Forum:
i'm will need to sell my new charade in the summer as im taking my first steps on the property ladder 
So i was looking at spending about 3k and pocketing the change from selling my charade. So i was thinking seems i live in Somerset i would like to get into a bit of off roading 
So was thinking of buying a Sportrack I was after some advice of what to look out for body/engine wise and a rough price guide. I was also concerned about leg room as i am over 6ft in height and have read other threads abut people having leg room issues in sportracks.
Cheers Matt
Buying a Sporty
Sportraks are pretty tough little wagons. So you can't go too wrong with them. Obviously theres the usual checks of try the engine, look at the engine, check to see if the headgaskets going, etc. Also as Sportraks are a bit higher off the ground than normal cars you can check for rust underneath easier. Tho this can depend on your age and agility to do so. As the Sportrak gives enough clearance so that a reasonably slim person can wiggle underneath the Sportrak. I would say main concern with rust underneath from experience of a couple of ppl on here is to see if theres any serious rust around the areas near to where the leafsprings are bolted to.
Regarding the height it does seem to vary for some reason. I am 6ft5 and don't have a problem with the legroom in my Sportrak. My legroom is especially good now since managing to get a Momo steering wheel with Daihatsu fitment. But some ppl on here who are a few inches shorter than me seem to have problems with legroom.
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N-Reg Daihatsu Sportrak Midnight. A-Bar, K&N, 100Watt Spots, Custom S/Steel Wheel Cover, S/Steel Sillbars, more to follow!
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All the usual checks apply, b
All the usual checks apply, but add the following....
Take for a good run up a hill, the engine should pull cleanly and evenly, listen for clunks as drive is taken up from rest. if poss, get someone to follow to make sure no blue smoke is eveident. Go back down the hill in neutral and listen for any whines or rumbles from the drive train. Check it does not pull to one side on both acceleration and especially braking.
Find an empty car park. Turn in full lock and circle around, listening for grinding wheel bearings, creaking joints. The turn into the opposite lock and do the same.
Crawl under, check for propshaft play. While your under there, have a look at the rear leafs, shackles and bushes. Look at the X members for excessive rust/welds/overspray that may indicate it's had a bang.
Another good tip is to remove the oil filler cap when idling and place your hand over the hole. You should feel a slight suction which indicates the gaskets are all in good order. And have a look at the coolant expansion bottle for any traces of oil in the coolant.
After that, you pays yer money and takes yer choice.....it's only detail differences between the post and pre 94 models, except for the single rear leaf setup on the later ones, so hang on for a clean one.. Most were bought as shopping trolleys/second cars initially, and it's not hard to spot looked after examples. There were some limited edition 'Midnight' models made to shore up the sales from 96 onward Oh, and go along with CASH....It's surprising how many sellers (even dealers) will fall into line with your thinking when they see the moolah.
Dave with a Sporty
Dave with a Sporty
cheers for the help lads :-)
cheers for the help lads
just got to wait a few months now and hope i find a reasonable priced house...... 
yeah right!