Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

Greetings folks,

My name is Phil and I'm from Ontario. I don't actually own a Delica as of yet but I'm seriously considering buying one as my next vehicle. I found a really nice '92 with all the bells and whistles fairly close to where I live. Of course being so new to this, I'm a little apprehensive about reliability and all the mechanical stuff in general.

My mechanic already hates me because I never bring him anything that he considers "normal" which was the conversation when I brought him my newly acquired 86 Winnebago LeSharo motorhome with a Renault Chassis. He's already told me that if I buy one of these things, he won't work on it. The truth is, he's a really nice guy and an old high school friend. He did fix my LeSharo and everything else that I've brought him over the years. But he's trying to talk me out of buying one of these Delicas.

So I'm sure you must get tired of this question which probably comes up a lot but What should I do?? The Delica I'm looking at is in mint condition. The price seems a bit high but I want something reliable that I can just drive with a little regular maintenance. It seems that most of the Delica owners are west of Ontario??

Thanks in advance for the advice, Phil

Welcome aboard!

First, some questions:

Where are you in Ontario?

What kind of driving do you do/what do you want to get out of your Delica?

Reliability is a subjective matter, especially since we're talking about a 20 year old car. Expect to have to do some work on it before it is perfect. However, other than the engine, the rest of the car is a '92 mitsu montero, so there isn't a lot of weird or unavailable stuff on it. long term ownership really comes down to how good your google-fu is. If you can use the forums to find out about common problems and source all of the weird parts yourself, your mechanic shouldn't be too upset about working on it. Expect to buy things from ebay.co.uk, rockauto, austrailia, etc.

Insurance is a consideration. Unless you are extremely fortunate, you'll be paying Facility rates. I'm 32, married, perfect record, live in the sticks, don't drive far, and I pay $2,500/year. My '93 MPV is something like $600.

Hey there,

I live in Peterborough Ontario, just north of Toronto. The truth is I'm not really an off road guy. It would only be driven to work and around town. I just like the idea of 4 wheel drive in the winter. And I've always been fond of Diesels.

The Delica in question looks to be in mint condition and the price reflects this. I just don't want a vehicle that requires constant attention.

I know it's hard give solid opinions based on very little info. It's just nice to get other peoples perspectives. I'm on a forum site for my LeSharo and I've owned too many old VW busses to list. I'm on a great forum site for VW's as well.

Anyway , I appreciate the time and help.

Cheers

P.S. any Delica owners near Peterborough that you know of??

Personal Opinion Time:

The L300's look WAY cooler than the L400's and are probably better off road, but the L400's are better cars.

The basis of my opinion is: L300's have timing belt engines, which give you one more thing that you need to know was done before you can consider it reliable. They're also a little under-powered, so you've got to treat them a little carefully in high speed/high load conditions (highway trips, big hills). You're also sitting on the engine, so it's louder and rides worse than the L400. Plus, L300's don't have an AWD mode, so you've got to fuss with the 4x4 more in variable road conditions.

All that said, if I were primarily doing in-town stuff, I'd have an l300. At the end of the day, it's cart springs and torsion bars, so there's not much to go wrong on the suspension. The transmissions are solid, and you can buy brand new, complete engines for $3000. If you can swing it, buy your delica, and have it gone over before you put it on the road: All new fluids and filters, new glow plugs and a block heater at minimum. EGT gauge and volt meter for piece of mind. Then you can start planning for/picking away at the bigger jobs that may crop up: Injector pump, timing belt, etc.

Sadly, the only L300 owner I know is in London.

Toronto is not a bad place for driving a Delica. Right Drive is nearby so parts shouldn't be hard to get, nor should finding a willing mechanic. I've driven my L300 27,000km through all kinds of conditions in the past 3.5 months and have had a manifold gasket leak and my front control arm bushings go. Compared to other 20 year old vehicles I'd say it's reliable. Also, I haven't had too much trouble finding a mechanic to work on it, you just have to phone around and make sure the mechanic knows there really isn't anything too different about it mechanically than any other vehicle.

Well now I know why there aren't too many Delicas on the roads in Ontario. I just got off the phone with my insurance agent and that said it all.... $2,500 per year if I'm lucky!! Maybe more depending on the details. So that takes care of the Delica dream for now.

Thank you for the advice I recieved today. Especially the one about the insurance.

Cheers, Phil

philmeup1 wrote:Well now I know why there aren't too many Delicas on the roads in Ontario. I just got off the phone with my insurance agent and that said it all.... $2,500 per year if I'm lucky!! Maybe more depending on the details. So that takes care of the Delica dream for now.

Thank you for the advice I recieved today. Especially the one about the insurance.

Cheers, Phil

I'd seriously consider getting a new insurance agent as that is a joke. I pay $1,200.00 for business grade insurance (although I am in BC). There are a couple of threads regarding insurance issues in Ontario, you should look them up as there are Ontario members that have "Delica friendly" insurance providers. You'll find these threads in "RHD Political and Legal Matters" on the Board Index. Seriously Phil, don't let these bullies push you around, this is Canada, we have a Charter Of Rights & Freedoms ~ you have a choice. Read about experiences, knowledge is power.

Falco.

$2500 sounds cheap to me!
I know insurance is hard to find in Ontario but is it really pay through the teeth or buy a domestic?

Thanks for the advice guys. I like the older bus type of Delica which is what I'm looking at. I agree with you on the insurance. The government mandates that we all have insurance but does not regulate the insurance companies. So the insurance companies start acting like the government deciding how much money they should get paid for what they offer. It's like legalized crime.

I'm an excellent driver. I even did a years stint as a long haul truck driver. I'm pretty sure I can handle driving on the right side of the car.

I'll check those threads out as suggested. Maybe the dream is not over yet:)

Cheers