Hello all. Thought I should introduce myself, as I'm about to purchase myself a Daihatsu Fourtrak 2.8TDX.

OK, so, my name's Chris. I'm 21 from Hawick in the Scottish Borders. I work as a mechanic/VOSA vehicle inspector for first bus.

My pride and joy is my 1999 Ford Focus 1.8TDDi. What started out as a sensible, reliable option turned into something of a show car. I'd rather hope everyone's not gonna assume me for some chav as that couldn't be further from the truth!

But, thanks to someone making a false claim about me and my focus, we've both received an ASBO warning. Basically what it means, if someone else complains about me doing anything similar to the original false claim, they'll simply come and impound the car.

Which is why I'm buying myself a cheap 4x4 to get to work. My dad used to have a D-reg Fourtrak 2.0 petrol, a metallic black short wheel base example. Was a very good car, very reliable and it was amazing off road. This is what pushed me towards a Fourtrak, though I was also considering an early discovery (my dad currently has an M-reg Disco 2.5TD ES, and previously had a G-reg Disco 2.5TD). However, the cheap insurance quote I got for the Fourtrak (some £140 less than a Discovery, £50 less than a 1.1 fiesta, and £280 less than I pay for my focus) pushed my decision that way.

The Fourtrak I'm buying is a 1993 K-reg example, 2.8TDX as I already mentioned. it's burgandy over silver, with alloys and side steps, and 7 seats (though I may remove the two rear ones as they're unlikely to get used, and they're just taking up space. Plus I've read the thread on here that's talking about them!). It's got all the "boys toys" as my dad puts it - electric windows, electric mirrors, central locking, etc. With just 62,000 on the clock, the engine is sweet as a nut, and it's spotless underneath. The body panels have suffered from the usual Fourtrak rust problems: front wings, back door, and around the wheelarch trims. However, this isn't a major concern, I'm not particularly worried about the look of this car as long as it starts and drives and passes an MoT! Speaking of which, the guy selling it is going to put it on for a test on Friday 5th Jan, so I should hopefully be able to pick it up by Sat 6th!!

I'd like to think that I'll be able to get my fourtrak off road now and again. Currently I do no off-road driving, but then again, with the limited ground clearance on my focus, that's hardly surprising! Assuming I can afford to keep running the Fourtrak, I'm gonna keep hold of it as my transport to and from work, and keep the focus for weekends, holidays and taking to car shows!

Anyway, that's me introduced. I was gonna ask about bull bars, but I've the chance to get one for next to nothing off an old Discovery, so I could do some pre-fab work and make that fit. Then again, reading about some peoples' insurance problems, I might not and will just go with the big spot lights I keep talking about! Oh - and my CD/MP3 player I bought for it the other day! Sorry guys, but I can't drive far without my music!

Anyway, basically, hello! and, er... goodbye for now!

-T