More n00b questions about buying a Surf...

[Blackcat_UK]

Bear with me - I do get less irritating with experience

Thanks to all that replied to my previous post, but I do have some more questions.

I've trawled the forums fairly extensively, and am now more worried than a rabbit in headlights after reading the technical forums

Some questions about buying...

I've around £10,000 to spend which will get me a 1996/1997 Surf with around 60-80,000 miles on it. I guess this will be 3rd generation, but as (I believe) they were introduced in 1996 how do I easily tell the difference between a 2nd and 3rd gennie at a quick glance?

I see that the rear windows cause some concern, but as technical forums are by their very nature full of problems, how widespread is this?

Is the Surf the kind of vehicle that I can use for regular commuting, park up beside the house at night and spend the evenings/weekends surfing the net, or am I also going to have to invest in loads of swarfega and latex gloves (for car maintenance work only you understand ? Do people spend much time having to maintain them?

As Surf owners, what do you not like about them (come on, there must be something! )?

Any tips on areas that need particular scrutiny before parting with the hard-earned beer tokens?

[marky]

Bear with me - I do get less irritating with experience

Thanks to all that replied to my previous post, but I do have some more questions.

I've trawled the forums fairly extensively, and am now more worried than a rabbit in headlights after reading the technical forums

Some questions about buying...

I've around £10,000 to spend which will get me a 1996/1997 Surf with around 60-80,000 miles on it. I guess this will be 3rd generation, but as (I believe) they were introduced in 1996 how do I easily tell the difference between a 2nd and 3rd gennie at a quick glance?

I see that the rear windows cause some concern, but as technical forums are by their very nature full of problems, how widespread is this?
you only have to clean the gulley then lube the mechanism
Is the Surf the kind of vehicle that I can use for regular commuting, park up beside the house at night and spend the evenings/weekends surfing the net, or am I also going to have to invest in loads of swarfega and latex gloves (for car maintenance work only you understand ? Do people spend much time having to maintain them?
just like any other vehicle check oil & water etcAs Surf owners, what do you not like about them (come on, there must be something! )? i can only have one
Any tips on areas that need particular scrutiny before parting with the hard-earned beer tokens?

[Linda]

I've trawled the forums fairly extensively, and am now more worried than a rabbit in headlights after reading the technical forums
Just remember that people post in the tech forums when they have a problem. The 360 days of th year when they have no niggles they don't post to say how well everything is!! It's easy to get paranoid. It's basically a tough reliable car if you look after it.
Some questions about buying...

I've around £10,000 to spend which will get me a 1996/1997 Surf ... how do I easily tell the difference between a 2nd and 3rd gennie at a quick glance?
£10k will get you a really nice surf. Shop around, drive lots and then decide.
This pic shows a red 2nd gen with a blue third gen behind it, and the green one in the middle facing us is a 4-runner
http://home.btconnect.com/LindasHome...4/Dsc00349.jpg.

Is the Surf the kind of vehicle that I can use for regular commuting, park up beside the house at night and spend the evenings/weekends surfing the net, or am I also going to have to invest in loads of swarfega and latex gloves (for car maintenance work only you understand ? Do people spend much time having to maintain them? yes it is. Like any vehicle if you want to be sure its done properly then do it yourself, but if you have a reputable garage and want to use them then do so. Not everyone wants or is able to maintain their own cars!

As Surf owners, what do you not like about them (come on, there must be something! )? Yeah there is one thing.. I'm sick and tired of having jaw ache from all the grinning when I drive it!

[Blackcat_UK]

Some great replies - thanks very much guys (and gals, of course )

[Malenibo]

Hi Blackcat. I bought a 2nd gen Surf which was very nice and had all the boys toys. However I found out that it had done more Ks than was showing on the clock so I took it back. There was no problem with the exchange and the dealer was very apologetic. I really enjoyed driving it so I choose a 3rd Gen and drove away. I can say the third gen is the better vehicle and I still have my Surf ear to ear smile. One nigle though is that I cannot get the seat far enough back to be truly comfortable for my (Large) 6ft 2in frame I just need one notch more of the seat ajuster, which will be sorted when I get the drill out. I am sure you will not regret buying a 3rd gen I dont and I was a Discovery man for 10 years.

[NeillOP]

How did you find out that the first one had done a higher mileage than it showed? Who clocked it ?

[marky]

You can have the mileage checked by these people ask to see the auction docs & other import papers 1st if no joy go here
http://www.bimta.org

[NeillOP]

Great site Marky, how about a thread where everyone checks their mileage and reports back to the forum? I'd love to know how many imports are clocked and by how much

NeillOP

[marky]

Great site Marky, how about a thread where everyone checks their mileage and reports back to the forum? I'd love to know how many imports are clocked and by how much

NeillOP

it would be a good idea but you have to pay for this service around £35

[NeillOP]

It's £12 plus the dreaded

[marky]

It's £12 plus the dreaded

thats cheaper than i thought

[NeillOP]

£12 plus VAT

[marky]

BIMTA http://www.bimta.org
Altering speedo readings on used vehicles has always been a problem for motorists…and imports from Japan are no exception. That’s why BIMTA offers a unique mileage check service as part of our ongoing drive to provide greater protection and comfort to the buying public and the motor trade.

The vast majority of imports are sold at auction in Japan. There is an opportunity for unscrupulous elements to alter speedometer readings between the time a vehicle leaves the auction, is shipped to the UK and goes on sale. BIMTA wants to close that loophole.

Mileage checks can already be carried out on most vehicles through other sources. We’re making the same facility available on the 30-40,000 imports that arrive here each year and the 200,000 plus that are already on our roads. BIMTA can supply details of speedometer readings of vehicles at the time they went under the hammer in Japan.

The service covers the majority of the 140 auction houses and all the vehicles that have passed through them from 1997 onwards.

If a vehicle on sale in the UK shows a considerably lower reading than when it was sold in Japan then the matter should be reported immediately to the relevant local Trading Standards Office.

And remember…if a vehicle has been ‘clocked’ you could be paying around £1000 more than if it was showing the correct reading.

The cost of the mileage checks, which take 24 hours if being processed Monday to Friday are £12.00 per vehicle plus VAT (£2.10). If you are an existing Member of BIMTA the cost is £9.00 per vehicle plus VAT (£1.57).