looking to buy my first surf

[yesumbos]

Hi all,
As you can tell by the title I am looking to buy my first surf and cant really decide how to go about it ( import or not) so i could really do with a bit of advise please.
Firstly are there any obvious problems to lookout for when buying a surf and secondly do any of you know of a good importer, I am based in the south west but if need be i can travel.
Many thanks

[stormforce]

Hi all,
As you can tell by the title I am looking to buy my first surf and cant really decide how to go about it ( import or not) so i could really do with a bit of advise please.
Firstly are there any obvious problems to lookout for when buying a surf and secondly do any of you know of a good importer, I am based in the south west but if need be i can travel.
Many thanks

hi i am in camborne and there is the garage that i got mine from they are called Ensign cars at Treverbyn Motors in Camborne they are very good or otherwise take a look in the surfs for sale section
Richard

[fergus]

Hi
Just bought my first one last week. Went for the auction house option as oppossed to a 'dealer' as the deaer option. The obvious downsides are, (a) no warrenty and (b) once you buy from an auction house you are on your own and have to SVA it yourself. This is proving a might tricky trying to determine what 'modifications need doing and what model reports if any are required.

Its the normal life decision- if you have money go for a dealer option-if you are trying to get buy on a budget try the auction option but be prepared for a little hassel.

the biggest drawback is the wait to get onthe road-looks like another 2 weekes for SVA.

You will of course get help and advice for the nice folks on her and you cant beat advice from those with experience

[Slate8]

I just bought one last weekend but not taken delivery yet. Anyway, found this very useful:

Hilux Surf/4Runner Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

[Uplander]

Hi all,
As you can tell by the title I am looking to buy my first surf and cant really decide how to go about it ( import or not) so i could really do with a bit of advise please.
Firstly are there any obvious problems to lookout for when buying a surf and secondly do any of you know of a good importer, I am based in the south west but if need be i can travel.
Many thanks

Hi,
I think it depends entirely on your circumstances. Important ones are :- Can you afford to travel around (time /cost) to weigh up a number of different cars / different sources ? If you are going to spent a lot of dosh (my recent purchase was a five figure sum) then you really got to be sure if its a "goody" or NOT. If you are going to get it from an importer then those who are BIMTA members agree to certain standards written into a contract. These folk usually have an agent in Japan who seeks out vehicles to meet the uk customers need - and believe it there are wide variations in specification. Also important is some form of warranty / written confirmation that timing belt has been changed before you part with your money, and also I would get the engine coolant tested, yes pressure and sniff tested, and also its strength... I am dropping the japanese coolant, flushing the system paying particular attention to the rad and heater matrix, and replacing any doubtful hoses, then refilling with toyota longlife or bluecol two year ethylene glycol based coolant, with all the controls set to full on hot air and being prepared to raising the front of the truck if any airlocks are suspected....Too much bother ? then go to a dealer and pay for him to do it ..

Good fortune, I hope you are as happy with it as I am with mine....But then again I painted the entire chassis with american POR15 an chassis paint, so I am in for the long term eh ?

Uplander