Should I check the MOT history before buying a 1990 Nissan Patrol Swb Diesel?

Yes. Look for recurring advisories — slow-building issues like corrosion or brake wear patterns show up years before they become failures. A full MOT history analysis will highlight patterns that a single test result won't reveal.

What corrosion should I look for when inspecting a 1990 Nissan Patrol Swb Diesel?

Check brake pipes, sills, subframes, and chassis legs. Surface rust is normal at this age; structural rust is a serious problem that is expensive to fix and can fail an MOT.

How are tyres and brakes typically on a 1990 Nissan Patrol Swb Diesel?

Tyres and brakes are the most common advisory items on vehicles of this age. Budget for replacement if they are near the limit, and factor this into your offer price.

Do I need an HPI check when buying a 1990 Nissan Patrol Swb Diesel?

Yes. The MOT history will not show outstanding finance, insurance write-offs, or stolen status. An HPI check covers these areas and should be part of any used car purchase.

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Nissan Patrol Swb Diesel (1990)

110 real MOT outcomes analysed • 0.7% first-time pass rate

1990 Nissan Patrol Swb Diesel

CarHunch analysed 110 real MOT records for the 1990 Nissan Patrol Swb Diesel. This breakdown of actual test outcomes — pass rates, defect profiles, mileage data — isn't published anywhere else.

The 1990 Nissan Patrol SWB Diesel fails to impress on first test, with a 70% pass rate that sits well below the UK average of 80%—and the diesel variant shows a 0% pass rate, suggesting the handful of surviving examples face serious MOT hurdles. On the bright side, dangerous defects are absent from this cohort, and average failures are negligible at 0.02 per vehicle, indicating that when these old Patrols do pass, they're fundamentally sound.

At an average mileage of 72,556 for a 34-year-old vehicle, these are surprisingly low-mileage examples, which partly explains the minimal advisory issues. Any buyer considering one should expect to budget for an MOT retest before purchase, and have a pre-buy inspection focus on suspension, steering, and cooling systems—the likely weak points on a 1990 workhorse that's been sparingly used.

Below average reliability 79.3% below UK average

0.7%

pass MOT first time

UK average: ~80%

ever had a dangerous defect

recorded at any MOT

0.02

avg MOT failures per car

over 1.1 tests on record

What to check before buying a 1990 Nissan Patrol Swb Diesel

Practical pre-purchase checks for this age and model.

📋 Check the full MOT history. Look for recurring advisories — slow-building issues like corrosion or brake wear patterns show up years before they become failures. Enter the reg below for a full AI analysis.
🔍 Inspect for corrosion in person. Brake pipes, sills, subframes, and chassis legs. Surface rust is normal at this age; structural rust is a serious problem that's expensive to fix and can fail an MOT.
🛞 Check tyres and brakes. The most common advisory items at this age. Budget for replacement if they're near the limit — factor this into your offer price.
📄 Run an HPI check. The MOT history won't show outstanding finance, insurance write-offs, or stolen status — an HPI check will.

Before you buy a Nissan Patrol Swb Diesel

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Pass Rate by Fuel Type

Fuel type	Vehicles	Pass rate	Avg failures
Diesel (97%)	107	0%	0
Petrol (2%)	2	0%	0
Gas Bi-Fuel (1%)	1	80%	2

MOT History Averages

1.1

Avg MOT tests per vehicle

0.02

Avg failures per vehicle

Avg advisories per vehicle

Found a specific Nissan Patrol Swb Diesel?

Enter the reg to see its individual MOT history, AI Hunches, and how it compares to this cohort.

Other model years — Nissan Patrol Swb Diesel:

1986 1987 1988 1989