1991 Nissan Hardbody Pickup King Cab review from North America

Problems with clutch slipping at 25K miles. Dealer replaced clutch under warranty.

Speedometer cable broke at 28K. Dealer replaced it under warranty.

First gear bearing locked up at 98,000 miles. Replaced gear, main shaft, bearings.

Worn transmission synchros and bearings at 197K miles. Noisy transmission in all, but 4th (direct) gear. Re-builder would not rebuild. Installed a used transmission and new clutch assembly.

More transmission noise, as above, at 270K miles. I am presently searching for another used transmission.

Paint on roof and hood is faded from the sun. All other paint is still in good condition.

I do not like trucks, but I needed one for my last job. This truck was the one that performed most like a car. I previously drove a 1985, which I owned from new.

I have received excellent service from this vehicle. Originally purchased it as a service vehicle, driving about 30K per year.

Maintenance includes oil changes (10W40) with filter every 5000 miles, 3 battery replacements, spark plugs every 30,000, distributor cap/rotor lasts about 90K.

I have changed my brake pads (front) 4 times in 270K miles. The current set was purchased with a lifetime warranty. I installed them almost 100K ago, and they are only about half worn. Front rotors, calipers, and wheel bearings were replaced at 200K.

Rear brake shoes were replaced, and the drums were turned at 200K miles.

Other regular maintenance items (air filter, spark plug wires, valve cover gasket, etc.) are usually replaced every 90K-100K miles.

Tires, no matter what the mileage rating, usually last 50,000 miles. I have always had even wear, and have not had an alignment done in nearly 100K miles.

The front shocks failed at about 120K miles. The replacements, as well as the rear shocks, are still in service.

I replaced the original engine coolant at 250K miles (12 years from new). I admit that this was very wrong of me, but the fluid that came from the system was very clean, and the core that I could see from the radiator cap was shining brightly.

The interior is in very good condition. The plastic center air vent housing has cracked and the louvers fell out, and the steering wheel surface is beginning to break down (crumble). There are no cracks on the dash.

The fabric on the seats is still in excellent condition, albeit a bit dirty. The only wear is where the vinyl piping on the driver's seat back is showing separation from the fabric. It is all still intact, and I plan to swap the driver's and passengers seat back covers in the near future.

The truck was involved in 3 major collisions. The first was 5 weeks after I purchased the truck, when another car ran a stop sign and damaged the front fender, hood, bumper, and front grille. The other two were from the rear, when I was stopped for traffic.

I have done all of the work on this truck myself, with the exception of the warranty work on the clutch and speedometer cable, and the two trips to the transmission shop. I will do the next transmission myself - perhaps it will last longer than the previous attempts.

The truck was originally purchased with no options, and I have only added a radio/cassette and floor mats. I have no air conditioning in this vehicle.

My only disappointment has been the fuel mileage. I rarely got more than 16 miles per gallon from this 2.4L engine.