Newly registered looking for Gen 3 to buy.

[pictonroad]

Hello all, just registered, idle curiosity is being followed up with serious intent, I'm now looking to buy.

After some night time reading of the forum I've narrowed it down to wanting a Gen 3, ideally an SSRG in silver. It seems the intercooled ones are the best but I don't know if the performance increase justifies the premium that people are asking.

I'd actually quite like a petrol but there doesn't seem to be many about.

Don't want anything that's been used as a builders wagon and tidy outside is essential. I'm located on the South Coast near Brighton but travel for the right car is to be expected.

Plan is to do the simple steps, 2" body lift, funky big wheels and roof rack, nowt serious planned.
So, hello, anyone know of the ideal vehicle for me? There's a gen3 intercooled in silver on eBay but it's up at £3800 and I can't justify that unless it's exceptional.
Cheers
James

[pictonroad]

Good work, my post made it through moderation! Hello all...

[Bogus]

http://www.hiluxsurf.co.uk/showthrea...241#post833241

[Lewd Lux Lover]

Take your time in choosing. I spent three month looking.
Be ready to travel. The good ones are rarely in your area.
Be ready to spend 300£ on a full service when you do get one, regardless of the service record. Clean oil is what gives you toyota reliability and all the belts and other fluids might as well get done.
Intercooled are rare. They crack less heads. They most definatly pull better up hill and work less hard on the flat (as compared to my mates one and all the others I drove finding mine. Mine does the same work for less rpm)

Buying a really nice one will take you into the market for lower priced and newer invincibles and such but if its a surf you want you wont get a newer one than 16 years old. give or take. I like retro vehicles. Do you? I see all/most of the post 2000 4x4 and they make me a little sick in my mouth.

Look for the latest import date you can get. The longer it has been here the worse it will be.
Think about tires before you buy it. Putting shoddy rubber on a rwd 2 ton truck is a good way to find a hedge backwards. Factor new rubber into the purchase. Some of the later 3rd gens are still running on the tires they came from japan with...mine still had two. Their roads are different and their compounds to match, rip that stuff right off.

3800 for an intercooled is bloody good. The one on here for sale is the one you should seriously go and look at though and its uop for less.. Buying from forum members is always the place to start. They often have better servicing and much higher seller honesty.
I paid 4500£ for mine but she is mint. You wont go wrong taking a look at TAZR12's one. Its exactly what you are looking for at a great price and its local.


I love my truck, you wont go wrong with an intercooled 3rd gen matey.

[pictonroad]

Cheers for the info, nice informative reply. I've been through plenty of left field motors including an imported 6litre pick up and an RX7, imported cars are fun!

Logically I could pick up a mint Mitsubishi or a safe Colorado but for no good reason I really want the opening back window. It will be my Mountain bike moving vehicle first and foremost.

Seen that one in the classifieds, don't want green which is a shame because it fits the bill otherwise.

There's a lot to choose from, just need to choose!

James

[Karma Supra]

Don't get too hung up on looking for an SSR-G... I did that at first too, but a decent spec SSR-X is every bit as good.

Mine is an SSR-X Limited, it has pretty much every option going, bar the "winter pack" (rear heater, heated fuel filter and twin battery on the diesels) and the hard/soft TEMS suspension.

I retrofitted the twin batteries, and never missed the heaters and had no interest in retaining factory suspension anyway...

All the interesting stuff was already there (rear power mirror, rear spare, field monitor, multi mode 4x4, etc etc) and had no interest in retaining factory suspension anyway.

More importantly it was a decent colour and in excellent condition.

[Lewd Lux Lover]

Totally agree. If you wait for a G with the perfect spec you'll be waiting a long time. Mine is an ssrx ltd also and has everything I could need in options. So far as it goes with these the difference with them always comes down to what the original buyer ticked on the form rather than the trim.

90's imports is where its at RX7s make me fizz

Colour is important. My mate thinks they should all be blue or green. Why would you want any other colour? I like white for some reason and have the whole fleet in it. I understand your wanting a specific colour but I would still recommend going and driving tazr12s one with cash in your pocket. roof rack, good tires, well maintained. Its the best option I have seen since buying mine considering the price.

I also understand the want of something other than a colorado. I see them as twin sisters but with a difference between them. The colorado is the bookish/DofE loving sister who is probably safe at home with some coco and a book about nutrition while the suft is out drinking, having a whale of a time and might not come back with her knickers on Mesobitchies are a real pain to work on from experience. I dont know if their 4x4s are different but their sports cars are like 10,000 piece puzzles with no starting image.

Sounds like you have settled on the right vehicle, you just need to find the right one.

[pictonroad]

Off to see one tomorrow... Always get nervous before viewing cars, get all carried away and forget to check the basics...

[talisman]

Off to see one tomorrow... Always get nervous before viewing cars, get all carried away and forget to check the basics...

Lol. I know exactly what you mean.

[Jameswallace]

Its so easy to see the gold around the edges. Ive done it before. I once bought a car blind (and flew to necastle to go and get it!!) which turned out to be the most reliable vehicle I've owned. But it had a bent mot in it which wasnt helpful!!

I always find having a few lined up helps. But i often set my heart on it before viewing

I had my heart set on a surf in norfolk. Drove all the way from chichester to norfolk (left 4.30 am) had already worked out how id get it home (train up there etc) and i turned up and cosmetically it was a dog. It was mechanically ok but i was willing to spend more to have both so i walked away. It taught me a valuable lesson that day. My gut instinct told me to walk anyway so i did.

[pictonroad]

Deed is done. Pearlescent SSR-G with absurdly complicated spoiler, mysterious gear knob and quite frankly the rankest 'wood' trim I've ever seen.

Right, who's got some big ol' wheels to sell?







What is the purpose of this mystery red button?

[Tankerman]

If you need to shift the transmission into neutral with a flat battery or electrical problem, press and hold the button and move the lever.

[Lewd Lux Lover]

Nice. get some wrap for that wood effect gunk though.
Looks good.

[pictonroad]

This happened:



Spent ages agonising over wheel fitment, in the end, leap of faith, bought them will worry about it later...

[GlenCurtis]

Congratulations on your purchase mate! Damn, that wheel is giant . By the way what is it doing in your house? I am also considering to buy a Hilux. Well, it's just an idea as my wife's approval for that and compared to her the moderation on this forum is a piece of cake . No offense to our fellow moderators, I am sure they are great fellas. When back in the US I had ford raptor I rented from ford orange county and I fell in love with off roaders ever since. Hope my wife will understand this passion of mine sometime.