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Hey there, I'm Steve, I've owned my 1993 surf SSR-X for near 18 months now and we've had our ups and downs to say the least.
After doing my research and recognising how bullet proof these vehicles can be, I took the plunge and bought from a local garage, knowing she needed a few bits and pieces doing to her. On getting her home I set to work getting her the way I wanted her, new batteries were purchased, she had the clean of a lifetime and a full service which enabled me to give her a good looking over. Sounds like a match made in heaven.......
After a few weeks passed she became more reluctant to start and the "have I bought a lemon?" Feelings stirred in the pit of my stomach, long story short the immobiliser had become temperamental followed by a dieing alternator...which was an absolute dream to remove and refit after wrestling with the air con unit and dam near dislocating my elbows. The cherry on the icing of the cake being the stripped thread on one of the final bolts to go in...never the less we prevailed and she was running lovely. Lovely enough to be treated to a cb radio and a set of bullbars with spotlights
She then endeavoured to take me and my family and friends on numerous camping trips, of which I was able to test her 4x4 pedigree, of which I was extremely happy and borderline surprised...to the extent that the electrics of the tow bar suffered due to my excitement....yet there are always casualties whilst out in the fields. So happy with the surf, I put her forward to be the work horse for following a group of friends to Newquay(south England) whilst carrying all the holidays beverage supplies, food and even a gas barbecue. Yes, she was extremely thirsty during the trip down...but this was always going to happen.
However this was not the most distressing thing to come from this long haul journey, the rear universal joint paid dearly for the journey and on the way back shook me and my passenger half to death, to the extent that i could barely drive her...yet we were still 5 hours from home.
. Between me and my passenger we managed to nurse the surf home where she sat feeling sorry for herself until I had compiled the information required to mend her.....she was like a brand new one, lovely jubly.
We have recently gone through a glow plug change before winter and she is now sporting a roof bar with spots, people always look and ask about the surf and always comment on the thirst, my answer is always the same, you get what you pay for, you pay a lot and you can get an awful lot out of it...you have to remember that it's near 20 years old and near 2 tonnes in weight...I wouldn't change it for the world.
Thanks for reading, I don't know if any of you can relate to this lifestyle, any suggestions for further mods or tips would be appreciated, happy motoring fellow surfers.
After doing my research and recognising how bullet proof these vehicles can be, I took the plunge and bought from a local garage, knowing she needed a few bits and pieces doing to her. On getting her home I set to work getting her the way I wanted her, new batteries were purchased, she had the clean of a lifetime and a full service which enabled me to give her a good looking over. Sounds like a match made in heaven.......
After a few weeks passed she became more reluctant to start and the "have I bought a lemon?" Feelings stirred in the pit of my stomach, long story short the immobiliser had become temperamental followed by a dieing alternator...which was an absolute dream to remove and refit after wrestling with the air con unit and dam near dislocating my elbows. The cherry on the icing of the cake being the stripped thread on one of the final bolts to go in...never the less we prevailed and she was running lovely. Lovely enough to be treated to a cb radio and a set of bullbars with spotlights
She then endeavoured to take me and my family and friends on numerous camping trips, of which I was able to test her 4x4 pedigree, of which I was extremely happy and borderline surprised...to the extent that the electrics of the tow bar suffered due to my excitement....yet there are always casualties whilst out in the fields. So happy with the surf, I put her forward to be the work horse for following a group of friends to Newquay(south England) whilst carrying all the holidays beverage supplies, food and even a gas barbecue. Yes, she was extremely thirsty during the trip down...but this was always going to happen.
However this was not the most distressing thing to come from this long haul journey, the rear universal joint paid dearly for the journey and on the way back shook me and my passenger half to death, to the extent that i could barely drive her...yet we were still 5 hours from home.
. Between me and my passenger we managed to nurse the surf home where she sat feeling sorry for herself until I had compiled the information required to mend her.....she was like a brand new one, lovely jubly.We have recently gone through a glow plug change before winter and she is now sporting a roof bar with spots, people always look and ask about the surf and always comment on the thirst, my answer is always the same, you get what you pay for, you pay a lot and you can get an awful lot out of it...you have to remember that it's near 20 years old and near 2 tonnes in weight...I wouldn't change it for the world.
Thanks for reading, I don't know if any of you can relate to this lifestyle, any suggestions for further mods or tips would be appreciated, happy motoring fellow surfers.