Inspection report for a '97 RX 2.8 Turbo Diesel

[Trompie]

Hi All,

I recently bought a '97 RX 2.8 Turbo Diesel (absolutely loving it!) and got the NRMA to do a pre-purchase inspection report. I've attached the report and I was hoping that there are a few guys on the forum with experience of this particular model that might be able to go through it and tell me if there is anything that stands out that might be an indication of potentially bigger problems to come.

I must say the previous owner took meticulous care of the car and it's in amazing condition for it's age. I'm hoping to keep up his good work:D

The first things I plan and doing are:
1. Fix chip in windscreen
2. New suspension (maybe raise it a couple of inches)
3. New tyres (muddies? if I plan to do some loose sand driving)

And if anyone can suggest a good mechanic that I can take the old boy to, that would be very much appreciated (I'm in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney).

Can't wait to get him out into the bush!!!

Thanks in advance for any advice/recommendations.

Cheers
Mark

[PeeBee]

Mark, I bought exactly this year and model new in 97. It ran faultlessly and never let me down. I word of warning though is this engine has very little torque and whilst it will fly when empty, simply is not up to heavy loads, massive towing jobs or even a truck load of heavy accessories. Its a simple package and if looked after will give you years of trouble free motoring. I still have the car, but now with an engine upgrade - simply could not swap it due to it being so strong and never letting me down.

You might want to look at some flares to give you more tyre options. I stuck with circa 2-3" lift. I did upgrade the transfer case with a set of Marks 4x4 reduction gears and this transformed its ability in Victorian high country, however being the 85% reduction set, severely limited its use in sand, so if you go this path, think hard about the overall reduction, maybe the 43% would have been a better choice. Max speed in 5th at 4k was circa 40kph frm memory, might have been slower.

The list of items looks routine from the report. Don't flog it in the heat and slow down when the temp gauge starts to climb. Thats about it really.
Phil

[Trompie]

Thanks Phil, much appreciated advice!