Can anyone convince me to buy a Delica?

[delicat]

Hi all,

I'm David from Vancouver BC and just joining your club. Still don't have a Delica both since we just had our first kid and neither my wife our I will ever think of buying a minivan the Delica sounds like a really good choice. I was very surprised that my wife loved the Delica just as much as me when l pointed one out to her, good for me! I already own 2 oldies VW Van so not really comformist... these Delicas are calling my name!

But I'm in no rush and would like to educate myself as much as possible before making my purchase. So from all of you who have owned them for months and years, what can you tell me to help me make the best choice. Or avoid buying one if you had a really bad experience.

I'll surely be looking for a Diesel with the Crystal roof. Ideally l'd like to get one with 50-80 000 km. I'd rather pay a little more and get less headache at the end of the day.

Still not sure if l should buy it locally (either private or Japanoid and all...) or through the Japanese auctions.

Basically, what am I getting into by buying one of those, what should I be looking for, best way to get one and your personal experience.

Thanks so much in advance!

Regards,
David

[Adam]

Hi David,

Welcome to the forum. My experience so far with the Delica has been excellent. I've got a family of five, a wife and three kids under 9 and was driving a '95 GMC Safari previously. I liked the Safari, but it was tough on gas, especially with price nowadays. So we bought a Delica about two months ago to save money on fuel, we'll be saving even more once I get the WVO kit installed.

Everyone in the family loves it. Even though it is a slightly smaller vehicle than the '95 Safari it seems to have a lot more interior space. I was planning on importing my own through Terra2Imports. I had a deposit of $1000 submitted so that I could bid on auction and I decided to take the family to 5 Star Auto in Parksville to test drive one to make sure it was going to work out for us. Big mistake. I ended up buying the a Delica off the lot that day instead of sticking to the import plan. Oh well, the service I've received from 5 Star & Coombs Country Auto has been excellent, and there is something to be said for being able to test drive a vehicle before buying it. Since this is the only family vehicle now I wanted to make sure that it was going to be reliable, hard to do that when you are bidding online.

I wouldn't worry too much about trying to find a Delica under 80,000km. I bought mine with !60,000km on it and from what I've heard they should be good until 500,000km with proper maintenance. That should give me another 10 years of driving

Good luck with the process.

Adam

[Matthew]

IBC Japan & Delica/Starwagon Crash Safety Reports

For your info/viewing/response etc. Stats are only stats so you need to decide for yourself.

It's a bit of a read and quite technical but a lot of info. Visit the sites and see for yourself.

1987 - 1993 Mitsubishi Delica:

Australian rating: worse than average protection
http://www.atsb.gov.au/pdfs/ucsr_2005.pdf

Australian university study grouped the Starwagon in the 'inferior'
group.
It should be noted the Starwagon was one vehicle 'worse' than the 1989
-1992 Honda Civic.

http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc/reports/muarc203.pdf

On the plus side (maybe), it was rated as more likely to cause injury in the
other vehicle vs. your yours...

[BCDelica]

Yes it's a mini van but that's OK.

It's a reliable diesel that happily runs bio-diesel and/or WVO, we've had 3 years WVO running (well in a month it'll be 3 years). Minor points to consider with the renewable fuel is that the hoses, and tank linings, are over 15 years old and slightly soluble to such fuels. On the plus side a leaky fuel pump (a common issue along with sagged torsion bars, almost gone sway arm bushings, and leaky front foot well seams) has it's life extended with the addition of veggie.

Those items listed do need attention including timing belts, fluids, filters, battery - they drain'em completely during container shipping. Your Delica may require more servicing, say if you import your self, or be completely ready to roll if you buy one off Glen or Wayne. I have heard of lottsa good importers, but those guys rock on how they do up a Delica and service it later.

If your a VW van fan you'll know appreciate that some vehicles require a little special knowledge and return with great owner satisfaction. My sweetie is a classic VW nut, 3 beetles and a westie later which provide me with 95% of my mechanical experience, and she was definitely a case of love at first site with a Delica. Heck, I tried at first to talk her out of it! She's still loves here Delica above all others, including mine. She has felt that way about her VW's (she plan's to buy a perfect 70ish westie when the kids leave home) and never our new vehicles.

All the one's I've brought in have had around 60,000km, but mileage really ain't important - just the condition of the unit. The ones you see parted out at the shop were brought in with a excepted good shape, but had rusted out undercarriages. You can import yourself, but there is risk and never spend more then you can afford to lose!



Regards,
Kev

[josh]

Yes it's a mini van but that's OK.

Kev, take that back... it is no mini van. Also I do not think that I could convince anyone to buy one... I do not see how you could convince anyone. It is the greatest deal in the world for the coolest vehicle ever, why would anyone need convincing?

Sounds like your already sold on a Delica - hey there's a tough looking black Delica in Smither's converted to WVO, make him a offer.............

Less than 24 hours later (closer to 12) Mark graciousyl removed the post. Rose would have nothing of it, and I myself felt sick at the prospect. I think that I will have this "not so mini van" till the end.

Josh

[jessef]

Hi all,

I'm David from Vancouver BC and just joining your club. Still don't have a Delica both since we just had our first kid and neither my wife our I will ever think of buying a minivan the Delica sounds like a really good choice.

You made a wise choice my friend