Offroad-Express

Hi there, I am new to the 4wd landscape and was hoping for some advise or things to look for when purchasing a secondhand surf. The one I am looking at is a 1989 ssr surf 2400cc diesel- asking for around 5k with 110,000km. The other vehicle I was interested in was a 1973 88 swb series 3 fitted with a 3000cc 3b diesel. I would really appreciate any guidance someone had to offer. Thanks fellas, Dan

dannyboy4949 wrote: The other vehicle I was interested in was a 1973 88 swb series 3 fitted with a 3000cc 3b diesel. I would really appreciate any guidance someone had to offer. Thanks fellas, Dan

Hi Danny. Im a little confused,is this vehicle a 1988 73 series landcruiser or as it says 1973 88 inch landrover shorty with a landcruiser diesel?


If its a landcruiser ,I would take it over the Surf any day.
The old 3B is bullet proof (provided it hasnt done 1M klms)
You can also turbo these and they only get better.

The Surf with its 2.4 LT is a bomb waiting to blow your bankbook to pieces

agree with rosco, go a nissan man
Al

albundy wrote:agree with rosco, go a nissan man
Al

Yeah an old Patrol would be good value with some comfort.
A 1973 landrover as a daily driver would be daunting even if it had a toyota diesel.
Its funny,a landrover with a 3B LC diesel would probably be considered fast but in a landcruiser its like going backwards

what is your level of mechanical skills ... are you going to daily drive this... do you like comfort or the whole 4wd feeling

The surf
as the others have said the 2.4 is a hand granade but the bonus is when it does go they are easy (& cheap ) to drop a supra m series motor into and this makes it really fun... you will have more comfort... parts are cheaper and easier to find, price does sound high have a look in the trader I'd expect a surf this old to be around $2200 mark alright it does have low ks for the age but....

The landy
I have a soft spot for these... they were built for 4wd'n theres no silly bits of trim or flash bells and whistles and for me this is the appeal having driven plenty of them I'll tell ya this appeal wears off when its your daily driver the girlfreind won't like it either the gearbox is a whining pig solid as just loud it will leak oil where ever it is parked
With the diesel in it instead of the rover it will go well and on standard suspension will go further and harder than the surf

I'd sugest you find someone to help you look over these as both are getting on in age and rust could be an issue don't be afraid to lift carpets or take a small hammer to the chassi, cheak the coolent... rusty water isn't a good thing on a motor this old, theres a heap of other bits and pieces to look at but I can't be ass'd typing hey its a friday

let us know how it goes

Cheers Reece