Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

I'm new to this forum,am thinking of getting a mitsibishi and putting out an enquiry as to the availability of L400 van's now even though it's before 15 yrs. Is it possible to import one and hold off insuring it until the 15 yr. period arrives.

It will not be even make it through CBSA.

If it got here, it would only touch Canadian soil to turn around and head back to Japan... at your cost.

Best you can do is buy one and store in Japan until the 15 year date. Or just wait a few more months.

...or buy an L300.

It goes off date of manufacture from the data plate does it not?? Then we should be able to get them now as they were probably making them mid to late 1993 ??

just my .02

but i agree with most people here..........don't get an l400 get an l300 !!

fishslapper wrote:It goes off date of manufacture from the data plate does it not??

Yes, that is why we bought a 1994 L300.

Anybody know the first day in 1993 that L400's came off the assembley line ??

I remember someone indicating that the L400s were not actually produced until 1994. I know, usually the 'XX model becomes available around September or October of the year before, but apparently this was not the case with the L400 (like a half-year model, like the '64.5 Mustang).

According to Mitsubishi's corporate information, the L400 wasn't available until May '94, which means you still got eight months to wait.

mararmeisto wrote:I remember someone indicating that the L400s were not actually produced until 1994. I know, usually the 'XX model becomes available around September or October of the year before, but apparently this was not the case with the L400 (like a half-year model, like the '64.5 Mustang).

According to Mitsubishi's corporate information, the L400 wasn't available until May '94, which means you still got eight months to wait.

I think it goes from date of manufacture. So if they were available in may of 1994 They would have been rolling off the production line for 5 months os so. That way they hit the dealerships in force.....
I do agree with you about the 64 and a half mustang !! That is a good observation !! I forgot about that. So i would be interested to see what the earliest L400's have on the data plate....

fishslapper wrote:

mararmeisto wrote:I remember someone indicating that the L400s were not actually produced until 1994. I know, usually the 'XX model becomes available around September or October of the year before, but apparently this was not the case with the L400 (like a half-year model, like the '64.5 Mustang).

According to Mitsubishi's corporate information, the L400 wasn't available until May '94, which means you still got eight months to wait.

I think it goes from date of manufacture. So if they were available in may of 1994 They would have been rolling off the production line for 5 months os so. That way they hit the dealerships in force.....
I do agree with you about the 64 and a half mustang !! That is a good observation !! I forgot about that. So i would be interested to see what the earliest L400's have on the data plate....

Some of our European counterparts might be better suited to answer this question, considering they've already got L400s trundling about the countryside. Anyone over on that side of the pond wanna jump in?

fishslapper wrote:It goes off date of manufacture from the data plate does it not??

Yes and No.

When you register it here at customs, they look at the date of initial registration.

Example.

Mine was a Feb/92 manufacture date
But it was registered in May/92.

So CBSA used the May/92 registration date as the 'one'

Well whoever looked at the date of registration at the customs place you used was actually in the wrong. I have it on good authority that it is definatly the date of manufacture that they look at. Well they should have at least.........
(i am not saying this with any negetive attitude )

I will try to find some kind of press release from mitsubishi as to when the first ones rolled off the production line.NOt that any of this really matters since finding one of the first L400's would be tricky !!! And i don't think too many people will want one. At least not here in our west coast delica community...(i am including out brothers and sisters in Alberta too! )


this is fun detective work !!

fishslapper wrote:Well whoever looked at the date of registration at the customs place you used was actually in the wrong. I have it on good authority that it is definatly the date of manufacture that they look at.

I've imported 5 and helped import 6 and all 11 vehicles were the same going through CBSA/customs.

5 vehicles. spanning 2 years. 4 different CBSA agents. Same date they are looking at on the reg papers.

The date on the reg papers (translated from Japan) is the initial registration date 'after' it was manufactured, not the manufacture date.

If anyone can show otherwise, I'd really like to know.

I remember this came up last year (not delica-related) but JDM related on ivoac.

Someone bought a Feb/92 manufacture date JDM according to the VIN. But the registration paper listed it as Aug/92 because that's when it was registered as a vehicle in Japan for the first time.

Poor guy had it on a boat in June or something like that. Had to have it turned around shipped back and then wait a few months to have it shipped back to Canada again. Going through the posts it was a nightmare.

Got me curious now.

the reason I posted the inquiry about the L400's incoming date was because I have on good au
thority that the 2.8 liter diesel had less problems with head gaskets. Anyone care to comment? The good authority being an importer from england, who has brought in several thousand over the years, of all models of Delicas.

hansmade wrote:the reason I posted the inquiry about the L400's incoming date was because I have on good au
thority that the 2.8 liter diesel had less problems with head gaskets. Anyone care to comment? The good authority being an importer from england, who has brought in several thousand over the years, of all models of Delicas.

The mitsu's didn't have that issue.

They were with the 2.4 and 3L heads on the small 4cyl diesel toyota's.

The 2.8 does have more kick than the 2.5 but the only way I would get a 2.8 would be in a Pajero.

The L400's are completely redesigned van's. Different platform, different drivetrain, different interior/ext body.

Ie. They are a mini-van. Like the Mazda MPV 4x4.

Hi Guys & Girls..

L400's (Delica "Spacegear") were manufactured from the following.

PD8W (Low Roof) - April 1994
PE8W (High Roof) - April 1994
PF8W (High Roof & LWB) - April 1994

Please remember.... these have been going to NZ, OZ & UK for years now so "1994" models do not grow on trees here anymore....... not good clean ones anyway.

Pre 1996 Diesel Spacegears also seem to have weak pump seals and over the years I have found that a good percentage require the seals replacing soon after arrival (within 12 months)...... especially in OZ. It is not just high mileage examples (100km's +) but also low mileage examples are effected..... wether it is something to do with the grade of diesel in OZ, I have no real idea.
Most OZ importers in the know will not buy pre 1996 models due to this as from 1996 models seem less effected.
So in short.... be prepared maybe somewhere down the line of ownership that the pump seals will need replacing.

Cheers

MB..