Help needed! All things considered, do I buy or not?

[hiluxnewbie]

Can anyone help, please?

The Mrs and I need to buy a new car (our last has limped into extinction). After weeks (what seems like months) of looking at all makes and models, dodgy salesmen and decent ones, one of the 4x4s we both REALLY like is the Hilux Surf.

However....our mechanic friend has taken a sharp intake of breath, tutted and advised us against buying one - dodgy imports, expensive parts, prone to going wrong, delays in getting parts, issues with the wiring.

Do we let our hearts rule our mechanic's head and go ahead and buy? We could really do with some advice from people who know all about hiluxs!

We need a 4x4 for camping holiday (two young kids with lots of things), but it'll be our only car, so it'll also be used for trips to town, supermarket, plus bombing down the motorway to meetings (work from home so only a little business mileage per year - 6k business miles).

We've driven a 2.4 K reg. Loved it and all that it came with.

We're looking to spend £6k maximum.

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance, Rob

[Morr]

...dodgy imports, expensive parts, prone to going wrong, delays in getting parts, issues with the wiring......

Dodgy imports :- Not generally, no less or more risky than any secondhand purchase.
Expensive Parts :- Not compared to any other comparable Toyota of similar age.
Delays in getting parts :- Perhaps if you need some parts specific to the Surf you will have to have ordered from Japan, but there are plenty of specialists who do this all the time, most mechanical parts will be ex-stock in the UK.
Issues with the wiring :- Never heard of this one, electrics seem to be very reliable on these motors.

[Guest]

Buy an American car if you want to see wiring problems. Only issue with the wiring on Surfs is like all imports the colour codes tend to be a bit weird. If you get the appropriate wiring diagram - manuals are easily available, then you don't have a problem.

Apart from some 2.4s the Surf is nailed together as well as any Toyota - no-one else builds cars quite as well. Landcruisers can't be stopped even by a nuclear blast pretty much, the Surf is a Hilux pickup with an estate car body and millions of Builders can't be wrong.

If you get a good one then you won't go wrong, and you won't get a more reliable car for the age and money. Get a similar priced Rangerover or Disco and it will forever be in the garage haveing bits put back on it.

Cheers

[marky]

ROB take a look on here at the price of parts www.milneroffroad.com
The 2.4 surf is a LN130. Your Mechanic friend obviously doesnt like working on imports. Insurance is widely available & reasonably priced.

[silvtr1000]

I got mine for the same reasons. The worst thing I've found about ownership is fuel consumption. I've not calculated actual mpg, but many folk on here reckon on between 20 - 25 mpg.

I plan soon to fill the tank, carry spare fuel, and zero the trip. I'll record the mileage (in kms - kilometerage?) as the needle hits the different marks on the fuel guage, and when the red light comes on, and when she actually runs dry.

I'll publish my findings.

There are little things to be done on mine, and a couple of bigger jobs, but I like tinkering, and we have a 94 Corolla to use too.

My Toyota main dealer mechanic uncle was quite enthusiastic when I asked his opinion on my intended purchase - pretty much bombproof engine (he'd never heared of head problems on either the 2LT or 2LTE engines), many shared parts with Hilux, easy to work on...

Good Luck,

Mark

[Fieldsy]

Pretty much same as above m8, a few old wives tales get told and suddenly its fact.
Spoken to at least three Toyota dealers now, who can all get parts as long as they have the chassis number, failing that Milners or Roughtrax, usually next day delivery.

As said above, its no more Dodgy than Mr dealer down the road selling his "full service history" Ford Focus. (with a few wet stamp marks )

There are of course the odd few, but thats the same with any motor vehicle.

Ours has been used for camping, moving, pulling a caravan,shopping,work, and you can get plenty of gear in the back.

We have a 2 year old ST220, which you would think I would love to race all over the place, but no, it sits on the drive and by preference I drive the surf all the time............(the missus drives the mondeo occasionaly)


Let your hearts rule m8, you'll love it, and you can also have the benefit of this bunch of nutters on here who are only too willing to give help and advice when ya need it

Good Luck


Fieldsy

[Koi]

As all thats been said above, never had a problem for spares yet and my local Toyota dealer can get anything i want if I give him the chasis number. For £6,000 you should be looking to get a 3.0 for that sort of money I know a few on here who paid around £5,500 for L plate 3.0.
Wiring faults??? I think your grease monkey is getting confused with the Fronterribla.
Buy and enjoy.

[NEWMUDRAT]

Hiya,
Had my 2.4 for 3 weeks now, and its great, used loads of diesel (but thats just down to wanting to drive it all the time) heard the stories on here, but have been well reassured by all the regulars that the problems are rare, local dealer can indeed get parts easily, you will grin from ear to ear everytime you get in it (my face stopped hurting after a few days), the only problem I have is that now the family all want a go in it and because it will haul stuff easily the all have "just a quick job, move this for us etc" I say go for it mate.

[Brooke]

had my 2.4 now for a couple of months,do lots of work miles every day and not had any bother whatsoever.....
milage is not an issue as grin factor makes it all worth while,go for it you know you want to.....

[mamadwyvin]

Beast

BUY BUY BUY

We are all heart, we love our SURF, she has cost us a bomb but we were idiots and the unscrupulous driveway dealer really saw us coming.

Luckily via this site we found the fabulous Dennis who while taking our cash to fix the BEAST (Black 2.4) has and wouldn't rip us off.

Try and find one that someone has already paid out shed loads on, so far we have had new brakes, new tyres (one was even a different size to the rest - we are that dumb) full £200 service, new cam, and started to overheat yesterday and is back with Dennis, half the radiator is warm the other half is cold - its the head he says, he has replaced 6 in the last week.

We have a J reg, cost us 3950

Dennis did say there is a dealer in the village where we used to live, Arborfield Berks that has just replaced the head on one he imported - this guy sounds like a decent dealer to us! Shame we didn't know that a few months ago when we got all over excited and handed our cash over like utter shmucks!

Anyway we still love it, its super to drive around in, we have a 2 year old and a 6 month old and you couldn't rival us for clobber required for a day trip, this is definitely the car you need!

Good Luck and don't forget to join the AA!

Naomi

[South east modifications]

However....our mechanic friend has taken a sharp intake of breath, tutted and advised us against buying one - dodgy imports, expensive parts, prone to going wrong, delays in getting parts, issues with the wiring.

does he talk crap often??

[exmee46]

There really is no good reason not to buy one.

For your money you ought to go for a 3.0ltr, then you are unlikely to suffer from head problems that seem to afflict all the 2.4ltrs eventually. It will use more fuel than you think, but then thats partly because you'll find that driving is fun again and you'll be in it more often. I did 4000kms in the first month - 2500 miles - I normally do only about 1200!!

Try and find a servicing garage nearby that recommended by a forum member. And don't forget to join the AA or similar.

Before you buy - make sure the tyres are good - the aircon works - the audio works and the windows all go up and down properly. Check the toolkit and the spare lowering handle. Look for vibration from warped discs when braking (after getting them hot first) - and check its not sitting low at the rear due to tired springs.

Insurance is available from Tesco and others but you'll probably have to shell out £120 or so for an immobiliser if not already fitted.

Enjoy!! - I am.

Cheers

Kev

[kitesurf_phil]

"head problems that seem to afflict all the 2.4ltrs eventually."


Not so. The head problem, according to the survey in the 2.4/2.8 section, last time I looked, affects about 20% of imports. I will amend when I have checked my facts! The percentage will be lower on second second owner UK Surfs, because most will have had an upgraded head fitted, if the previous one had gone.

Right, just checked. See link

http://www.yotasurf.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=3654

18.8% at the last count.

I have had nearly 17 months of nearly trouble free motoring since buying mine. Any problems I have had with it have been self inflicted i.e. Hammering it too hard over rough terrain when off roading or tinkering with bits I knew little about, but even these problems weren't hard or too expensive to resolve. Mine was a fresh import when I got it (it still had a japanese pop music tape in the cassette player and a sticky sweet in the ash tray).

Shop around, take your time and buy a good one. If I was starting out again I would go for the 3.0L but only for the extra grunt. The 2.4 is no slug either.

Enjoy your Surf when you get it

[exmee46]

"head problems that seem to afflict all the 2.4ltrs eventually."


Not so. The head problem, according to the survey in the 2.4/2.8 section, last time I looked, affects about 20% of imports. I will amend when I have checked my facts! The percentage will be lower on second second owner UK Surfs, because most will have had an upgraded head fitted, if the previous one had gone.

I have had nearly 17 months of nearly trouble free motoring since buying mine. Any problems I have had with it have been self inflicted i.e. Hammering it too hard over rough terrain when off roading or tinkering with bits I knew little about, but even these problems weren't hard or too expensive to resolve. Mine was a fesh import when I got it (it still had a japanese pop music tape in the cassette player and a sticky sweet in the ash tray).

Shop around, take your time and buy a good one. If I was starting out again I would go for the 3.0L but only for the extra grunt. The 2.4 is no slug either.

I stand corrected - but in my defence I did say 'seem to'. No offence intended

Cheers

Kev

[kitesurf_phil]

I stand corrected - but in my defence I did say 'seem to'. No offence intended

Cheers

Kev

None taken m8. I have just re-read my post and amended it to sound less arsey.