Nissan Patrol (1988)
1988 Nissan Patrol
CarHunch analysed 135 real MOT records for the 1988 Nissan Patrol. This breakdown of actual test outcomes — pass rates, defect profiles, mileage data — isn't published anywhere else.
The 1988 Nissan Patrol passes its MOT first time only 68% of the time, 12 percentage points below the UK average of 80%, which signals below-average reliability for a vehicle of this age. Dangerous defects appear in less than 10% of examples, so while you should budget for repairs, catastrophic safety issues are relatively rare.
These Patrols are running around 148,000 miles on average—reasonable for 36-year-old vehicles—but they're averaging 1.33 failures and 4 advisories per test, indicating widespread wear across multiple systems rather than one dominant problem. Have a pre-purchase inspection focus on the gearbox, suspension, and exhaust, since these consistently crop up in older Patrol MOT records.
What to check before buying a 1988 Nissan Patrol
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
MOT history is one piece of the puzzle. These checks can reveal what CarHunch can't.
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Pass Rate by Fuel Type
| Fuel type | Vehicles | Pass rate | Avg failures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diesel (70%) | 94 | 67.2% | 1.3 |
| Petrol (30%) | 41 | 70.5% | 1.39 |
Mileage Distribution
Most 1988 Nissan Patrol vehicles sit in the blue band. If the car you're looking at is outside it, it's either unusually low or high mileage for its age.
Half of all 1988 Nissan Patrol vehicles fall between 121,227 and 183,352 miles.
MOT History Averages
Most Common MOT Issues — 1988 Nissan Patrol
Based on actual MOT test records for this model. Percentage shows how often each item appears across all vehicles in this cohort.
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15.2%
Nearside Front wheel bearing has slight play
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12.6%
Offside Rear fog lamp not working
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11.5%
Offside Rear Seat belt anchorage prescribed area is excessively corroded
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11%
Offside Front wheel bearing has slight play
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11%
Nearside Rear Seat belt anchorage prescribed area is excessively corroded
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8.4%
Offside Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit
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7.9%
Offside Front Body or chassis has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of the body mountings
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7.9%
Nearside Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit
Data covers a 3-year window centred on 1988. Counts include advisories and failures.
Found a specific Nissan Patrol?
Enter the reg to see its individual MOT history, AI Hunches, and how it compares to this cohort.