Should buy?

[Rattlenbang]

Hi all, I'm considering buying a Delica, but have a few questions:

Mistubishi has a horrible record of reliability. Remember the small dodges of the 80s? Does this also apply to these vehicles?

I also tend to have a short attention span and when I get bored of it and want to sell it, am I saddled with an unsellable albatross? I once restored a gorgeous 1968 VW single cab pickup, but had a very hard time selling it. Rigs I love don't tend to be loved by others. I don't want to be unable to get out if it turns into an unreliable dog as well.

Thanks for any opinions!

[thedjjack]

not sure the 80s Mitsubishi had a bad history????...I had a dodge colt that went 500,000km until the unibody was too unsafe to drive...
Early (80s) Mitsubishi in the USA seem to be loved by cult like crowd (but that being said lots of people love early VW too so maybe not the best indication of reliability :).

They are 15 year old 4x4 bought at auction so it is not going to be the same as buying a 15 year old vehicle of the neighbour who bought it new and dealer serviced... Plus 4x4 adds 2 times the parts.

re-sale on the L400 is still ok but market on anything used is slow....

Maintain them and they treat you well....L300 market lots of opportunity to do ok there is a few needing heads or head gaskets with asking prices under $2000 so fix these might be an idea and I have seen one L400 needing a turbo under $3000....lots of room to fix, drive, and sale and do ok...

If I was buying today it would be an L400...but that said eventually I will probably just swap more HP into the L300 since i like the design better (but I have a grinder and a welder and no fear)...

[mararmeisto]

Walk away and find yourself a Lada instead.

[Dino]

I don't want to turn you away from buying one, but I do want to caution you.

It's a common theme with imports that someone sees one on the road and in the blink of an eye it's all they want. Sure it's cool and unique, but it can also be a downright PITA sometimes. It's the kind of car that takes dedication to own.

That's not to say that they are all unreliable, but it is a 15+ year old car, and in my experience as a mechanic is that at that point it all depends on how the vehicle has been treated for those 15+ years. I've had a bad habbit of buying imports at around the 80-90,000km mark which is right about when some of the suspension joints start to get sloppy on most vehicles. I bought my Pajero this summer and I've already done u-joints, sway bar links, idler arm, ball joint and now I'm waiting for the injector pump to get rebuilt. So far the cost hasn't been a big deal for me yet, but I have a full shop that I can use after hours to do all my own work, and depending on where you live, trying to find a shop to work on one of these might be a challenge.

What I recommend to most people is that if you wait a full year and you still want one then go right ahead, just don't get the RHD fever and find that you don't want to put up with all the stuff that goes along with owning a "unique" vehicle.

As for resale value, it's tough to say. The Pajero I bought was on Kijiji for nearly 2 months, where I've also seen some go the same day they've been posted. Part of the challenge is that most of the people who really want one have already jumped through the hoops to get one.

There is a wealth of collected knowledge on this site so the best advice would be to lurk around and read. If you have any more questions don't be afraid to ask.

[glenn]

Walk away and find yourself a Lada instead.

Ouch!

[Mr. Flibble]

Depending on what you get, and the history, you could have a great reliable vehicle, or you could have a money pit.

If you are really worried about reliability and maintenance, your best shot is to buy a highly mechanically reliable new car, not an older car like a Delica.

Having said that, they are well built diesels, and their running gear is good too. Being old though, things will crop up from time to time, so fixing, or preventative maintenance is a requirement. It depends what matters to you most. Do you want a unique vehicle that has lots of cool features that may meet your offroad lifestyle? Then a Delica might fit that bill. Do you want a car that you will never have to wrench on? Then an older vehicle is probably exactly what you are not looking for.

[robbieg]

I agree with the need of love/interest. It's at least 15 years old... you don't _really_ know what the last n owners have done with/to the van.

That being said, the Japanese need to keep their vehicles in good shape due to the shaken (pronounced sha-ken) inspections that happen every 2 years (afaik). So, they're usually AWESOME.

I've had 2 JDMs in the last 5 years, 3rd on it's way. I've replaced some minor parts, but never (knock on wood) had a major problem with my cars/trucks.

tl;dr. 15 years old, your milage may vary, but the average JDM is in great shape.

[mararmeisto]

Walk away and find yourself a Lada instead.

Ouch!

I thought I was being VERY diplomatic, considering the OP comes on a Mitsubishi forum and says Mitsubishi has a "horrible record of reliability".

[Mr. Flibble]

Walk away and find yourself a Lada instead.

Ouch!

I thought I was being VERY diplomatic, considering the OP comes on a Mitsubishi forum and says Mitsubishi has a "horrible record of reliability".

Oh, I thought so too, I took the original post to be a troll. Having said that, other people will read this in passing and never comment, so it is good to put our best face out there.

[403delica]

If there was a like button I would like the Lada comment!

[Rattlenbang]

Well, first of all I apologize if I offended someone. To explain, it's been a long time since I followed it, but historically Consumer Reports usually gave mitsubishi vehicles much worse than average ratings, but I haven't checked in years. I'm still surprised and forget that some people take their brands seriously. I've been a VW vanagon westfalia aficionado for years, so I know all about unique vehicles that you have to love to bother with all the hassles that come with owning them. And I thought it was valid to put my concerns out there in the beginning - fear that it will be a horribly unreliably vehicle, and wondering if that generally is the case. I had a dodge Challenger years ago with a mitsubishi engine and although it was low miles the cam holder was shot as well as timing chain tensioner. A friend had a plymouth arrow that was a nightmare to keep running, and I own a sailboat brand that was built with a mitsubishi engine, and they had major warranty issues with pistons burning out. So this is the reason for my concern.

Having said that, I picked up a super exceed as a project. Blown head gasket, and a gawd awful squealing from engine that he says means it needs a new belt. This should be interesting. I love learning new vehicles.

[thedjjack]

pull the drivers seat and radiator and there is a ton of room to work in there...

make sure the cooling system is in good shape.

Enjoy

[yojimbo]

I don't take my "brands" seriously, companies make stuff, sometimes its good, sometimes it's bad, some have a better overall image of quality, others less so. Delicas have specific common problems, differing between the L400 and L300. On a forum like this, you will see a lot of mention of those problems, but that doesnt mean the vehicles are plagued with issues, just that people tend to post when things are broken, rather than posting how things aren't.

My L300 has been one of the most reliable and consistently performing vehicles I've owned, but then I usually buy even weirder stuff :D

If you've picked up an L300 with a blown head gasket then you are about to fix about the only major showstopper problem on the model. You'll need to check the cooling system carefully to see if its the cause, probably replace the blocked up radiator, and only use a genuine MMC head gasket, the aftermarket gaskets in the UK have been known to fail in short order.

[Rattlenbang]

Great. Now I prolly shoulda done some more research first, but where do I get parts in Victoria? I get a huge discount from JB Auto, but something tells me they'll give me a blank stare where I ask them for a head gasket

[Mr. Flibble]

When I lived in Victoria I was not able to source parts locally, this may have changed now.

Try Rocky Mountain Imports, they can ship. The best parts and mechanic I know of is Glenn at Coombs Country Auto - but that is not in Victoria as you asked.

If you are not going to do the work yourself, then you want to get that van up North to Coombs and have Glenn take a look at it.