Poll: how many kms?

[FalcoColumbarius]

I saw 39Ronin's ride and it was in exemplary condition. You will find jewels like this. That list I copied onto this thread is to give you an idea of what to look for. You may well not need to do all those things to it. My rotors were fine. When I checked the timing belt on the Miss Lil' Bitchi there was oil all over it because she had been sitting and the oil seals had all shrank ~ so I replaced them all. The engine is an "interference" engine and from what I understand if the timing belt breaks whilst the engine is running it means replacing the engine ~ so it makes sense to fix that problem before it occurs.

These machines are likely the best out there for what they are and when they get to be 700,000 klicks, or more, they can be rebuilt. The cylinders have sleeves that can be replaced, &c.

Personally, I think the engineers who designed these machines had a great time doing it. I get the impression that they were given carte blanch to design the ultimate vehicle that would suite a family as well as remembering that the driver might still have a sense of adventure in his/her heart. They all have a personality of their own. I was stopping into a cafe that I frequent and the guy who sold me the van happened to be leaving and had his little girl with him. When she saw the Miss Lil' Bitchi she suddenly exclaimed: "A DELICA!" as if it was a character out of a Japanamation series... Mararmeisto can attest to that .

If you get to know some of the people in this club, GWr, you will note that they come from all manner of background, all different walks of life. One thing you may notice that is a common thread in this club ~ is that they have not forgotten how to be a child, how to play..... Or maybe it's just me .
But let me tell you; these have got to be the ultimate toy for big kids to explore this beautiful big world in which we live... smiles.

Falco.

[MadB0mb3r]

I got mine in May with 20,000 km on it. Yes it is true, and no it did not sit in Japan... still under SHAKEN when I bought it. Also it was stored indoors, no effects of weather what so ever. Edwin (CVI) went through this vehicle, no belts needed, he said it was in factory condition, only an oil change and fuel filter change when it hit 21,000 as the maintenance records called for. I know there will be doubters on this forum, but Edwin can verify the km's were true on this and I think Falco has had a good boo at it also. I am at 24,000 km and still going strong.

Looking at your Van the other day.. I have no doubt that those kms are real.. MINT...

[GWr]

WOW, so much useful information. I'm actually taking notes!

Diesel is more about the hours and not the kilometreage. When you get your Delica I would recommend a full service, as you noted ~ the rubber is still 15 years old, or older. I copied this out of DeliWiki and I would highly recommend your serious perusal of it:

Thanks for the "link"! Just curious if one were to do ALL of the absolute essentials once you buy the vehicle, how much (roughly) do you think it would cost?

Butch & Edwin at CVI do a wonderful "Delica Tune". If you are available this Saturday (12th July) There is a "Breakfast At The Tomahawk" meet at 09:00, in North Van, followed by a seminar at CVI at noon, why not tag along?

Really wish We could, but we're several hours away from vancouver

Don't mess around when you get one of these great Vans.. do yourself and your Van a service and do some preventative measures..

beats being stuck in the middle of nowhere.

Okay, you have my attention fully. say no more...

If I lived way off the beaten path and didn't wrench on my ride I would firstly get a delica that has been refitted by ccautos or Mardy or one of the other speciality mechanics and secondly, I would read this forum through and perhaps prepare to get at least a little grease on my fingers!! We use our bus as our main work vehicle now, towing our gardening trailer everyday.

Thanks for the specific advice. You sound like you use your Deli similar tohow we would use ours in addition to occasionally towing a boat, or a traile with building supplies etc.

I have to say that this van is very good but unless you are willing to do a little wrenching, preventative maintenance and research this van could be expensive to own. Let me qualify that: the consumables, oil, filters, brakes, seals can be more expensive than your average North American vehicle. Also as already noted these vans are old, so I think it wouldn't be prudent to at least have some access to parts and be willing to attempt some basics like filter changes etc.

On another note, we have seriously been talking about buying a vintage car that needed work,and just parking it,and sort of restoring it ourselves as a new hobby. We figured we could maybe teach ourselves as we go. So there is hugeinterest on our part to get greasy. It's such a great skill to have. Maybe instead of an old beamer or porsche we'll should just get a deli and call it a day

I think you misunderstood... diesels should last AT LEAST 500,000 kms, higher than that is not at all unusual, some pass a million...

Phenomenal information! I had no idea! So when people on theforum say it will be the last car they own, it's not just a rhetorical statement! Very exciting information as a prospective owner.

[marsgal42]

Looking at your Van the other day.. I have no doubt that those kms are real.. MINT...

The best way to verify this is dealer service history and Shaken "Records of Periodic Checks, Maintenance and Repairs" forms (Gumdrop came with both). The dates and odometer readings are clear, even if you can't read the Japanese text.

With the exception of a bit of wear on the driver's side floor mat and the steering wheel, Gumdrop looks brand new too.

I remember once riding in a Mercedes-Benz diesel taxi in Germany. The driver was very proud of it. 750,000 km and it still ran like it was brand new...

...laura

[Erebus]

Okay, so I'm a little slow in reading the forum. But I have an excuse. Anyway, I got my Deli on 1 August of last year with 24,000 km on it. Has run like a charm ever since. It got a CVI tuneup a couple of weeks and 6000 km ago. It now has 44,000, so I've almost doubled the mileage in one year.

I didn't get lots of paperwork with it to verify the mileage, but one look would tell you it didn't get much use. Almost all the visible wear is in the driver's area, so I believe it was a single person owned deli. Considering the outside had not one single scratch, and one tiny tiny dent, the mileage has to be true. It does have some scratches now -- a little bushwacking will do that.

Since I got it, I've done the whole timing belt thing. I also had to replace the glow plugs; that made a huge difference for cold weather starting. Other than that, nothing <knock wood>.

[coaxial]

I believe mine had 137,000 when I bought it last year, now has 160,000 and counting :)

[josh]

I got my most recent Delica with 109,000 km and in the past 2.5 months have put over 14,000km on it. It's running wonderfully... but I have had a lot done to it (mostly preventative maintenance).

Josh

[MrDuncon]

hi, we did lots of kilometers into our delica and just work fine... i love it

[GWr]

[quote="MrDuncon"]hi, we did lots of kilometers into our delica and just work fine... i love it

UNBELIEVABLE!!! I'm so impressed!!! Go Delica!

[quadzilla]

111,000 when bought in December 2007, now 143,000. Did timing belt and other regular maintenance, and with the exception of needing a new glow plug controller, have had no major issues - a couple of minor irritants, but those were fixed.

[Adam]

164,000km when we bought it in April '07. We are up to 203,000km now with 80% on WVO. The A/C compressor seized, but we got that replaced and recharged for $400. Other than my occasional electrical problems which is no doubt due to my self installed WVO kit, or my DYI alternator fix, we've had no problems.