Small van (vw caddy style) instead of a car?
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They are nice - (the Vellfire in particular!) but a few things to bear in mind:
#1 Parts/repairs: since they're imports and not a huge market in this country, it can be difficult/expensive to a) get parts for them and b) find a garage with experience working on them (although a bit less of an issue if you're handy with a spanner)
#2 Insurance: again, due to being imports they tend to be a bit more expensive for insurance (most likely in part due to point #1)
#3 Running costs: they tend to be big thirsty petrol engines - great if that's what you want, not so great if you're doing big mileage in them and it's costing you ££££
Also, they tend to be quite "luxurious" inside, which is a bit at odds with the op's desire to chuck muddy bikes/kayaks in the back without worrying about damaging things
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1) Quite a few importers, who I presume can probably help with sourcing parts etc. Elgrand I would say are quite common!
2) Not checked insurance tbh, something like a couple of hundred probably not a deal breaker?
3) Definitely something to be wary of, although you could fit LPG
I considered an Elgrand when I was doing more MTBing, I went with a performance car instead though
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Soldato
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After having owned a couple of Japanese imports i really wouldn't recommend it unless you REALLY want a specific model and you're really into the scene of it all.
Just little things like wanting to do an oil change, new brake pads or buy a new headlight bulb isn't straightforward as the car won't come up in any online parts finders so you're forever trawling forums and Facebook groups and cross referencing part numbers then having to fight with websites to let you order something which is 'wrong' for your car etc etc. remembering to have a translated print out of both fuse boxes in the car as you don't want to be caught out in a car park somewhere trying to figure out which fuse controls the windscreen wipers when the entire thing is is Japanese
Cool and probably worth it if you've got a R33 GTR or something which you use occasionally on the weekends but for a regular day to day car it gets old very quickly.
Just little things like wanting to do an oil change, new brake pads or buy a new headlight bulb isn't straightforward as the car won't come up in any online parts finders so you're forever trawling forums and Facebook groups and cross referencing part numbers then having to fight with websites to let you order something which is 'wrong' for your car etc etc. remembering to have a translated print out of both fuse boxes in the car as you don't want to be caught out in a car park somewhere trying to figure out which fuse controls the windscreen wipers when the entire thing is is Japanese
Cool and probably worth it if you've got a R33 GTR or something which you use occasionally on the weekends but for a regular day to day car it gets old very quickly.
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After having owned a couple of Japanese imports i really wouldn't recommend it unless you REALLY want a specific model and you're really into the scene of it all.
Just little things like wanting to do an oil change, new brake pads or buy a new headlight bulb isn't straightforward as the car won't come up in any online parts finders so you're forever trawling forums and Facebook groups and cross referencing part numbers then having to fight with websites to let you order something which is 'wrong' for your car etc etc. remembering to have a translated print out of both fuse boxes in the car as you don't want to be caught out in a car park somewhere trying to figure out which fuse controls the windscreen wipers when the entire thing is is Japanese
Cool and probably worth it if you've got a R33 GTR or something which you use occasionally on the weekends but for a regular day to day car it gets old very quickly.
Yup!
I remember the fun I had with my Mitsubishi Legnum. Fantastic car, but if anything went wrong with it you were basically stuck with 3 options:
- Fix it yourself (if you were lucky enough to source the parts from owners groups or pay ££££ to import direct from Japan)
- Take it to a specialist on the other side of the country and pay £££££
- Take it to your local indie (if you could even find one willing to touch it), cross your fingers and pray that they didn't make the problem worse
Soldato
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Yeah i had a Honda integra DC5 and then a JDM Impreza, i was dailying the DC5 as well which just made it a massive pain!
Like you say you end up learning to do most things yourself as it's just such a massive faff, my nearest specialist was over 2 hours away and while my local garage would do some things, i think only because i worked with the guys wife there but they were always very wary of it as it didn't show up on any of their systems so unless i supplied all the bits i was pretty much out of luck.
Great until you need parts for them, then have to goto a specialist supplier, who deliberately charges a fortune due to 'knowing what they've got' mentality of ripping people off, because they can
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Associate
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I bought a Stepwagon to replace our Civic and it's been great over the 3 years we've had it so far.
Parts are mostly easy to source although the starter motor was a pain because what was supposed to fit, didn't. Got resolved in the end but it's more costly than usual.
Otherwise servicing & MOT has been straight forward.
Fab for carrying bikes and they are very nice places to be in general. The stepwagon is much more basic than an Elgrand so no concerns using it with the bikes, dump trips etc.
I'd definitely check you have a local garage happy to service it though. My usual.mechanic wouldn't touch it but found a bigger outfit that was up for it and is happy to do leg work around sourcing parts (or using ones I find if they can't).
Oh and even the 2.0l in the stepwagon drinks fuel getting just over 30mpg. I don't do many miles though so it's fine.
Parts are mostly easy to source although the starter motor was a pain because what was supposed to fit, didn't. Got resolved in the end but it's more costly than usual.
Otherwise servicing & MOT has been straight forward.
Fab for carrying bikes and they are very nice places to be in general. The stepwagon is much more basic than an Elgrand so no concerns using it with the bikes, dump trips etc.
I'd definitely check you have a local garage happy to service it though. My usual.mechanic wouldn't touch it but found a bigger outfit that was up for it and is happy to do leg work around sourcing parts (or using ones I find if they can't).
Oh and even the 2.0l in the stepwagon drinks fuel getting just over 30mpg. I don't do many miles though so it's fine.
Caporegime
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Not really. The 3.5 Vellfire uses the same engine used in UK market Lexus/Lotus so all engine parts are available. Being a Toyota all the brakes etc are parts bin and used on everything. You can even get suspension arms and ball joints. Your only issue is if you crash it and body parts but plenty of breakers about.
Point 3 is valid they are very thirsty. Don't expect anything more than 20-25mpg.
The Vellfire is extremely good value for money. Especially compared to a Transporter or V Class.
Caporegime
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Mitsubishi Delica is basically a 4x4 with a van body stuck on the top of it. Plenty of fresh imports with zero rust.
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Would love a Caddy. We decided to get a "van" and went for the T6.1 Caravelle. It is muchh nicer inside than the Kombi and other panel vans IMO. And no restrictions on speed, normal UK car tax etc (which is big for the first 6 years, but will hopefully be cheaper next year).
In the end, I decided to go for a Golf estrate rather than a Caddy though. But it is an R estate. Still think a cheaper van would be nice as an actual van though. The 7 seats in the Caravelle mean it isn't actually very practical as a van.
In the end, I decided to go for a Golf estrate rather than a Caddy though. But it is an R estate. Still think a cheaper van would be nice as an actual van though. The 7 seats in the Caravelle mean it isn't actually very practical as a van.
You don't really explain why you want a van? What do you need it for?
If the answer is you never need more than two seats and want to chuck bikes and **** in the back, then yeah, get a van.
If you want 5 seats + load carrying, then get an estate.
Its explained in another post. But it's exactly that. Only need two seats and something for the dog.
Bikes/kayak etc can all stay in there. And if the van is all (like a big car) it shouldnt be a hassle to park in the supermarket or wherever.