Where To Look To Buy A Surf?

[silvtr1000]

Hi.

Where would you guys look in UK for buying a Surf? Local garages? ebay? Here? Are there specialist dealers? Other forums/club websites?


Thanks,

Mark

[stormforce]

See what you can find on here so you know some history of the truck.If you buy off of ebay then make sure someone goes and gives the truck a good looking over for it for you if you can't look at it yourself

[Overland Tonka]

Looks like your here...and have been for ALOT longer than me. Don't you think the guys and gals on here know their stuff?

I would have no prob trusting some of them on here as you can always look at previous posts about work done to the truck that maybe for sale.

[Dodge]

I've had two Surfs over 6+ years.

Bought my first from a guy who buys trade ins, was mint and a good price, it was a hundred miles away, I went to look at it agreed to buy and he picked my up from the nearest station a few days later.

Second and current was on ebay as a classified, it was even further away but close to my folks, so I went to look at it agreed to buy then my dad picked me up a few days later and took me back to collect it.

I'd buy off here, you get to know the cars and owners history if you stick around, I've been here for six years now, but there weren't any for sale at the price I paid when I bought my second, I had my first one before I found this place.

[silvtr1000]

To be honest, I'd happily buy from a member on here before anywhere else, including ROI. Where better than an enthusiast's site?

I'm just sussing out options. I bought my FireStorm from a dealer near Manchester - did the preliminary deal on-line, uncle from Wirral viewed & approved the bike, I flew over & rode it home. All very clean & simple, and a saving at the time of around €1500 over what ROI sellers (private & dealer) were asking for a similar bike. Most importantly, the choice available was in a completely different league.

Most Surfs in ROI seem to be used as (relatively) cheap work trucks - towing, lugging. etc. Few seem to be used primarily as private cars by enthusiasts, unlike the UK. The ideal Surf would be one owned by a private enthusiast in Japan, and the same all through its UK ownership. That Surf probably doesn't exist, but on an enthusiast forum, while the cars for sale may have green-laning or off-road driving scrapes & dings, they may be less likely to have near-dead clutches/transmissions from towing two horses or over-laden trailers of construction materials, or manky dirty interiors from years of being neglected as "just the work truck".

I'm also wondering if I came across what seemed to be a nice example online, if a menber living or based nearby might consider viewing it on my behalf. Like I said - sussing out options.

OCD is a curse - I can't get Surfs out of my head now. My (19 years my junior) sister gave me a mild lecture about how buying a "big jeep" may not really be the wisest move for me, but I guess I'm a big kid - when I want something, I'm a demon till I get it.

I'm working on a plan to see if my employer can become involved in my acquisition of a Surf. I currently do between 800 - 1000km a week for work: 380-420km commute on Monday & again on Friday, some daily miles in between. A company car's probably out of the question, and my expenses don't really cover all my costs (fuel, food, B&B), so I hope he'll consider working out something with me. I'm gonna suggest getting his livery put on a Surf - maybe he'll pay the road tax & insurance (which could open my options to include later 3.0 models ), or he could buy the car in his company name, and insure me to use it. He bought his own car in the UK too, so he may be favourable to that notion for a Surf for me.

Anyway, cross your fingers for me, or pray to your god if you have one...


Thanks,

Mark

[Dodge]

Sounds like a plan silvtr1000, fingers crossed for ya.

Ferry isn't cheap for a car though.