Test drove four L400's, rolling making me nauseous.

[grolly6]

Hello:)

After reading about the versatility, reliability, durability, and capabilities of Delica's, and then reading even more on this website, I've become obsessed with L400's and I decided that I wanted to buy one within the next few weeks. So, I've been checking out Craigslist postings and going for test drives. I've seen 6 or 7 L400's so far and of those, I've gone on 4 test drives. Sadly, I've noticed something that might end up stopping me from buying one of these machines: Of the 4 that I've driven, 3 of them had left me feeling very nauseous as they sway side to side. For the record, I've put heavy kilometers on a lot of trucks/cars since getting my license in the mid 80's(over 40 vehicles, some mine, some belonging to my employers, and ranging from 1960's vintage trucks/cars all the way up to modern vehicles) and the only other vehicle that left me feeling this way was a 2001 Dodge Dakota Club Cab 4x4 with a worn out suspension. Well, that's not completely true, there is one other vehicle: I used to get the same feeling when sitting in the very back of a school bus being driven up the Squamish highway;)

Anyway, I'm not prone to nausea and as I've mentioned I've driven many, many vehicles without ever feeling this way. But, I will confess that the other vehicles I've driven have never had as narrow a track width relative to the seating height.


From my reading on this forum, I understand that the shocks, springs, and sway bars on the L400's could all contribute to the experience I'm having and I should note that there was one L400 that didn't leave me feeling sick(but that was a very short test drive and there were other issues that make me want to keep looking for a different L400).

I've driven a Super Exceed with ~177,000km, another Super Exceed with ~132,000km, a Jasper with ~133,000km(this one didn't make me nauseous, but it had other problems) and a regular Exceed with 78,000km. The Super Exceeds were the worst(in both regular and sport suspension mode) and I wonder if there is something with those fancy adjustable shocks/suspension that might make them more likely to sway side to side(Anyone have some input on this?).


Anyway, I'm looking for some feedback from those of you who may have had similar experiences and who can conclusively say something like "Do XYZ to the Delica and your nausea issue will disappear." Or, maybe some of you will be able to tell me "Give up on Delica's, the swaying you are feeling is normal for them and these machines are not suited to you."

Oh, and I haven't driven a long wheel base L400 yet. Is a LWB model likely to have less side to side swaying than the SWB?

Your thoughts?

[konadog]

I felt nauseous the first time I even saw a 400

Heh heh, just had to say it...

Seriously though, I drove a 400 for 3 hours on the hwy. and while I didn't like it compared to my 300, I didn't notice any swaying - and it was new from Japan with no major refit yet completed. Seemed fast and smooth and comfy to me...

[nxski]

If you get a 2" lift on it it really cuts down on the swaying!

[fexlboi]

If you get a 2" lift on it it really cuts down on the swaying!

How does that work? You might see a difference because you changed old components like shocks and bushings to something new, but only because you lift a vehicle you won't reduce any swaying...

I found once your replaced all your old rubber bushings, adjusted the torsion bars (in your case replace springs) and installed new shocks the ride is pretty good for a van this size and weight. Of course it won't have the same feeling as a modern race car though.

[nxski]

Sorry, I wasn't thinking there, what I meant to say is that when I lifted mine it stiffened it. Whether that was due to new shocks or cranked torsion bars I'm not sure.

[jessef]

To the original poster :

The rolling you are feeling is from tired and worn suspension components.

One more thing to note is that the track width on an L400 is wider than a Nissan Pathfinder, Jeep Cherokee, Toyota 4runner. You just sit higher up.

To get a good idea of a nice one, you really should avoid craigslist unless the ad is from a known delica.ca forum member or a good dealer.

There are a lot of, to put it mildly, crap and very poor deals on L400's on the used/craigslist market.

People bring them in and just barely get it to pass inspection to just flip it and sell it. Most do this knowingly and thus cheating the potential buyer.

These vehicles are used cars just like any other and should be treated as such.

There is only one L400 that I know of from a private seller on craigslist that I've driven and is well worth the money the person is asking for.

http://www.delica.ca/forum/super-clean- ... 10640.html

At least once or twice a month, I have forum members or people/friends, etc... ask me to check out a used L300/L400 for them because they are unsure of the private seller.

Let me tell you, for every 10 Delica's I've seen, only 1 or 2 would be worthy of purchase. The rest are junk and a ripoff for the money.

Do your homework, read the forum, people's opinions, dealers, etc....

Many many people attempt to do the following : buy a cheap one for 6-7,000 and think they got a good deal. Then when it goes to a good, reputable shop for servicing, it turns out the van is in need of 3-4,000 or more of work that should have been done with in came into Canada.

Buyer beware.

If you get a 2" lift on it it really cuts down on the swaying!

How does that work? You might see a difference because you changed old components like shocks and bushings to something new, but only because you lift a vehicle you won't reduce any swaying...

I found once your replaced all your old rubber bushings, adjusted the torsion bars (in your case replace springs) and installed new shocks the ride is pretty good for a van this size and weight. Of course it won't have the same feeling as a modern race car though.

Putting a lift on includes reindexing the front torsion bars which will provide a stiffer suspension = less side to side body roll.

But you are correct, if everything is in good shape : shocks, swaybar/control arm bushings, springs, torsion bars, then you should not notice a lot of body roll.

[grolly6]

To the original poster :

The rolling you are feeling is from tired and worn suspension components.

One more thing to note is that the track width on an L400 is wider than a Nissan Pathfinder, Jeep Cherokee, Toyota 4runner. You just sit higher up.

To get a good idea of a nice one, you really should avoid craigslist unless the ad is from a known delica.ca forum member or a good dealer.

There are a lot of, to put it mildly, crap and very poor deals on L400's on the used/craigslist market.

People bring them in and just barely get it to pass inspection to just flip it and sell it. Most do this knowingly and thus cheating the potential buyer.

These vehicles are used cars just like any other and should be treated as such.

There is only one L400 that I know of from a private seller on craigslist that I've driven and is well worth the money the person is asking for.

http://www.delica.ca/forum/super-clean- ... 10640.html

At least once or twice a month, I have forum members or people/friends, etc... ask me to check out a used L300/L400 for them because they are unsure of the private seller.

Let me tell you, for every 10 Delica's I've seen, only 1 or 2 would be worthy of purchase. The rest are junk and a ripoff for the money.

Do your homework, read the forum, people's opinions, dealers, etc....

Many many people attempt to do the following : buy a cheap one for 6-7,000 and think they got a good deal. Then when it goes to a good, reputable shop for servicing, it turns out the van is in need of 3-4,000 or more of work that should have been done with in came into Canada.

Buyer beware.

If you get a 2" lift on it it really cuts down on the swaying!

How does that work? You might see a difference because you changed old components like shocks and bushings to something new, but only because you lift a vehicle you won't reduce any swaying...

I found once your replaced all your old rubber bushings, adjusted the torsion bars (in your case replace springs) and installed new shocks the ride is pretty good for a van this size and weight. Of course it won't have the same feeling as a modern race car though.

Putting a lift on includes reindexing the front torsion bars which will provide a stiffer suspension = less side to side body roll.

But you are correct, if everything is in good shape : shocks, swaybar/control arm bushings, springs, torsion bars, then you should not notice a lot of body roll.

Thanks(to everyone, but specifically you) for the pointers. At this point, I'm not shopping for the cheapest L400. Other than the one fellow looking for $15k, I'm considering all options that I see in on Craigslist. However, I'm not looking for anything with a lift kit already installed, I'm looking for stock ride height. Today I stopped by Silk Road Auto, Maximum Overdrive(I'm eager to drive the LWB that is currently out getting repairs), and CVI(Friendly guy!). I also called a dealership up in Kelowna(canem) that was advertising a condition "4" LWB L400 but when I called he said it was already gone. The same Kelowna dealership has many other "4's" listed on their website, but it's a bit far for me to drive so I don't see myself looking much closer at their stuff. I also checked out the low KM L400(Very clean!) basic exceed out in Langley being sold by a fellow with an eastern block accent.

I got excited by the 5-spd LWB white L400 listed on CL, but no response to my email. I checked out the LWB Delica over on Clarke, but it was heavily rusted underneath(rust hole into the cabin over the driver side rear wheel axle, lots of oil leaking from head gasket).

There is a SuperExceed being sold by a mechanic in Richmond(Persian guy, I think) and the guy seems to be a decent, lovely fellow. But, that one swayed the most(177,000km). (Excellent power and brakes, though, and I liked the stereo, crystalite roof, etc)

I checked out a Black with Grey bottom Delica over on the west side of Vancouver(Kits?) being sold by an electrician who imports his own Delica's. It was very clean and I might return for it if it's still available later, but I couldn't drive it as it wasn't yet registered.

I drove that Jasper Delica from Pemberton and it was the one that didn't make me car sick. The owner is selling as he's upgraded to a LWB L400. It really did drive quite nicely, but the paint was heavily scratched and it has the 8 seat setup which doesn't easily fold aside to make room for 2 people to sleep on the floor(I'm not looking to do any modifications for custom sleeping arrangements, I just want the easy option to lay down some mats and sleeping bags for 2 people "just in case"). Regardless, if I knew for sure that I could buff out the paint scratches and remove the middle row seats, I might consider buying that one with the roof rack and tow hitch.

Anyway, there are still a few more Delica's to look at and I may end up waiting a little longer for some of the L400's to come off the boat(I spoke to one of the fellows at RS-Imports and if I put a deposit down I could grab something that is in transit). I also tried to contact the Jay Star guy as there are some very good looking Delica's posted under his phone number. But, after both phone messages and emails, I haven't heard back and I'm starting to suspect that he either isn't interested in selling the stuff that is posted, or it's already sold, or it doesn't exist, or something else is up(he's out of town?). After a bit more research, I noticed that there was some negativity directed towards that dealer so maybe it's better than he didn't respond to my messages... (But, to be fair, if he has good product and it passes inspection with CVI, I'd pay his asking price...)


Anyway, I don't mind paying $11k or $12k(But not $15k!) for a vehicle that is in mint condition and has had a bunch of upgrade/refurbishment work done and comes with a warranty or comes from a respected/reputable source. But, there is no way I'm going to buy one of these things if they make me feel like an elementary school kid sitting in the back of a Blue Bird bus bombing down the Squamish Highway...

[jessef]

Sounds like you're informed well enough. Then you will know that the ride is great and the side to side rocking is not the norm for a good condition rig.

Also the km's are meaningless.

The best bet would be to find one around 150-200,000km's. That way you know it's been used. These engines are just barely broken in at that point.

If you find one under 70-80,000km's, be wary if you're buying private and have it checked over as low mileage one's tend to have more mechanical repairs required as they sat for years on end. Not all, but many.

All in all, it pays (yourself in the long run) to have a potential Delica you are about to purchase inspected at a reputable shop. That is the best money you can spend on a used one.