Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

David here from Edmonton, how you all doin'!

I'm expecting my Delica in 30-60 days, and I'm curious about a couple of things.

1. I'm having trouble finding an insurer! I have called my insurance agent, and he claims that his usual companies are unwilling to insure this vehicle. It's a camperized Delica, like you can see here:
http://thedelicapage.blogspot.com/
Insurance guy says the in-car cooking facilities are the big problem, an addition to right-hand-drive. I was surprised to hear this!

Does anyone know of an insurer in Alberta that might be more reasonable? If you can point me in the direction of a company that's already known to accept a RHD Delica, then maybe the camper part will be less of a stretch. Even better, point me toward an agency and agent who you have generally had a positive experience with, and I'll give them my business!

2. Do you recognize this model / facelift/ etc of Delica:


I figure from the windshield markings it's a P25W, with the roof chopped for a camper top... but there are some other differences with the headlights, bush bars, front steps...

Can anyone tell me what variant this one is, and what I might expect to be different from the regular Delicas that I've been obsessively reading about for weeks?

Thanks a lot for your help!
David

here's a list of delica models by frame code (stamped on the vin plate under a carpet flap below the driver's seat)
http://www.cars-directory.net/specs/mit ... ca/1991_8/
that should help a bit...

the headlights are what's confusing me, most of the ones with the sealed beam headlights were done as the 4 bulbs instead of 2, so not sure what that one is...

it's generally irrelevant for insurance though, they need the VIN, and that it's a Mitsubishi Delica. As for refusing to insure, call a different broker, keep shopping around and you'll find someone. If they claim they won't insure one with cooking facilities on board ask them if they insure any campers or motorhomes, and if so, why they're ok and you're not. as for RHD, most insurance companies will insure RHD, and if they don't want your money... give it to someone who does.

Just a thought - but the commercial delis in Japan of this vintage would have had just the 2 sealed beam type headlamps - maybe this one started it's life as a commercial rig prior to being camperized???

No special headlights here in Holland, here almost all L300's are commercial vans so Sean could be right but ours are no sealedbeam types.

make sure the delica is old enough to legally drive in canada.

niekts is a 2001, and has those headlights... just a thought.

Might not have anything to do with age, but it sure would suck parking that thing for years waiting until it is insurable.

I was thinking it looked like a pre-1989 L300:

This is a 1985, I guess the side lights are totally different.

niekts is a 2001, and has those headlights... just a thought.

As far as i know they started using this headlights around 1988/1990. (at least over here in Holland)

Thanks for the feedback guys!

According to DEL BIG RIG, it is a "model base work van", from 1990, so I think there is something to the suggestion that it's a commercial model, I just haven't seen anything comparable anywhere!

A lot of my curiosity is about details that will probably just have to be mysteries until it's actually here... like audio speakers, gas tanks, etc... any of these could be different for a commercial van, or modified while it was camperized. If I'm dying of curiosity, I can ask DEL, he has been more than helpful so far... but thanks for all the comments so far.

If it's a 2001 I'll cry... but from the interior/dash photos it's very similar to the early-90s models that I see around this site, so I think it will be OK!

David

Man...I cannot comment about Alberta insurance and the problems you face vis-a-vis modifications related to stove etc etc - but the first time one of your headlights burns out...just think of us poor buggers with the standard passenger versions...I'm personally dreading that day - way too much cost for a simple headlight. I'd love to have my Deli with your headlights!

jrman: burnt out is no problem ($5 at canadian tire for new bulbs) the problem is if it gets hit with a rock and cracks... THAT's the expensive part... HOWEVER there is a solution! it's called "leader headlamp protector" and is available at partsource, it's a thick rubbery clear plastic film you put on your lights, it'll absorb most rocks with no problem and it's definitely worth the price to protect your $400 headlights, there was even enough left over from the large package to cover the front turn signal/marker lights and to do my aftermarket rectangular fog lights.

Ok Green1 - sorry for my noobness, and was wondering why I had not see more complainging on this board about the high cost of headlights. Will be following your wise instructions this weekend prior to the winter season. I hit the 99 to Whister and the Coquihalla regularly in winter and was worrying about my precious headlights. Really appreciate the heads up.
Sean

For sure I'm grateful about how much less the headlights should cost me at crappy tire for this unusual model... but hey, at least the standard lights look that much cooler...

Aside from new bfg tires, I'm having trouble all around figuring out how to make the camper look a bit more delica-badass, and a little less Vanagon, maybe some stick-on vinyl A-Team stripes, or a gun rack... I'll take suggestions. Or maybe time to start a new thread, "how to make your Delica look more badass for as cheap as possible", there must be more people secretly wondering this

Here's the answer - just ask find a thread from Mitch and PM him for photos of his rig....as my buddy says - his Deli looks like some badass Battlestar Galactica Troop Transport or something...can't get better than that!
Sean

to make it look less vanagon and more serious offroad delica you should look at more agressive tires, possibly a small lift, a winch and some offroad lights... too bad you have the narrow bull-bar too, would look nicer with the newer style bull-bar that covers the width of the vehicle...

Re insurance and registration. My understanding is that camperized vans - with propane appliances and the like - need to be registered as motorhomes; either class a, b, or c? It could be that this camperized delica doesn't meet or have an equivalent to the required certification in AB. A similar example is a Westphalia, which I believe, is considered a class c motorhome and registered as such.

Having said that, I think I've seen other camperized delicas in the marketplace, and presumably they got through.

Also if you get a VIN then you should be able to find an insurer.

--T