Pre purchase questions

[mimi93]

Hey guys, I've been looking into purchasing my first vehicle and my father mentioned to me how pleased he was with his Delica that he imported a few years ago. I have driven it when I lived in Vancouver and was impressed by all aspects of it. I am seriously considering the purchase of a Delica but hope you guys can answer a few questions for me before I jump in with both feet.

Although I am somewhat mechanically inclined, I am a 20 yr old student living in calgary and I need a reliable backup plan if I cant perform a maintenance task on a Delica. Can anyone from Calgary let me know where I could take the Delica to get serviced/repaired ect... If I needed it? Also, being a diesel I would have to install a block heater for winter starts. Also I will be trying to source the Chamonix model with double batteries and beefy alternator. Are there any other tips for winterizing the Delica?

I have read the Fresh off the boat maintenance thread and was wondering if anyone could give me a basic ballpark for the cost of completing most of the checklist.

I guess whats most important for me is I dont want to be in over my head with a Delica purchase. I'm willing to do whats practical to get this awesome little van here to Calgary and explore Canada with it.

For those interested the vehicle I am considering is this one: http://www.tradecarview.com/used_car/ja ... /14137712/

[doodah]

You are looking at another $3k easy to get the vehicle shipped and okayed to drive here in Canada.

Expect more issues to crop up in the first year or so, the car is more than 15 years old after all....

Just sayin' ......

[glenn]

If you are buying directly from Japan, why not buy directly from the auctions? You can find some awesome deals, especially on series one L400s like you are looking at. The dealer in the ad doesn't even list the KMs, or the auction grade and condition. I've heard mixed things about tradecar

I used Pacific coast JDM http://www.pacificcoastjdm.com/ - A Canadian living in Japan - A nice guy living in Japan, he will take care of everything on the Japan side, you just basically have to browse the auctions. He can quote you all the associated costs. Sign up and start browsing the auctions.

[thedjjack]

Like my dad always said 4X4s always have the twice the maintenance of a regular vehicle....

Student and old 4x4 does not work well unless you are sponsored for school...

[MardyDelica]

when buying in japan on used vehicle there is always have a risk,
even we as a dealer always have a risk you never know what you got until it arrived Canada.
and be prepare for the maintenance cost on this at least from $3,000 to 4,000 unless you can do it short cut.
from tire , headlight ,ip and other service
cheers

[mimi93]

Many thanks for the comments.

My budget is around 5k for a vehicle and if I were to buy used through kijiji in Calgary I would probably find a similarly old vehicle with a host of equal or worst problems with it. The goal for now is to have a vehicle for the coming summer and when i return from the oil fields next spring have the cash to take care of the Delica more thoroughly.

I was a little surprised by the maintenance costs of these vehicles when I started researching them. The Delica my father has cost him a grand total of 5,100 to buy and ship. To my knowledge the only maintenance he has done is basic fluid replacing and it has had zero issues for the past 3 years he drove it. Keep in mind he doesn't baby the Delica at ALL. Takes it for camping,hunting,backwoods exploring and towing a trailer with a snowmobile to squamish. Did he just get lucky? For those wondering its a Delica Exceed purchased from tradecarview.

I will definitely have a look at Pacific coast JDM and see what I find. However the KMs of the vehicle I linked are at 33,714 km (On the right sidebar under item info). I realize that the number is misleading since it probably has a whole lot of idle hours on it but I am not completely put off the vehicle. The maintenance cost isint as large of a concern as mechanic support. I can always find work when I need to pay mechanic bills but this being Calgary and home to the overcompensating trucks, the Delica is a rarity. I worry that I wont have a place to repair or maintain it. Any Calgary owners care to chime in?

Obviously I mean the above within reason, I dont want a money pit, but from what I have seen these cars are very solid once you swallow the initial maintenance cost. And that I just see as an investment for a cool little van that can do so much more than massive gas chugging pickup truck.

Many thanks for your responses!

[pajerry]

Your dad knows how to do it. I've done the same, and a big thanks to CVI for talking me out of replacing parts that didn't really need, it has saved me thousands. Its a 15-20 year old car, it will have quirks. Keep the cooling system in top shape, and the rest will be fine. 5 years of driving this truck hard and putting it away wet has proven that true. Sure it has a some love dents, couple rattles, and the tach sometimes acts up, but who cares?

I don't know what kind of 'student budget' you're on, but remember when it rains, it pours. Replacing a head at the worst possible time will cost you $3k plus tow, plus inconvenience, plus lost time, wages, car rental etc. And the heads go often enough to consider this. So if you're not spending a little money initially, make sure you have a few grand just in case. Don't listen do the dealers regarding IP rebuilds right away unless there is an actual problem, but again, could cost $1K+, and time.

If you buy a delica, I would buy a local van that you know can start in the cold, then go from there. As you can see by used delica listings in Calgary, you can't even get an '89 L300 with your budget... There is probably a reason people don't let them go for any less, and that is the $$$ they've sunk in.

As an aside, If its for the tar patch, I'd choose a different vehicle altogether unless you buy it really cheap/used in Calgary, and don't plan to baby it. Delica's don't like cold or rust without some preventative $$$, and even then, unibody rust is a fast killer. Winterizing can also cost a good chunk of change if the ECU/glow/battery system isn't working well, plus new batteries, block heater, heating pads etc. It all adds up. Then if you have door locks, heated window, or power windows that don't work in the cold, more $$$ to spend.




From a two minute search, both pretty reliable, especially the rodeo.:

$5K
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/calg ... nFlag=true

$3K
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/vanc ... nFlag=true

[thedjjack]

But those are not delicas.... If going non delica... go Domestic since no one wants them...

I current have a 1997 Ford Exploder....wait... not the troublesome 4.0L with weak transmissions and head gasket (OHV) or bad cam chains (OHC)... Nope the fully loaded full time AWD with the F150 transmission and the factory 5.0L out of the mustang with the GT40 heads and headers from the factory... purchase price $300.00... Goes like stink...

Depends if your dad is driving an L300 without doing the timing belt otherwise L400 should be fine with minor repairs, but you are buying blind at an auction....so who knows

Enough said going to do burnouts in the exploder.... suckers who buy 4runners..

[nxski]

Having purchased my L300 when I was 19 (3.5 years ago) and a student, I can confidently say to be careful. I was lucky that I was living with my parents and had a job, because my van did have some unexpected repairs. I purchased it for $4000 and expected to spend $2000/year in maintenance. I have a spent a lot more than that per year, but mostly on mods, so I think $1500/year is more accurate in what I've spent on repairs and maintenance. Now, I did crack my head last summer, so my average is probably a bit higher now, but definitely still under $2000/year which is the average cost to maintain a 15 year old vehicle (and mine is almost 25 years old).