Good for daily work-mobile?

[Bandwidth]

Hey guys I've been jonesing for some version of the l300 for several years now and am soon to pull the trigger. What im currently wondering is if the diesel deli 's are good for a daily work mobile ie a service vehicle with several prolonged stops during the day and shorter driving distances between stops? Is this not a good scenario for mileage/wear and what not? Also curious as to what kind of speeds and suggested rpm range i would expect on the long uphills of the coquihalla as me and my fam are planning many camping/snowboarding expeditions to the interior with it.

I am an avid reader of this forum but it is huge and hard to find all topics im looking for. Cant wait to actually join the deli club as a driver instead of a wannabe.


Cheers

Dave

[RichD]

If you don't mind climbing hills at 65kph (loaded, unmodified) in a low gear then the L300 will do ya. As for daily workmobile I think it is a great choice, but I think other members are more qualified to comment from experience.


My advice is to compare the L300 and L400 closely (test drive!) before buying. After the romance of the L300's ruggedly handsome looks wears off, you might find the L400 to be a better family vehicle.

If I had to drive on the highway daily, especially in winter, I would go for an L400. It can keep up with our highway speeds and has AWD.

For a family man, safety is another big issue. Both vehicles are very safe for passengers in the rear but the L300 leaves the driver and front passenger quite vulnerable in head-on collisions.

[BCDelica]

Cheers, if you look at my sig picture you'll see our his&hers old Delica's, and the mine in the rear with three ladders on the roof. For three years usage this was the best cable guy van I'd had; RHD just plain rocks for a service vehicle, high floor height is nice to the back when loading and unloading heavy stuff, and even running WVO I still happily did short and long distances between calls. Only downside, but it was an upside to the co-workers, was the when there was snow on the roads I had to take most of the work and make time to pull out stuck co-workers vehicles. I would still choose an L300 over L400, the interior trim level being a big reason. Depends on how much stuff you carry around in the back, having seen many Ford Windstars and Astro vans in new condition with high levels of trim get thrashed when used as a work vehicle; not that they have a high resale value in the first place, but after a couple of years in the service industry they are even more shot on the resale. So, lots of heavy gear get a L300, highway speed and passenger comfort a L400 will be the cats meow which blends better with the other soccer moms vans (insert underdog laugh here).

We did at least two trips a year over the coke, and never minded the slow uphill pace. Every year I drove up the hill on Hwy 24 out of Little Fort and would happily keep 60 kph, and this was loaded with 2-3 guys gear for a week fishing and the extra WVO to drive us around. Before that I towed a boat with her Delica, loaded with 4 to 6 WVO jugs also, same speed - but for this kinda of use a SWB L400 would be sweet.

Resale value is a nice consideration with any Delica, after years of work and play I sold mine for a fair price for a WVO Delica which was a far, far cry from the a** kickings we took on selling the Dodge and Chev vans.

[Artacoma]

I use mine as a daily driver , I'm a carpenter/site supervisor usually looking after 2-3 projects at once and put on a lot of city miles. The short wheelbase and small turning radius is awesome for parking. I regularly haul a few sheets of plywood or drywall inside and once in a while some lumber on the roof racks.The only thing I wish for is a sliding door on the drivers side too.
I trip up the Coq at least once or twice a winter for skiing and get mildly annoyed at my speed if its great weather but if its the least bit icy everyone is at my speed anyhow . Everytime I'm watching the engine temp to see if I should ease off a bit and I usually do for the worst 20km or so of uphill but mostly I drive the h#### out of it.
Drove to Halifax and back 2 years ago with no issues. May be I'm just lucky but if it blew up today I'de buy another tomorrow.


cheers see ya on the road soon

[Bandwidth]

For three years usage this was the best cable guy van I'd had

Cable guy is exactly the use for it I have in mind.
I can handle the slow speed up big hills, but was curious as to what sort of rpm i should aim to be under or is it obvious?

Also whats the verdict on the captains chairs? i really love the look and comfort but i hear a lot about rattle and looseness
Is that a common occurence , is it truly annoying or tolerable for a delica enthusiast.

cheers
Dave

[BCDelica]

Hope you don't mind enduring all the van envy, amongst cable guys and gals, that comes with owning a Delica.

When Shaw asked that every vehicle had a valid provincial inspection, guess whom the only person was that had already had
it done.

For in town use the operating RPM's are a non issue, but on highway use the RPM's were always under 3000 rpm. Never any issues traveling heavily loaded up to 110 kph, we never liked to cruise too long at 120 and above - unless we had a tail wind.

The loose captain chair fix, using washers, is an easy DIY fix just careful on the back with the weight of the chairs. Very tolerable and very comfortable. I kept my chairs, and removed my back bench. I had a galvanized rack, L shaped that fit well in the back, and a good sized parts bin in the slider; pretty much my set up was house gear in the slider and line/drop gear in the rear hatch. It was easy enough to pull the gear out of the sliding door and have passenger capability. Also the interior of the Delica wore very well with use, far better than a so called Dodge work van.

Cheers,
Kevin

[Bandwidth]

Thanks for the info guys,

Hey kevin would you recommend against a crystal light roof version to use as a service van? due to possible damage to the windows ? The height could be an issue but im a fairly tall dude so shouldn't have a problem lifting off ladders from that height . Although height would be a consideration for the ferries.

How big of a difference is the head room for the driver between high roof and low?

Gettin stoked as this is starting to get close.

Also any words regarding silkroad? they have a few im interested in but the comments in the dealer section kinda scare me. Would prefer Mardy and the boys at Amazing but i dont see any l300 on their site. Thanks again

Cheers
Dave

[BCDelica]

Dave, if your fine with the added height of crystal light roof then it be fine, just be sure the extension to raise the rook rack the extra height is properly designed to deal with the weight. Standard compact van ladders racks will fit a low roof securely but not a high roof. I recommend the low roof's; less rust spots for some reason, minimal head room differences up front (a few really tall guys have said so here before), and the moon roof allows for so much cooling air in the hot weather when opened fully.

Thinking Delica, at least call Mardy.

Cheers

[thedjjack]

BC ferries has stopped charging for over height at the moment!

[RichD]

High roof stands 6'10" which is below the overheight rate anyway. We park ours in an underground garage. Only a lift or a roof rack will bring you over 7'.

[Bandwidth]

Thanks Richd what is the low roof height?do you know off hand give or take?

6'10" with a roof rack does stretch a guy out, perhaps ill aim for a low roof, , i just didnt want to miss out on a wicked option and suffer remorse later.

Thanks for all the advice and info, i'm sure ill be posting more soon.

Cheers,

Dave

[Rising Sun Auto Import]

BC delica said;

I recommend the low roof's; less rust spots for some reason, minimal head room differences up front (a few really tall guys have said so here before), and the moon roof allows for so much cooling air in the hot weather when opened fully.

I totally agree, especially rust/corrosion issue on the roof surface.

[RichD]

We camp in ours so high roof is a must have.

Apparently high roof is 7" taller but I have never confirmed that on the street.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Thanks Richd what is the low roof height?do you know off hand give or take?

6'10" with a roof rack does stretch a guy out, perhaps ill aim for a low roof, , i just didnt want to miss out on a wicked option and suffer remorse later.

Thanks for all the advice and info, i'm sure ill be posting more soon.

Cheers,

Dave

Stock low roof (P25W) stands at around six feet, six~two. You will find that sort of information in "Delica Canada Technical/FAQs and Downloads/L300 Delica Downloads".

By the way I am moving this topic to the L300 discussion forum.

Falco.

[BCDelica]

That low roof, to the highest point on the ladder rack, measured pretty much 7 feet with the ladder stops removed and the pivot points cut down some. Our high roof with normal, basic roof racks was over 7', so therefore over height on BC Ferries. That was important to us as we burned through 3 books of 10 ferry tickets easily a year, over height charges would really burn into our travel budget. That was with 30 inch tires and the front torsion bars cranked up to level the van.

The high roof non crystal light version is that 7 inches higher inside, but where are the stars and the sun when your sleeping in your van? The low roof, non-moon roof Delica and high roof crystal light versions are almost the exact same interior height in the back, the moon roofed P25 is a little lower inside. In the grey P25 we slept on a platform high enough for WVO jugs to fit underneath, on a 4 inch memory foam mattress, and we're never wanting for more head room.