My first Hilux

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jventer

My first Hilux

Post by jventer »

I am looking at buying a hilux 4x4 and after some thought and considering my list of requirements (IFS, single cab, aircon), I decided to go for the 2.7 (price between R100k and R130k). I have no experience in buying second-hand vehicles and would like to know what to look out for - something I did notice is that there is a batch of 4x4s with about 140000km on the clock but I suspect they were used for mining or severe farming... I would not recommend those.

Any tips on what to look out for when buying a second-hand hilux?
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pietpetoors
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Re: My first Hilux

Post by pietpetoors »

Single cabs tend to work harder than double cabs. The condition of the loading bin tells a lot of stories.

My 2.7i now has 340,000km on the clock and still going strong.

Ask the seller when last was it serviced, then pull out the dip stick and look at the colour of the oil. It still look almost like new oil, not pitch black or grey.

You can also have a look at the underside of the vehicle. Look at the bash plate and protectors underneath the gearbox and fuel tank. They normally show scratches and damage when the vehicle has been used off-road a lot. You might be lucky to buy one where this is still all perfect which might be an indication that it has not been used in the veld a lot.

Look at the body, see if all the panels are still the same color. Be careful, metalic paint might look a different coulour when looking at a different angle. But if you look if all the panels match and if all the joints are lined up correctly you will pick up if it has been re-sprayed.

Look at the Chassis number, if it is ugly big letter that was stamped on the chassis it is SAP VIN numbers that means that the vehicle might be a code 3 (either stolen recovered or rebuild) These vehicle are worth only about half the normal price.

Take it for a test drive. These Hiluxes is very quiet and you should not hear any strange noises when driving. You will get a feel the moment you drive it.
Keep in mind at low revs they are not extremely powerful, the power kicks in at about 3200 RPM.

On a single cab you can buy a rather new bakkie for that price.
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