Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

I didn't think Montero's came in SWB model's over here (apart from the Dodge Raider) and I thought the average LHD Pajero's are in rough condition, but this appears to be an immaculate LHD SWB Pajero.

Nice!! Assume it to be gas powered, did you spot this on the Lower Mainland?

I talked to the woman who owns that truck. (how many RHD SWB Jtops could there be in Van?? She brought it with her from Germany.

Only the first generation SWB was sold in North America, first with Dodge as the Raider, then with Dodge as the Montero, and in the end properly-badged as a Mitsubishi. The second gen (starting in '91 or '92) was not sold here, only the LWB. They tried to get into the same up-scale market as Land Rover leaving the 'serious' off-roading to Jeep, Ford, and GMC.

At least, that's how I understand it.

Nice version - the soft-tops were not that many, so to see one is kinda cool.

This was seen in Tsawwassen at the Safeway.

Wait...GMC and Ford do serious off-roading???

nxski wrote:Wait...GMC and Ford do serious off-roading???

Apparently, which is why Land Rover, Range Rover, Toyota Land Cruiser (actually the Lexus something-or-other), and the Nissan Patrol (actually the Infiniti snob-o-tron) all got into the scramble that is the high-end SUV market.

It's really quite disgusting because I don't want to pay 80,000$ for an off-road vehicle with stiff road suspension and leather seats and an in-dash mokaccino machine - I want a bloody 4x4 for a decent price!

</end rant>

I'd buy a Jeep for serious offroading at a good price but it would need lots of repairs so that's costly in the long run, I'd buy an older Patrol or Land cruiser for offroading at a good price (and I actually would in this case) but it's an older vehicle. I would also buy a Toyota 4runner at a high price because it's luxurious and is off-road capable as well as being very reliable. I would never buy a GM, Ford or Dodge vehicle for serious offroading though because they're inexpensive, meaning poor quality, and can't perform well offroad unless you're mudding.

Yes, I know I'm being very general and could go into specifics, but for lack of time to write and because this generally holds true, there you have it...

Ford is not good off road? You've got to be kidding me!


Imagine if it has 4WD.

Pretty sure I could do that in my old civic (or most cars for that matter) if I wasn't concerned with damaging it. I'll also concede that the Ford Raptor is a nice offroading vehicle (well, high speed offroad at least).

What was that car that did the Whipsaw all those years ago? A Ford Falcon?

mararmeisto wrote:What was that car that did the Whipsaw all those years ago? A Ford Falcon?

Yes sir! With enough time and beer, any vehicle could make it through whipsaw (except a very low slung car).

Nothing wrong with Jeeps and they do not need parts more than the others

4.0L was bullet proof (better motor than any of the competition at the time)
Auto was bullet proof
Axles solid all around little weak if you went bigger than stock...

Best off road truck I ever had was a reg cab, F350, 460, 5 speed, dually, with 7 foot flat deck...but I did not pay the gas bill

thedjjack wrote:Best off road truck I ever had was a reg cab, F350, 460, 5 speed, dually, with 7 foot flat deck...but I did not pay the gas bill

Until you get wedged between 2 tree's on Whipsaw. I've driven F350's for work, we replaced them every 50,000km (about 3-5 years) because they started to break down around then.

Like I said, I was being general, the occasional Jeep is good but every one I've gone wheeling with breaks down a couple times throughout the day and required a lot of maintenance and $ before the next outing. J.E.E.P ... Just Empty Every Pocket That said, they're extremely capable purpose built vehicles.

By the sheer numbers and drivetrain durability, the Delica is fragile compared a stock 90-00 Jeep XJ with the 4L HO.

Everything from the weak front IFS to the bulk of the driveline hanging below the body on a Delica cannot make up for a 5link front end with a stout, tucked up drivetrain on a stock XJ.

The only two things a Delica has an advantage, if you call it that, is interior cargo space and the engine being a diesel. The engine is out of the equation since the 4L HO is a tank and the 4D56T is underpowered for it's application.

I've logged 670,000 km's on my first XJ and 230+ on the 2nd. I've never seen an L300 with those numbers on a single engine.

hwy 9.5L/100km's on 33" tires. An L300 on 33's would maybe get 15-17L/100km at best in stock form so there goes the fuel bill.

Much more to list but not worth it.

Simple: they are not comparable.

Wrong comparison/fight to pick nxski.

OP. Nice J-top. There's a red one in kits. It's been in Canada for 5 years and the owner keeps it shiny and clean. Off cypress and 1st.

It wasn't meant to be a comparison between the Delica and a Jeep. Jeep's have their place as do Delica's and I won't for a second try to say that Delica's are the most reliable vehicles. There is a reason why NA vehicles are less expensive and it comes down to "you get what you pay for." I would in fact buy a North American vehicle brand new for the purpose of using it as a work vehicle since parts are cheaper and I will be replacing them often no matter what I drive because work vehicles get given a beating. At the same time I know that if I'm buying a vehicle for personal use (assuming the "cool" or "unique" factor was not present) I would buy Japanese or German because they're proven to be (in general) more reliable. We could play the comparison game between individual vehicles, and yes, there would be exceptions, but for the sake of keeping the posts short of an essay, I'm speaking in generalities.