2006 Nissan Patrol Pricing and Specs

The vast majority of Nissan Patrols from 2006 have covered a lot more than 172,000km, so that’s definitely one thing in the vehicle’s favour. These seem to be a pretty good thing over time and kilometres as well, but there are still a few things to be wary of. The first of those is how the vehicle has actually been used in the past. Has it been used extensively off-road? Climb underneath and check for damage caused by rocks and try to gauge how hard a life the Patrol has had.

The other thing to bear in mind is that there were two diesel engines offered in this model. The biggest, a 4.2-litre turbo-diesel is a pretty good thing and tough enough to survive. The smaller unit, though, a three-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel doesn’t enjoy the same reputation for reliability and longevity. In fact, the smaller diesel is notorious for suffering an incorrect air-fuel mixture and/or turbo-boost spikes which can smash the pistons to bits. At which point the whole engine is junk. Should this happen, you might find that the cost of repairs is more than the actual value of the whole vehicle.

So that’s the bottom line: If the engine is a six-cylinder, it’s probably worth a punt if it’s cheap enough. If the engine is a four-cylinder, you might be wise to look for an expert on these engines to examine it and give a recommendation in person.

This model Patrol was also entangled in the Takata air-bag fiasco, so make sure the air-bags have been checked and replaced if necessary before driving it anywhere.

That’s an awful lot of money for a 2006 Nissan Patrol, Heather, but there are a couple of mitigating factors. The first is the incredibly low mileage and if there’s a GU Patrol out there with fewer kilometres showing, then I’d be a bit surprised.

The second thing in the car’s favour is that it has the mighty 4.8-litre petrol six-cylinder engine which is one of the best towing engines ever made for a passenger vehicle. A Patrol with that engine will always find a buyer even if, at $18,000, it’s right at the top of the price ladder. Then again, given that it represents more or less a brand-new 2006 Patrol (and this model was a cool $80,000 on the road back in the day) maybe $18,000 is a steal. Depends on how you look at it.

The only caveat is that it will use lots and lots of fuel and double that amount if you tow a caravan with it.

Your car is seven years old and you have to accept there will be some deterioration in that time, but if you feel strongly enough about it seek the help of your consumer affairs people.