Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

Well after a lot of research on different models, studying pricing and reviews, and quite a few bids in auction I finally pulled the trigger and got a Mazda Bongo Friendee. The one I picked was a 1996 / May model, so just of age to come over to Canada. I'm getting some maintenance and preventative maintenance done to it as we speak before I ship it over at the end of the month.

The Bongo seemed to be the only vehicle to suit my needs that I could find in Japan or Canada. An absolute great multi purpose vehicle if you ask me. 2.5L diesel engine, 4WD, and the factory electric pop top which is pretty cool to have. It seats 8, so with a new little girl we're expecting this summer that's gives us more than enough room than we need. Some cool factory features I liked are the electric privacy curtains, fold away rear seats, and other 2 seats in the back are on tracks so a huge bed can easily be made to accommodate 2 more for sleeping. A couple other cool little gadgets on the van too.

Here she is in all her glory ( was raining yesterday, so crappy pictures for now ):

Nice find for sure!
What is the price tag on such a thing?

Very cool. Kind of reminds me of a eurovan - except more practical, 4x4, and meaner looking. Will you camperize it?

Craig

Good to see someone bring one of these in. I have been wondering why they haven't been more popular as they look pretty rad. I didn't know the poptop was motorized...thats extra cool. Keep us updated!

Thanks! I'm thinking next year I might camperize it. There are some cool ideas and even full conversions here http://www.bongocamper.com/buyers-guide/conversions.php

I think for this year just a bike rack, awning, and tow bar will suit my needs.

CREGAN wrote:Very cool. Kind of reminds me of a eurovan - except more practical, 4x4, and meaner looking. Will you camperize it?

Craig

psilosin wrote:I didn't know the poptop was motorized...thats extra cool. Keep us updated!

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nice William

funny that with the space in the front they put the engine under the seats in a doghouse (like L300's)

Is that space a trunk of sorts then?

jfarsang wrote:nice William

funny that with the space in the front they put the engine under the seats in a doghouse (like L300's)

Thanks Jesse. It's an interesting design for sure.

Love it!

Had the following servicing done this past week:

Oil and oil filter
Fuel filter
Coolant
Thermostat
All radiator hoses
Heater hoses
Glow plugs
All belts besides the timing belt which was done at 112,XXX Km's
Differential fluid
All other fluids including transmission, brake fluid, and PS fluid

We also checked:

Brake pads - 60% left
Checked suspension and suspension components ( CV joints, ball joints, steering linkage, etc ) and all is well in that area
Radiator and water pump - no defects

In the hole another 140,000 yen.... Now I have to decide what shipment method I'm going to take. I'm thinking of going container and packing it with some goodies

Well it's all tuned up now and on the way to port. Leaving Japan on Tuesday. Here's some last pics of it in Japan:








[IMG]http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g38 ... 630083.jpg[/IMG

Well I picked up the van on Monday and overall pretty impressed with it. It's got a way better turning radius than some other similiar vans I have driven from Japan and feels a bit more peppy than other diesels I have driven.

The roof is a very cool feature. I love it being all electric and accessible from the drivers seat. The sleeping area has roll up sides leaving mesh walls to allow for a breeze to flow through which is nice on a hot day. That and the factory mattress pad is not too hard and should be okay to sleep on.

Another cool thing I found was the hidden sun roof and 2 extra seats that fold out from the back of the front seats. Electric curtains are all working good too

Taking her camping this weekend and will snap some updated pics of it.

Were you driving behind me on Hwy 7 Sunday afternoon? I was driving back to Vancouver in a white space gear.