Trying to id year of a Surf for sale

[Redscot]

Greetings all,

What a wonderful site. I have a quick question and am hopeing someone here can help me out.

I live in the Dominican Republic, (was raised in NYC, father's born and raised in Scotland) anyway, I have my eye on a Hilux surf but am a little doubtfull about it's year of make. The dealer claims it is a 98', when I open up the hood and check inside there is the original info from Toyota Japan:

Q-LN130W-GKPQT
2L-TE 2446

The 4wd stick is as follows:
L4
N
H

From what I have read this engine type is dated pre 98'.

I am quite confused and although I have perused much of the site, I am still left with doubts. Any definitive answer would be greatly appreciated, I am trying to make a decision onthe car in the near future.

Many thanks,
Ian

[da SLUG man]

look on the seatbelt... the label says what year they were made... (may be the year before registration... i.e. mine's a 1997 but 1996 manufacture)

but you're right, the LN130 is a pre1995 model

KZN185 with a 1kz-te motor is the 3rd gen 1995 onwards

[Gamedawn]

I thought they stopped making LN130's in '93 but the one thing for sure is it isn't a '98 model.

[da SLUG man]

I thought they stopped making LN130's in '93 but the one thing for sure is it isn't a '98 model.

see, even earlier than i thought!!... hehehe!

[Redscot]

Thank you

Thanks for the quick responses!

Funnily enough I had checked for the seatbelt tags and they were no longer there! Coincidence?.......Well, at least I know what I am up against. Thanks again for the help, he had other Surf's on-site so I will delve further into them on Monday.

Ian

[That Ruddy Squirrel]

This may help you too

Trev

[Redscot]

Classic

This may help you too

Trev

Man, that link Trev made my week! Maybe even my year!

I brought my little print out and had a great little debate with said used car dealer. Now, as a side, there is a law in the Dominican Republic that they cannot import a car that is 5 years older than the current date, so all the used car dealers get around this by falsifying the dates of the old cars to within 5 years of date of entry. I sat with this guy for a good while debateing the real age of the car, and he wouldn't budge from the fact that the car was in real terms a 98' (it in fact was a 93). At any rate, to make a long story short, he was impressed with my little fact sheet's and offered me a true 97' Surf for a much discounted price and copies of the sheets. So, I am now a proud owner of a blue Surf and I LOVE her! She drives so smoothly and handles beautifully (80k kilometer's). Now, if I could only figure out the cd player that is hidden behind the television and has all it's menu's in Japanese .

At the end of the day I would not have had this opportunity were it not for this site and the members within. So, cheers to all here and look forward to further exploring the site.

[pops]

great story and happy ending
pity it a blue one tho whats the weather like today??

[That Ruddy Squirrel]

Always happy to help,

As regards the stereo, most surf owners here junk the jap ones and get uk models.


Trev

Man, that link Trev made my week! Maybe even my year!

I brought my little print out and had a great little debate with said used car dealer. Now, as a side, there is a law in the Dominican Republic that they cannot import a car that is 5 years older than the current date, so all the used car dealers get around this by falsifying the dates of the old cars to within 5 years of date of entry. I sat with this guy for a good while debateing the real age of the car, and he wouldn't budge from the fact that the car was in real terms a 98' (it in fact was a 93). At any rate, to make a long story short, he was impressed with my little fact sheet's and offered me a true 97' Surf for a much discounted price and copies of the sheets. So, I am now a proud owner of a blue Surf and I LOVE her! She drives so smoothly and handles beautifully (80k kilometer's). Now, if I could only figure out the cd player that is hidden behind the television and has all it's menu's in Japanese .

At the end of the day I would not have had this opportunity were it not for this site and the members within. So, cheers to all here and look forward to further exploring the site.

[Redscot]

great story and happy ending
pity it a blue one tho whats the weather like today??

Weather report is the same as every day here in the "summer" 90 degree's with chance of showers. Usually get an afternoon downpour for like 15 minutes or so. Fortunately I live in an area that gets a regular cool breeze.

Trev, I hear ya on the stereo, thing only goes up to 90 on the FM dial . Felt kinda James Bondish though the first time I discouvered the fip down TV .

Thanks again, I'll stay in touch here and hope to get some pictures up.

Ian

[Morr]

You say they are falsifying the years. Hope you ensured the 97 is indeed a 97. It should be a different car altogether to the 93 he originally tried to pass off, the body style changed in 96 and whilst they are visually similar, they share no body panels etc. The 93 should be a 2nd Gen model with a drop down tailgate, whilst the 97 should be a 3rd Gen with a lift-up tailgate.

[Redscot]

It is indeed, check the link that Trev sent me, I even told the dealer what month it was manufactured .

Ian

[Helen]

I am looking to come to Dominican Republic for a relaxing holiday after a stressful year. Can i be cheeky and ask for advice on good resort ...

Cheers....

[Redscot]

I am looking to come to Dominican Republic for a relaxing holiday after a stressful year. Can i be cheeky and ask for advice on good resort ...

Cheers....

Great place for a vacation. I have not bee to many resorts here, but there are a ton of All Inclusives that are highly rated. My recomendation is to hit this site:

http://dr1.com/

Have a good look around in the trip reports section and you will get great feedback as to what is available. You will have many choices rangeing all over the island. Sorry I can't give you any first hand experience, but that link above is a goldmine for all things Dominican. If you have any other general questions feel free to ask.

Ian