Globe and Mail article

[RadarGrrl]

In my case I only discovered the Delica after a city plow crashed into my Odyssey and I couldn't find a 4x4 van from any of the North American vendors... So I broadened my search and found they had made some in Japan.

I still don't understand why they won't let people import vehicles when North American manufacturers absolutely refuse to make the products people want.

It's a cartel...a racket. It's the same logic as to why we can't get vehicles with small sized diesels, all the while pushing these massive pickups with obscenely huge diesels.

[mark]

I still don't understand why they won't let people import vehicles when North American manufacturers absolutely refuse to make the products people want.

There's only one explanation but it goes by two names:

• People who are not in the auto retail business call it "Protectionism"
• People who are in the auto retail business call it "Public Safety Concerns"

[RadarGrrl]

Precisement.

[thedjjack]

Easy on the GMC slamming.... some of us now drive a 1983 G3500 B+ class RV with a non turbo 6.2L.... about the same power as the delica little more top end... and loving my cast iron heads and block.....not as good off road :)

The only issue is the interview with ICBC guy that seems to be the person that should not have an opinion... they can charge more insurance for more risk... if ICBC wants to make things safe I think motorcycles.... not Delicas...

[Mr. Flibble]

I did not find it that negative of a review. Indeed, it came across largely positive. I think everyone is getting bent out of shape over a few paragraphs. Given that papers are written to sell copy, it makes sense that the journalist would put that in there as it is more "controversial".

[philmeup1]

I've met too many GM employees that scared me with their stories from work. Now I know this could be considered profiling, and I know it kinda is, but I've heard stories like this more than once...

Example.. a guy at my gym (a retired GM worker) told me half the time he wouldn't even show up for work and just get someone to punch his time ticket. In fact he was quite proud of this.... He went on to explain his logic which was, if they're too stupid to figure it out, then it's their problem. I sarcastically replied, You showed them... And he just laughed.

Another personal friend of mine (currently in rehab for alcohol abuse) was working at GM until the boozing got so outta hand, he decided on his own to seek help. Luckily, he's now getting the help he needs through his employer.

I've quite a few more stories like these but you get the idea. And this isn't I have a friend who has a friend type of deal. This is coming right from the source. So I'm out thank youse' very much!! My Delica (which I've had for almost 2 years now) has been nothing but excellent to me. It's great on fuel and very practical.

And again, I refer back to the article... We're taking Japan's junk. Nope, don't think so. You don't have to go nearly that far if junk is what you're really after........

[FalcoColumbarius]

I keep getting a 502 bad gateway error page.

Is this that guy that joined and wanted to interview us but couldn't make it because he was going to a C&W gig that night and then stopped answering the calls afterward? Maybe there's been talk of slander or entrapment so they pulled the article?

Hi Everyone,

Sorry to intrude! I'm a journalist with The Globe and Mail. I recently arrived in Vancouver and was amazed at all the Delicas on the road - you don't really see them much in Ontario! Since my job is to write about some of the interesting ways Canada is connected to Asian economies, and since Delicas are being imported from Japan and are being adapted to West Coast ways, I was just wondering if some people here might want to talk to me for a little feature I've started to work on.

I'm basically interested in why you've gravitated toward the Delica over other vehicles - and why you're so enthusiastic about it. It strikes me as sort of a camper van / VW van for a new generation of adventurers, or people who love the outdoors - but maybe that's wrong? I'd love to hear from you about why you love it, what you use it for, etc.

It would be great to talk to whoever started this group, too!

Feel free to email me at imarlow@globeandmail.com if you want to chat! (And just FYI, I'd need to use your name and we'd probably take a photo for the story; but I wouldn't need a photo of everyone who contacts me.)

Warmest, Iain

(http://www.delica.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=16019)

Falco.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Okay, I finally got into the article. I like Mark's idea for a new sticker but perhaps we should modify it: "Delica.ca - Keep Your Hands Off My Junk, Iain".

Got to love these ones:

• Currently, Canada has a 15-year ban on importing used cars manufactured abroad that do not meet Canadian safety and environmental regulations(?), which is the reason nearly all the Delicas in Canada are mid-1990s models – and none is newer than 1999.
  
  In 2010, Quebec moved to ban the import of new right-hand-drive vehicles, noting that drivers “do not have an optimum field of vision.”

Falco.