Impatiently Waiting

[hammee39]

Hey all.

After a bit of leg work and some careful consideration my girlfreind and I bought a Delica Exceed from Japan Auto Direct. I sold my car 3 years ago as I live in Vancouver and had no real need for it but after having a baby and getting a job in a different school district, I had to get an economical machine. When a friend of mine bought a Delica 3 weeks ago I feel in love with it right away. I can't believe how excited I am for it to arrive.

It was a good deal at 440,000 Yen plus shipping and customs costs it works out to close tp $6000 Canadian. It has only 102,000kms on it and is in very good shape by the looks of it. When looking at craigslist and the buysell.com, it would seem that it would be quite easy to make a few thousand bucks by importing them and selling them here in Van. Do any of you already do this, and how has that gone?

Also, it will need a new muffler in the next 2 years as it is pretty rusted. Where can I get one cheaply as I can install it with a friend.

I have read many of the posts in this forum and find them very useful. Thanks for all the suggestions!

Hammee39 (twittling his thumbs and waiting for the ship to arrive)

[mararmeisto]

It was a good deal at 440,000 Yen plus shipping and customs costs it works out to close tp $6000 Canadian. It has only 102,000kms on it and is in very good shape by the looks of it. When looking at craigslist and the buysell.com, it would seem that it would be quite easy to make a few thousand bucks by importing them and selling them here in Van. Do any of you already do this, and how has that gone?

Now that your 'cat is out of the bag' as it were, the reality is most respected importers are putting a good number of hours in preventative maintenance once the 'good shape' is re-assessed here on this continent. Not to say all them are clunkers when they get here, but... they are 15yr-old vehicles.

[delicat]

Looks nice! And sliding window...

As mararmeisto pointed out these are 15+ yrs old and although they may run very nice you should still consider doing a full maintenance on it. The extra cost should be easy to justify as these are dirt cheap for what they are.

As for making money by importing, sounds easier than it is. You never really know what you'll be getting until you get it and the final price is now pretty close to one you could get locally. I'm not too sure if it will only cost you a total of $6000 landed, I'd say if you paid 440 000Yen your final bill will probably be closer to $8000... In any case, well done! You'll be very happy with your bus. And nice color by the way!

[bae146]

As it is a 15 year old vehicle the minimum maintenance that I would do is the following.. (aside from compliances)

Change all rubber cooling system hoses, including heater hoses, change thermostat, flush engine block.
Replace coolant, and water bump.
Change balance and timing belts, tensioners and the 4 oil seals.
Lube all suspension and driveline parts.
Change all oils, (engine, transmission, transfer case, diffs)
Service front wheel bearings.

Did I miss anything guys/gals?

If you are mechanically inclined you should be able to accomplish all of the work yourself. You will save a lot of cash, however make sure you have the tools and understand the work to be accomplished before you start any particular job. The guys here are a wealth of information so ask as many questions as you need to till you are comfortable.

[delicat]

Loads of info on the Wiki or this link that gives an idea of a pretty complete tune-up:

http://www.delica.ca/forum/fresh-of-the ... f+the+boat

[hammee39]

Hey thanks a lot guys.

This site is great. I really appreciate the feedback and suggestions. There are some sweet ideas.

I will be doing a decent servicing with my Delica when it arrives. I realize that they are at least 15 years old so will need lots of work in the coming years. But that is ok. All vehicles are expensive to run and need to be maintained in order to keep on the road.

What are some of the expected compliances? (tires, running lights ...)

And does anyone know the expected cost of a full muffler replacement (to the manifold)?

Lastly, has anyone from this site had experience insuring a Delica in Alberta? I am wondering if there are additional compliances for different provinces.

Hammee

[39Ronin]

Check your PM box I gave you the expected cost break down.

[Erebus]

And does anyone know the expected cost of a full muffler replacement (to the manifold)?

Lastly, has anyone from this site had experience insuring a Delica in Alberta? I am wondering if there are additional compliances for different provinces.

Welcome to the Deli club!

To the turbo, or the manifold? Any muffler shop should be able to do it. Recommended is to increase the size of the pipes to 2.5" to improve flow.

No problem for me insuring in Calgary, where are you? Couple of other people have had slight issues, but a decent insurance broker shouldn't have a problem. You might have to get an appraisal done for them though.

Compliance (in theory) is pretty much the same in all provinces. In practice, some provinces are stricter than others. And there is usually a difference between what the regulations actually say and what the inspectors claim they say. For example, in Alberta if you register the Delica as a light truck the law does not require a centre mounted brake light, but good like finding an inspection shop that won't require one.

Side marker lights: Alberta usually accepts that the taillights are enough for the rear, and there is a simple mod that turns the side turnsignal into a marker light (search the forum).

The big compliance issues are the headlights -- must change them for e-code (LHD) -- and tires have to be DOT marked. Biggest tires you can safely fit on stock 6" wide rims (which you don't have) is 235/75R15. If your rims are 6.5 or 7", then you can go bigger. Bigger is better, both for ground clearance and highway speed and speedometer accuracy

[mararmeisto]

...Biggest tires you can safely fit on stock 6" wide rims (which you don't have) is 235/75R15. If your rims are 6.5 or 7", then you can go bigger. Bigger is better, both for ground clearance and highway speed and speedometer accuracy

Not sure where you're going with the 'accuracy' claim with bigger tires. If you use this tire size calculator you'll find that a 235/75 is nearly the same size as a 215/85 - which is what one wants.

If you run too big of a tire, your speedometer is will be 'slow,' i.e., you actually be going faster than it reads on the dial.

[Erebus]

My speedo is within 1% of correct, even though it is running oversize tires. With the stock size tires it will be reading significantly high.