Nissan Repair: oil hasnt been changed in 25,000 miles, nissan frontier, dusty conditions

Question
I am currently looking at a used  '01 Nissan Frontier, with 46,000 miles, for sale from a private person.  I test drove the truck and heard no noises or sounds from the engine.  But I noticed that the oil has not been changed in 25,000 miles.  Is this reason enough to walk away from this?  Will this only present problems for me later?

Answer
Hi Cyndi -

That is a rather long time between changes, however the condition of the engine depends on the type of driving the owner has done (lot of freeway driving, dusty conditions, stop and go). Best thing to do is to remove the oil cap and inspect the underside of the cap. If you see build up or sludge, chances are the rest of the engine is like that and I would not purchase the car. If there is no sludge, then I would say the engine is fine, but subsequent service has to be done on a regular basis going forward.

Hope this helps -
aloha
calvin