Bouquet For Rising Sun Imports

[prodigaldotter]

I purchased my first Delica years ago thru the Forum, from DelBigRig, a member located in Japan, and had it shipped over. DelBigRig had an associate in Vancouver that handled paperwork to get the van to Vancouver, and we took over from there. The process wasn't actually all that bad. It turned out to be an excellent vehicle, and I was very pleased with the service provided by DelBigRig.

This time around, (2013), I purchased from Steven at Rising Sun Imports. I was in a time crunch, and couldn't afford to await incoming vehicles/import again. As well, I found that at this time in my life, I was definitely a buyer who needed to see a vehicle in front of me before deciding to commit to buy. At first, I test drove 2 L300's in Vancouver, one of which had been purchased from Mardy at Amazing Autos (always a good recommendation when looking at a used Deli for sale....look where it came from initially...and you'll get a sense of how it is!), and both were known to Butch at CVI (Again, always a good recommendation...who doesn't love that guy?? : ) At the end of the day, I just wasn't sure if I wanted an L300 again....and I thought I should at least TRY an L400. So right before closing time, we called Steven at Rising Sun, to see if he had anything available to test drive. He was very kind, and offered to stay waaaay late and wait for us to drive thru rush hour (UGH and UGH!! How do you Vancouverites survive that DAILY???) to get to his shop in New Westminster and go climb all over his in-house stock of Delis. When we got there, he listened patiently to my feelings about 300's and what type of driving needs I had. (I don't go off-road...I'm mostly town driving, kid hauling, and winter driving ) One thing that I really appreciated was that Steven was never condescending in his manner towards me. I hate it when car salesmen behave that way to women. All women may not be mechanics, but we're not totally dense when it comes to cars. Some of us actually know where the dang oil stick thingie is, and what the heck to do with it! : ) We were given a tour of the entire shop - it was neat and orderly. Steven took HOURS to show us his vehicle inventory, carefully pointed out all the varied work he had done to each van, and answered all our questions. It was so kind of him to stay so late, as we had to return home the next day. We arranged to meet again in the morning, as I wanted to "sleep on it" a bit, and see how I felt. The next day, we returned to his shop, and we had several good long test drives, and drove up and down hills, on highway, etc. We got a very good feel about the vehicle we thought was the best. ( a jewel with only 67,000 km...how can u go wrong??) My Dad had insisted that I always get an independent inspection of any used vehicle I buy from a Dealer. Thus, I wanted Butch at CVI to go over the van. Steven had absolutely no problem with that. Talk about confidence in his product! We took it over to CVI, and Butch scrutinized it and pronounced it fit as a fiddle! Nice to have your gut intuition confirmed! (Plus it made Dad happy!) So back to New Westminster to Rising Sun to wrap things up. Steven explained his One Year Warranty. It seemed very reasonable to me. Like, if I toast my vehicle doing something stupid, then that was MY responsibility to fix, but if it was one of the things on HIS list, then it was HIS responsibility to fix...one year or 12,000km. I was an out of towner, but had a MEGA-GODZILLA TOWING PCKG from BCAA (best 150 bucks I'll ever spend) so can be towed to Rising Sun anytime I need it. We closed the deal, and hit the road to head home! All I can say is "WOW!!". As we passed Chilliwack and headed for Hope, I was wondering how the L400 would like the Coquihalla. I remembered my L300 getting passed on hills by pesky VW Westfalias driven by delighted VW Fanatics who probably never got to pass anyone before...(ultimate degradation) (Did I mention I used to own a VW Westfalia too??). I couldn't believe how well the L400 climbed! I even passed someone! Heehee!! Too funny!

We were sent a text message from Steven while on the road, wishing us a happy journey home and thanking us for being his customers. Then when it got dark and it was time for headlights, I remembered how dimmish my L300 headlights were. I have a tough time with nightvision, and was absolutely giddy when I turned the lights on! I felt like I was driving a SEMI...I could SEE so well! The lights were hot-dang excellent and widespread for whole-road viewing. It could NOT be improved upon! Thanks Steven, for not skimping on the new headlights! My friend who is a mechanic, told me later that those headlights were really really good ones. So, Kudos for Rising Sun for going an extra mile! It sure made my night! What a relief to see so well.

So, am home now and have had the Deli for a couple days. I love it. I told Steven, I looked forward to calling him regularly to tell him that my Delica was still great, as opposed to calling him to complain! My mechanic friend asked about parts being tough to get....but hey, parts are around, and Rising Sun stocks TONS of parts, and ONLY deals with Delicas/Pajero, so keeps well-stocked, and also has their own in-house mechanic on hand. Retail vehicle sales, parts sales, and service, all in one shop. Very handy for one location shopping, especially with lower mainland traffic...blah!! I will probably never have to ship a part from Japan, due to all the instock parts there. I hope to never have to need that warranty, but if I do, I'm sure Steven will back up his word. I don't expect him to be psychic, and know every single inch of the vehicle I bought...a dealer can't completely dissassemble it into bits and pieces and check EVERY component (take everything apart etc)..they'd never survive......to some extent, they can only do so much. Common sense will dictate that. The rest is a bit of a gamble. My first Deli was a cherry, and I think this one is too. Dealers are somewhat at the mercy of the auction, in my opinion. They never know for sure what the car is, until it arrives here. They do their best (if they are reputable), but they are still trying to run a business. I don't expect a totally new car, (they're over 15 years old afterall, and will cost money) and for me, this whole process is very much a BUYER BEWARE. The Buyer needs to do their own research, check things themselves, etc. Education can save you a lotta dough down the road. It's also great to get advice on maintaining your Deli properly. I never fussed much with cars....changed the oil whenever it occurred to me. Not any more. This lil gal is gonna be pampered!

Overall, my experience thus far with Rising Sun, has been a good one. I can recommend them.

I also want to thank Mardy from Amazing Auto for his tips and advice on what to look for when buying a Deli, and big thanks to Butch from CVI for the same, as well as for doing a last minute inspection! What a guy! Patient as the day is long. He was very very helpful! I heartily recommend all of these businesses, and would never hesitate to use them, with FULL confidence. We are very lucky here in BC, to have all these guys locally....without them, owning our Delicas wouldn't be so smooth.

Cheers!

[Big-Bird]

X2 for RSI. Cracked the top tank on my radiator (L400) emailed RSI at 8pm on a Sunday and had a price complete with shipping that night. New rad shipped monday AM!

Still feel stupid for cracking my own radtank.....still not as expensive as I had anticipated for the new replacement.

Thanks Steven at RSI.

[thomas_686]

Good read and advice...I too am on the market to buy a deli as well and all this information helps a ton. I think my biggest concern is buying a lemon...so I am really doing my homework. Looking forward to watching your post being updated.

Thanks

Colin

[prodigaldotter]

Hey, thanks! Yeah, it's kinda a fun idea to update along the way! Like a "How She's Doing Now" Blog. : )
I'm realllllly loving the L400's A/C...Kamloops is cooking today. Temp gauge is happy, so no worries. I'm just getting really frustrated with not getting the time to wax the little baby up! Kinda a bonding thing....last couple days soooo busy. But, stay tuned, cuz Thursday is a ROAD TRIP to Salt Spring, loaded with kids, up & down the Coquihalla. It's great that Steven is along the way, just in case. But I really don't anticipate any problems...she purrs like a kitten stretched out, paws kneading nothing in particular, happy as can be. The covetous looks from Dads driving mini-vans are hilarious!

More from the road.....
Cheers!

[minicarz]

Hope to see you on the road in Kamloops . Ive had mine since 2011 from Mardy. Running great. If you need advice on L400 issues give me a pm and I can share the little I know
Cheers
Neale

[CREGAN]

Steven is by far the fastest shipper in Delica Land! He helped me out big time because I wrecked the ratcheting lap belt on my captain seat, making it impossible to lock down my kids car seat last Friday. Had the new one here and on this morning. Also threw in a free fuel filter which was a very nice touch.

I needed it quick and he helped me out.

Craig

[prodigaldotter]

UPDATE: July 23/2013

Well, She did great on our trip to Salt Spring...fully loaded with gear and 5 passengers...nary a square inch leftover! Zipped down the Coquihalla, and then back up again, neat as can be. No probs with the temperature, despite blazing heat, and full air con running. She wants another bath, tho....a prima donna. Gonna be busy keeping her clean. : )

So the Gem from Rising Sun is still a Gem!

** One small thing: have joined the "Blinking 4wd Indicator Light" Club! Spoke with Steven, who explained it to me. Read up on it in the Forum (thanks to all who posted!!), and not a biggie. Will deal with it in future...pesky solenoids!

Cheers!