Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hi All,
I am currently looking to buy a Rocky Diesel Ute (hard to find a good one). When I was a kid Dad had a diesel Scat and we both loved it- I like the rocky as it is a smaller sized deisel ute that is four cyclinder and you seem to be able to get one under $10k. Any advice as to where to look (in Townsville but going to Sunshine Coast/Brissie for Christmas). THe big question is what to look for in a second hand Rocky- eg rust prone areas, chassis fatigue points, signs of abuse, running gear leak spots, what is a reasonable price to pay and what standard should the vehicle be in for the money. Two other questions are- has anyone installed a Stratos suspension seat and what is the ride like and can you easily retro fit a later model rocky turbo to a normally aspirated diesel motor. Any and all assistance is appreciated, top sight everyone glad I found it,
Pullsy

Don't know too much about Rockys to give you any specific info...

But with regards to price, I find that www.redbook.com.au gives a good "idea" one what prices to expect, what models come with what etc...

I'd definetly look for the 2.8Turbo Diesel version with Solid Front axle (not independant) as this is the best offroad option (power and flex...).

Cheers Murray,
Have looked at red book but prices there don't seem to match those with the private ads I've seen- I'm hoping that the sellers just are asking too much. As for the turbo diesel the Rocky utes never came out with it as standard- just an optional extra- so rare as Rocky utes are ones with turbo's are even harder to find. Thanks again
Pullsy

I'd use the redbook prices as a "minimum" price...real market values seem to be a bit higher...

www.autotrader.com.au is a great website for looking for used cars..

Pullsy, a later model Turbo 2.8 complete motor will bolt straight in with no modifications at all. If, however, you are looking at bolting a turbo off a later motor to your existing motor, you may have problems. They will bolt on, but I think Daihatsu made quite a few changes to the motor internals for the turbo. I had an aftermarket turbo fitted to a standard non turbo motor, and kept cracking pistons. I eventually upgraded the entire motor to a later factory turbo one, and then intercooled it. I still have the complete aftermarket turbo downstairs, going cheap if anyone is interested.

Do you specifically want a ute? You could always buy this, remove the rear roof, cut down the rear door, and put in a panel behind the seats for a bit of a unique ute.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... gory=35227