The Nissan Patrol has lived in the shadows of its more stylish competition, namely the FJ40-series Toyota Land Cruiser, for years. Due to this obscurity, far fewer Patrols are on the road today, but the Toyota also dwarfed the Nissan in terms of production volume. Much like offerings from Land Rover at around the same time, the genesis of the Natrol stemmed from automakers’ desire to build a high-utility vehicle to rival the immensely popular Willys Jeep. This Patrol has clearly been off the road for many years and suffers from some not-insignificant body damage, but could still be worth saving. It’s listed here on Facebook Marketplace for just $1,000.

Thanks to Barn Finds reader Chuck Foster for the tip. Chuck sent this listing in with a note to “save” this Patrol, and for $1,000, I don’t blame him for adding some urgency. The reason being is at this price point, it’s dangerously close to just being scrapped if the seller tires of seeing it on his property. The Patrol does not run and the seller highlights that it has rust issues (obviously), so it may be best as a parts truck if you have a more complete example in your fleet. It’s located in Virginia, so it’s debatable whether the rust goes through the body in places or if it’s just surface corrosion. It’s ugly either way but more research needs to be done to assess if it’s terminal.

These photos show the lower extremities as being reasonably sound, but if you live somewhere that doesn’t have rusty vehicles, this may still be a bridge too far. The Patrol was in its second generation by the time this 1969 model rolled out, and like the FJ40 and Land Rover Series 2, some refinements were added to make the truck more livable on a daily basis. This was a time when using a true 4WD every day was not uncommon, even if the truck in question had no carpeting, no air conditioning, and barely any convenience features. But that’s OK – you just needed an implement, not an accessory.

Something heavy landed on this Patrol and did some very real damage to the fenders and hood. The next owner will need to embark on the difficult task of locating replacement ob day panels as I suspect these are past the point of hammering out. I believe under this battered hood is the 4.0 liter straight-six that churns out a respectable 123 horsepower, but it could be more depending on the year. As someone who owns a short wheelbase 4×4, I will vouch for that they are incredibly fun to drive, but also not worth enough to justify extensive bodywork. What do we think – is this a parts truck or should it be saved?