Peter 2 replied:

Cooling system and consequent overheating problems seem to be the biggest problem.
Had a couple of acquaintances withem who ventually traded up to later models as there seemed to be no permanent cure to them overheating especially on sand.

Brian replied:

Believe the Surf has the same problem as my vehicle the Nissan Terrano , cooling system inadequate , both nice to drive , economical but as soon as you hook up anything on the towbar and climb a hill, well!!!

herkman replied:

You would be better, spending more money and buy the 3 Litre engined model.

In addition to the comment made previously, this model engine has a reputation for failing cylinder heads.

REGARDS

Col Tigwell

itisi replied:

Hi Greenant

Checkout the Surf site for heaps of info. They have well over a thousand members

http://www.toyotasurf.asn.au/

Cheers
Rod

Member - Jeff M (WA) replied:

The 3.0L is a far superior engine, but you pay for it too as they are a lot more expensive to buy. If the cylinder head has been replaced and you don't overheat it (the cooling system has to be absolutally A1 otherwise you will) then you shouldn't have a problem. The origional 2.4L motors were actually recalled because of a weak head problem. Problem was a lot of the ones imported never had the recall, so unless the previous owner has already had the unfortuante experience of replacing the head then it's not a good idea to buy it, however in saying that if a 10-15 year old vehicle hasn't cracked the head yet, then maybe it's not going too!! ;-)

Hey, we love our surf, it goes brilliantly, a little heavy on the juice considering the size of the vehicle and motor, but heaps of power and goes great in any off road situation you put it in and it's still a hell of a lot cheaper to run than the petrol Ozzy 4 runner. Comfy, quiet, easy to drive just a great all rounder. The only problem we have these days is it's really too small with for our family and all our gear, going to have to save the $$$ for a full length roof rack and get rid of the basket I reckon...

mattlobie replied:

Another alternative is a 2.8 litre diesel Toyota 4Runner. The 2.8 is ultra reliable, doesn't have much power but will tow ok. 4runners have basically the same body as Surfs and they're not grey imports. Many people believe that the reason the Surf cooling system is not up to scratch is because they are grey imports and not tested in Australian conditions. Some parts for Surfs can be expensive and/or hard to get for the same reason.

IMHO a 4runner is a much better, safer option.

matt