Which one should i buy??? Experienced opinion please!

[chancho]

Hi all, I`d love the opinions of some people with more knowledge in this area than i have!

I am in japan. I am about to lose my company car. I am returning to Canada (victoria) in June. I plan to buy an L400 here, because i think they are fantastic, and of course bring it home afterwards. I am in a hurry, because i am leaving for russia in 8 days while my wife and kids will stay here in japan - they will be left without wheels for a month unless i purchase right away and get the registration process moving. But i am stuck between two, neither of which have i seen. Likely i will make a decision without seeing either. Not much different to shipping from the auction i guess. I have spoken to both salemen and both seem pretty trustworthy. Both vans are apparently free of significant rust or other mechanical/ electrical issues. Neither have shakken unfortunately which immediately puts an extra 1600 (already included in the prices below).

Here are pros, cons, prices, photos below:

White Super exceed:
Roughly 6000 CAD to get on the road with all applicable taxes and insurance paid.
135 000 km. Lifted slightly. Most bells and whistles (xtal lite roof, extended wheel wells, tinted windows etc). Very nice looking. 7-seater.

Blue exceed.
Roughly 4200 CAD to get on the road.
120 000 km. No CD player. No sunroof. Not sure about double battery etc. Also pretty nice looking. 8-seater.

Woops. How do i attach photos here?

I don`t really understand the significance of the 7-seater vs 8-seater. But i only need 4 seats.

Thanks for every response entered!

j

[Green1]

White Super exceed:
Roughly 6000 CAD to get on the road with all applicable taxes and insurance paid.
135 000 km. Lifted slightly. Most bells and whistles (xtal lite roof, extended wheel wells, tinted windows etc). Very nice looking. 7-seater.

Blue exceed.
Roughly 4200 CAD to get on the road.
120 000 km. No CD player. No sunroof. Not sure about double battery etc. Also pretty nice looking. 8-seater.

Woops. How do i attach photos here?

I don`t really understand the significance of the 7-seater vs 8-seater. But i only need 4 seats.

first of all, the 7 seater vs 8 seater is the difference between a bench seat in the middle row, or 2 captains chairs. There are advantages and disadvantages to each, I personally prefer the captains chairs, however it is very much personal preference.

Other considerations:
- the vehicle MUST be 15 years old before you can import it to Canada, so if it isn't, don't waste your money.
- the stereo is probably largely irrelevant as you will likely want to change it once you get to Canada (the AM and FM bands are different here than over there)
- slight lifts (if done properly) are great, but anything extreme is often more trouble than it's worth (have to watch out for bumper and headlight height regulations, also these are generally less stable, and again, you have to make sure they're done properly or they'll cause all sorts of headaches in the long run.

Beyond that, there's not really enough information in your posts to see what one vehicle has over the other, I personally love the bells and whistles, but other people prefer reliable simplicity. You really have to see which one you really "want" to have, if you pick the other one you'll be second guessing yourself for years.

[tonydca]

Keep in mind too, you'll have duties, PST/GST to pay upon arrival in Canada, plus additional items for BC compliance (new tires and headlights at a minimum; if you can find E-coded genuine LHD headlight assemblies in Japan for less than CAD$900, grab some, as this seems to be the going rate lately!)

Brave Auto Intl' in Japan seems to come up on the forum relatively frequently as a good source of info on importing to Canada; also there are several reputable importers here in BC that might be able to smooth the ultimate delivery to BC.

For me personally, it's all good in Exceed Vs. Super Exceed vs. Royal exceed - as Green1 said, your heart might play a big role in the decision.

But the biggest deciding factor for me was vehicle height. My low-roof with stock tires and suspension is already nearly 6-foot-5; lots of parkades around Vancouver (including the building where I live) are only 6-6 or 6-7 clearance; no room for Super/Royal Exceed which all seem to be high-roof; at least 6-8 or taller.

The code for me on the auction site was PD8W - this is the low-roof. PE8W or PF8W are high-rook (all are with 2.8L turbo-diesel).

There are plenty of threads on this and other forums discussing serial numbers and option codes; for example:

http://chaingun.org/delica/modeldecoder.php

But I love my L400 Exceed, low-roof, no-sunroof, 8-seater. I have two kids too, so although we generally only use 4 seats, having the extra room for our freinds and carrying junk around is fantastic.

You've already made the best part of your decision in planning to get one in the first place!!

Happy hunting!

[chancho]

OK - thanks for that info. I too like the captains seats, one more plus for the super exceed. I agree about getting the one you want – but I want them both!

I was prepared for the taxes, but not headlights　and tires. Why the tires? I will definitely try to source the headlights here. One thing about sales agents here is that they seem willing to throw in a bit of free service with a sale (i.e. finding and installing the new headlight assemblies). Is there anything else I would be wise to source here and take care of before putting about a boat?

Gratzi
J

[tonydca]

Apparently Japanese tires do not have the load/pressure ratings printed on the sidewalls which is a Canadian MOT requirement. Perfectly good, but lacking the proper stamps for the bureaucrats.

Yeah, MOT-approved, E-coded LHD headlight assemblies are a bit like hen's teeth, and priced accordingly. Lotsa threads on this forum about that too.

Check radiator when cold for calcification; indicates prior maintenance might have been done on the cheap flushing with (hard Japanese) water instead of proper coolant. Petrified cooling system is a not-uncommon complaint on landed vehicles. But again, threads on this forum for WhatToCheckOnProspectiveDelicaPurchases in general.

Since you are still in Japan, at least giving it a healthy tune-up once over with new filters, glowplugs, etc. with easy-to-find parts is probably a good idea anyways.

[jessef]

The most important before loading it is to make sure it is CLEAN outside and underneath.

It should be either steam and/or pressure washed.

If there is any dirt/soil from Japan on it when it arrives and customs selects yours randomly to physically check it, the possibility is there that it will have to get shipped back to Japan on your money or destroyed in Canada.

Very important to have it cleaned very well before it comes over.

If you're there, I would personally put it inside a shipping container along with spare parts and other things you can think of.

As for which one to buy. Without seeing them, no one but you can really make that call.

I prefer the 8-seater lowroof models for a few reasons.

They only come in SWB short wheel base which drives and feels very different than the LWB long wheel base models.

You should try both out.

The SWB has a better turning radius, is much easier to park in congested areas and feels more like an SUV where the LWB feels more like an Econoline true long van.

220 kg less weight above your head (crystalite glass/motors/etc..) add up to extra weight up high.

I have lifted mine 2 inches with larger 31" tires and I am still lower than the stock height L300/L400 highroof.

I can fit 5 people with gear and 5 full-sized mountain bikes easily since the middle bench revolves 360 degrees on a pod and slides front/back/side to side opening up the middle area of the rear cargo space. That is not possible with captain's chairs as the captain's chairs obstruct cargo space and are a pain to remove/unbolt.

The only thing I like about the LWB crystalite L400's is the added room behind the rear seats when needed and the crystalites in the winter that lets in natural light. If you need the room and like the extra natural light, then consider the LWB.

If you're lucky and go with the low roof, some come with dual sun/moonroofs which is nice.

[Green1]

the tires are actually hit and miss, some japanese tires are ok, others aren't.
Check the side-wall of the tire, if it is stamped "DOT" or has the pressure and load rating stamped on it, then it's ok in Canada, if it doesn't, then you will need to replace them.
(My L400 had yokohama geolander tires on it with DOT rating from Japan, I'm still running them.)

[bryanc]

Option b is to buy both and sell one .

[mararmeisto]

Option b is to buy both and sell one .

Wouldn't that be Option C? Good idea just the same!