Thinking about buying a 2.4 TD Surf

[TRD-1]

Hi All,

Ive been offered a 1993 Toyota Surf 2.4 TD its a jap import and was brought into the country in 2004 currently has done 114000kms.

I know the mechanic who has it up for sale, and its had quite a bit of work done to it in the past incluidng change of cylinder head, turbo, shocks and tyres all round. Its the twin battery edition.

I don't know anything about 4x4s but I have always been into Toyota's. I was wondering what sort of things I need to look out for and what all the complex 4wd system is and how it all works and what i need to know, as im only used to sports cars.

The one I am interested in is a Auto is taxed and tested til feb and the guy wants £750 for it.

Your help and advice is much appreciated.

Thanks

[stormforce]

Hi and welcome

£750 is a good price for it.Ask him to stick a years mot on it aswell as see what he says.
Basically DO NOT use 4wd on the road only use it on loose or soft or snow icy roads
Just have a good read through the forum and all you need to know is there.Make sure the truck has a proper service aswell all belts, oil,filters etc

[Tiger]

sounds about the right sort of money, you won't find any other truck of toyota quality for the money

[TRD-1]

Thanks guys, your advice is much appreciated.

I will be goin to see it again on saturday and see what I can arrange.

I have been told by the mechanic that the manual choke has been removed for some reason so the first morning start needs some acceleration, and I don't know if its a common problem but the top turbo hose has split and is held together by duck tape...lol.

Are these hard to work on, as i plan to do all the servicing myself.

[darkdezigns]

Thanks guys, your advice is much appreciated.

I will be goin to see it again on saturday and see what I can arrange.

I have been told by the mechanic that the manual choke has been removed for some reason so the first morning start needs some acceleration, and I don't know if its a common problem but the top turbo hose has split and is held together by duck tape...lol.

Are these hard to work on, as i plan to do all the servicing myself.

never heard the choke one,but top hose is normal,u can get a funky blue silicone replacement from a website called roughtrax or stormforce may have one second hand

[stormforce]

i should be collecting 2 x 2.4's friday so i'll see what the hoses are like on them

[Calos]

It is a good price for the surf, but use the search function for guides/how to how much on parts.
I did and was very glad I did.
If it's not on here, then it's not worth knowing when it comes to surfs.
The people on this forum are the font of all knowlage.

I have a similar model SRR-X and just had all the belts, coolant new pully wheel etc done, parts where under £300 and labour wasn't too bad @ £190.

Maybe offer £1k if he does the belts (timing/cam included) and 12months MoT

peace
cal

[TRD-1]

Thanks alot guys.

If I make the purchase I will get the hose done first thing. What inspections should I be doin just the normal when buying a car or is there anything specific I need to do to check the cylinder head or 4 wheel drive system etc.

[charvell]

as the others have said mate good price, ask the guy to prove the head has been done, a reciept or somthing, just make sure he not just saying it to get the sale. Not herd of a choke on a surf but then i suppose anything is possible.

if the head has not been done and it goes the the repair will be around the £1200 mark.

it is worth having a look around first, depending on your budget. Where abouts are you?

[TRD-1]

Im in Gravesend, Kent

I know the guy quite well, he did the work on the car himself, it was a part exchange from one of his customers, so he just wants to clear it. He has no repair or service bills, will just be a log book and mot sale. But the turbo does seem new as its clean and shiny so I would have to go by word of mouth.

[charvell]

make sure you get to start it from cold, have a look and the smoke it puts out, test the 4wd system engages and disengages but dont drive it with the 4wd engadged, let the engine get to its normal running temp take it for a drive, then look under the bonnet for any signs that the cooling sysem is pressurising. if your happy then go fro it. its does seem a bit cheep if the guy has had to buy a new head and fit it.

[TOYOTATONY]

Thanks guys, your advice is much appreciated.

I will be goin to see it again on saturday and see what I can arrange.

I have been told by the mechanic that the manual choke has been removed for some reason so the first morning start needs some acceleration, and I don't know if its a common problem but the top turbo hose has split and is held together by duck tape...lol.

Are these hard to work on, as i plan to do all the servicing myself.

For my tuppence worth, the alarm bells are going off! I don't profess to being an expert on Surfs but, choke? (does he mean the 'Idle up', (means he doesn't know what he's talking about) duck taped hoses? P-leeease!
Sorry but for a 'mechanic', duck tape hoses are an absolute no-no.
Was head a recon or just one off another breaker? If it was a recon, he must have a receipt for it for warranty if nothing else.

Be very cautious before putting your hand in your pocket and forking out dosh!

Just an opinion you understand.

regards.

[Koi]

Have to agree with the above, lot of unanswered questions here or at least a lot of questions that need to be asked.
Unless you know this mechanic very well that he wont rip you off ??

I would def need to know about the head and be 100% sure its not a stitched or recon head thats been fitted and where it was sourced from.

If it aint had a new redesigned head fitted then I would be cautious to the extent anf offer him £500 and probably be prepared to replace the head in the not to distant future.

[Sancho]

Having seen others work on it (), I'd say a surf isn't too hard to work on if you know what you're doing. Lots of nasty vacuum hoses all over the place though.

I'd be wary of the head too. I bought a 2.4 that had the head changed and it still went within a couple of months. There are heads and there are heads. As said above, there is no choke. The only thing he could mean is the idle up, which is supplementary and not needed to start at all. Poor starting is more likely to be glow plugs, the glow plug relay, the big glow plug fuse or, possibly, the injectors.

As also said above, I'd be cautious of a vehicle with a duct taped hose. If it's had all this work done, wouldn't you spend a little bit of cash on fixing a hose too?

In addition to what's been said above, check the exhaust for steam and have a good smell of it to see if there's the sweet smell of hot coolant.

Basically, the country is littered with surfs so, if it doesn't look spot on, walk away and there will be another around the corner.

[TRD-1]

Hi guys,

Thank you very much for all the advice and oppinions, Im kinda having doubts myself, I do trust this mechanic but its still my earnt money.

Im gonna go to see it on saturday and offer him £500 for it, if he takes it I will have a deal, otherwise I will be walking away no sweat.