1988 Toyota Townace (78K miles) 4x4 Turbo Diesel Van - $16K OBO (San Diego)

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1988 Toyota Townace 4WD Turbo Diesel Van (Master Ace Surf Touring Edition) *Roof rack included

Photos here: https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/6438619103.html

Super low mileage for these vehicles: 125,380 km = 77,907 miles and it will go up as this is my "daily" driver, but I don't necessarily drive it every day since I ride my bike to work. Email inquiries with phone numbers listed will be responded to. No dealer inquiries. Registration good through May 2018.

5-speed manual. Right hand drive. FAQ: No it is not illegal to drive in the U.S. and there is nothing special you have to do with the DMV (no smog check) or your insurance company. I have been driving it for 2.5 years and Yota Imports (formerly Cross Country Cruisers) took care of the import/registration process and I've never had an issue.

Nothing wrong with the van--I love the Space Cruiser. However, we're trying to save for a house and need the extra cash. That said, I have the luxury of not being in a rush to sell so no low-ballers, but will sell it for $16,000 OBO. These turnkey imported low-mileage vans sell for around $15K once they hit the U.S. shores and I've spent $4K over the last couple years in reliability and suspension improvements along with the campervan conversion. I know I can't fully recoup those costs, but the next owner is getting a low-mileage, (bio)diesel adventuremobile that will easily last another 200,000 miles (these 2C-T diesel motors last much longer) as long as you treat her well like I have.

20-24mpg (city - highway; 22mpg avg). Used to get 28-30mpg before the bigger tires and lift if you want to return it to stock (stock wheels are still on there).

Paint and interior is in great condition, but it's not "perfect".

I have a folder of all the maintenance/repairs/upgrade work that was professionally done, which I'll pass on to the next owner.

90% tread on tires (10,500 miles on them); 27 X 8.5 R14 LT General Grabber 2's. Spare tire can mount to roof rack, just took it off for a recent project and didn't put it back up there.

Custom catback exhaust to replace original which fell apart on a washboard road.

2" lift (torsion bar lift in the front; 1" spring spacer in the rear to level out); KYB Gas-a-Just front shocks 500 miles ago. All of these suspension improvements were professionally installed and aligned 500 miles ago.
Rear shocks replaced when it came to U.S. so 15,000 miles ago.

Synthetic oil change every 3,000 miles. Does not leak oil.

Driveshaft replaced 500 miles ago as a proactive measure.

Radiator rodded out and fluids flushed/replaced 10K miles ago. New fan clutch 1,500 miles ago. So this van does not overheat on grades/mountain passes which these vans can be notorious for.

Turbo seals replaced with custom aluminum tubes/fittings to replace worn out rubber parts. Turbo was replaced when it came to the U.S. so 15,000 miles ago.

I removed the A/C because I didn't want to pay to fix it and I enjoyed the weight savings and increased air flow to the engine, but I have all of the parts for the next owner if you want to shell out the $800-$1K to replace the condenser.

Inner and outer tie rods replaced less than 500 miles ago.

Timing belt replaced at 60K miles along with full service once it came to the U.S.
Clutch shifts perfectly.

4WD Hi & Lo (manual locking hubs) work really well. I only drove it on snowy roads to Mammoth or forest service roads in the Sierras and Big Sur--no serious four-wheeling, but from what I've seen from the Toyota Van community, they can do quite a lot besides rock crawling.

Custom 6'2" (long) x 4' (wide) bed with 4" memory foam mattress with custom sunbrella upholstery done by my wife. Very comfy and plenty of room for two adults. You push the driver and passenger seats forward to make the bed, which opened up a lot of space in the trunk (was going to build a "kitchen" and more storage units in the back). Bed pieces are easily removable (7 screws) in case you want to use the van like a truck for hauling furniture or whatever.

The middle part of the bed is removable and mounts to a table-high position with a fold-away leg that keeps it up (desk, kitchen table). There's a spice rack storage piece on top of where the table is mounted. Table can also be leaned against the wall/window to open up the space so you can stand up.

The ceiling storage in the back of the van came with it and it's awesome. It actually holds quite a bit of stuff. We used it for clothes and sleeping storage when we were on trips.

I have all of the original seats (see photos) if you would like those (perfect condition). The seats are in the Bay Area at my old man's house, but I can arrange pick up or you can pay to ship them. Otherwise, I'll sell them separately.

$20 deposit to test drive (w/ license and insurance) so please don't waste my time. I'll take the $20 off the total price when purchased.

Great adventuremobile while also being your daily driver. I run it on biodiesel or renewable diesel depending on availability, which was a big draw for me and should be great incentive for the right person. Otherwise, you'll just be stoked on the great mileage the diesel gets. Would be a great vehicle for someone who wants to finish out the campervan build, or you can easily remove everything (just screws and washers) and reinstall the original seats to use it as a regular van.

I can pass on all my knowledge on where to get parts nationally/internationally and who you can take it to for service if it's staying in San Diego. Thanks for looking!


Willing to consider a trade for 2001-2004 Tacoma 4x4 Ext. Cab Automatic (plus cash).
 
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More photos

In the spirit of washing the van again today, here are some photos not in the Craiglist ad:

letsfrolictogether_20160519_0012.jpg
IMG_20160330_081717.jpg
2016-03-30-06.17.14-1.jpg
IMG_6354.jpg
 

FinsUp

Adventurer
This thing is so ************! I wish this was about a year out from now. Good luck with the sale.
 

rruff

Explorer
Nice van! It's a shame you can't buy the "good" Toyota vans in the US anymore. I was in Mexico recently (Yucatan) and Toyota Hiace vans were everywhere. A friend told me they are the most common vehicle for offroad tours in Africa. They are too efficient and underpowered for the US market apparently.
 

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