Canadian in Taiwan thinking about Delica

[sedition]

Hey Folks,

After a little searching, I've found your most excellent forum and hope to glean a little information about the Delica from you.

I live and work in Taiwan and have so for several years.

Its time for me to buy a truck / van.

I need a vehicle for personal transportation as well as my part time business.
I am a scuba diving instructor and take people on dive trips to and from dive sites in the Southern part of the country.

Right now, the vehicle that I am thinking about is a Toyota ZACE. The ZACE is very very common in Taiwan and and it is relatively cheap to acquire a second hand one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Kijang

(1987 - 1996)

The ZACE seats five and comes in an 1.5 or 1.8 liter variety.

HOWEVER

Another vehicle that is very common in Taiwan is the Mitsubishi DELICA.

In Taiwan, there are DELICAs all over the place. There seems to be something of a 4x4 scene here in Taiwan and lots of people jack up their DELICA's and put lots of after market stuff on them.

I've been considering purchasing a late model DELICA but would like to find out more.

Questions:

#1 Where can I find out about which models come in which configurations?
I understand that they are all 4 cylinder diesels but what other engine / body configurations are around?

#2 Are the engine's reliable? I used to own a 1982 Toyota Landcruiser BJ60 in Canada and my vehicle was fantastic. One of the best diesel engines in the world. Does the DELICA compare?

#3 What kind of chronic problems does the DELICA have?

#4 What should I look for when I am shopping for a DELICA?

Any help would be very much appreciated.


Thanks in advance,


Sedition

[Shepherd]

Hi welcome to this forum.
I am not the best person around here to answer your questions I am sure you will get the advice your looking for. Il check back and if somebody else does not reply I will give it a go.

Trav

[BCDelica]

If Delicas are common in Taiwan then parts, new and wreckers, are available and local mechanics are knowledgeable about them. If a Delica fits the need, I'd go far it. I happily bought a Delica in Canada when I'd never seen one on the road and so far have been able to overcome every mechanical obstacle. If I move to South Asia I'd consider buying one (fingers crossed).

Canadian Delicas aren't pushing very many miles, yet, but information about the motor from other countries promises long dependable life. The most chronic problem that comes to mind is the leaky fuel pump, which can be rebuilt or have the seals changed.

What you should look for are great Delica accessories to bring into Canada and sell, just look on delica.ca and see how collectively we all drool over Bruce's Deli goodies! :lol:

[josh]

First of all welcome to the forum.

It seems to me that the mitsubishi diesel is one of the better engines to have. Of course in the strength catagory, remember it is just a 4 banger and therefore wont be as strong as the landcruiser you had in canada! As far as the leaky fuel pump, that is a problem on all diesel engines, and is not mitsubishi specific. They do get leaky front floors, but it is a simple 2 hour fix (and it is walked through on this site).

As far as options go, it's a used vehicle, just look at whatever ones are being sold, decide how they are mechanically, and if they have the options you need. You can always do aftermarket adjustments. They key is to buy a mechanically sound version.

And on a side note, if you do get a Delica, could you look into aftermarket parts? I am sure a lot of us here in canada would love to find out prices on mechanical parts, as well as racks and lifts and what not... then we could fill up a container!

Anyhow good luck. Delicas are so fun. I hope we help you out a bit.

Josh