New Member - moving from Lurker to poster

[Mr. Flibble]

I currently own a 1989 Toyota 4Runner. So, you might ask what am I doing posting in this forum?

The answer to that is I am about to retire the 4Runner, and I am looking to buy a Delica! :)

So far, the L400 seems to interest me - I wonder if the 2.8 Diesel gets better mileage than the 2.5? (I did not find this in a forum search or a google search when I checked). I did read up on the mileage FAQ though, and the Delica gets better mileage than my 4Runner!

[TardisDeli]

Hello Mr. Flibble (glad to meet another Red Dwarf fanatic), welcome to this cult (if only we could get the Red Dwarf salute as our Delica greeting).

One of our member, Jaz, hopefully will reply, he drives a 4Runner and joins our camping trips, as he is a wannabe delica owner.

I will let others who are more mileage minded reply, but there might not be many comparisons as we have only this year started to see the L400 due to our import laws restricting import vehicle to be over 15 years old.

Cheers, Christine.

[Green1]

I wonder if the 2.8 Diesel gets better mileage than the 2.5?

From everything I've read on here and the UK site the 2 seem very comperable for fuel efficiency, the larger engine with more power is offset with better aerodynamics...

As for whether they get "good" mileage it all depends on what you consider good, and what you compare to. for a vehicle of their size and wheight they get amazing economy, but if you normally drive a compact car, these are lousy for economy.

[Mr. Flibble]

@TardisDeli - you are a Dr. Who fan as well I see! "Are you my mummy?" *
They seem to be fairly comparable, as Green1 has said.

Now I have to deal with the subjective choice of which is better, an L300 or an L400?

Decisions, decisions...



* Obscure reference to "The Empty Child" ;)

[marsgal42]

Now I have to deal with the subjective choice of which is better, an L300 or an L400?

Once you've looked at the mechanical differences and how they affect what you plan to do with your Delica, a test drive should be helpful. My L300 feels and drives like a truck. The L400 Japanoid let me take for a spin felt and drove like a car - a butch Previa, if you will. The Previa is an excellent van, so this is high praise.

When I was shopping for a vehicle (Summer 2007), it was either an L300 or my second choice, an Outback. Now, with the availability of L400s, it wouldn't be such a clear-cut decision. I'd also look at an Estima, the JDM Previa. Which has worse headlight problems than L400s, BTW, since it is a slightly scaled-down Previa (in all dimensions), was never produced in LHD, and Previa headlights don't fit.

...laura

[Green1]

My decision ended up hinging on the power, The L300 is severely underpowered, (now part of that I know is my specific vehicle with all it's engine issues, however other L300s I've driven weren't that much better)
I was tired of lugging up mountain passes at less than 70kph.
I'll post a better comparison of the 2 once I have the L400, but jfrsang has already posted some detailed comparissons on the forum, really though it will come down to personal preference, there is no one right answer that's better for everyone.

[Mr. Flibble]

Hmmm. Based on the other thread, it looks like the L400 LWB would be my choice. I need the occasional offroad capability, but not all the time. I have noticed that I don't take my 4Runner off road nearly as often as I would like. The l400 is the perfect vehicle for car-camping while going out to White Water Kayak runs, and the 2.8L engine seems to have more power than the 2.5.

My only concern is the outlay of $1000 - $1500 for the new headlights. That, and trying to decide on which importer I will use.

[Green1]

it all depends on the importer, those that have the fancy lights tend to include them with the standard package for the vehicle, so it's not "extra" that you need to spend necessarilly.

As for which importer to use, there are a TON of choices, but only a handful that constantly float to the top of the recomendations...

[Mr. Flibble]

Thanks Green1. If I could ask members of the forum to recommend importers I would be grateful. I would guess that a number of importers both post and lurk here, so as to not step on any toes, if you have recommendations - or importers I should avoid, please PM me. (This request goes out to everyone on the forum!) :)

@Green1 - What should I look for in order to know I have DOT approved headlights in the vehicle before I get it ready for import.

@Everyone, how much truth is there to the rumors of the BC Govt (or Canadian) on "banning" right hand drive vehicles? Would they grandfather the ownership of already imported vehicles if this is true?

[Green1]

Thanks Green1. If I could ask members of the forum to recommend importers I would be grateful. I would guess that a number of importers both post and lurk here, so as to not step on any toes, if you have recommendations - or importers I should avoid, please PM me. (This request goes out to everyone on the forum!) :)

just look around a bit, you'll see the posts recommending the good ones... and you'll see the not so good ones making grand statements about how good they are while nobody else backs them up...

@Green1 - What should I look for in order to know I have DOT approved headlights in the vehicle before I get it ready for import.

Compliant lights will have either E13 or E4 in a circle embossed on the front of the lens, along with an arrow pointing left, or no arrow at all. If they have an arrow pointing right they are NOT compliant.

@Everyone, how much truth is there to the rumors of the BC Govt (or Canadian) on "banning" right hand drive vehicles? Would they grandfather the ownership of already imported vehicles if this is true?

There is no truth whatsoever. That said, Quebec currently has illegally banned RHD vehicles, and until someone there takes it to court the rulling will stand. As for outside of Quebec, there is no indication that any other jurisdiction is currently going to do the same, however many are certainly corrupt enough to (see ICBC and their ridiculously flawed "study").
If a ban were to be implemented there is NO guarantee that existing vehicles would be grandfathered, though it is likely they would to avoid a massive public backlash from the thousands of current owners (keeping the public apathetic has worked well for them so far) nor is there any guarantee that there would be any warning at all. Vehicles already on the way from Japan would likely NOT be allowed in.
I really wouldn't worry too much about a ban though, and I wouldn't let it stop you from getting the vehicle you truly want.