Are Delica's Crap?

[Erebus]

...new friends here, people who seem to understand me or at least tolerate me.

I don't know, Falco. I think you are pushing it with the "tolerate me" bit. Sorry, I just couldn't resist.

I've had my Delica for 16 months now. And yes, I've had or have a couple of minor issues. But in a 15 year old vehicle, that is to be expected. To put it into perspective, my previous vehicle (1991 Caprice, aka "the Mothership") had the following things go wrong in the time between ordering the delica in May and it's delivery in August: Alternator died which fried the battery, then the exhaust crapped out. So I spent about $1000 in repairs on a vehicle I only needed for another couple of weeks.

The Delica, on the other hand, has done 30,000 km in the last 16 months, including a trip to Inuvik and back, with nothing significant.

As others have said, used vehicles are a bit of a "luck of the draw", some are lucky, some are not (you and Green1 spring to mind). It sounds like much of your trouble would have been avoided if the dealer had done a proper prep on yours, and/or you and/or the dealer had known enough to take care of some of the basics before they became problems. That is where the forum is invaluable.

I understand your frustration and need to rant. Go ahead, I rant enough too. I hope you are willing to give your delica another chance. You don't say where you live, but if you are in the Vancouver or VI area, take it to one of the service places mentioned here on the forum, have them do a thorough inspection, and then make a decision. Hopefully, they can change your mind.

I love my Delica because of the versatility. But I do still need to give it TLC.

[storm80y]

Hi Impalator

Sorry to hear your concerns.
This is a personal question and I don't think anyone will mind if you don't answer. How much did you pay for your Delica?

Cheers

[impalator]

Well, the Delica runs again (I can put the shifter back into drive...) and it's still mine.... haven't got rid of it yet.

I actually went as far as seeing Butch at CVI on Saturday and put a oil-pan heater pad on as I am planning (or risking) a trip to 100 Mile House for the holidays (where the last few days the temperature hasn't risen dramatically above -30 C).

Don't get me wrong: I like the concept of the Delica (or else I wouldn't have bought one) - but what frustrates the hell out of me is the fact that I never know if I'll be able to get to where I need to go (not to mention making it back - without the use of a tow-truck).

One of the things that keep me going with the Deli is the thought mentioned in one of the replies to my original post: Now that everything (HOPEFULLY) has been fixed, whoever I would end up selling it too at - presumably - a significant loss over the price I paid myself - would get a Van in good shape and I would be left holding a grudge.

So I am holding on to it for at least as long as I still have the powertrain warranty active (February 2009) and then we'll see.

To comment on some of the feedbacks: What always gets me is the "Well, it's a 15 year old vehicle - it is to be expected...."

Well, apart from a Toyota Camry 1999 Model that I owned from 2003 until 2005, I never had a vehicle that was "newer" than 10 years old. And I had (and still have two) plenty of vehicles which are/were well beyond 15 years of age. Some were better, some were worse - but none has ever given me so much grief and constant (i.e. weekly or even more frequently) problems like the Delica.

(I had a 1971 Chevy Impala - hence the name "Impalator", I still have my 1969 Ford Cortina MKII - which is almost 3 times as old as the Delica, I have a 1983 Dodge Ram Van with over 230K km's, I had a 1975 Buick Electra back in 1995 - and that thing is probably still cruising around somewhere - especially now that the gas-prices have come down again... and so on... not one of the vehicles mentioned above have been as rough to me as the Delica....)

So anyway... it is what it is.... but those who are fortunate enough to have a good Delica, please understand the frustrations of those that have a "less good" Delica and are frustrated about it.

PS: Regarding the last post of somebody inquiring about the purchase price: I got it for Can $ 11'900 before tax and I bought it at a dealer whose name consists of 3 letters starting with a "V" and is located on No. 3 Road in Richmond, BC... It appears that this company does not take any efforts to check the vehicles over prior to selling them. Since I am not a mechanic and certainly not up to specs with Diesels, a visual inspection as well as a satisfying test drive where all I really did. They assured me that - upon entering Canada - all vehicles are subject to checks and modifications (tires, lights, emissions control, DLR etc.) and when I suggested that I would have BCAA come and check it out, they told me that BCAA does not know/understand right hand drive vehicles with Diesels (which sounded somewhat plausible to me) - but that their own mechanic had done a full inspection and everything was ok.

As the Van had only 55K km's and was - visually - in great shape (it still is - I've seen a few Delica's from underneath at CVI and in terms of rust, dirt, scratches, dents etc. on the undercarriage, I believe mine continues to be one of the nicest, cleanest I've seen so far)... and with it being so clean (and not just some spray-paint over the rust, and some tire-shine on the tires - but really clean looking inside out, engine bay, underbody etc.) and you get a 6 months warranty and the test drive turned out to be satisfactory, then I thought I would be somewhat safe.

Well, live and learn... so this is it.

I hope that I'll make it up safely to 100 Mile House on Wednesday... and back again after the holidays.

Merry Christmas everybody and peace to the world!

Chris

[konadog]

As the Van had only 55K km's

And that's one of the roots of your litany of issues. Most of the mechanically inclined types would be very leery of a 15 y.o. car with such low mileage. If the interior was a little more used you could assume your bus did alot of idling in traffic. People were in it, but it didn't travel far. Since yours is so mint, chances are it spent its time in Japan sitting in someone's driveway, rotting. It may have gone years without ever even being started up at all. Either scenario is very unhealthy for any vehicle. Ours came with 64,000km on the odo - the one owner in Japan used it for skiing and possibly not much else. Like I said before, we had ccautos refit her, but when I get the next one I will aim for one with 100,000 - 200,000 km. Good luck with your upcoming road trip - and all the road trips to follow...

[quadzilla]

I suppose my response is a little more terse: No, Delica's are not crap. Today is the one year anniversary of ownership and I bought mine with 111,000 km on it, now tickling 150K, with 23K put on between May and September this year. I drove all over BC for work. Aside from replacing my battery, I had a great time, mostly because I had a lot of preventative maintenance done in the preceding months. I bought this van knowing that I would need to do a considerable amount of maintenance - I knew that because I had scoured this site prior to purchase and because I checked out the dealer prior to buying to get a sense of what I was getting into. There are a few quirks, but nothing that would make me not want one of these vans. If you consider your purchase price, plus the extra for all of the required maintenance, you would be into a great 4 wheel drive for 15-16K, maybe a little less - or maybe a little more. Not bad considering how long these vans should run and the utility of them.

I hope you can get your van sorted out and begin to get a sense of the quality of these vans.

[Adam]

I got it for Can $ 11'900 before tax and I bought it at a dealer whose name consists of 3 letters starting with a "V" and is located on No. 3 Road in Richmond, BC... It appears that this company does not take any efforts to check the vehicles over prior to selling them. Since I am not a mechanic and certainly not up to specs with Diesels, a visual inspection as well as a satisfying test drive where all I really did. They assured me that - upon entering Canada - all vehicles are subject to checks and modifications (tires, lights, emissions control, DLR etc.) and when I suggested that I would have BCAA come and check it out, they told me that BCAA does not know/understand right hand drive vehicles with Diesels (which sounded somewhat plausible to me) - but that their own mechanic had done a full inspection and everything was ok

Have you posted a review for the dealer you bought from? It would be a nice heads up for others trying to decide on where to buy from. It sounds like a lot of the issue you had stemmed from incomplete work on the part of the dealer/importer. When I bought mine almost 2 years ago I ended up paying $1000-$1500 more than what some other dealers were charing, but I got a fully overhauled vehicle that has been relatively trouble free (other than the WVO mods I've made).

[Youbou]

[sayulita101]

I think the price point of these vehicles reflect if they are crap are not. How many 93 North american vans are going for around 10 to 13 grand? I saw a 08 chev going for 18,900 in the paper on the weekend.doubt in 15 years you could flog it for 2 or 3 grand, if its still running. Sorry to here you got the odd lemon, but overall I think these vans are great value, fun to drive and unbelievable in the recent weather!
Paul

[jrman]

No, they are not crap in general though certainly there must be some exceptions that are, just as with any machine...there are lemons and/or abused ones out there without doubt.

However, there is a long list of things that MAY require attention based on;

1 - Japanese propensity to do very little maintenance contrary to popular opinion. Yes, they have the Shaken which forces the owner to replace items not up to standard (holes in mufflers etc), but does not require maintenance records such as oil, other fluid, filter changes. Japan is generally a "scrap & build" or "disposable" goods society - thus the limited resale market that exists domestically (by our standards). Used is NOT cool generally speaking. If you're lucky - you bought one from an owner who understood the necessity of regular maintenance, but more than likely - it was not done...at least not to the standard of our society which tends to "make things last"...again, only by comparison to Japan (my Japanese associates cannot believe I live in a house built in 1947 that started out as a 700 sqft shack and is now a 2200 sqft home and also been renovated numerous times....they just think "why?" and would tear down and start again, then allow the building to decline to zero value and start over again). In part, this is also why the Japanese consumer expects a higher quality product at the outset compared to a N.A. consumer.

2 - as noted, the highly variable operation of these vehicles - and thus the often low mileage which can be both a blessing and a curse.
I've had my vehicle for over 18 months now and still quite pleased overall. I've had a few issues recently which can all be chalked up to age - all my issues up to now have been various "leaks" related to seals / gaskets etc expiring. Mardy had the IP rebuild last month due to leaks (highly recommended), currently in at CVI for brake master (leaking) and rear axle seal (again, leaking), and the thermostat (should have been changed when the rad was done by the importer). Nobody should be surprised by any of these problems in a 15 yr old vehicle.

I believe that if the timing belt & tensioners and cooling system is overhauled upon arrival - the majority of major problems later can be avoided if these two areas are addressed upon arrival in Canada. There is a long list of things that should be done also, but the timing belt / tensioner replacement is an absolute must and the cooling system is notorious for needing attention due to low mileage and hard water in japan. Deal with those two major priorities with a reputable shop - and the rest should just be "details" and can be dealt with in time and as fundage allows!

And if you can't do the work yourself, find a mechanic you trust and stay with them.

[mararmeisto]

It sounds more like you are the victim of 'time compression' more than anything. Yes, you've had the Cortina for some 30-odd years, the pickup truck, et al. but how much money/maintenance have you really put into those vehicles over the years? I'm guessing quite a lot... spread out over a number of years. If you sit down and think of it: an alternator here; belts; new tires; a set of brakes; a windshield; oh, another set of brake pads; etc.

Problem with your Delica: you've done all that in the past year! That sucks dude! So far, I've HAD to replace the alternator and the glow plugs, but everything else was checked before I purchased it, and I suspect where you bought your Delica wasn't as thorough as where I bought mine.

And I would echo the poster regarding Japanese maintenance: it's a bit of a myth. If you think we are a 'throw-away' or 'consumer' society, the Japanese have got us beat hands-down. They might be recycling a bit better than us, but they can out-consume us any day. The whole reason for the Shaken inspection is not so much to ensure you have a functional vehicle, it's so that you'll buy another NEW vehicle to replace your slightly worn one (at least that's how it was explained to me).

As marsgal42 said, this forum is a bit of a 'shit-magnifier' (she didn't use THAT word, but I'm paraphrasing), so one tends to see the 'bad' on these pages more than the 'good'. And the reason for that is we are turning to each other for help. I don't do a lot of forum-surfing, but I seriously doubt there are too many other forums out there as extensive as ours, for a single vehicle from a particular period of years. Maybe for Deloreans, or Bricklyns (of which there really aren't so many left), or possibly Silver Ghosts (but I doubt their owners are the type to either do their own maintenance or go on line to discuss their vehicle). I like reading the Pajero pages, and when we start the L400 section, I'm going to look forward to reading those (because our vans won't seem nearly as 'problematic' once the L400s start landing here).

If you're done: leave; but if you still want help and support: keep reading these pages. You've got a lot of friends here.

[psilosin]

Sounds to me like someone sold you a VW Vanagon with Delica stickers on it.

[Jester]

You got a lemon, pure and simple..
It happens, not much can be done.
Doesn't change the overall quality of the vehicle.

so to answer your question, MOST Delicas (especially purchased from reputable dealers such as Mardy or Japanoid) are not crap.

[Muzzy]

Impalator I think I had a look at the Delica you bought... Not sure though, is it green over beige? Beige interior? Crystal light roof? and only 55K or so on it? They parked it right in the front? I think the one I looked at was missing the POD though. Was it the first one you saw when you pulled into the lot? I could be wrong but the time in which you bought it, the price and place are the same. If it is the one I did take it for a drive and it was quite nice and super clean. I just had a problem with the sales guy. He was very pushy and didn’t want to give me any information on the work that was done to it, so I never went back.

[/quote] so to answer your question, MOST Delicas (especially purchased from reputable dealers such as Mardy or Japanoid) are not crap.[/quote]

I know a lot of people on here talk highly about Japanoid, but I would beg to differ. My van was serviced by them before buying it. I do not believe that they are as reputibale as people say. Their workmanship in my opinion is "no good" . Everything that they said they did on my van was either the incorrect part and needed to be replaced, was a bad part to being with and didn't bother replacing it or the work itself was done very poorly. I could write a list if people are interested. Now Mardy he's the man. That guy has helped me out far beyond what I would have ever expected. He's helped me bring my van to where is should be.

Sorry you're having such a bad time with your van Impalator, but just think the more stuff you fix the more reliable it becomes, you hope.

[jessef]

I bought it at a dealer whose name consists of 3 letters starting with a "V" and is located on No. 3 Road in Richmond, BC...

Sorry to hear.

Chris. Not sure if I posted this up a way's back.

My experience with them.

http://www.4x4wire.com/forums/showflat. ... ost1015111

I posted this over a year ago. Not Delica-related but JDM-related.

[gnarly]

I have to agree with Muzzy. I bought a vehicle from Japanoid, not a delica, it was my first JDM and rushed into it a bit. I bought with my heart and not my head and I had to pay for that. I think I got a fair price for what I got, but after 3 months with the vehicle I can tell it's been through a pretty tough life, little things like rusted screws inside the van and thick scum in areas where the cleaners missed. I had a major problem with the vehicle, about 2 months after the 90day drivetrain warranty ran out. They were kind enough to meet me in the middle cost wise to repair the problem (because it was so soon - Thank God - still ran me almost $900). However, I can't help but being skeptical about them. I really appreciate the effort, but it's a major slip to sell a customer something like that, especially when you're in a niche market as they are. I don't know how VIB continues forth doing what they do. It's a critical time in the market, their's no room for screwing up.

Thanks for letting me read all about your experiences, I'm looking into getting a Delica now.