Thirty-Nine
Explorer
Location: Portland, Oregon
1989 Mitsubishi Delica Star Wagon (300) we affectionately call the Space Tractor. We’ve owned this right-hand-drive JDM van since July, 2017; we bought it from Oregon Diesel Imports in Clackamas, OR with 126,500 km (78,603 miles) on the odometer; we are the original owners of it in the U.S. It’s powered by the 2.5-liter turbodiesel 4D56 engine and is equipped with the five-speed manual transmission and four-wheel drive. Clean Oregon title in hand. Current mileage is 154,794 km (96,185 miles).
The van has been featured in a number of magazines and websites including OutdoorX4, TREAD, TRAILS Magazine, Driving Line, 4Low, 4WD, Gearbox Magazine, Expedition Portal, Crankshaft Culture, and others. It’s also been featured at events including Overland Expo - West, NW Overland Rally, BC Overland Rally, to name a few.
Everything on the vehicle works as advertised including the air conditioning, heater, rear HVAC, power locks for sliding door and tailgate, windows, four-wheel drive system, and so on.
Maintenance includes:
- All-new rubber gaskets installed for rear windows
- New rear liftgate struts
- New tire on spare wheel (under vehicle), new full-size spare on roof
- New right-rear brake shoe adjuster
- Timing belt done at 98,000 km (as noted on timing cover)
- New alternator belts, AC belt, and power steering belt
- Replaced genuine Mitsubishi glow plugs
- Replaced fuel filter
- Regular oil changes every 3,000 miles
- Regularly replaced air filter
- New wiper blades
Some of the features we’ve added include:
- Five 30x9.50 Yokohama Geolandar G015 tires
- Five American Racing AR23 wheels
- BajaRack roof rack
- BajaRack dual fuel can holder
- BajaRack spare tire carrier
- BajaRack Maxtrax carrier
- Rear ladder (a rare, hard-to-find part)
- Custom WARN winch mount
- WARN M6000 winch with Spydura Synthetic Rope
- Original, rare floor mats
- Professionally tinted windows
- Sony stereo (professionally installed)
The van does not include the ARB awning, fuel cans, or Maxtrax, but can be included for extra cost.
ENGINE
This vehicle has been ultra reliable for us with no dependability issues; it’s a runner. Like many of these old diesel vans, it does smoke a bit at start up, but that quickly goes away—very typical. The van is happy to cruise at 60 to 65 mph, which is where we operated it.
INTERIOR
The interior is clean and the van has not been smoked in—something many JDM vans cannot claim. While not perfect, the condition overall is definitely good for a 31 year old van. There are no leaks, rattles, or non-functioning items. The rear carpet (behind the rearmost seat) has some discoloration which was present when we bought it.
BODY
There are some scratches, scrapes, and areas of rust in the typical Delica areas, mostly by the rear fenders, but some corrosion is present elsewhere.
SUSPENSION
The suspension is all stock. The front torsion bars do squeak a bit from time.. The wheels were bought new, and the all-terrain Yokohama tires have plenty of life left in them (10/32”).
We’ve never had a single major problem with this van, but our plans are changing. We hope it’ll go to a great home. It’s given us a ton of joy, and we hope it’ll give you lots, too.
$13,000