how many kms from a 3l?

[Peanut WA]

Ok i have found a 2003 gu patrol with the 3.0l diesel motor for $8000. It looks to be in good condition. My only concern is it has 450000 kms. How many Kays could you get from the motor before you start needing to do costly work? Don't really want to buy it then find I need to rebuild it in 2 years.
Cheers

[4bye4]

Probably a good price for the Ks but I think you would have to expect to do some major work soon. How did it get the 450000 k's? towing a van or off road or what? Has it got nads?
Big risk IMHO.

[Bigcol]

as 4bye said
do you know what it was doing for the 450000K (37500K per year - accepted average is 20000K per year)
whats the overall condition of the car?

these are the things to weigh up the cheap price

[Clunk]

Is it the original motor or did they fix and do a possible bodge job..... when were all the oils, fluids and filters, bearings, rubbers etc etc last done....... if its the original engine, could be getting tired, dont forget, its also got 450k on the body too, unless everything that needs to be done has been done, then you could well end up shelling out a fair bit more coin .......... Get it well checked out and pay close attention to service history.

Me personally, I'd keep looking. For less than 8K, you can pick up a very nice GQ with far less Ks

[mudski]

If it has dinky 450K on the clock and it hasn't gone boom by now I reckon its bloody close to doing it. Plus you gotta think about the injector pump, these cost around 5K, give or take a few shillings, to replace. So I would guess its on its last legs, if its untouched. It would be around 10-12K I reckon to do a full rebuild and new pump on one of these donks. Just keep that in mind. Having said that, I have a 180k old ZD30 here going cheap. Just has a dead IP. :(

[Hodge]

That is a lot of Ks for a 3L. It's either had a transplant or two, or it is one of a kind. Although I do have to admit I do know of a high 300s 3L which is genuinely still on first motor and has been mainly trouble free... I'd get somebody who is really in the know to inspect this one.

[threedogs]

Id ring the Guiness book of world records, walk away
not only the motor but everything else has done 450k

[Throbbinhood]

My old man's zd30 has 445k km's now, still running mint. Original motor, no nads, he's lazy with his servicing (once went close to 50k without services). If anything, transmission is getting a bit harsh between changes but that's it.

[Peanut WA]

Decided to give this one a miss. The cost of rebuild is scaring me away. Will keep looking.

[happygu]

I do agree that getting one with less klms overall will usually get you a better truck, but there is some caveats to that

Are the klms country klms or city?

City stop start is usually worse for engine wear than constant country klms .... that is one of the reasons why Taxi's go forever, as they are always running.

How much is on the bitumen and how much is on outback trips / dirt roads ?

You could have more wear on one that has done 150,000 klms on just dirt roads over one that has done 450,000 klms on bitumen only....


The other thing is most guys wouldn't care so much if a truck has 450,000 klms if it is a 4.2 diesel - they would say buy it as it will go forever ... but if it is a 3 litre, then the truck is falling apart at 450,000 klms - it is a huge problem having these pre-conceived ideas ... They are the same truck except for the motor - same diffs, same suspension, same body, same gearbox ....

[Rock Trol]

I agree with happygu but if you are on the limit if your budget and can't afford a blown engine then it might be better to look for something other than an early 3ltr. If the car is in good shape and its the original motor then it might be ok. You would need to talk to the last owner to get an idea.