Just a quick post to ask all the seabreeze experts there thoughts on the above 4 wheel drive ute? 2.5 litre turbo diesel 6 speed manual. PLEASE HELP. i have NFI when it comes to cars.
2.5 litre turbo diesel. Little engine banging the be-jesus out of it with a hair dryer bolted to the top to give it some grunt. 
Try if possible to stick to 3lt if you want to go with turbo's if you can. 2.5 is a little on the undersize for a 4x4.
Powertrain (transmission, transfer box, and diffs) in the Nissan are usually OK, built tough and should go the distance.
Hope this helps.
Im sure its much safer then my current xr6 turbo ute. And mineral1 it does thankyou!
My ride
new 6.5ltre chev diesel
New 2 inch lift on suspension
Diff lockers
14 ltrs per 100k's
New oversized radiator
Has driven ALL day towing in excess of 40c
64,000kms of uninterupted (no breakdowns) travel , in the north of WA
Only $32,000l !!
Just my 2cts worth
I bought a new 4.0 V6 Navara STX petrol about 18 months ago.
As with any vehicle there are people that will swear by one model and people that will have bad experiences with it and bag it.
I wouldn't buy any of the current crop of common rail diesel engines on the market at the moment due to the fact of the high cost of repair bills should something go wrong, especially if your buying second hand.
If you are buying second hand PLEASE do not waste your money on a useless "extended warranty" that a dealer may try to sell you. There are A LOT of conditions in the fine print designed to catch you out to allow the warranty company to get out of their liability.
If your looking at a Navara don't forget to check out the VW Amarok, just another option
If you are worried about safety pop down to : www.manheim.com.au/passenger-vehicles/auction-catalogue?SaleTypes=NSQ&Location=NSW (cheapest price reserve) If its like Western Australia check out the salvage section. Its a good independent view indication of safety. From some of the cars i seen today no car 4wd is safe mate.My misses just wrote of a car and we were tryn to find it in the state salvage section.
Some of the written off salvage cars there have a 5 star rating but put shivers in mine and the missuses spine when seen the wreckageeses.
A 80 series land-cruiser was there and it was stowed in so much the odometer was sitting where the battery once was. you could see where they had the jaws of life nibbling into the frame and roll cage.
As for front on collisions i think that vans unprotected.
both good cars/commuters
Just remember nothing is safe on the road !!!
If your misses is going to drive it i suggest you purchase some sort of ex army tank ied proof machine.
Nothing is 100% safe on the road, but you will increase your safety margin by going for higher star ratings. Manufacturers of 4WD work horses have been forced to improve their safety ratings significantly or lose market share to the big mining companies looking elsewhere. I think Toyota are falling off the pace at the moment and have some ground to make up?
Not worried about safety to much. If i was so worried about having an accident i wouldnt drive.
The D40's are a good a city forby, a couple of mates have em as tradie utes and they hold up ok. If yr planning on doing any serious offroading then you need to spend a few bob getting it ready.
Like under body protection, cos thier bare as under thier and all the expensive bits are exposed, waiting for a rock to smash the alloy transfer case, or a stick to pop the radiator.. you know what I mean.
Also if you put cheap deisel, like bioD or something in it the fuel pump will last about 10,000k's. And being super high psi pumps thier pricey, and crap fuel is not covered under warranty.
The towing ambition of the small utes outwiegh its capabilities as 3. something tonne is a lot to cart around, especially for a 2.5 litre donk with a smallish clutch.
and clutches arn't covered either.
So if you want a good clean comfortable ute to put the family in and the dog in the back, can't beat it!
but if you wanna thrash it, buy some thing else.
Fantastic ute.
IF you like go get it.
Consider an auto if your going to be doing alot of towing.
If you are looking at a ute the VW amarock is winning all the tests at the moment, it only comes in dual cab pick up though.
For the Nissan a 6 speed sitting behind a 2.5 l tells me the engine has a very narrow torque band and needs 6 gears to make it work properly.
I have just got a Hilux single cab chassis and am very impressed with it, goes well offroad and on the sand, enough grunt to keep me happy and reasonable on the diesel. I will be getting it lifted and putting some fatter tyres on it but that is almost compulsory for all these utes if you want to go offroad.
The only real one I the category to keep clear of is the great wall, have heard nothing good about them except they are cheap
Im going through the same dilemma
I had my heart set on an SR5 Hilux but feel they havnt really kept up with the market and are still using their 2005 motor and drive gear in the '12 models.
I think the Amerok is going to give you headaches, 2L twin turbo= dramas when towing. My old man has gone through two turbos on his 2008 2L Pollo...
Im looking in to Ford Ranger 5 cylinder 6 speed 3.2L turbo they look better than the mazda BT50 but same engine/ chassis
2 cents
Sounds like ill be getting the navara! Looking at the space cab model as im not a parent and will be using it for work (carpenter ) and play (motos & surfing)
THANKS for the feedback boys!!
Not a bad car but have known of a few that have blown headgaskets/cracked heads. If your set on one make sure it's got FULL service history and if in doubt pay for someone to check it over for some piece of mind.
