anything i should be looking for when buying a sporty

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hi all , im new to the board and no doubt will be bothering you no end in my quest of ownership / modding etc of a sporty.

i need a quiet engine so decided on the petrol . i currantly have a 2001td vitara but is too pretty to give it grief so have decided to get rid and buy something suitable.

questions.

1.is there a particular year i should be looking at
2. what should i be looking out for when buying one
3.if i do 60 - 65mph what kind of mpg will it do
4. are they manual hubs on a k plate Unknw if so what year did the auto hubs start?

my neighbour has a k plate one which has goodridge bf all terrains on it / lifted etc.. and wants around £600 for it which would save me no end on buying tyres etc..

hope you can help with the above . many thanks patch

Just a few

K plate

Must have a catylist .... all vehicles J-eg-Sept onwards. MPG - about 28mpg. Cruises happily at 65mph.

1. Open rear door and lift the carpet. Look for floor rot.
2. Rear suspension .... where rear subframe supports the body shell. Corrosion causes collapse of suspension and it will be a scrapper.
3. Heater matrix. Check the owner has not isolated the matrix - run the engine and make certain the heater works. Now check the floor both side of the tunnel adjacent the heater. If wet you can assume the heater matrix is rotton. A diy job - £100 for replacement [none daihatsu] matrix. A pig to fit if you take about 4 hours!
4. Look at brake pipes under rear floor. Also brake pipe across rear axle.
5. Check front wheel bearings for play.
6. Prop shaft universals
7. Drive full circle[ LH and RH] and listen to CV joints.
8. Give it a thorough check over .... rust, dents, underseal.
9. Select and try each 4x4 box. Reverse the vehicle after deselecting the 4x4 to get into 2x gearbox. If it sticks in 4x4 walk away.
9. Ask for a 1 year MOT.

blimey

thanks for the detailed reply , im going to have a look later at it armed with your info printed Smile

are gear boxes alot for the sporty then Unknw , i have a funny feeling im gonna need to buy a welder lol