Van or no Van

[sealica]

I want an L300, but am I mistaken in believing it's a better fit for my lifestyle.

I drive 5000km/yr ... maybe 7000km certain years (big maybe). I rarely need a van for driving in the city. It's a good safety net to have a place to sleep and store food when in remote locations, but the goal is to hike self sufficently on adventures through various wilderness'

Would only driving the van two or three times a month adversely effect the mechanical integrity of the van. If so is it possible with any vehicle to avoid this? Is the L400 really more reliable because it's newer and "fewer kilometers" or is it still a matter of how well maintained the vehicle is.

1992 vs 1997 ??

I'm attracted to the oldie, but does the dealership mentality of buy newer really make sense?

[Growlerbearnz]

I don't think your proposed usage is particularly unusual- plenty of people have L300s as occasional use vehicles, there are a lot of motorhome conversions around here that sit unused for 6 months of the year. As long as it gets a long run every now and then I wouldn't expect it to deteriorate any worse than any other vehicle.

Both L300s and L400s are getting old now, and the amount of maintenance yours will need mostly comes down to how well it's been looked after by previous owners. Even if you compare two examples that are immaculately maintained, I suspect they require about same amount of maintenance: the L300 is older but simpler (fewer things to go wrong). The L400 is newer, but more complex.

[sealica]

Thanks for the response. My girlfriend and I are on ongoing quest for an L300.

Almost purchased a 1993 L300 for $5750, but were outbid before we could reconsider for $6500. This was after a bit of a scene with a broken down L300 that the seller wanted $3000, despite an inspection with about $3500 in repairs and a few unknowns ...

Currently looking at a couple different L300s 1992-1994 for $4000-$7500 ...

But just saw an ad for a 1996 (190000km) L300 which looks to be in GREAT condition, low roof though (hoping for high solid roof). But at $8900 asking it's definitely a bit spendy. Any differences in the later model (1994-1996) L300s vs the 1990-1993?

Budget is $6000 preferred and we're okay with having to do some maintenance or interior decorating as long as the engine is solid. That said we can stretch that up to the 7 or 8000 range, but ... is it worth it just to get a "newer" 1994 or 1996. Or would it be better to just fix up a neglected 1992. Any tangible differences, or is it just an irrelevant number?

PS - I know this is largely subjective and nothing is worth anything less than people are willing to spend on them, with 4x4 vans being a dinosaur and becoming increasingly rare ... I can understand $8000 being a fair price. But I'm just trying to wrap my head around which differences between the various years/options of L300 really should be a +/- $1-3k kind of thing.

Thanks and I'm looking forward to finding the right van and posting pictures of our adventures/projects ;) ;) ;)

[mercuryonelove]

Just got my l300 tbis week. Straight from japan. I paid 6000$ for a 1996, diesel engine with 98000 km on it. Right now it sits at a mecanic in surrey to make a few modification in order for it to pass the out of province inspection for icbc. I found it through a website called tradecarview.com. I had to shop a bit on this but I think I got a good deal afterall! Check it out!

[sealica]

I had considered importing - definitely. I can't see your pictures though .. link?

[Ralph in Winnipeg]

If you are considering importing, look at Brave Auto. Excellent guy and very picky. He wants to get the best vehicle he can for you. I've imported about 15 vehicles from Mark @ Brave Auto, including my Strada and they were all exactly as expected. Its actually not too hard to do yourself but not fast.

[sealica]

I know this is fairly subject to the individual van in question, but is it reasonable to pursue importation with a budget of $8000? We could go to 9-10 grand, but ideally we would have that as a maintenance fund ...

[FalcoColumbarius]

Eight or ten grand is what you pay when you are purchasing from an importer, whom has already brought it into Canada. I paid $9600.00 for my wagon in 2008, she had 61,000 kliks on her. I paid this amount for the privilege of kicking tyres, taking her for a test drive and getting her checked out by a mechanic. Had I imported directly (at the time) the cost of the wagon would have been around $1,500 and after shipping, import fees and getting her street legal for the Motor Vehicle Branch ~ it would have been more like five Gs, give or take. I imagine that prices may have changed since then but probably not by much. Ask an importer to be sure. :D

Falco.

[sealica]

Yeah not too much Falco. They seem to be going for 1500 USD at auction; more like 2500 USD for 61,000 km :p The change in USD:CAD is probably the biggest change ....

Had an existential crisis this weekend - checking out two vans in Vancouver. We actually ended up overheating on a test drive up a huge hill [1995 van] in North Van; luckily spotted the temp guage and pulled over before doing any major damage it seems. Checking the radiator hose while running and it felt like when the engine was off (no coolant flowing through it). Owner said it was back from shop today and return coolant hose from the turbo was apparently leaking. Main concern other than OVERHEATING was that the undercarriage seemed rustier than the 1992 van despite being 3 years newer (solid roof was spotless) ...

The other van [1992] we looked at had a failed alternator - it was fine while I was driving, but owner updates me that he will be in Vancouver one more day because of that problem. Totally upfront about it! This van had an crystalite roof - seemed in good condition on the surface (few chips in the paint on roof) - but the stories of rust "underneath" the roof are worrying ...

This has caused a bit of an existential crisis with my girlfriend about buying a Delica van. BOTH vans we were over in Vancouver to pursue buying ended the day with debilitating problems despite being in drive-able condition on our test drive. After repairs ... ship shape? The thought of spending $5-8,000 on something which will need $1000 repairs is just killing her ... it doesn't help that whenever we're chatting about the Delica quest with passerby the common perception is "whoa; expensive to fix - a nightmare - you pay FIVE GRAND for a vehicle with 200,000km and 25 yrs old!!!"|

We are sharing the vehicle because really it only takes us on weekend adventures and wilderness adventures (two weeks/yr) - time to slow down and think it over. BUT my feelings are thus:

-4x4 vehicles cost $5000+ whatever you buy; there are suzuki sidekicks/Mazda MPVs and such which are cheaper like $3000 .... the "wow expensive" sentiment seems to be related to the cost of 2wd passenger cars ... which we don't have any use for since bicycles and transit cover 95% of our transport needs
-Diesel engines are a good bet for longevity, so buying a vehicle above 200,000 km/25 year old isn't such a concern. But yes there will be mechanical updates needed.
-Yes we could probably get by with a 2wd station wagon and a bicycle rack (continue on mountain bikes when the going is tough) for logging roads. BUT driving will be slow, and it only takes one wrong turn to end up stranded or doing repairs which can very quickly eat up any savings achieved by being "frugal" ... only really makes sense if we actually use the vehicle for other purposes than wilderness !!

This leads me personally back to a Delica, the capability and apparent longevity of diesel engines are my main motivators. That said I do have reservations "what am I getting into?" in that I'm unsure what the yearly maintenance costs will be like; whereas it is possible to find a 4x4 SUV beater for $1000 and put very little money in it and it gets you 90% of the places you want to go (we aren't into intense off-road, as we are out there to get on foot at take a 3-5 days hike anyhow).

/rant

[Growlerbearnz]

It's good that you're thinking about it. Too many people get obsessed with one particular vehicle and end up buying it, even if it's not practical. Me, for instance

You're right about the Delica's best features being the ruggedness and 4WD capability. I'd add interior space (luggage and camping), comfort, and quirky appearance.

The downsides are that they're an odd Japanese market import, and they're getting old. Any 25-year old vehicle will need maintenance and repairs, but with more common vehicles you can take it to any mechanic, or just sell it as-is and get most of your money back. On a Delica you'll have to enjoy doing your own maintenance and repairs and be good at finding parts, or willing to wait for them to arrive from Japan. Yes, it's possible to find mechanics who are comfortable working on Delicas, but they're going to charge you classic car enthusiast rates.

Of the two Delicas you've described I'd go with the dodgy alternator one. An alternator is easy to swap, but overheating can be a pain to resolve. If the turbo lines were leaking, it's probable that the rest of the cooling system isn't much better. Also, undercarriage rust. Ick. I'd risk a crystal lite with rust you can't see over a chassis rust you can see. Crystal lites are cool.

[sealica]

Love to report that we now have a lovely Delica L300; it cruises like a dream although I get the feeling it's speedometer is 10km/h slow - very happy beast at 90-110km/h - although definitely had to be careful on long climbs dropping to 40-50 kilos .. temps maxing out at about 60% of the gauge .. love how it's back to cool-as-cucumbersp almost immediately as you descend the other side of hills .. Wind cooled?

The odometer is stuck at 120k although the prior owner estimates 200-250; I figure best to think of her as the van that'll live forever; eternal ;)

The crystallite is growing on me although it will make redecorating the interior with birch plywood a bit more complex - but that's a while off - great as is; first step: bumpy roads to wilderness! I do gotta see about fixing the squeaky ball joint left hand side, but other than that a great first day with this cruiser!

PS - fuel economy blew my mind 500km return home for $60???? 50 litres or so .. my bike is more fun but definitely takes more $$$ in snacks/km for a pedal like that - hehe

[sealica]

... Too many people get obsessed with one particular vehicle and end up buying it, even if it's not practical. Me, for instance

You're right about the Delica's best features being the ruggedness and 4WD capability. I'd add interior space (luggage and camping), comfort, and quirky appearance.

The downsides are ...

Agreed and at the end of the day we decided it's the right tool for our purpose. Only takes one wrong turn on a bad road to reverse any savings gained by using some kind of wagon or 'regular' car. But hey it's basically the same fuel/km as a Subaru w/ AWD and massively more capable. I probably wouldn't choose it for cross country tours, or getting to ski hills - not that it doesn't do a great job at those things, but for me it's the perfect spaceship to navigate the bumpy forest tracks of my homeland and if it wasn't for those I would just stick with car sharing !