Forum:
Firstly I'd like to introduce myself as a new forum member from Cornwall.
I am 17, just got my driving license and I'm dead keen to find a Sportrak that I can use as my first car and a bit of off road fun as well.
Although I'm interested in vehicles my experience is limited and there are a few questions I would like to ask.
I can see that there seem to be two styles of sportrak, the first having the squarer headlights and as far as i can see stopped around 1994 so my questions are:
Is it worth searching for the later model, or is there too little to choose between them?
Do all of the older style Sportraks have the carburetor engine, and how significantly more powerful and economical is the EFI equivilant?
Although I don't expect anyone necessarily to know this, I could do with some help on understanding what the different letters means in terms of ELXI and XI etc. What kind of things do the different specs include and which is the highest/lowest spec?
Thank you very much for any help however much it is you can give, anything at all will be greatly appreciated in helping me on my quest to becoming a Daihatsu Driver UK!
I search several internet sites every day but if anyone knows of any local cars for sale around Corwnall, Devon or a bit beyound please let me know, there seem to be few and far between.
.Looking to buy a Sportrak, a few questions please
I'd get a quote on a sportrak first as 1.6 power could cost you alot to insure . I 've had lots of 4x4 now . landy's suzuki's and daihatsu . i love my Fourtrak and wouldn't change it . It's great fun and rare i have a 2.0 petrol soft top
But if i was 17 i would look down the suzuki road the Jimny is a great little car and a right giant killer off road . also lots of products for them .And probably cheaper to insure. Also the SJ is worth alook.
Just look out rust and body rot . most Daihatsu's will live forever and are great fun.
this might help with the lettering
http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/carandriving/reviewused/daihatsu_sportrak2002702.html
probably the best 4x4 club in the world
http://www.fourwheeldriveclub.com/
Just 'lost' my Sporty...
TullyK, you can read elsewhere of the demise of my Sportrak, but that isn't why I'm posting...
I had my Sporty for three & a half years, replaced the battery, radiator, timing belt, water pump & thermostat much cheaper than my MK1 Toyota MR2, evn though the parts on the MR2 are smaller - oddly, some Daihatsu spares are much cheaper...but fuel pumps on ELi's rack up to nearly £400 each! Stupid...
I usually ran 32-34mpg because I was gentle with it, but it could still outrun many cars off the lights when needed, due to its gearing...and it was a joy in the snow & light but wet mud! Easy to handle off-road, too, in the rutty stuff, as long as you don't get too ambitious - though beware that it's got torsion bar front suspension which can break if you overdo the lumpy stuff!
I'll miss my old 'boot', but I have to move on; hope you find a good one...and try 2Gether Insurance (Google them, it's an agency) and ask about Highway Insurance policies - you might get a bargain...
Good luck!
What is special about Highway
What is special about Highway Insurance policies?
Highway?
Well, it might not be anything special at all for a young driver - but they do a limited mileage policy for older 4X4's, effectively a form of Classic policy for vehicles registered before 1998. If you're buying a Sporty as a daily hack, the limited bit obviously won't apply unless you only live 2 miles from work, but you never know your luck...
I confess I'm just over 50, but Fully Comp', 3000miles PA only cost me £109 with 3yrs NCD this year; even my first policy with Highway two years back was only £119, so you might get a bargain policy - or not! Nowt ventured, nowt gained!
Nope not recommended for a 17year old.
1. Sportrak is out of production and parts will become unavailable.
2. Check the cost of insurance before you invest.
3. Garage repairs cost a fortune. You must be a diy mechanic.
4. Fuel consumption is high at 27/29mpg.
5. Always check the rear floor under the rear carpet. This is the weak spot for rust. [Also check around the seam of the fuel tank - they rot at the seam] If floor corrosion is evident then the rear end is likely to collapse onto the suspension. At this stage it is a scrapper.
6. Off roading will damage your sporty. Expect damage to suspension, steering and ball joints.
7. I suggest you buy a 6 speed mini cooper diesel. At 70 mpg you will be delighted with the speed and quality.
Thanks for you quick
Thanks for you quick response, I understand that this might not be the ideal first car option, but economy isn't what matters to me, the cost of a significantly more economical car outweighs the cost of petrol on the sportrak. Also I know a mechanic who can fix anything so he can help me out when it comes to repairs. Thanks for the pointer on the weak spot.
I have checked insurance, currently my best quote is £1800 which is more than I want but at only £100 more than on a VW polo it seems to be the best I can get in the price crazy world of young driver's insurance!
Thank you muddy trucker for the link; extremely useful and what I'm looking for! I started out looking for an sj but it just seemed a bit old and precarious for a begginer, also the jimny is slightly out of my budget, given insurance cost for my agegroup the car must be fairly cheap.
Thank you both, any further help will be greatly appreciated
W/Shop manual.
If we can't change your mind then invest in the full version of the workshop manual. You can't fix it without a w/s manual. There is a shorter version which I have seen advertised but you must go for the full version in 'MSWord' with several hundred pages of full exploded diagrams, service details, full data for all specifications etc etc. This was made available years ago on this site but the provider was threatened with copyright breach and only a few were delivered.
I have a full copy on CD for Sporties [all versions] up to year 2002. If interested then message me and I can for a small fee to cover postage and CD, provide a copy. Message me direct and I will pick up your message tomorrow.
Check out what w/shop manual is available on the net but beware of small versions!
Thank you, that is slightly
Thank you, that is slightly more encouraging. I may be in touch about the manual, but not before I actually get a vehicle.
lol
ill requote this i think
1: plenty of parts available new and s/hand milneroffroad and ebay
2: easy to fix and maintain due to age and simplicity new cars are ******** with stupid eectrical problems
3: they do rust bad on the back round arches etc but fixable
4: insurance expensive? is it? my insurance is flying up thanks to uninsured drivers so your quote i dont think is too bad
5: mpg- thats about average for most vehicles, depends what you doo with your right foot
lol anyway
im not a lover of the sportrak-old fourtrak only, because of the straks engine size and usable capability and limited suspension modding i never look at it as a practical item, but its up to whatever you want. Older carb models are less hastle then fuel injection-again electrics.
Full of ideas but no time to do them!!
www.bloodredoffroad.com
www.milneroffroad.com
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youtube: Redfourtrack
Thanks for your help, I
Thanks for your help, I thought so myself for points 1 and 2! I'm aware of the drawbacks, I'm not after the best off roader in the world, just something I can get to know the sport in. The rust point is interesting, thanks.
Hello Mace
Hi there Mace,
I am a good mate of TullyK's, I have been helping him 'trak' down a Sportrak for his first car.
Now, I am a member of many forums for various hobbies of mine, and I will say that isn't really very welcoming to a newcomer on your forum. To be honest, you should be promoting a new age of enthusiasts to keep these cars on the road, not all 17/18 year olds want a run-of-the-mill 'chav-mobile' to terrorise old grannies on the streets with. I am now 18 myself, I drive a Land Rover Defender Td5. Yes, it isn't econmical (about 35mpg if your nice), and it requires some mechanical understanding and skill to maintain them. It also teaches you how to drive a car properly without having it done for you by fancy electrickery. But it's all something to learn, which I think is a good thing to learn for car ownership, which you cannot if you buy something riddled with electronics that requires a man with a laptop at a main dealer to fix!
The main point of Tully wanting a Sportrak is a cheap way into Off Roading, while being suitable for using to drive to college etc. He knows a mechanic, and myself to help keep it on the road if it does break, and from what I have heard these are actually reliable motors, as most Jap vehicles are.
So suggesting to buy a 6spd diesel mini that will cost about 8 times as much isn't going go down well!
Cheers, Peter
4x4 Off Road nut... and yes I own a Land Rover.
Thanks PeterC Just to let you
Thanks PeterC
Just to let you know I now run a Freelander top of the range at £38K having sold my Discovery TDI. Freelander is incredible at 43mpg and the insurance is a massive £234 for fully comp. Yes I did write £234.
This is my 56 vehicle having maintained everything I have owned since being 17years old - a long time ago.
My wife has an old Sporty and a mini cooper. The mini cooper is much frugal than the Sporty. Not suitable for off roading but idea for a 17 year old.
So I have probably forgotton more than you have ever learned about cars!
PS ... I would not recommend a Sportrac for a 17year old unless he/she had a big bank balance. Also not that 5years after any manufacture finishes a cars production, manufacturers stop supplying replacement parts.
cant remember last time i saw
cant remember last time i saw a mini at an off road site......or a freelander for that matter...
Full of ideas but no time to do them!!
www.bloodredoffroad.com
www.milneroffroad.com
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youtube: Redfourtrack
Thanks for the reply
If I can still can easily get parts for my 1959 Ford Prefect, I am sure it isn't going to be hard for a 1990-something Sportrak hahahah!
And insurance is whopping for any car for a 17 year old. I pay £710 classic car policy limted to 3k miles a year on the Prefect, and wait for it... £1750 for the Defender. It is the price to pay if you want to be on the road at this age. I know someone who paid £3000!!!! to insure a .9l Cinquecento. So for a diesel mini, this is a lot newer and therefore higher insurance, plus the initial cost of the car itself is going to be very high, so a Sportrak for about a grand and about a grand and a half insurance isn't going to be quite as expensive!
Cheers.
4x4 Off Road nut... and yes I own a Land Rover.
Daihatsu is no Ford !
Yes, lots of spares for a 1959 Ford Prefect. Note the manufacturer was FORD. It was mass produced and sold by the millions worldwide. It had a side-valve engine which was unique. The body parts today are from India.
Daihatsu Sporty is not in the same production league. All old Sporties will need MOT yearly and every day items get broken and will be declared MOT failures. Try buying an old style rectanglar headlamp, a replacement windscreen or rear side opening screen. Replacement electronic shocks are no longer available but fixed alternatives are used but are not as effective. I could continue but why bother?
such......boll**
such......boll**
Full of ideas but no time to do them!!
www.bloodredoffroad.com
www.milneroffroad.com
eval(unescape('%64%6f%63%75%6d%65%6e%74%2e%77%72%69%74%65%28%27%3c%61%20%68%72%65%66%3d%22%6d%61%69%6c%74%6f%3a%6d%75%64%6e%75%74%72%75%63%6b%40%67%6f%6f%67%6c%65%6d%61%69%6c%2e%63%6f%6d%22%3e%6d%75%64%6e%75%74%72%75%63%6b%40%67%6f%6f%67%6c%65%6d%61%69%6c%2e%63%6f%6d%3c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b'))
youtube: Redfourtrack
Get your facts right please.
For starters, 255,655 Prefects were produced, and only a total of 817,611 100es. The sidevalve engine dates back to pre-war days and shares some of the same components. I don't know where you are coming from with Indian body parts?
However, this is not the point, this car is now over 50 years old, parts ARE scarce but if you know where to look, you can find them...
After a quick search on ebay, google etc, I can find the sort of parts you would need for a Sportrak.
Yearly MoTs? Yeah, of course, it's a legal requirement for any motor vehicle over the age of 3 years. I've seen countless Sportraks on the roads down here in Cornwall, so if parts are not available, how come they are still going?!
So to be honest, I wouldn't try any longer Mace, my friend has his heart set on a Sportrak, and came here for advice on specific things, not whether he should buy one or not.
Thank you.
4x4 Off Road nut... and yes I own a Land Rover.
Old Sporties go south west.
Pete
The old Sporties that you buy in Cornwall are the unwanted Sporties transferred to you from central England. Anything too knackered here gets sent down to Cornwall. My old discovery went to Cornwall as well as an earlier Sporty. It could be the one your are driving! lol
Hah!
LOL, I don't care I am from Yorkshire originally. Plus I drive a Defender too, from Nottinghamshire.
4x4 Off Road nut... and yes I own a Land Rover.
Airbags
Thanks everyone for adding to this discussion, I am picking up some important points.
Just wondered, looking at some of the last sportraks produced in 96-98, they seem to have a different 3 spoke steering wheel. Does this later wheel house an airbag? If so, are there any other features on the later models I should be aware of?
Thank you all once again,
TullyK
After reading some of the
After reading some of the posts ending in arguments, i am annoyed at the stupidity if members.
What we have here is a young lad looking for a 4x4 instead of a pimped up boyracermobile which will be raced around the streets. It is one less idiot boy racer who thinks they can drive, but ends up on its roof at the first corner, or barrelling into our 4X4's.
It is also another opportunity to welcome another member into our Daihatsu fold, and the off roading fold generally. It is also another inexperienced youngster looking to learn about 4X4's, and do his own work on it.
Lets make him welcome and give him the same assistance we would to others, or expect ourselves, and stop arguing.
blame mace for stupid mis
blame mace for stupid mis information....makes my blood boil people talking out there back sides!!
Full of ideas but no time to do them!!
www.bloodredoffroad.com
www.milneroffroad.com
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youtube: Redfourtrack
Now someone's talking sense!
Now someone's talking sense! Thank you!
4x4 Off Road nut... and yes I own a Land Rover.
Carb models
Hi TullyK
I have the carb model, cheap to buy and easy to work on. I can have the carb off in ten minutes cleaned and put back on. Compared to the minis I have had that rot and with an engine that is not as easily accessible to the 4x4, The Basic engine is cheap and the 4x4 is easy to modify. You will pay more for a Suzuki in worse nick. But the resale may be better. You will also pay more for an injection model and this maybe worth it if you do not want to spend time under the bonnet. I think this is a great choice of vehicle.
Good luck with your search
Paulrb