looking to upgrade to 3rd gen any thoughts and coments what to look for when buying one i heard the auto gearbox is expensive if it needs a overhaul any idea how much that costs any help please on what to look for and do you think i should trade my second gen or sell private its a v6 auto wagon 220,000 on the clock

looking to upgrade to 3rd gen any thoughts and coments what to look for when buying one i heard the auto gearbox is expensive if it needs a overhaul any idea how much that costs any help please on what to look for and do you think i should trade my second gen or sell private its a v6 auto wagon 220,000 on the clock

get a manual if you can find one, much better then the slush box and quicker to boot, a auto box reco is around the 2k mark i think and 220 thou is about the average depending on what model.

It depends on what model your looking at the later ones are the best. They all have "stuff".

Join the darkside :P, nah in all seriousness ive got a 3rd gen and couldnt be happier, from what ive experianced, there really isnt a certain thing to look out for, make sure its been taken care of service wise and that it drives well, as some have mentioned get yourself a manual if you have use for it, i.e if you can drive manual otherwise settle for an auto. Finally check oils and test drive like you would if you were to purchase any car and if logbooks are available thats a huge bonus :D

When I got mine I went for the TH because I much prefered the finer detail over the TE TF, if you can go for something a bit later maybe a TJ, the auto's in the early models have a fair few problems, the later models aren't so bad, TH on, or a manual even less problems, even if you can get something like a KH Verada as it has all the extra's

I second the KH, I love mine.

Hope this helps:

- Clean straight body.
- Good paint.
- Close panel gaps.
- Crash damage.
- Smooth ride with no excessive rebound bounce (can indicate stuffs shocks I think).
- Interior for seat tears, trashed carpet, dash board cracks and whether all features working etc.
- Cabin rattles.
- Mileage.
- Smooth motor, revs cleanly, no rough idle or stalling etc.
- Clean engine bay.
- Log book.
- No water in the boot and spare tyre well. (Indicates trunk leak).
- Decent tyres and braking performance.
- Decent rego or if not use as a bargaining tool.
- Steering feel with no or limited play from straight ahead.
- CV's. Just drive in circles and listen for any clicking noise.
- High speed feel (110kph).
- All lights/electrics work.

-Check the usual things that wear in older cars like CV, stick your head underneath behind/infront of the front wheel(S) and check for a torn boot or grease getting flung everywhere.

-Check the suspension for rooted shocks and/or sad springs.

-Check the clutch, clutch travel and how it engages, do a quick take off and listen for noises in the engine bay (liek clunks) for mounts on the way out.

-Listen for noisey tappets, let the car idle for 5 mins then give it a stab to check for valve stem seals (puff of blue oily smoke will come out which means the seals are dead)

-Pull the oil dipstick out and check the oil colour and ask when its been changed (Dark oil on a recent change shows the rings are going/gone and there's blowby). Same with transmission oil

-If you dont no how to spot those things, take a family member along, if you dont have anyone around who knows, get an inspection (most insurance companies offer some type of service like this.)

-As for the Auto make sure its been serviced properly and at the proper intervals, bright red oil, smooth gear changes, CHECK the over-drive works, look for leaks visually, etc

Cheers

- Smooth motor, revs cleanly, no rough idle or stalling etc.


just be warned th models its common for them to have a rough idle in park but normal in every other gear.

Water leaks in the front wheel wells, take one for a test drive and get it into a Car Wash and check this out.