Any other things I should do while I'm at it? I got the car last week so I'd like to do all the maintenance that the PO might have missed.
I've had a problem starting the car for the first time after having it for a few days... it took a bit and I finally got it going... was it flooded?
Hard starting is usually glow plugs, timing, compression... in about that order of likelihood.
Glowplugs are inexpensive over the net (go for Bosch Duraterms which is what most of the net guys sell these days) so I generally just replace 'em on sight with a new vehicle, but some testing is required to ensure they are getting power ie the fuse and glowplug relay are working.
Doing the timing belt is your chance to do the timing as well.
Correctly adjusted timing and properly functioning glowplugs will resolve hard starting issues the vast majority of the time.
In terms of other maintenance.... I like to go a bit nuts when I buy a new car and replace:
- all belts
- all fluids
- all filters
- glowplugs
- glowplug fuse
Then I:
- do the timing
- refresh all the ground and large battery connections
- check the suspension system: shocks, ball joints, control arm bushings
- check the braking system: shoes, pads, thickness of disks, condition of drums, adjustment of emergency brake
- check all signal lights
- inspect for body / chassis rust I need to keep an eye on
With all of the above out of the way the vehicle is in a known "good" state... the counters are set to "0" so to speak... and the regular maintenance cycle can begin.
But that's just me ! The cool thing is that all of the parts listed above are cheap cheap cheap over the net, and it's kinda fun to get a big box in the mail full of fresh parts for your new beast.