Buying a mid 90's Hiace...

[peas]

2L diesel engine auto box with about 170 on the clock. Anything that I should be looking at in particular? Areas prone to rust etc?

TIA

Peas

[Paulio]

Around the boot handle and at the bottom of the front doors. Cant go wrong with a hiace just dont cook it.

[matt dunn]

around the front screen, particulary across the top and bottom.

[Lloyd]

And bottom of the A-pillars, top of the boot up by the hinges and around the bottom front of the rear side windows

[peas]

Haha sounds like a bloody rust bucket!!! Thanks for the information fullas.

[Lloyd]

They aren't really, just look first. Some of them get a pretty hard life, and when they rust its usually reasonably minor.

[d1 mule]

iv got a '95 3l with 483kms on it and its mint lol but yeah the rust on top of the screen and check door hinges too

[Bling]

I drive a 2000 model and it had 4 lots of rust fixed for last WOF, all around the windows, it came from behind the seals..... I mean wtf

[matt dunn]

I drive a 2000 model and it had 4 lots of rust fixed for last WOF, all around the windows, it came from behind the seals..... I mean wtf

Common problem with all windows in them.

They are held in by the rubber not urethaned in,
so the rubbers move and wear through the paint and let water in so you get rust.

No big deal to fix if you catch it early.

[duddley]

just get a big guard dog so osamas cousin doesn't steal it and send it over to him in pieces!

[Gonad]

And bottom of the A-pillars, top of the boot up by the hinges and around the bottom front of the rear side windows

Yup, had holes I could fit my hand through at bottom of rleft ear window and by rear door hinges on mine

[BlakJak]

This thread rapidly putting me off Hiaces... :\

[matt dunn]

This thread rapidly putting me off Hiaces... :\

they are still way better than most of the other vans out there.

there is a reason a 5 year old hiace is worth more than a brand new Kia van or a similar year nissan etc.

[Gonad]

Yeah man, they go forever. Work has had the hiace since new in '95 and it is going strong - nearing 300km and just had a big service which bought it back from the dead as its had not much maintenence done for the last 5 years or so. New clutch, plugs etc etc etc.

We also got three l300's in 1998. Once got crashed, one cooked its motor and the other one snapped a cambelt, all dead now. And all got through more than 1L of oil for each 1000km after they hit 100,000km

Toyota for the win man, after the L300's started dropping off we went back to hiace again, diesels this time. No worries, and not looked after either, which is annoying but out of my hands.

I heard the vans wouldnt fit properly in the anti-rust dipping tanks or something thats why they like rusting, probably just hear-say though.

[Simon K]

Look for a service history if possible, 170km is barely run in...I don't think we have any in the fleet with K's that low.

A million K is very do-able, we have a couple of mid 90's ones getting close to(or slightly over that figure)

[Lloyd]

This thread rapidly putting me off Hiaces... :\

They're just the main problems people come across, not like ever one does it. I've done a head on one that hadn't had the motor opened until 800,000kms when I stone went through the radiator and it kept getting driven. Body on that one was fine too. All comes down to if its been looked after or not, and even then half the ones that haven't been are better off than the competition anyway

[BlakJak]

Nice to hear people providing more info now

Anyone know how they compare to the Nissan Urvan?

[Simon K]

Urvans are hideous.

[BlakJak]

... and besides the ergonomic?