Nissan Mistral 4x4

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    Posted: 30 May 2010 at 7:54am
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On the back of the Safari thread, I would like to ask about the Mistral and didn't want to hijack the other thread. I was recommended the Nissan 2.7 turbo deisel as a bulletproof and solid engine for towing and was just browsing TradeMe when one of Hubby's friends turned up in his very tidy 95' Mistral 2.7L turbo. It has an impeccable service history and is still under mechanical warranty from the car sales he bought it from. He is thinking about selling it (more so when he found out we were interested) and in the heat of the moment I thought it was the perfect tow vehicle for $6k. I also like that it wasn't as monstrous as some 4x4s
 
Now I'm pondering whether it is too expensive for an old deisel, maybe too old full stop? For those that know the area, I need it to easily tow up the French Pass road which has a very steep gradient in places.
 
I've never been a fan of deisel, preferring a good petrol engine and currently have a tired 91' Commodore that will need to be replaced, probably before the next WOF, as the car is falling to bits (many minor things that will end up costing many $$$).
 
Any pros and cons from the deisel enthusiasts out there?
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.............Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day drinking beer,
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Screaming Reels Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 May 2010 at 8:29am
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Stay away from the Mistrals. LTSA has a page just on them in the wof manual for rust that cant be seen. The floorpan has 2 skins and rust we have to lift rear seats and the carpet just to check when doing wof checks on them. Tourqe Convertor cracks. Left rear hand brake cable seizes.
I hate them.
The Car Doctor Mangakino
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Nissan's 2.7TD is a bulletproof reliable motor.............but it's better to be in a Terrano IMO for a mid range 4wd

I have an older one I use for towing the boat with 290 Kms on it and still runs sweet as a nut.

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Brooook Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 May 2010 at 10:03am
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Originally posted by Screaming Reels Screaming Reels wrote:

Stay away from the Mistrals. LTSA has a page just on them in the wof manual for rust that cant be seen. The floorpan has 2 skins and rust we have to lift rear seats and the carpet just to check when doing wof checks on them. Tourqe Convertor cracks. Left rear hand brake cable seizes.
I hate them.
That's interesting. He offered to put it through for a new WOF but I don't like the company he bought it from, and if they do their own WOFs.......
 
Also, his job is sandblasting/electroplating trailers and said the underneath of the Mistral has been undersealed (did I get the right term?) and not by him (a bit of sarcasm at the cheaper process his employer does on the trailers).
 
My feeling today is to hold off, and I googled what you said and AA also say that on their website.
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.............Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day drinking beer,
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Screaming Reels Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 May 2010 at 10:34am
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http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/virm-in-service-certification/docs/technical-bulletins.pdfhttp://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/virm-in-service-certification/docs/technical-bulletins.pdf
The motor bulletproof but they do have rust issues read the above link as i said it is the VIRM manual that we mechanics who issue wofs have to follow.
The Car Doctor Mangakino
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Brooook Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 May 2010 at 10:37am
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Why did you change your name? Clown Got me all confused....but I'm just a dizzy blonde...
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.............Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day drinking beer,
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Screaming Reels Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 May 2010 at 10:46am
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I changed cause i made a mistake when i registered it has 2 meanings and i only in last 2 weeks worked out how to change it. I like the 1 i use know better than Snapper Shagger
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Huggybear Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 May 2010 at 10:58am
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I've had 2 Nissan diesels and got my first on the recommendation of a diesel 4x4 mechanic who said they were bulletproof. I've had no problems with mine. I've got a Mistral at present. You were right that they are a "medium-size" 4x4 and not as big and perhaps hard to park etc as some 4x4. I see this as an advantage in some respects as they still have capability of 7 seats and plenty of room. 4x4 has come in handy for some tricky situations - mainly towing others out of trouble.

 
If your boat is not too big and heavy the Mistral will do the trick. Keep up the regular oil/filter changes and you should be sweet. I'm sticking with diesels now because they have been so reliable in comparison to the petrols I have owed. Hope this helps Brooook.
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Obviously a buyer would check for rust before purchasing.........goes for any vehicle. If all good then it's not likely to be a problem in the forseeable future. We've stripped out a 21yr terrano in the past and the floorpan was as good as the day it was built.

Would have alot to do with how it's been treated in it's life though. If it's been river bashed, deep saltwater launchings etc   then it'll be toast!

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote strx7 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 May 2010 at 11:54am
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what weight boat are you wanting to tow with it? and how far do you tow/hills etc?
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i personally would not go there ,i knew the terranos had the rear floor pan issue but wasnt aware of the same thing for the mistral but what i can tell you is that window regs explode on them and pricey to say the least for new unit although that may have changed now,injector pumps crap out ,have sold plenty of auto,s that go bang,the rear tail lamps in bumper are also expensive ,,now im sure those mistrals were spanish produced i maybe wrong but hence why these parts are so dam expensive,,,i would pull your boat easy Karen ,if i were you id be looking at a double cab hilux 2.8 would pull your boat piece of cake ,parts cheap more of a better tow wagon bang for buck ,,,,i have also seen some 3ltr 1kzte model surfs which are good towers for not much more $$$$$$$,,go toyota would be my choice and for good reason 
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I have towed a 22 foot bayliner trophy all around the north island (waihau, to houhora, raglan, whakatane, taupo, etc etc )with my petrol terrano 3.6 petrol.
It had done 45,000kms when i bought and has now done 235,000. It still goes extremely well and only spent $1500 getting a cracked exhaust manifold done. Its an auto and I got the extra auto trans cooler put one when I first bought it. Mint for towing but are thirsty when pulling 2.6 tones up hills! Value for money i think they are the ducks nuts as you can buy one this age for around $6K
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Ive got a mistal for towing the boat, its old and gutless but does the job, as a 4wd itsonly average, but 100 times better than a 2wd, dont buy a rusty one, Ive got a trans cooler on mine.... would i get another yes......
 
Huggybear sumed it up well..
 
Cheers wefaknis
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Moki Marko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 May 2010 at 1:10pm
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HI Brooook, you towing from Nelson or Blenheim? Either way you obviously know about hills. I had a Pathfinder and blew the head off it, it had heaps of power but running full boost for almost 3hours solid is going to blow any motor up (OK I'm exagerating, you do have to go down the hills as well) and that was after I spent 5k on the fuel pump. Yes i'd buy a turbo'd diesel if it was new and I'd only keep it as long as the warranty lasted. I like your original idea, the SWB safari is a compact wagon and a non turbo one will easily tow your rig (1.5t??) and last and still have good resale. PLus has a chassis and heavy running gear, all of which the lighter vehicles lack. Yes comning back over the wangamoas I'm in second gear and yes  i get passed, but that's the only place I really notice the lack of power.
What sort o f boat do you tow?, I'll look out for you.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote xport Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 May 2010 at 2:00pm
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Originally posted by Moki Marko Moki Marko wrote:

I had a Pathfinder and blew the head off it,
 
Did the pathfinder by any chance have the ZD30DDTi in it?
I had the same motor in a late model terrano recentley..............what a disaster! worst motor nissan ever produced. Cost me thousands in repairs & only owned it for three months!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Moki Marko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 May 2010 at 2:39pm
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yes, xport sure did, the zd30. I bought it because it was compact, handled well, was real grunty - same motor as the current Patrol, but what a disaster, I owned mine for 2 years and lost $24k on it, so work that out. I'm biased against small turbo'd diesels now, even the Prados crack heads and my mate completely wore out the gearbox on his mazda bounty and it's only 3 years old, just because these vehicles will tow  a big weight doesn't mean that they will stand up to it in the long term.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Screaming Reels Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 May 2010 at 2:50pm
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Biggest problem with the zd motor was turbo over boosting and friggin timing chains cause grief.
The Car Doctor Mangakino
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Moki Marko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 May 2010 at 3:58pm
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Yup , I put in a boost guage, new air flow meter, new intake pipe as recommended by Nissan with the MAF pickup in a more reliable location, bigger exhaust to get rid o f the heat, and that was before things started to go wrong, did the fuel pump then found out the head was cracked to buggery, very expensive exercise.
The old 70 series cruiser has been great so far, no turbo, no ecu, no abs/esc/airbags etc etc etc just goes.
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Mine over boosted to the point of blowing the turbo, have heard they over fuel at the same time & normally blow no. 4 piston! next the main crankshaft nut come loose....welded it self to the crank.....buggered harmonic balancer and everthing around it...........transmission then packed up....all at 125kms.
Sorry to harp on on a different subject on your thread Karen but had to get that off my chest.
I to have gone back to an older tow vehicle............if it ****s itself, I'll park it in the paddock and get another.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote blackboat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 May 2010 at 5:22pm
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not had much to do with the zd motor sounds like right bombs

Karen theres a safari lwb 4.2diesel for sale private over here parked on the street was going to check it but keep for getting not sure what they got on it but those wagons are fairly good beasts strong have it all really
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