Very confused about this possible purchase

[Dee 4x4]

Hey guys.

I went and checked out a Sierra I had my eyes on. Here's the info.

160,000km
1996 Coily White Hard Top
4AGE 20v with old model supra 5 speed box (engineered)
ARB Air Locker on rear diff + fitament for pumping up tires
31" Muddies + Stock wheels and tires
2" Body Lift, 2" Suspension Lift (rear coils and shocks, front coils)
Spot Lights (front, rear, under car - switches for each)
Front slide bar, rear tow bar
Sliders on the side
Roll bar in the back
Vitara front discs and hubs (not auto)
Nice stereo
Interior quite good condition.
No air con, no power steering.
All work done by Superior Engineering in Brisbane

So I went and had a look at it. The body was in good condition, however it's missing the rear quarter panels (very small ones) as he took them off due to being damaged while taking it offroad. It has a few small specs of rust which I've noticed in pretty much all Sierra's I've been looking at but nothing major. The carpet has been removed as well as the rear seats and he has a $900 fridge in the boot (removeable) and dual batteries to support it. The car drives very well obviously having a lot more power than other one's I've tested out and revved to 7krpm with no probs. It has no front bar as the large tires scrape on it so he has it removed with the ends of the metal bumper support chopped off for clearance.

My issues:

- He said that he only gets about 250-300km off a tank of fuel. Far worse than a stock Sierra from what I know.
- When in low range, there was a whine coming from the transfer case that increased with speed (not revs)
- No front bar. I don't really like the look, but I could live with it or find one and get it put on with a few mods (as the support has been cut)
- Minor specs of rust on the body.
- It's been raced a few times. Not sure if this is a bad thing or not as it seems in good condition but the undercarriage has probably had some bumps along the way.

Here's a link to it. This is old as it now has the spotties on the front but overall it's looks very much the same. This link said it had a NoS system installed but that isn't there now. However, it would indicate that this car has had an "active" life in the past.

http://www.superiorengineering.com.au/b ... hp?view=38

He's asking $9500.

Now I have many reasons running around my head of why and why not to buy this car but I just want you guys to throw some opinions out there based on this vehicle. To my eyes, it's a bagain if I was planning to buy and build one up myself for offroad adventures but I'm more after a daily driver. Anyway, let me know what you think.

[nickw86au]

The poor fuel cinsuption figures may have something to do with the speedo not being recalibrated after fitting larger tyres. Also depends on how you drive it, and how efficient/good on fuel the toyota engine is compared to the original 1.3...

[Gutless]

sounds like a good rig.

If it has been raced, check ALL of the trailing arms for bends, and check the front diff housing for bends also. These parts are exceptionally easy to bend on the coily's.

As Nick said, the speedo will be out due to the larger tyres. this will mean that the odometer reading is incorrect.

31's will make your speedo reading incorrect by as much as 15%, so the actually fuel/km would be more like 275-330 km per tank. Driving style also governs fuel economy, and lets face it......with a high revving 20v under the bonnet, when WOULDN'T you be on the loud pedal

$9500 is prolly a little high, but if you get all the mods and the stereo with it, then its prolly a reasonable price aslong as it has RWC and rego.

Pete

[lay80n]

31's are 116% over standard, so to work out millage mulitply trip meter by 1.16 to calculate (this figure was done in my head so if i'm slightly out ) as for eceonomy, with a lifted and bigger tyre zook, its average compared to normal. As said, check control arms, as these are weak as shit. Are you planning on putting reduction gears in it, as then you will require a leaf spring sierra t/case, so your standard one will be useless. Check whine is not diff related. Front bar is normal, just build a tube bar.
Layto....

[Bazooka]

Well if this is the Sierra that I think it is then it has come a long way.
Looking at it, it looks like the Sierra that a friend of mine once had. I inspired the 20V conversion in it. He gave it hell. It was rolled and sold off. I saw it again after the repair (superior engineering??) and now it looks like it has once again changed hands with a few more mods to it. It went like hell, but he did blow up the transfer case in it (chain drive) I think the nudge bar was actually off a Vitara. The gearbox should be a T50 5 speed from a Sprinter and not the Supra style box, but that could of been changed.
Or I could be totally wrong and thinking of a different vehicle all together.

[Dee 4x4]

Well thanks a lot for the responses so far. Looks like it's looking a little more positive. My normal driving style is like a granny which is likely the reason I get good km's out of the Skyline. Also, most of it is at 80km/h+ so if I could stretch the mileage to close to 400km a tank then I'd be happy.

The only other thing is that it doesn't have aircon. I work an office job and wearing long sleeves is summer is bad enough as it is but I guess I'll deal with it. Windows down style.

As for the noise, it was a noise that increased with speed and not revs. However, I didn't have the front hubs locked at the time. I just threw it into high 4 (no noise) and then low 4 (noise) and took it through all the gears which is did fine. But I'll take note to check out control arms and the front diff for bends. I'm planning to get an RACQ check on it so hopefully they'll be able to pick up any things like hidden rust which I didn't see and other stuff like that. And the $900 fridge is a bonus too.

It's either buy this one or buy a mint condition stock leafy or coily and then get suspension, body lift and tires done on it which could end up costing me around $8k all up anyway. Decisions decisions...

Keep the comments coming. It really does help

[munga]

if this is your first 4wd, would you be better off buying a stocker with aircon?

[Flat_Matt]

i agree with munga, get a stocky with air con, its hell in the summer without air con, even with the windows down. Slowley do mods to it when money is spare and you will build it up the way you like it. Also you might get a bit more k's out of the 1.3 then the 4age.

Its your decision in the end, no matter what you choose or how much it costs, as long as its a zook we will all be happy

[HotAe92]

id buy it. it looks like a good rig. That would be more than capable offroad. Save yourself a shitload of money by buying a modded rig, and just add some personal touches

Good luck with the purchase dude.

[Dee 4x4]

Well I put down the deposit last night

I went and checked out a $3000 1991, lifted, huge tires Sierra on Sunday arvo and it turned me off completely towards getting an old bushbasher. I didn't enjoy driving it as it was dirty as all hell and rough riding! So far I've driven a stock 1995, modified 1991, stock 1997 and a modified 1996 (the one of this thread).

It's mainly going to be an on road car but I'd like it to be very capable off road, not just stock capable. Just like my R33 which I drive very tamely most of the time but has a crapload of performance when I feel the urge for it.

Also, while buying stock and building up a car is great, it costs way more money. I did this with the R33. It owes me the purchase price of $17.5k plus $10k worth of mods and there's no way I'll get anywhere near that when I sell it. I liked the idea of saving a lot of money and buying something modified this time as I'm going to be saving for a house deposit over the next two years and don't want to spend 1000's on another car in the meantime.

So I have an RACQ inspection on Thursday and should be able to pick it up this weekend (when the guy comes back from a business trip) assuming nothing major turns up in the inspection and at this stage it's going to cost me $9k which was the final negotiated price.

Anyway, enough crapping on. I'll take some decent pics and post it up when (if) I get it and thanks a heap for the advice in this thread. It really helped me decide, along with test driving a few others.

I baby my cars so the inherent weakness of the coily won't be a problem because this Sierra will be very well looked after. My only regret is that I've just realised that selling the R33 will save me a ton of money over the next 2 years. I'll considering being rid of it but it's a huge shame considering how much I've put into the car and how perfect it's been in the two years I've owned it. It has never missed a beat and I know how lucky I was to get such a great condition R33 considering what else is out there.

Sadness