Interested in feedback from potential buyers

[Chewy]

So, from what I can gather, due to recent events, people are spending less. Myself included. Not just on vehicles, but on everything.

This then begs the question I am alluding to in the title of the post: Since money is tight, and these vehicles aren't exactly cheap for their age, would you pay 8k-9.5k for a van that just arrived from japan with no maintenance because you really want a Deli, and can deal with the costs as they come?

Or would you want a van that has many thousands more invested, selling for $1000-2000 more?

[jessef]

So, from what I can gather, due to recent events, people are spending less. Myself included. Not just on vehicles, but on everything.

This then begs the question I am alluding to in the title of the post: Since money is tight, and these vehicles aren't exactly cheap for their age, would you pay 8k-9.5k for a van that just arrived from japan with no maintenance because you really want a Deli, and can deal with the costs as they come?

Or would you want a van that has many thousands more invested, selling for $1000-2000 more?

a van that has many thousands more invested, selling for $1000-2000 more

without question

Many people are not educated in diesels. They look for the lowest Km's possible without realizing that a broken in diesel tends to be more reliable than a low km/low use engine.

The right buyer will come along with the knowledge that they are saving $$$ in their pocket by buying one like yours (or mine when I sold it) as opposed to buying one a few thousand less and crossing their fingers that problems don't pop up.

Personally, I would rather have a Delica that has been owned/driven/maintained properly here in Canada and all the gremlins/problems either have been dealt with or brought to your attention.

I was excited/nervous when I imported my first JDM as it was an experience. But after doing it multiple times, I just would not go through the hassle.

It is pure luck if you get one, sight unseen, from a 2-picture auction that you 'think' you got a screaming deal on. Once you go through all the importing work, compliance work and then mechanical work, more times than not, importing yourself these days ends up costing more than buying from a good dealer or private.

There are also a lot of Delica's around compared to the same time last year.

I literally see between 3-7 every day on my to/from work.

There are still curbers/people who are importing Delica's/JDM's and trying to make a quick buck by turning around and selling them at the market price without doing anything to them. It's awful.

[elmitcho]

well, i guess i fit in this category....

myself, if i had only 8k or whatever the landed cost of a deli is, i would wait until i had more $$$ so i had the reassurance of a fully maintained and compliant vehicle off the get go. This is because i am very new to the imported vehicle world and would not want to go through the endless research, ordering of parts plus labour to install them while the deli is just sitting. But this is only because, this is the first time i've been through this process. I imagine that the more hardcore/informed deli drivers out there already know what to expect and can somewhat assume what additional costs/work there is to be done with little worry. It would probably be a fun project! i guess its all about comfort level with "fresh off the boat" imports, how soon they want the vehicle, and of course how deep someone's pockets are IMHO.

**edit**
my biggest fear would be a lemon

[Chewy]

The hardest part then is conveying the use of this maintenance, and convincing someone that this is worthwhile. They know it's true, but I have had some people call with major lowballs and I want to tell them "sure, let me go grab a clogged rad, a leaky IP, cracked bushings, lower that front end down again, wear down the brakes and bash into a couple curbs at 50 to throw the alignment back out." "Oh, and I've put the JDM lights back in." See you in a short while when you want my head on your fence when it breaks.

But with that said, I know someone will come along and she'll go to a good home. Just gets frustrating sometimes.

[jessef]

Someone lowballs you just politely tell them they are looking at the wrong vehicle and to find something in their price range.

[Chewy]

usually what ends up happening. More just interested, and at times frustrated but never too worried.

Thanks Jesse.

[Profister]

Chewy, I think you are addressing the question to the wrong audience expecting to get the right answer. To the best of my knowledge most drivers on this forum are not potential buyers and the majority of potential buyers do not even know about this forum. Most of them will rely on their previous experience making the same mistake I made.

The right buyer will come along with the knowledge...

I disagree with this statement; there is no such thing as 'the right buyer' or 'the wrong buyer': either he/she is a buyer or not. Of course after driving my Deli for a year and looking back in time I would buy it from a different dealer or privately spending more upfront instead of spending my time and more money to get a peace of mind later. You got my answer but I am not a potential buyer so I am not sure how it can help you.
Thanks for reading this.
Sergiy.

[drrod]

I liken buying a Delica to buying a custom hotrod or racecar. Unless your time is worth zero, doing all the work yourself usually ends up costing more than it would buying "already done". When we bought ours, I looked for (in order of preference):
1. condition
2. what had been done and who had done it (records are very important)
3. registerable(sp?) (ie. complied)
4. price
We looked a long time and finally found one that had all the options we wanted, plus had been "mardyized", and had been on the road for several thousand kms and thus had the bugs worked out.

So....if I were in the market again and only had X amount of money to spend, I would look for one that was already here and someone needed to sell or I would continue to wait and save money until one came along. I would NOT import one myself or do the work myself. To much potential for disaster.
Just my 2¢ worth.
Rod

[Chewy]

Sergiy, thankyou for phrasing what I can't from my position. There are things that are so hard to convey about these vehicles to a potential buyer, nearly impossible from a seller's standpoint.


And Rod, a very good analogy, as I've done that before too (you can get a domestic guzzler to 500whp with relative cost effectivity, try geting a turbo import to do 300whp reliably and your wallet catches fire)


Thankyou for your thoughtful replies.


Kelly.

[nishby]

As a potential buyer...correction...soon to be owner, I can relate to what you are saying Chewy.

I tripped over this forum shortly after discovering Delicas online, and have been profiting greatly from all of the wisdom here.

When I buy (in two weeks) I will be paying more and bringing home a fully serviced bus. Whether that means buying a deal and taking it straight to Butch or Glen, or getting something like your van, or something done up from Mardy or Japanoid, I'm not sure yet.

As Rod said, price is near the bottom of the list of considerations. A good quality van with the right features, thoroughly checked and serviced by the right people, is more important to me.

I'm a do-it-youselfer who prefers to tinker and get to know the vehicle, so doing some work down the road doesn't bother me. Breaking down in Saskatchewan in February does.

BTW...I may still want to see your van when I get out there but we're still deliberating over the best seat configuration for us. Also, if you get a minute, I'd like to know the EXACT height of your van. We have 83 and a smidgen inches to get one in our garage.

[drrod]

Kelly,
When I was racing we used to have a saying......
You can't make a race car out of a pig but if you spend enough money, you can make an awfully fast pig!!!!
Rod

[Chewy]

I hear ya Shane, and I'm glad to hear that you have gleaned enough info from the well informed to make a good problem-free purchase. I'll try and get that measurement for you too.

Rod, that's pretty funny. Likely because there is so much truth to it. Saw a lot of that in drag racing (not my cup of tea)

[dah_hunter]

This is always an issue.. I have a couple different cars for sale right now..


and people are way more leary about spending any large amounts of money right now..


anything over 10,k is a stretch.. and I agree.. i wouldnt be buying anything over that mark myself right now..

However i do have a stable Job, Im just waiting to take advantage of the housing market..


I beleive the right buyer will come along, just takes time..

The cars sell them selves.. Im so bad at sales, i just basily point at the car and answer questions.. if you want it.. buy it.. if not.. oh well..

[bassnailer]

I am a potential buyer and I have spent about a year gaining as much knowledge about these vehicles, and the people who sells them, as I can. Thank-you to everyone on this forum for sharing a great portion of that knowledge with me and everyone else.
I have decided that when it comes time for me to buy my Deli that I will spend the extra money for one that has been serviced and everything else. I am not interested in taking a crash course in importing and don't want to buy other peoples problems. I think it is money well spent.

enzo

[ExplosiveAbe]

"Personally, I would rather have a Delica that has been owned/driven/maintained properly here in Canada and all the gremlins/problems either have been dealt with or brought to your attention."

I couldn't have said it better myself! That's the first thing I looked for when purchasing mine. The fellow I bought mine from put about 10,000 km on the odometer after doing all the "regular maintainance" that these vans require after being brought over.