Hello first time here posting.. I am looking into buying a 1997 4x4 king cab with 168k miles, I haven't gone to look at it yet but I would like to know from you smart Nissan people what I should look for when I go to look at it.. Guy says he uses the truck for hunting and the 4x4 works fine, title is clean of accidents and such, manual 5 speed, other then that i have no idea til satuday when i can go look at it.. oh and the guy is the only owner, he bought it new back in the day.. not sure if this link will work here but here is the ad...
http://portland.craigslist.org....html
is this a good deal?
Thanks guys/gals.....
What to look for
Re: What to look for (gweedo)
http://www.nadaguides.com/used...&nx=1
you might try to copy and paste this link if it works or go to NADA.com. I think the price is kinda high. Nice truck though! My opion might be biased because i live in the midwest, that year truck would have rust on it. Also i think that west coast trucks hold there vaule better. Good Luck
you might try to copy and paste this link if it works or go to NADA.com. I think the price is kinda high. Nice truck though! My opion might be biased because i live in the midwest, that year truck would have rust on it. Also i think that west coast trucks hold there vaule better. Good Luck
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Re: What to look for (EXterror)
That's a fair amount of miles, but if it was properly maintained, it should be OK.
Things to check for:
Listen closely for bearing noise in the transmission. D21 trucks placed the transmission fill plug a little too low, and it can starve the gears for lube on steep inclines. A solution to this is to either fill the transmission through the shifter hole, or to jack up the left side of the truck a considerable amount to get an extra quart of gear lube in there. Nissan manuals MUST use a specified GL-4 lube only. (no GL5 or anything that says they replace all GL levels)
Check the front suspension bushings, partcularly those on where the compression rod from the lower control arm connects to the frame. These aren't that hard to replace, and a loose frontend can be helped dramatically with new bushings.
Check the front tires for abnormal wear indicating an alignment problem.
Beyond that, check everything you'd normally check on a used vehicle, and ask for service records, receipts for any work, etc. Get under the truck and look for obvious leaks or signs of abuse. The drivetrain in this truck is pretty bulletproof, aside from the aforementioned transmission issue, and it should last a long time yet.
If you do buy it, replace all the fluids in the diffs, Tcase, Transmission, and check belts and hoses closely, as you're buying a 10 year old truck with a good amount of mileage, and those things are likely in need of some R&R.
The engine has a timing chain, so that shouldn't be an issue. KA24E's are dogs when it comes to power, but they're also rock solid reliable if maintained reasonably well.
Things to check for:
Listen closely for bearing noise in the transmission. D21 trucks placed the transmission fill plug a little too low, and it can starve the gears for lube on steep inclines. A solution to this is to either fill the transmission through the shifter hole, or to jack up the left side of the truck a considerable amount to get an extra quart of gear lube in there. Nissan manuals MUST use a specified GL-4 lube only. (no GL5 or anything that says they replace all GL levels)
Check the front suspension bushings, partcularly those on where the compression rod from the lower control arm connects to the frame. These aren't that hard to replace, and a loose frontend can be helped dramatically with new bushings.
Check the front tires for abnormal wear indicating an alignment problem.
Beyond that, check everything you'd normally check on a used vehicle, and ask for service records, receipts for any work, etc. Get under the truck and look for obvious leaks or signs of abuse. The drivetrain in this truck is pretty bulletproof, aside from the aforementioned transmission issue, and it should last a long time yet.
If you do buy it, replace all the fluids in the diffs, Tcase, Transmission, and check belts and hoses closely, as you're buying a 10 year old truck with a good amount of mileage, and those things are likely in need of some R&R.
The engine has a timing chain, so that shouldn't be an issue. KA24E's are dogs when it comes to power, but they're also rock solid reliable if maintained reasonably well.