Looking at my first Delica

[negativentropy]

Hello all,

a friend of mine has had a '91 Delica Super Exceed for a few years - he is selling it and im very interested in buying it. The Delica would really suit my outdoor oriented / drifter life style.

The vehicle has approximately 175,000km on it - it has a bit of rust problems but nothing substantial, I trust that he has maintained it adequately and that anything critical would be revealed to me. So the question is, what would be a fair price for both parties for this vehicle and what kind of maintenance issues/costs should I anticipate with a Delica with this many miles?

At what mileage would it become unrealistic to keep this car on the road?

As an alternative, I would consider buying a just imported Delica if it meant significantly less maintenance concerns. Also, there is a good possibility of long term over seas travel in roughly two years, in which case I would want to sell the Delica. What can I expect as a resale value for the '91 Delica, or a newer import. My lifestyle does not involve a lot of driving as I never have to commute - I would simply use the vehicles for the occasional town run, adventures and moving from job to job - so I wouldnt be putting too many miles on, at the very most 25,000km over a two year period.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions and advice, im looking forward to your replies!

-E

[delicat]

It all depends on your budget my friend!

Personally, I'd rather pay more upfront and get a good, properly maintained and clean un-modified vehicle if I'm comfortable and willing to modify it as I see fit.

Or pay even more to get that same vehicle with all the mods that I'd look into putting in over the next year...

There's so many vans for sale right now and some for way too low price that I wouldn't bother with sub standard vehicle. In the long run it will cost you way more than hitting the bullet at the beginning.

That's how I see things anyway. As for price it will go from around $6000 up to maybe $13000 and believe me when I say that in the long run it might be cheaper to buy the $13000 van!

Have fun with your shopping!

[Green1]

At what mileage would it become unrealistic to keep this car on the road?

that's a very difficult question, there's no reason why a well maintained delica wouldn't run for well over half a million km. There's also no reason that a poorly maintained delica wouldn't be completely hopeless before 100,000km.

It's all in the maintenance...