OT: JDM Vans??

[rrudoff]

Here is one I saw parked behind a surf shop. Kei vans are all over Oahu these days.

[SlowPokePete]

Hudson, NY.

May 30, 2021 by SPP™ SlowPokePete, on Flickr

SPP

[William]

Nice, local Toyota Hiace 4x4 anyone?




W.

[William]

I see Delicas farily regularly around here, first pop top to show up on my radar though...






W.

[Mikej]

Wrong kinda van..

[R3awak3n]

Originally Posted by William

I see Delicas farily regularly around here, first pop top to show up on my radar though...






W.

oh yeah, these are incredibly rare.

[a4racer]

Here's my van. 1999 Delica L400 Chamonix (that's French for "Awesome").

It has a massive decal of what I presume is the french alps on the side, OZ racing wheels, a 4" lift kit, a ladder on the back, a basket on top, and an awning on the side. My kid calls it, alternatively, our "zombie apocalypse van" or the "special ops van".

It was imported to Canada in 2014 and we bought it from the dealer here on Vancouver Island that imported / federalized it. We are only subject to a "15 year rule" here, as opposed to your "25 year rule". So, if my rudimentary math is correct, this would be eligible for importation into the States in 2024!

I love it. It is RHD, but once you drive it a few times, the only hassle is getting the windshield stalk / turn signal stalk straight in your head. Left turns into traffic are fun as well. It is the 3L gas version, not the diesel version, and it drinks dinosaur juice like there is no tomorrow. It can hit 110km/h (70mph) but I think physics prevent any velocity beyond that.

But, those are all of the drawbacks. There is a pretty robust set of shops here that service them, and touch wood, I've only had regular maintenance to deal with. Seats EIGHT, and all of the seats fold fully flat to form a massive platform on which to sleep / play twister. The center row swivels 360 degrees for a fun camping couch. Small footprint, and with the wheels at the corners, this thing is pretty manoeuverable. We also had some fun door magnet signs made up (Jurassic Park) for fun...

[mattsbeers]

That is awesome! I have a 96' Chamonix, the one with the gaudy decals and interior (love it. I bought mine from a dealer in BC and had it hopped across the border. Seems like most of them live in Canada at this point.

[notsew]

Such cool vans. The Canadians are so much more reasonable with that rule. 25 years is a killer.

I ended up keeping my Eurovan after a long and sordid tale that ended with me getting a head resurfacing, gasket, radiator and thermostat gratis after an embarrassing mistake by the shop. I did take them a 12 pack and a pie for their trouble tho.

I still dream about these JDM vans, those delicas are so damn cool. But, in the grand scheme of things, it probably wouldn't be any less frustrating than my EV.

Just got back from a 2800 miler down the pacific coast all the way to santa barbara

My not-a-delica

[JAGI410]

The Mazda Bongo Friendee is now in the 25 year range for us Americans. These things look great, but lack the upgrade options of the Delica. On the other hand, they have the pop top of the Westfalia. Fair trade off?

We need a USA van thread so I can post my beast

[benb]

There was some sort of Toyota Van that looked a lot like these sold in the US in the late 80s. I remember getting trucked around in one as a kid, and I kind of doubt the people we were carpooling with had gone to some ridiculous effort to import a van.

I can't figure out exactly what it was.. it was probably whatever Toyota sold in the US prior to the Previa. (The Previa was replaced by the current Sienna)

Toyota has a bewildering range of vans they've made around the world but I might try to figure out whatever the heck it was they were selling here before the look changed a lot. You might find one if you're in an area that doesn't rot old vehicles. The 80s one might still be bigger than these modern tiny ones but it'd still be much smaller compared to a modern US market minivan.

edit: They just called it "Toyota Van" in the US in the 80s and it was definitely sufficiently & weirdly japanese.. it had a mid-engine RWD design (in a van!) and a 4-speed transmission. I remember climbing over the strange hump in the cabin to accommodate the mid-mounted engine as a kid.

The Previa had the mid-mounted engine w/RWD too.. apparently none of these sold in huge #s till the Sienna when they abandoned all the Japanese quirkiness and switched to front mounted V-6 with front wheel drive like everything else here.

Dealing with one of these might be a pain but still less of a pain than a JDM van?

[JAGI410]

You can find 5pd manual transmission equipped supercharged Previas in the US if you're patient!

[William]

Originally Posted by benb

There was some sort of Toyota Van that looked a lot like these sold in the US in the late 80s. I remember getting trucked around in one as a kid, and I kind of doubt the people we were carpooling with had gone to some ridiculous effort to import a van.

I can't figure out exactly what it was.. it was probably whatever Toyota sold in the US prior to the Previa. (The Previa was replaced by the current Sienna)

Toyota has a bewildering range of vans they've made around the world but I might try to figure out whatever the heck it was they were selling here before the look changed a lot. You might find one if you're in an area that doesn't rot old vehicles. The 80s one might still be bigger than these modern tiny ones but it'd still be much smaller compared to a modern US market minivan.

edit: They just called it "Toyota Van" in the US in the 80s and it was definitely sufficiently & weirdly japanese.. it had a mid-engine RWD design (in a van!) and a 4-speed transmission. I remember climbing over the strange hump in the cabin to accommodate the mid-mounted engine as a kid.

The Previa had the mid-mounted engine w/RWD too.. apparently none of these sold in huge #s till the Sienna when they abandoned all the Japanese quirkiness and switched to front mounted V-6 with front wheel drive like everything else here.

Dealing with one of these might be a pain but still less of a pain than a JDM van?

Yup, like this one. I see them in the wild every so often around here.



W.

[Polyglot]

Here on Vancouver Island, I can't make a Costco run without passing at least one JDM van, They are all around here. Plus you have the small JDM work trucks and vans, plus the RHD sports cars and luxury sedans. My daughter just graduated from college and as a graduation present, we offered her money towards the purchase of her first car and I looked into purchasing a car for her in Japan. If you are willing to accept a RHD (my wife absolutely rejected even considering a RHD car), you can get some really fantastic deals. You see nice cars selling every day at auction in Japan with exceptionally low mileage (less than 35K km) for less than $1000. Plus you know that they have been thoroughly inspected and tested at least every two years and the safety checks do not let questionable cars pass. Here in Canada, we can import freely after 15 years and there are plenty of incredible cars that are 15 years old and worthy of buying. I'll likely buy my next "fun" car from Japan.

[Dude]

I saw this parked the other day. Honda, right side drive, that’s all I know about it.