Hi again folks, thank you for hosting a proper forum!

Now, I have had up to now 2 Daihatsu 4x4s, Fourtaks, Rockys or perhaps Toyota Blizzards depending where you are, and latterly in the last 5 years 2 Nissan Terranos. These have all been super reliable, except for an abs ring on the newest 2006 Nissan, and the air bag light comes on occasionally.
However I now find myself battling the brown devil, rust! (I blame crappy foreign/chinese steel, these were built in Spain, the 1999 Nissan still has a great chassis) Other than servicing and consumables like tyres, batteries and brakes which I am all capable of doing, including welding, today I replaced a lower ball joint at 162,000 miles.

So, since the brown devil is alive and comfortably inhabiting the Nissan's chassis I'm on the hunt for something else and a few weeks ago I had a drive in a 2004 CRD auto. I thought it was great for comfort, roadholding and power. However, I don't often rush in to things and needed some research, also I like how my current 4x4 is all exterior colour coded and has rear privacy glass so it's looking more likely a CRD Limited would be the preferred choice.

All this has led me to your forum. I realise that its common on forums to find problems yet as someone else says there will be hundreds of thousands of the things on the road quite happily and reliably, no trouble.

It seems the engines are good, given at least basic maintenance. There are people however who can break anything.

I have never actually owned an auto, so, given at least basic servicing, how reliable is that? Can they be repaired or should I stay with a 6 speed manual, but then I would worry about the dmf.

I'm puzzled about the oil additive in the back axle, why is LSD specific oil not good enough?

Apart from live wire, bulb and earth, I'm blinded to the mystery of electricity and I worry about issues here too. What should I look for or can I expect things to go wrong?

Now, my others have all been separate chassis/frame and body like a truck and that means that most components are sturdy, designed for farm use, towing, whatever therefore I'm a little concerned about buying a KJ with 80,90, 100,000 miles only to find it will need a load of bushings, joints, arms when it goes for the annual test. Does it follow that being unibody, the running gear is lightweight? The parts do not seem cheap. My replacement ball joint today was £16. I will not be using it on a farm, only occasional towing.

Thank you in advance for any help or advice you can offer. I have not found much else that appeals.
Regards, Jeff

I own two, one from new 2005 and another used from 2010. The 100k exercise with timing belt and other stuff means u have to spend some bucks and some labor if u have the tools and place to accomplish. I ve had diesel vehicles, vw, dodge and Chrysler for about 50 years. But I had a very low cost fuel source. Now fully retired . I will keep, but at some point I lll go to gas. Makes no sense, to me, to pay extra for Diesel engine and more for fuel pump with limited mechanic selection. If I was a family commuter and not long distance towing, I would not buy a used crd diesel.

That depends where you are. In Utah where I live, diesel has been ~20-30 cents cheaper than the lowest grade of gasoline for the last 4 months. Its been extremely cheap to drive my jeep lately.

Hi again folks, thank you for hosting a proper forum!

Now, I have had up to now 2 Daihatsu 4x4s, Fourtaks, Rockys or perhaps Toyota Blizzards depending where you are, and latterly in the last 5 years 2 Nissan Terranos. These have all been super reliable, except for an abs ring on the newest 2006 Nissan, and the air bag light comes on occasionally.
However I now find myself battling the brown devil, rust! (I blame crappy foreign/chinese steel, these were built in Spain, the 1999 Nissan still has a great chassis) Other than servicing and consumables like tyres, batteries and brakes which I am all capable of doing, including welding, today I replaced a lower ball joint at 162,000 miles.

So, since the brown devil is alive and comfortably inhabiting the Nissan's chassis I'm on the hunt for something else and a few weeks ago I had a drive in a 2004 CRD auto. I thought it was great for comfort, roadholding and power. However, I don't often rush in to things and needed some research, also I like how my current 4x4 is all exterior colour coded and has rear privacy glass so it's looking more likely a CRD Limited would be the preferred choice.

All this has led me to your forum. I realise that its common on forums to find problems yet as someone else says there will be hundreds of thousands of the things on the road quite happily and reliably, no trouble.

It seems the engines are good, given at least basic maintenance. There are people however who can break anything.

I have never actually owned an auto, so, given at least basic servicing, how reliable is that? Can they be repaired or should I stay with a 6 speed manual, but then I would worry about the dmf.

I'm puzzled about the oil additive in the back axle, why is LSD specific oil not good enough?

Apart from live wire, bulb and earth, I'm blinded to the mystery of electricity and I worry about issues here too. What should I look for or can I expect things to go wrong?

Now, my others have all been separate chassis/frame and body like a truck and that means that most components are sturdy, designed for farm use, towing, whatever therefore I'm a little concerned about buying a KJ with 80,90, 100,000 miles only to find it will need a load of bushings, joints, arms when it goes for the annual test. Does it follow that being unibody, the running gear is lightweight? The parts do not seem cheap. My replacement ball joint today was £16. I will not be using it on a farm, only occasional towing.

Thank you in advance for any help or advice you can offer. I have not found much else that appeals.
Regards, Jeff