Newbie

[cheese]

Hi everyone, I am new to the site and am currently looking for a surf, can anyone answer a question for me, do surfs come with manual boxs too, because all I have seen are auto's and I would rather have a manual box. If so would I would be able to pick one up with a budget of around £3,000.

Cheers

John aka Cheese

[Slugsie]

Manuals do ideed exist, but they're pretty rare. For a long time I was a fan of the manual box, but my last two cars now have been autos, and very happy with them I have been. I would go back to a manual, but only if I was getting a sports car.

As for the price, no idea. Being rare you may have to search for a long time, or go with an auto.

[Greyhound]

Ours is a manual , it's also a 2.8 , so we reckon it's quite rare .

It's not for sale though

[bobthedog]

Hi everyone, I am new to the site and am currently looking for a surf, can anyone answer a question for me, do surfs come with manual boxs too, because all I have seen are auto's and I would rather have a manual box. If so would I would be able to pick one up with a budget of around £3,000.

Cheers

John aka Cheese

John, have a quick look in the ads or at the thread I posted earlier, I have a Surf for sale for about what you are looking to spend it is an auto though but give me a mail / call if you are interested I will have a haggle, cheers

Bobthedog

[Zep-er-lyn]

John, have a quick look in the ads or at the thread I posted earlier, I have a Surf for sale for about what you are looking to spend it is an auto though but give me a mail / call if you are interested I will have a haggle, cheers

Bobthedog

Hi John,

I got my Surf for 3K and its a 2.4 Manual - Runs like a Ferrari !!

It was in the autotrader i had to go to Cardif for it ( im in oxford ) and its a 1990.

It is possable !!

James

[da SLUG man]

some dealers add an extra couple of quid for a manual just cos they're a bit rarer, but keep looking, there are plenty about

[cheese]

Thanks for all the replys, I think I will have to keep looking, as I do prefer manuals, however as I never been in a surf, let alone driven one, auto or manual, I am still very open when it comes to box choice, if the right one came along at the right price

Are there any tips when it comes to buying, what to look for, what goes wrong, are there any common problems that I, as a "first time buyer" should be aware of???

all comments would be greatly appreciatied.

[da SLUG man]

can't remember seeing any auto box problems, although there have been problems with 4wd these seem just to be small things like vacuum pipes coming disconnected or servos not engaging.
my ate had a toyota supra auto and the torque converter cracked after nearly 200,000 miles so i reckon they make em strong!

i like the auto box for around town and motorway but on fast contry lane driving it's a pain in the ass cos it doesn't engage gears quickly enough and can be a bit unpredictable when it's gonna change up/down etc... hate taking a fast corner freewheeling, then getting drive half way round... it's the scariest combination of over and under steering you could imagine!

good for burnouts though!

[cheese]

Burnouts eh!!! coooooool

what about with surfs in general, everyone seems to be mentioning heads, not being that mechanically minded, electrics is more my thing, but the head something be looking out for?? Apologies if this seems like a silly question

[da SLUG man]

Burnouts eh!!! coooooool

what about with surfs in general, everyone seems to be mentioning heads, not being that mechanically minded, electrics is more my thing, but the head something be looking out for?? Apologies if this seems like a silly question

nah, just that it's only when one goes that you hear about it!

go for the later model 2nd gens for peace of mind, or buy one which has already had the head changed...

[Silversurfer]

You really need to drive an autobox model to appreciate the benefits. I thought I preferred manuals until I bought my Surf last year. In town - brilliant - more relaxing to drive, don't have to sit on the clutch at junctions and superb when creeping along in traffic jams. The gears can be selected manually when you require some engine braking down steep hills, especially when towing, the overdrive can be switched on/off at the touch of a button and the ECT button can be used if you require a bit more acceleration. At high speeds on the motorway you learn to 'feather' the throttle so the Surf seems to float along with it's own weight helping momentum and keeping engine revs down - all in all it's pretty versatile. Best of all I found was off-road which really suprised me. When in low 4wd there is no risk of stalling and I found it much easier than a manual. Given all of that I wouldn't go back to a manual. Only drawback is the wife finds it just as easy to use - mind you she has a Diahatsu 4Trak and anything would be easier to use than that.

[cheese]

The only thing is, I have only ever driven one auto,, it was a small rover 214 i think, and it was okay, unitl I came to a roundabout got confused, didn't know what to with my feet, and going round the roundabout, it felt really weird, and I vowed never to get back into one.

I suppose I could have a go in an auto surf, but I can't just stop one in the street and say, do you mind if I have a spin mate. And I don't really want to go to a private seller just have a go, and waste their time.

[stormforce]

the 1st auto i ever drove was the surf when i took it for a test drive and loved it that was nearly a year ago.i drive mauals at work but cant wait to get back to a auto.

[cheese]

I suppose the best thing to do is to find a trade garage with an auto and have a go, I don't want to pass up a really good surf because it is an auto and not a manual.

Are bull bars easy to get hold of?? and what sort of prices do they go for??

Sorry for all the questions, I really am a newbie to the 4x4 scene let alone the surf scene, but thanks for all your help so far, surf drivers seem really friendly and I think I need all the I can get.

[stormforce]

hi cheese i got my bars the ones in the pic off of ebay and paid £180+£50 p&p or you can try places lile roughtrax