Introducing myself!

[Lippyp]

Hi,

Just wanted to introduce myself, my names Phil and I'm an alcoholic...damn...wrong forum.....

I've joined your band of brothers as I'm considering getting a Surf/4runner. I'm not a newbie to 4x4's by any means having owned with the wife over the years, a Suzuki SJ410, LR Series IIa 88", 2. Freelanders, one old shape and one new shape Cherokee, one MK1 Trooper and my current 98 3.1 MK3 Trooper and the wifes current company 08 X-Trail. As you can see I'm a bit of a tart when it comes to brands........

The reason for maybe wanting a change is partly that I've never really bonded with my current clean shiny trooper unlike my smelly, dented and scabby MK1, it also disgraced us by breaking down in the middle of France whereupon some serious wallet raping took place for a new alternator at an eye watering price and three days wait and has had numerous niggling little problems since. Don't get me wrong, they're very capable 4x4's, huge inside and generally pretty reliable but there's just not that spark with this one.

Secondly I want to build an overland/expedition rig to take the wife and kids a bit further afield in a few years time, maybe down to North Africa and I also fancy a trip up to the arctic circle in Norway and frankly, support for Isuzu outside the UK is very very limited whereas a hilux is much more universal. Also theres much more aftermarket support for Surf/4runners in terms of modification parts, bumpers, racks etc etc than there is for troopers. I'm not really an active off roader in this country any more as I can't afford to break stuff these days, the last couple have been more workhorses as we have been renovating a house in France that was only accessible by 4x4 (well, accessible most of the time!) but now we have a proper road.

Haven't got a lot to add to the forum at the moment but I'll be perusing the FAQ's and posts and any guidance as to what model to get would be appreciated, not bothered about manual/vs auto, I'm leaning towards a 3.0L but as I won't have an enormous budget not sure if thats achievable. It won't need to be perfect as it will get stripped down and rebuilt where neccesary, possibly a blow over with some nato sand coloured paint, heavy duty suspension rather than a big lift, underbody protection and fitted out for travel.

Heres a few pics of my current and old troopers, the rest were either bog standard company cars or pre digital camera.





Oh and I also have this:

My 1967 Chevrolet C10 lwb fleetside pickup with a 300bhp 5.7L smallblock V8.

[ian2144]

Nice Pickup......the wheels look like they came off a Fourtrak ????

[blackpoolsparks]

Hi Phil
Welcome to the forum. I'm sure you'll find this place quite informative when it comes to purchasing/ servicing/ modifying/ preparing your Surf.

In my opinion if you are planning to travel further afield than lets say the south of France, i would definetly suggest you look into purchasing a 3.0 Litre Surf. You should be able to pick up a nice 2nd gen for as little as £1500, if not cheaper. The trick is to be patient and wait for the right one to come along, as you dont need it as a daily drive, that should not be a problem.
I suggest the 3.0L for a variety of reasons, probably too long a list to get into now, but I speak from experience of owning a 2nd gen 2.4L, a 2nd gen 3.0L and now a 3rd gen 3.0L.
If you have your heart set on travelling in your Surf, I would also recommend that you take a serious look at the 3rd generation model as well. Again for a number of reasons, again too much to get into now. Again, if you bide your time you can pick up a nice example for around £2100 - £2300.
Now,
and I cant believe I'm saying this; if I were planning on driving to Africa, the motor I would be driving is a Toyota Land Cruiser. A bit more money,(about double) but then a lot more vehicle.

Keep us posted as to how you get on and again welcome to the Forum.
and before anyone else says it " beware of the squirrel" (private joke)

Gordon.

[darkdezigns]

welcome,love the old pick up

[Lippyp]

Yeah, a Landcruiser would be my first choice but boy do they hold their value! I spent a couple of weeks on safari around Kenya in the early 90's in an FJ40, basic but bulletproof and so damn cool. Any and all suggestions welcome, I'm fairly handy with the spanners so a project vehicle isn't beyond me. I was thinking 3.0L rather than 2.4, as they say theres no replacement for displacement!

Sorry, not foutrak wheels, a bit wider than that, they do need a good polish though and funnily enough it has the same stud pattern as all six stud jap motors as its currently wearing one odd trooper steelie whilst I polish each wheel in turn. I have a camper shell/topper to go on the truck so I can kip in it at the odd car show and a few more engine mods to release a few ponies coming up.

[darkdezigns]

Yeah, a Landcruiser would be my first choice but boy do they hold their value! I spent a couple of weeks on safari around Kenya in the early 90's in an FJ40, basic but bulletproof and so damn cool. Any and all suggestions welcome, I'm fairly handy with the spanners so a project vehicle isn't beyond me. I was thinking 3.0L rather than 2.4, as they say theres no replacement for displacement!

Sorry, not foutrak wheels, a bit wider than that, they do need a good polish though and funnily enough it has the same stud pattern as all six stud jap motors as its currently wearing one odd trooper steelie whilst I polish each wheel in turn. I have a camper shell/topper to go on the truck so I can kip in it at the odd car show and a few more engine mods to release a few ponies coming up.

sounds cool,i love old pick ups,3.0 is definately the way to go,same fuel consumption as the 2,4 too,what sort of budget do you have?