is it a bargain or not

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hi ,since selling my faithful 89 rocky on sunday ive been to see a 94 tdx independant 90,000mls,managed to get price down to £1600 but maybe to easy.think ive checked everything,its needing 2 tyres and the back box replaced.needing a good service too,when i asked when the cam belt was changed he replyed it doesn't have one so i need to really check everything,checked gearbox by using 2nd gear as brake,it brakes smooth and even.shocks and springs seem ok,same with steering.chasis has no visible cracks or welds.whats the best way to check the turbo and is there anything else i should check going back to see it 2morow if its still there.maybe i'm being too cautious.any help would i'd be very grateful.
Bill

Cam Belt

I believe the Rocky is the same as a Sportrak. If the message is 'no cam-belt' then I suggest the owner has not replaced it. It must be replaced at maximum every 60,000 miles, preferably every 50,000 miles. If its on 90,000 miles and the cam-belt has never been changed, then after buying the vehicle put the vehicle on a trailer. If the cam belt snaps your in for a huge expense. When the belt snaps the engine gets knackered!

took the chance

thanks for all your advice,managed to get price down a bit plus got him to buy 2 new tyres,checked everything,turbo cutting in about 2500revs,back brakes needing attention,its a plastic cover at front of lump so i'll be needing to replace cam belt, looking back the mots this owner hasn't done a huge amount of miles in the last 2yrs so maybe the previous owner replaced cam belt but i'll change it anyway.is it easy to change could i do it myself or do you need special tools.the back box is away but i'm going to replace the lot anyway.a good service and a lot of tidying up over the next 3 or 4 weeks and a lot of help from this site and i should be up and running.

cam belt

Sounds like you have bagged a bargain....94 trak for less then £1600....cam belt, easy....just remove the rad, it make life a lot easiler.

Cheers

H

Cheers

H

bargain

Sounds like a deal........

Has it been accident damaged? check for spray jobs or welding in strange places.

I would also be checking for signs of excessive engine wear, is the milage backed up with old mots? Check for signs of a leaking head gasket (bubbles in the expansion bottle, dirty coolant, un pleasant smelling coolant) if you can drive it give her a good thrash and check the temp gauge, also, when your chatting to the guy leaver her on tickover after the good drive, check she does not boil.

It does seem cheap, so just go over her with a fine tooth comb, any honest seller should have no worries about you taking her for a good test drive. and remember, you are buying a 4x4 so check that out too........best of luck....
Cheers

H

Cheers

H

If its got a Turbo it must be

If its got a Turbo it must be a 4trak...Sporty's dont have turbos...do they Unknw

To check turbo take car for a good run on the motorway...the green turbo light on instruement panel should light up at around 2500 revs..sometimes you can hear a slight whistling sound as the turbo kicks in and you will feel a noticble increase in power.
Earlier 4trak models didnt have a cam belt but had chain driven timiing gear. I can't quite remember when Daihatsu changed to cam belt.
Easy way to check tho...chain driven will have an aluminium timing cover at the front of the lump...belt driven has a plastic cover.

Ask about previous m.o.t's to support milage...if none..check oil..check smokiness on starting..a little which clears quickly is perfectly normal...excessive smoking of any colour which does not clear quickly would raise my suspicions.
Basically its up to the buyer to satisfy himself that the vehicle is sound (in a private sale anyhow)..so check everything. You might also consider an HPI check as well to give piece of mind re- outstanding finance or whether it was ever written off in the past.
The motoring organisations e.g. AA offer inspections..but they do cost.
Good luck with your potential purchase...dont forget there are many more 'fish' in the sea if this one dont come your way.