Jumping the gun!

[Devin]

I am joining in advance of actually owning...
I have been browsing the forums for a month or so now and have finally decided that I am definitely going to buy a Delica.
I am moving to BC this summer/fall and want to trek around for a few months to explore the beauty of BC and scope out a new home/landing place. I was originally thinking getting a Westfalia Syncro (rare, expensive, seemingly trouble ridden, and not diesel) but then... I saw a Starwagon with a crystal lite roof and a karaoke machine. I was in love. I've been sneaking around in here for awhile trying to gather as much info as possible to help me find the Delica of my dreams.
I think I want a low miles '93 (the newest non first year L400 Delica that can be imported) with sliding windows and crystal lites or big sunroof. I am thinking water cooled engine and 3-point seat belts are pretty big bonuses for me. I also plan on living out of my van for three or more months and would love to be able to look up at the stars from bed (crystal lite - peek at a couple; big sunroof - watch for shooting stars).
Anyhow, I'm introducing myself so that I can start posting some questions.
Thanks.

Devin

oh yeah, and p.s.
Delica of my dreams... come to me.

[Luna-Sea]

Hey Devin,
Welcome!
If you are moving out this summer you can test drive both generations of
Delica!
Right on!

[BCDelica]

Hey Welcome; please remember to share photos of your adventures so Delica-less people like myself can live voraciously through your travels.

It's be hard work finding a 93 with sliding windows, but it can be done or retro fitted. Back in the day of having his (P25 with moon roof and pop out windows) and hers (Crystal lite roof and sliding windows); endless road trips over the years in both we greatly preferred the moon roof for sleeping inside. The fresh air, fab star gazing, and ease of bug proofing were just plain better. Bonus is that sealed up in the winter the low roof is a bit warmer inside. Only change I'd planned to make was swapping the sliding windows into the P25 for a road trip to Mexico.

Where you moving too; gives the oh-so knowledgeable crew on here an idea of what to recommend for purchasing and service?

Best Regards,
Kevin

[Chewy]

There are a few VanWagon LS models running around victoria, looks like 3/4 windows are sliders, I'm sure they won't notice until it's too late that they only have 2 sliders, and one of their solids has a bit more tint.


best of luck to ya.

[Devin]

I like it here :)
Already three new friends and I don't even, officially, belong to the club yet. Thanks for the greetings and insights! BCDelica, I think you have sold me on the moonroof (if ever I can find one with low miles). Question: If the windows can be swapped out (I like the way you think Chewy... too bad Blackula doesn't have a moonroof or a couple of people in Victoria might indeed be finding it odd to wake up with pop outs in place of their sliders ;) can the seats also be swapped out (pre '93 seats swapped for 3-point seatbelt seats - what's the stock of busted up Delica's look like in terms of my ability to find things like sliders and 3-point seats... do I have to go to Japan)? Also, what do people think about the viability, fuctionality, and cost of installing a poptop on a solid roof Delica? How much of an advantage is it to have the water cooled engine? And finally, where do you think I should be posting these questions?
As for where am I moving... I'm not sure. Victoria or Vancouver maybe. Friends in Victoria. Ex in Vancouver but I like the idea of being near a bigger city (access to a wider range of cultural events). I am craving nature though as well so could possibly end up further out, if I find the right property. In which case I'll just have to get my cultural fixes in bursts...

[Devin]

Oh, and where does everyone think I have the best chance of finding exactly (or close to) what I want? Is there a site that is the best one? The rate of addition of new stock for sale to this site makes me think I may be waiting for awhile. I wouldn't mind going to Japan. In fact I would love to road trip around Japan in my new Delica for a spell if I didn't think the separation anxiety would be too great once I had to enter her into the shipping process and wait for what sounds like it would be a couple months. But realistically I probably won't be going to Japan for an extended trip anyhow any time soon. So where do we think I will have the best chance of finding what I want?

A bit off topic but just sharing... I was in Japan some years back. After having had a dream that I was sitting in the middle of a huge bamboo forest I felt compelled to live it in my waking world. I won't say it was the impetus for the trip but it played a big role in the final decision to go. I actually went to study traditional architecture and ended up studying onsen and rotenburo (basically, outdoor hotsprings :). So, I found myself in Arashiama (sp?) sitting in a bamboo forest. It was amazing... just like in my dream... the wind rustling the leaves, giant swaths of green sparkling and swaying all around... but I was startled by a noise that had now become conspicuously absent from my dream: the giant bamboo stalks clunking each other like a massive bamboo windchime, but deeper and more organic. I could barely help but be entranced. The sound was like a tractor beam in my mind pulling me into a meditative state. I don't remember how much time passed before I finally came back and started the walk back out. On the way I noticed, what I had missed on the way in, a small bronze plaque on the side of the trail. With the help of a friend we translated and my life was forever altered. The plaque said that this place, this bamboo forest in Arashiama, had been dedicated for preservation by the government of Japan as a national treasure because it was one of Japan's hundred most beautiful sounds. Hundred most beautiful sounds?! I love it! To think that there is such reverence for natural beauty so deeply infused in a culture as to have the government preserve sounds... I was truly moved. Ever since I have been trying to find a list of the other ninety-nine. Countless hours I have spent imagining what some of the others might be and when might I come to know them. Some day. But for now, I am content with my plan to explore BC and do further research into Pacific Rim hotsprings :).
Any suggestions for special trips I need to make, when my Delica finally finds me, are welcomed.

[loki]

what do you mean when you say low miles? I personally, and other here, would be wary and have thoroughly inspected anything Deli with less then about 80K I would rather something in the 100K-140K area as it would be less likely to have sat for long periods with the seals drying out. just my 2 cents, with diesels low mileage can be a bad thing, you are still going to have to do the standard maintenance to it regardless.

but that is just my opinion.

[kb&2dogs]

You can get a fair bit of info on different folks experiences at http://www.delica.ca/forum/delica-deale ... ler+rating

If you are on the island it is worth chatting with Glen at CC autos, he knows all and sees all!

[Devin]

I guess I'm operating on the assumption that low miles more readily translates to reliable and low maintenance. I want something that isn't going to need major injections of cash for another x years. I was thinking that low miles meant more of a known quantity in terms of how much would be invested and what I could expect in terms of performance. I have owned other diesel vehicles and in fact am currently selling my "low miles" (167,00) '83 Mercedes 300SD. I have been extraordinarily happy with my 300SD but I have also had to invest almost half again what I paid for the car back into the car for all sorts of things that have nothing to do with the engine, which I'm sure will last well into the 300K's at the very least. I also understand that Mercedes to Mitsubishi is probably apples to oranges. I am admittedly a neophyte in the car knowledge arena and as such apt to have my mind changed but I am currently thinking low miles for me is a Delica with less than 80k kilometers, though the talk of seals drying out is something I knew nothing about... When all is said and done, I want a Delica with minimal chances that something will go wrong in the early years of my owning it. If that means low miles, I guess I don't really know. Maybe I should change, "low miles/kilometers" to, "in great shape".
Thanks for the advice!

[Erebus]

As with any used vehicle where you don't know the history, it is a bit of a crapshoot. Low mileage can vary wildly. If it was used once a week for a 30 km trip, that isn't too bad. If it was used once a year for a 300 km trip, that's bad. And then there is the question of whether the owner ever changed the oil and other fluids.

To my mind, the condition of the rest of the vehicle will tell you with some probability what the mechanical is like, but still not certain.

Once you get one, there is quite a list of things that are recommended to do right off the bat, starting with the timing belt and rad.

Good luck!