Hmm, to gamble on it or nah maybe not?

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goldfish21
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29 Nov 2022, 1:47 am

Not an actual wager.

A used vehicle.

It’s the only one of its kind in Canada. It’d give me a lot more cargo space with about the same fuel economy as my little car.

It has a few cheap things that need replacing - tail lights, rear hatch shock, left side mirror glass etc.

I’m gonna call The local shop that works on these types of vehicles tmw and ask what they think of them + what they’d charge to do an inspection.

Big upgrade in cargo space, downgrade in interior and sound system. Upgrade to a/c. Downgrade to rwd - not the best for winter. Upgrade in higher seating position. Downgrade in safety with nearly no front end and maybe one airbag. 8 years older than my car, too.

Besides utilitarian function, the fuel savings of this vehicle over others in its class would pay for the entire purchase price over about 2.5 years. If maintained and nothings wrong with it mechanically, even with a few cosmetic flaws it would barely lose any resale value over 2-5 years whereas my used car is it a high point and once chips are available and new cars are getting delivered quickly, my car will plummet in value.

Current car: 2013 Dodge Dart 2.0L 4cyl 6MT with zero problems 130k kms, oem upgraded speakers, thule roof rack & extra large cargo box from an SUV, bumpers were both replaced and painted so it looks good, couple windshield chips and some fabric stains, new rear brakes, spark plugs and drive belt. Drives perfectly.

Contender: 2005 Toyota Hiace 2.5L D-4D turbo diesel 5MT rwd rhd. Not sure of the exact engine specs but I think it’s a 2KD-FTV of some sort as there are a couple different ones. A few dents and dings, after market tail lights are crap, needs a rear gas shock for the hatch, left side mirror glass needs replaced, seats in great shape, has a 3 seater bench to install so still seats 5 (I THINK, maybe there's only one seat belt for the bench as it says it seats 3.), one rust spot I noticed, 4Runner wheels (look good) and newer tires, drives nice, great brakes, hood looks like crap but whatever I’d just paint it with rhino liner or something textured to camouflage the bad body work, current owner started a camper conversion so I’d have to rip all the wood storage and wood plank walls out.


It would probably cost me about 3-4k more than my car is worth to buy it (and pay tax) and fix the few issues pending there’s no major mechanical surprises.

I’m thinking I’ll pay to get it properly inspected before deciding. Then I could buy it and drive it around for a while before selling my car - just gotta figure out another parking spot lol. Hmm.. slick move or crazy talk? Maybe both.


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r00tb33r
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29 Nov 2022, 6:37 am

I've seen Hiace in Mexico, that's prolly where it came from. I presume since there a no others it wasn't sold in Canada. It wasn't sold here either AFAIK.

How are diesel prices in Canada? On the free market in US diesel doesn't make economic sense for small vehicles.

Another thing is, cab-over seating is not considered comfortable. Those vans are popular in places where there are vehicle size classes and restrictions. Because we don't have any tax brackets and size restrictions here those are not popular here, they're just a novelty. Servicing a cab-over van is probably annoying, you'll be doing lots through the interior.

So um, does it come equipped with duct tape and rope standard? :lol:

It's cool, I guess, but why do you need a van?


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goldfish21
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29 Nov 2022, 9:42 am

It's from Japan. I don't think Mexican vehicles are right hand drive.

Convenience for tools & materials, sometimes sporting goods.

The trunk of my car is completely full of tools & so is the Thule box on top. For longer things I have to fold the rear seat down and run them from the trunk up to the dash -> I can fit 10' material like that.

I'm not Quite at the point where I Need to switch from car to van, it's just much more convenient, looks pretty cool, costs about the same to fuel as my car - maaaaybe 10% more. Local diesel prices are a bit higher than gasoline prices and have been for a year or two.

Again, I'm not Quite at a point where I Need a van and can't make do with my car.. but it would be a lot more convenient as well as allow me to carry a lot more without adding much in the way of fuel expense. Plus, even though it has a few cosmetic issues, it should hold it's value better than my car will. Hmmm.

*I* wouldn't be doing any maintenance/repairs, really. If it needs things it would go to Japanoid, The local shop that works on all these things.

This is the van:

Image

It's the only diesel 5 spd in Canada, so it's far more fuel efficient than the automatics/all of the gasoline ones. A few dings and this and that but that's reflected in the price. Hmm. I suppose if I did buy it I could ask my uncle if I can stash my car at his place for a while as I test out the van and see if I want to fully make the switch and sell my car. Hmm - but maybe that's not an option; I dunno.

It's definitely tempting to make the switch.. more room for tools/sporting goods, potential room to lay down and sleep in the back when I go kiteboarding for the weekend vs. driving back and forth etc. Not that I haven't slept in cars before, but it'd be way more comfortable.

But clearly going to something 8 years older w/ 2 small speakers kinda sucks. Same for shop availability and parts sometimes - although many things are readily available.

Hmmm. Another factor is the type of construction work I'm about to get into. I'd likely have to buy a bunch more tools and one of those stacking rolling tool box setups -> and those don't fit into my car last time I checked. But might be months or longer away from Needing that. Similar with other longer tools for my trade.. if I buy some, they Might fit in my Thule box, might not, and it's getting crammed to jam things in through the trunk.

This would be a way into small truck like cargo capacity with small car like fuel consumption. Maybe the deciding factor needs to be a full proper inspection by Japanoid and the final negotiated price - if it checks out rock solid with nothing major to be done, just the few things I know about, and the price is so right it's pretty much impossible for me to lose any money then maybe it's a no brainer as if I don't utilize it or don't Really like it I could always just resell it, especially if I haven't given up my car yet.


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r00tb33r
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29 Nov 2022, 5:02 pm

The only upside I see is that this engine doesn't use urea yet.


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goldfish21
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29 Nov 2022, 5:50 pm

Having it inspected Thursday morning to
see if there are any surprises and if the timing belt has been done etc.

Also, current owner says $100 worth of diesel at $2.49/L gets him 650kms. Diesel is 2.139 rn, 87 gas is 1.689 for my car. Overall fuel price per distance, if he’s being honest, is very similar -> which is good. Weight savings must be on the lack of safety features. :p


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r00tb33r
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29 Nov 2022, 6:32 pm

Wow, those fuel prices. We had prices like that here 20 years ago.


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29 Nov 2022, 6:36 pm

Cant go wrong with the Japanese vehicles but if yours is already good... Is a decision only you can make really. 2WD... Is it ok with snow tyres in the region of Canada that you are or do you really need the 4WD if you live in the harsher areas that get deep snow?
Is actually rare for Japanese imports of that type not to have 4WD and is also rare to find a manual gearbox version.
Did have briefly (Not on the road) A 4WD manual Toyota people carrier that had Mitsuibishi Diesel engine and 4WD rrunning gear from the Shogun and it was fast in accelerating up the drive with all 4 wheels spinning if I revved it up and went for it! It was incredible! Built in radar system all roound the vehicle to give electronic indication of anything too close. Two air conditionings... It was fully fitted for a 1980's vehicle! Sadly I had no funds to do it up and it was scrapped. Brother passed it to me as he wanted a Shogun and when he got one he was going to scrap the Toyota. I tried to sell it as a going concern for any price but no one wanted it.



goldfish21
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29 Nov 2022, 11:10 pm

r00tb33r wrote:
Wow, those fuel prices. We had prices like that here 20 years ago.

I doubt it.

Per Litre, not US Gallon. Multiply by 3.785 for Canadian dollars per US Gallon.


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goldfish21
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29 Nov 2022, 11:19 pm

Mountain Goat wrote:
Cant go wrong with the Japanese vehicles but if yours is already good... Is a decision only you can make really. 2WD... Is it ok with snow tyres in the region of Canada that you are or do you really need the 4WD if you live in the harsher areas that get deep snow?
Is actually rare for Japanese imports of that type not to have 4WD and is also rare to find a manual gearbox version.
Did have briefly (Not on the road) A 4WD manual Toyota people carrier that had Mitsuibishi Diesel engine and 4WD rrunning gear from the Shogun and it was fast in accelerating up the drive with all 4 wheels spinning if I revved it up and went for it! It was incredible! Built in radar system all roound the vehicle to give electronic indication of anything too close. Two air conditionings... It was fully fitted for a 1980's vehicle! Sadly I had no funds to do it up and it was scrapped. Brother passed it to me as he wanted a Shogun and when he got one he was going to scrap the Toyota. I tried to sell it as a going concern for any price but no one wanted it.


Some are awd here, others rear or fwd. Quite a few awd Mitsubishi Delicas made it over e here from Japan about 10 years ago.

We get the least amount of snow & winter weather in all of Canada. It actually snowed today for the first time this year where it’s stuck to the ground and traffic is a nightmare as so many people run bald summer tires year round just waiting to crash as soon as it snows. :roll: So I’m at a friends watching a movie waiting for all the accidents to be cleared before I drive home.

This van does have newer m+s rated tires on it - not true winter tires, but a bit better than regular all seasons or strictly summer tires. Should be okay on cleared roads but dunno about fresh snow.. def wanna have weight in the back for traction. All reasons why I’ll keep my car for at least the winter if I do buy it, make sure I can drive it all year and it’s reliable etc before selling my car in the spring if I don’t need it.


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30 Nov 2022, 8:37 am

Hope it goes well for you. When I had a RWD Bedford Bambi, when it snowed I bought four sacks of coal and put them at the back internal rear step. (Camper). This gave enough weight over the rear wheels to get back home. Tyres... Getting any tyre was not easy so just had ordinary road tyres.
I try to get all season tyres for the front wheels (Front wheel drive) on my current little car as I often have to drive with two wheels on wet muddy verges to pass other cars on narrow roads. Once had to do this where road edge was grounding on the bottom of the car and I just had to keep going as if I stopped I would be stuck. Car was swimming!



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30 Nov 2022, 1:58 pm

It snowed yesterday, about 2.5”. Traffic jams were literally the worst in Vancouver history -> people waiting 10+ hours to drive through a tunnel or over a bridge. I waited 3 hours then heard about a long detour so drove around several cities to get home very late night.

Fine in my fwd car with snow & ice tires I left on all year from last winter, but do wonder if I’d have gotten stuck somewhere with the rwd van with only mud & snow rated tires. Not proper winter tires, but better than regular all seasons and highway legal in the winter when winter tires are required - but legal doesn’t mean good/safe, just that they meet the bare minimum requirements to be on the road.

Maybe with enough weight in the back it’s be okay. One concerning area is the little hill I have to drive up to get into my own neighborhood. With all seasons my car sucks, with winters it’s okay, again maybe with weight in the back all winter it would grip okay - definitely some things to test out if I buy the van. I’m pretty fortunate that I’m in a financial position where I don’t have to sell my car right away to pay for another vehicle so have time to sort it out.

Bit annoying that diesel is 50 cents/litre higher priced than 87 gasoline right now -> but the little van is super fuel efficient so fuel cost difference isn’t much. But still, it should be cheaper as it always historically has been up until the last couple years when some jackholes decided diesel is in higher demand so the price/L has floated well above gasoline - which is nuts. Part of the reason people pay an extra $10k+ for a diesel engine in a new vehicle is the long term fuel cost savings.. but not anymore. I do wonder if it’s expected to come down again or not - gasoline has dropped over 20% in the last couple weeks but diesel remains high.

Currency exchange kills any significant savings by crossing the border into Washington state rn, only ~7% savings on gas and 10% on diesel, so maybe $20cdn savings on a tank of fuel and 12 pack of beer = not worth the time to drive there. Border towns must be really suffering big time with todays unfavourable exchange rates.


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r00tb33r
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30 Nov 2022, 2:39 pm

You know you can just buy an awd Sienna... Just all around a nicer vehicle and none of that nonsense.

Or do what I did and buy a Highlander. The hybrid powered by the RX400h powertrain is pretty pretty quick.


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goldfish21
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30 Nov 2022, 3:20 pm

r00tb33r wrote:
You know you can just buy an awd Sienna... Just all around a nicer vehicle and none of that nonsense.

Or do what I did and buy a Highlander. The hybrid powered by the RX400h powertrain is pretty pretty quick.

:?

With a Sienna the purchase price would be higher and my fuel cost would go from $500 or so per month to $1000 or so per month as they take twice the fuel.

A hybrid Highlander would cost $23-75k with tax depending on the year and then would still have a high fuel cost as they only get about 18mpg or so according to fuelly.com. I drive a lot and don’t want to pay $1000/mo for gas.

Whereas I could be into this thing for maybe $14k with tax and maintenance/a few repairs and then have a lower fuel cost to a $75k hybrid Highlander.

The attraction is the total operating cost to cost ratio + the fact that it’ll hold its value way better than my car or a newer Toyota of a way higher purchase price. Neither a Sienna or Highlander Hybrid are even close to comparable options for total cost of operation due to purchase price and fuel costs. Even if I were earning a six figure salary I wouldn’t want to put so much of it in my gas tank - F that noise. Fuel sippers ftw! Allows for some financial cushion vs struggling to fill the gas tank.


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r00tb33r
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30 Nov 2022, 4:16 pm

goldfish21 wrote:
:?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

goldfish21 wrote:
With a Sienna the purchase price would be higher and my fuel cost would go from $500 or so per month to $1000 or so per month as they take twice the fuel.

Are you a delivery driver? I'm spending less than $100 a month on fuel, and I work 5 days a week.

goldfish21 wrote:
A hybrid Highlander would cost $23-75k with tax

I think I was ~$6800 all in.

goldfish21 wrote:
they only get about 18mpg or so according to fuelly.com. I drive a lot and don’t want to pay $1000/mo for gas.

I'm getting 20.5-22mpg mixed city/highway driving, which is indeed much lower than published EPA estimates, then again, it's about 5mpg better on average than the 4.0L V8 it's meant to replace, and no gears. 18mpg is the regular V6 Highlander.


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30 Nov 2022, 4:23 pm

Each to his own, but to me that thing is just plain out fugly.Looks like a big silver loaf of bread.
Can’t really tell from the photo ,but what is the ground clearance?It looks kind of low and if you have it loaded with tools it might squat.


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30 Nov 2022, 5:33 pm

r00tb33r wrote:
goldfish21 wrote:
:?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

goldfish21 wrote:
With a Sienna the purchase price would be higher and my fuel cost would go from $500 or so per month to $1000 or so per month as they take twice the fuel.

Are you a delivery driver? I'm spending less than $100 a month on fuel, and I work 5 days a week.

goldfish21 wrote:
A hybrid Highlander would cost $23-75k with tax

I think I was ~$6800 all in.

goldfish21 wrote:
they only get about 18mpg or so according to fuelly.com. I drive a lot and don’t want to pay $1000/mo for gas.

I'm getting 20.5-22mpg mixed city/highway driving, which is indeed much lower than published EPA estimates, then again, it's about 5mpg better on average than the 4.0L V8 it's meant to replace, and no gears. 18mpg is the regular V6 Highlander.


I'm not a delivery driver. I live in the suburbs at my parents' home for cheap rent in their $1.7M house because I can't afford to live in the city where prices of ownership and rent are WAY higher. I'm also kind of central to be able to travel the other way out into the valley to job sites as well. Fuel costs way more here - so even though my car gets 28-32mpg, gas is a considerable expense. It's roughly 100 km/60 miles round trip to the city and back. Downtown is a bit farther, a detour to the beach after work adds a bit. Typical daily commute to work in the city, head to the beach, and back home is about 115-120km, 70 miles or so. Rinse and repeat daily and it's easily $500/mo for gas even without any weekend driving or road trips.. add those in the summer and it's $600-700+.

Most people here can't afford to live anywhere near where they work, and in construction your work location changes frequently anyways. People live in the suburbs somewhere and drive everywhere. I pay a pittance for rent compared to the cost in the city - even factoring in the fuel expense it's cheaper to be where I am By Far thanks to cheap rent at my parents' house. Alternatively it would cost me almost twice the price to rent Just a bedroom in the city with no storage for my motorcycle, tools, sporting goods etc and WAY MORE to have my own place in the city, like 4-5x the rent price of my current situation.

$6800 all in for a Hybrid Highlander? :lol: The cheapest one advertised for sale right now is a 2010 4x4 for $20,080 + $695 doc fee + tax, so $23,000.00 or so. I figure the 4x4 ones probably get the lower fuel economy reported online, so around 18mpg, which would mean a $1000+ monthly fuel bill. Even 20mpg would make for $800+ monthly fuel bill, $1000+ with weekend driving in the summer = not worth the money To Me. Also, I wouldn't be replacing a V6 Highlander, I'd be replacing a 4cy 6MT Dodge Dart that I get 28-32mpg in On Purpose because I don't like the idea of owning a gas guzzler that restricts me from being able to afford to hop in my car and go to the beach & back whenever I feel like it. (about 100 km/60 miles round trip, maybe a little less.)


Driving in your country is dirt cheap. Not so much in Canada, especially not in BC where we have the highest fuel prices.. which is why fuel efficiency reigns supreme in my calculations. Driving this little diesel van vs. some other vehicle with similar cargo capacity would save enough on fuel alone for the van to pay for itself in 2.5 years or so, and then if it doesn't lose much in resale value compared to my car or other vehicles, even better on the financial end of things. Plenty of stories online of people reselling their already depreciated vans a few years later for the same price they paid for it - so that's attractive vs. the approx $8k my car is worth today and the $3500 in might be worth in 3 years after covid supply chain issues get resolved.


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