Hello from the West Coast of Canada

I have an old VW Westy and a 84 4WD Tercel. I am looking to get the best of both worlds and start shopping for a 4WD diesel Toyota Van. I had an old 84 LE van that left this world with well over 600K on it.

My wife and I are planning an extended multi-month road trip into Mexico and througout the states and think that one of these RHD imports may be the way to go. (It's either that or rebuild the VW engine again or semi camperise the station wagon)

In reading previous posts I see that the 2.8L is better than the 2.4L. Parts can be ordered, especially in Canada and that buying headlights will break the bank.

What should I look for in the vans other than the typical used car, buyer beware stuff? Are some years better than others? I think in Canada we can only import vehicles 15 years and older so we'd be looking at 93 and older.

How is on-the-road servicing and part availability in Mexico and the States?

TIA, one and all. Wishing we had the selection in Canada that it seems the rest of the world gets!

Hey... welcome, here is one or two thoughts

1. manual is significantly more peppy, fuel-efficient, and quieter than automatic.
2. consider avoiding turbo if trouble-free operation more important than power.
3. US laws are much more restrictive on imports (25yrs, I think), so don't count on finding lots of parts in the states.
4. headlight expense is a one time conversion cost... once converted, just as cheap as any.
5. I've noticed that spinning the middle row of seats in a 91 is easier than in a 92 - I don't know why they changed it to make it harder!? In the 91 - can rotate each seat independently, in the 92, I've found it requires a coordinated effort.
6. there is a heavy-duty model that has leaf springs in the rear- so if you intend to do heavy hauling, consider finding one of these (I don't know what else, if anything, is different in this model), otherwise the standard model has semi-trailing coil springs.
7. there is an extra long model too - looks nice, but I bet it is heavy, and you don't get a bigger engine with it!

Good luck,
PBS

Perfect. Thanks.

Any thoughts on what parts and/or special tools that should be taken along? I have list based on my years driving VW's (extra fuel pump, cables, tune up stuff) What about the HiAce?

Make sure you get the right size of new tires with it. Mine came with 65s, factory spec is 70s. Makes a 4km/h difference to top speed. You will care, trust me - these rigs are not fast. Ditto to the manual trans. The long ones actually do not tend to be too much heavier, esp. if they are 2wd. 4wd is overkill for these, IMO.

Outback Imports has some camperized Hiaces. They are good.

Here's a page with lots of specs.

http://english.auto.vl.ru/catalog/toyota/hiace/

Cheers,
Pard

I have the 'jumbo' Hiace - which is the extra-long one with the high roof.

Add to that it is a 4WD, it's an auto and it's only a 2.8 litre non-turbo. Probably the WORST combination Toyota could have ever made.

YES - it is HEAVY! There is all the extra steel in the roof, plus the extra length, plus the auto trans, plus a diff up front, plus half shafts, plus the 4WD hubs, plus the universals, plus heavier brake discs ... need I say more?

[The running gear in these Hiaces parallels that of a light truck - it's really built to carry the loads!]

The 2.8 litre engine gets it along Ok on the flat [it won't win any races but it's not painfully slow] - but when you come to any hills, it IS painful. If they'd just added a turbo it would have made all the difference.

The turning circle is poor. To turn in the average street requires a 2 or 3 point turn. The length of this van plus the limitations of the front hubs gives the poor performance.

On the plus side, it has a ton of room inside. I can *almost* stand up straight - and I am 6'3. The 4WD is great, even for seemingly silly applications as getting stuck on someone's lawn!
A Hiace with nothing in the back is very light on the rear wheels, and you only have to get them off the hard to find out how easy they are to get stuck!

It is reliable. I will give it that. It's never let me down. My one has dual batteries (wired in parallel) and is never short on electrical power (starting etc).

Being the heavy girl she is, it's ideal for towing. If you have a trailer or caravan, this Hiace will do it and give you a lot of confidence.


My recommendations:

1) Get a MANUAL! Automatics suck.

2) Don't buy anything less than a 2.8 litre. The 2.4 litre vans are slugs. If you can, get the 3.0 litre diesel turbo. People make a lot of noise about reliability, but if anything, the turbo is one of the most reliable parts on a car - IF it is maintained! Regular oil changes, filter changes etc. Keep the water topped up and anti-freeze always added.

3) Don't buy anything older than a 94. The new 'low sulphur' diesel that is sold in many parts of the world now causes the seals and o-rings in the pre-94 injector pumps to shrink, then you have leaks. That means pump out, stripped right down, new seals/o-rings throughout, reassembly, test and reinstall. Not a cheap job!

4) If you get a 4WD, try to get one with manual hubs. Auto freewheeling hubs are usually worn on older vehicles and they have a habit of letting go when you least expect it (and most need them) or not engaging - also when you need them! At least with manual hubs, when you engage them, you know they are in and won't 'pop out'. When you disengage, you know they are out.

5) Tyres are VERY important. I can personally recommend "Cooper" branded tyres. These are excellent. Especially if you get the ATR ones for use in the snow/mud. They really do grip. I spent 10 weeks in snow conditions up to a foot deep or more, and not once did I need to use chains.


That's about all I can really think of at the moment. I am sure some people will take issue with some of my comments - but hey, I tell it how I see it - and I've had the experience to know what works.