Which truck to import from Japan?

[jlager]

Thoughts on something like this? This sold for $3k USD. I have realized that these japanese trucks are not as heavy duty as the Fuso FG found in north america but would it still be good enough to put a camper on the back of it? Seems like the bed might be a bit short with the crew cab.

 

[calicamper]

9 pass troopy out of Africa?

 

[cameron_a]

those smaller dyna trucks are just hilux/hiace vans with different bodies really. very ligth duty as far as trucks go. the 2.8Litre "3L" engine don't make a lot of grunt. Hardy and reliable, though.

as for winding back odometers - that stuff stopped happening long ago. some people still bring really bad conidition vehicles over though and I think that's just a matter of buying the cheapest to try make the most money.

I had a Toyota AE86 some years ago that had quite easily documented 150'000km on it before it left japan and was wound back to ~40'000km haha. as with any vehicle, import or not, you should buy on overall condition, not miles.

I too would buy an Isuzu.

 

[paj54]

I imported my 94 Pajero 2.8 Turbo from Japan three years ago. It was mint condition, no rust, 34000km. Runs perfectly. Paid $7500 cnd.

 

[engineer]

No direct evidence other than vehicles that I have looked at in the past, have worn foot pedal rubbers, worn steering wheels and trim, dodgy paint, blowing smoke, rust and had only 40,000km or so on the clock. All looked like 400,000km vehicles.
Just have a good look is all I'm saying. price dependant they might still be a wortwhile purchase.
Keep in mind also some of the Jap 4wd trucks like the Dyna and 4WD Coaster busses (using dyna running gear) have the portal hubs from the Mega Cruiser and I seriously doubt that you would be able to get parts easily if you broke one. Also alot of them have low range but it isn't connected either electronically or via linkages so you will need to remedy that also.

Personally I'd go the Isuzu they are a better truck overall. They aren't the best selling 4wd truck in Oz for nearly 30 years for nothing.

I can tell you that they are DEFINITELY NOT what they used to be, in my opinion, based on what I've personally experienced ( sitting... waiting for the mechanic to arrive... many times!!) the new Isuzus are rubbish, with minimal dealer support when you REALLY need it

 

[SkiFreak]

I can tell you that they are DEFINITELY NOT what they used to be

Sadly this seems to be true for many of the newer vehicles. The logic seems to be to make the computer "smarter" and make it do more and more stuff. This means it only takes a small issue to make things go pear shaped.

 

[TooSteep]

I’m looking to build a camper/exploration vehicle based on one of these trucks and were looking for opinions on which one to get. Being in BC, Canada, I have the ability to import anything older than 15 years from Japan. They seem to have a lot of different options though. Obviously the fuso is the most popular in North America but I’m looking for a crew cab 4x4 one which I understand isn’t offered here. My top concerns are 1. Reliability, 2. Parts being available here in Canada and 3. Off road ability. I’m also looking at doing this on a really small budget which I don’t know if it’s realistic or not. Having said that, it seems like I can get any of these trucks from mid 90s with under 120,000 miles on them for under $5k from Japan:

• Mitsu Canter (fuso)
• Mitsu Canter Guts (smaller version of the fuso?)
• Isuzu Elf
• Toyota Dyna
• Anything else?

As mentioned, I’d like to get a crew cab 4x4 and then I would like to mount a small truck camper on the back of it. Which one would you recommend out of the list above?

Thanks!

jlager - what did you end up with? I've been browsing the jdm auction, and just came across a 4x4 Isuzu Elf150 with what looks like an aluminum custom camper.

Auction grade 4, 1997 with 33,000 km. Intriguing ...

 

[SkiFreak]

That sits pretty low, meaning it would be pretty useless off-road on anything other than a good dirt road.

 

[Deshet]

What is the auction site?

I have found one but they charge a bunch of fees

 

[DzlToy]

The Pajero in Post 19 is cool.

The single cab version of the Dyna posted above it has dimensions of 4690 mm (long) ×1690 mm (wide) × 1970mm (height)

Curb weight is 1600 kg and payload capacity is 1500 kg, so you better have an awfully small and light camper.

The 2.8L motor doesn't make much power, so I would have concerns about making grades and being able to accelerate safely into traffic, etc. Stay on the back roads and travel slowly and you are probably safer. Tires are small, not sure about getting parts or turning the motor up some, Toyota diesels are notoriously underpowered, so they last 300k - 500k without majour repairs.