Used Nissan Terrano II review and buying guide (1993 to 2005): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Nissan Terrano II should you buy?

Buy the Terrano II with the gentlest past, because how it's been used counts for more than its year. It was sold from 1993 to 2005 and the 3.0 diesel only joined the range with the later facelift, so check which engine a car has, judge it on its condition, and go for the 2.7 diesel if you've got the choice. One that's done road miles is a far safer bet than one that's spent its weekends in the mud.

Plenty of these have been taken off-road, and that's more true of cars first registered out in the country. A working farm truck isn't automatically a bad buy, since farmers drive to keep their vehicles going, but an enthusiast's toy that's been thrashed over rough ground is the one that'll have tired driveshafts, hubs and seals.

Know what it's like on tarmac before you go. The ride's jerky, partly from the suspension and partly from the driveline, and the body's tall and narrow, so you can't throw it into bends and shouldn't pile weight on the roof. If you want a comfortable everyday car, this isn't it.

Which Terrano II engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

The 2.7 diesel is the one to have. Its camshafts are driven by a train of gears, and a close relative of it has covered huge mileages in London taxis, so the design's proven over big distances. That won't rescue an example that's been neglected or battered off-road, though, so the condition of the car in front of you still decides it.

The 3.0 diesel was sold with an automatic gearbox as well as a manual, and there's less to go on for it, so judge one purely on how it drives and what's underneath. There isn't much on the gearboxes either: one owner of a 2005 manual found the gearchange poor, which is one car rather than a pattern, but it's worth trying every gear.

What should you check when viewing a used Terrano II?

Get underneath before anything else and look for oil leaking from the engine, gearbox, transfer case and axles, plus seals that are weeping. Off-road use is what wears these parts out, so ask the seller straight out how it's been driven and where it's lived.

On the drive, listen for humming or grinding hubs and for clonks from the driveshafts as you pull away and come off the throttle. Too much slack in the driveline, where there's a delay and a thump before the drive takes up, is a bad sign, and so is whine from the gearbox or transfer case.

Take the engine up through the revs once it's warm. Mass airflow sensors fail often on these, and when one goes the engine fades back to tickover and won't pull. Smoke from a diesel's exhaust can mean the turbo's oil seals have given up, so watch the tailpipe as you accelerate.

Ask for proof the recall work's been done. Terrano IIs from 1995 on Michelin 215/80 R15 tyres were recalled because the tyres could lose pressure, and a 2002 recall dealt with the risk of the steering column fouling the pipe that carries pressurised fluid to the rear brakes.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.