortable.

Faults, weakish clutches between 1996-2001, shows itself as obvious clutch slip accelerating in 4th/5th at motorway speeds. Engine is reliable, its used in taxi's and had timing gears so no chain/belt to replace, spares are plentiful and if driven carefully can give 30mpg, but 28mpg is a more realistic day to day consumption. Go for an intercooled version due to the slightly better power provided. MAF sensor can fail, leading to loss of power etc, easily fixed.

Gerabox, no real problems, ditto for the rear LSD differential, very handy when towing, greenlaning etc. One nuisance is the auto free wheel hubs, that have a sacrificial "snap ring" that er, snaps, when the 4wd is used on firm dry surfaces. prevents transmission wind up, but also means 4wd won't. relatively easy to fix, or manual hubs can be bought from Milner Off Road. younger vehciles don't have any FWh fitted at all, and it doesn't effect fuel economy. My 2001 doesn't have them.

Front suspension is independent, and front wheel alignment can be a pig, with a need to reset ride height & suspension angles to get rid of excessive wear on inner tyre edges.

Older ones can rust, so check for tinworm.

Off road, very good. there is a little scope to lift the vehicle by raising the front suspension through adjustung the torsion bars, and fitting new springs on the rear, but the terrano isn't really catered for by a lot of aftermarket stuff. At its best when used as a true all rounder, day to day car and greenlaner on the less severe stuff.

Hope this helps.

aaron:
Thanks Jonathan thats a great help!!! All being well i should be getting my new toy/work van this weekend. Its only an S plate ex waterboard commercial model but  its a step up(i hope?) from a normally aspirated, leaf sprung toyota hi-lux! I see pro comp list a 2"lifted rear spring for this model, how far can the front be raised on the torsion bar with-out causing suspension geometry probs? Any idea????????????

Jonathan M:
From suspension can be raised easily by about 35mm, maybe more, the torsion bars do sag after a while, so I'm talking 35mm above standard, your vehicle may start at a slightly less than normal ride height. You will then need the steering & front suspension alignment resetting to deal with the lift.

I would really advise joing the club as mentioned above, Ok it is £10 per year, but it is the biggest Nissan 4x4 club as far as I know, and my technical knowledge is really quite superficial, on the owners club site are nissan orientated mechanics etc who can give a really detailed run through of most things.

Boggert:
Jonathan,

Thanks for this, I am looking to trade my swb GV in for a 7 seater and a terrano may well be th beast I'm looking for... Discos look expensive and tatty for money!

Was looking at one today when this Terrano 2 caught my eye, real high spec for low money!

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