Toyota Coaster 4x4 mini bus

[NikolaKor]

Hi All,

Greetings to everyone and thank you in advance on your advice and assistance...

I am new to the forum and this is my first post so please be gentle... located in Australia and considering buying and modifying Toyota Coaster 4x4 mini bus for a tour around Oz.

For non-Australians, Toyota Coasters are quite common here however they are available only as 2wd. This particular mini bus I am considering is after market modified for mine worker transport and is 4x4 and with extra clearance of approx. 300-400 mm (12-16 inches)... , young age, 2016 and has only about 10,000km (6,000 miles) on the clock, seems to have been sitting mothballed, minimal wear and tear shown on the seats confirming low mileage...

Usage will be mostly on road and bad, dirt roads, beach access, NO extreme off road or rock hopping... Just need reliable 4x4 not too big not too small for 2 people that are bout to retire with 2 medium sized dogs...

Question(s):

• Is this 4x4 and suspension after market modification something that I should be concerned due to potential parts and reliability issues? Being done for the mines my thinking is it has to be sturdy?
• Would such a vehicle be potentially a good base for continuing around the world: USA, Russia, Europe? Parts availability?
• Would it be justified to change steering wheel from RHS to LHS in the future for the rest of the world? Is it possible for Toyota Coaster? Any idea about the cost, say less then $10,000 or more then that?

I need to make decision this week... If proceeding I will be doing internal mods so will invest probably up to 6 month of my time... so need to see if it is going to be just an Ozzi vehicle or world cruiser

Thank you !
Kind Regards

 

[mep1811]

No pictures it does not exist

 

[NikolaKor]

No pictures it does not exist

Hi mep1181,
Thank you on reply and I assure you it does exist... here it is:

Kind Regards
Nikola

 

[Christian P.]

Seems like a great platform!

What's the engine?

 

[NikolaKor]

Hi Christian,
Just know that it is 4 cylinder Diesel Turbo, probably whatever was a standard for 2016 models...
it is also Automatic, good for my Mrs...
GVM is 5,440 kg (12,000 pounds), about 2,000kg payload...
located interstate will be auctioned this week so basic details only and few photos...
Regards
Nikola

 

[Paddler Ed]

Changing to LHD would mean it would be (very) hard to register in Australia because of the age (not old enough to be LHD) so that would bring a few challenges. Based on that, it's going to be easier to keep it RHD.

Engine wise, it sounds like it's a 15B-T or similar, not 100% sure.

 

[Wyuna]

It'll depend on who did the conversion, some use 200 series land cruiser parts.

It could have been done by these guys https://www.bus4x4.com.au

The single wheel option would be a great upgrade.

As for LHD conversion, how deep are your pockets and i can't see it being able to get rego in Aus, best be asking a heavy vehicle engineer, as these can be on national plate rego

you will need a Light Rigid license for the coaster as well

 

[NikolaKor]

Hi Paddler and Wyuna,
Thank you on the replies. LHD conversion is idea once the tour around oz is finished to do LHD and ship vehicle to USA/Europe to continue 2-3 years, God willing our health, pandemic, etc...
Finished vehicle is likely to be north of $100K so thought if I can convert it to LHD for $10K or so would have a great vehicle for years to come while touring overseas...
My understanding is that once I am overseas registration does not really matter, it is primarily road tax.
Anyway I could not renew my Australian registration while overseas due to the requirement for the authorized technical inspection slips...

 

[Wyuna]

Aus Registration is still required as far as i know for the Carnet to be valid while overseas, others will chime in, its worth asking this question in the travel planning section, RACQ or any of the other state based motoring associations have info on the Carnet system

i'm sure there is a way to do the inspection slips, there have been a few on here that have traveled overseas and have faced this issue.

 

[Lovetheworld]

I have always loved these Coasters since I saw them in Asia. Great drivetrains to, probably a 13Bfte or 15B engine.
Probably Toyota parts used in the 4x4 conversion so thats good.
But it would still suck to service it in Europe and North America. Maybe some big parts like diff, or half of the engine are serviceable, but surely not everything. And it must really drive like a bus too.
I'm not sure if you should perhaps just get into a Mercedes Sprinter, you have 5 tons version of them too (at least here in Europe)

 

[Tudor Tanase]

4wd Coasters are very common in Japan, servicing hundreds of ski resorts. Might be worth considering in view of the overpriced custom built solutions built in Australia for the mining sector. I have seen them in both high clearance, rigid front axle, and in IFS, standard clearance "traction truck" for snowy/icy roads. Mitsubishi Rosa also has a 4wd factory conversion there (IFS), and I would not be surprised to find out there are others.

 

[NikolaKor]

Hi LovetheWorld and TudorTanase ,
There are no 4x4 sprinters in Australia, only very expensive after market modifications...
Unfortunately this bus got sold today for way over my expectations so back to the drawing board... Maybe will see parallel import from Japan for older model as Tudor mentioned them...

 

[Oka 374]

We looked at a factory 4wd Coaster before we went with the Oka and there are a couple of huge problems with them.
They were only built in limited numbers by Toyota for the northern snowy areas of Japan. As they are no longer made parts supply is questionable.They are also the only Toyota model with that engine and gearbox combination and use an engine and transmission computer which was only used for that model. There are no spares and damage to the computer by water ingress or electrical failure means the vehicle is then immobile with no prospect of repair.
Earlier versions used basically the same running gear as a Megacruiser but later versions went back to the standard rear end in a spring over config to maintain ride height but that created the necessity to carry two spare wheels as front and rear wheels are a different stud pattern.

 

[billiebob]

soo.... did you win the auction ????
what did it sell for?

I think these are one of the best base vehicles for international travel. Pretty sure they, and their power trains exist and can be serviced everywhere except North America. IF they built them both RHD and LHD it might be a simple change. We had several Cortinas waayyyyy back, When you looked under the dash all the bits were welded on under the right side for clutch, brakes, steering. It would nave been a bolt on conversion.

Hope you git it, love to see how you build it.

 

[NikolaKor]

We looked at a factory 4wd Coaster before we went with the Oka and there are a couple of huge problems with them.
They were only built in limited numbers by Toyota for the northern snowy areas of Japan. As they are no longer made parts supply is questionable.They are also the only Toyota model with that engine and gearbox combination and use an engine and transmission computer which was only used for that model. There are no spares and damage to the computer by water ingress or electrical failure means the vehicle is then immobile with no prospect of repair.
Earlier versions used basically the same running gear as a Megacruiser but later versions went back to the standard rear end in a spring over config to maintain ride height but that created the necessity to carry two spare wheels as front and rear wheels are a different stud pattern.

Hi Oka,
Thank you for the heads up about Japanese models and spares issues... Looked into OKA , however it is too small for two people nearing retirement age and two medium sized dogs... You may be interested there is 2010 model coming for auction at Mainheim https://www.manheim.com.au/trucks-m...ntech-gvm-6-500kg?referringPage=SearchResults
could be beautifully done, already pantech...