20 year old car? Not interested then why a campervan?

[Paul_B]

Serious question. I would never look at a 20 year old car (prefer 5 year olds then run them into the ground over 7 years tops before selling them before thy stop being reliable), so why should I be ok looking at a 20 year old campervan conversion?

As a background I will explain where I am coming from. I have beein interested in the idea of a campervan for day to day use plus weekends away all year round especially in winter when I'm not going to camp (young child not very practical for us). We're not got loads of money so cheap is where we are at. So motorhomes based on Japanese imports seem to be the only option. Unless you have £20k you are unlikely to get one much younger than 20 year old. They all tend to be over 10 years old due to import rules apparently.

My simple question is, can I trust a 20 year old van when converted to be reliable and last for many years? Japanese is a good start but is it enough?

BTW Japanese vans because I don't feel happy with the VW rip off.

In case you are interested take a look at Wellhouse Leisure to see what you can get for less than a VW transporter. There was a really nice Mitsubishi Delica in stock ready to start conversion. Will cost £23k so out of my range but being based on the Outlander SUV (engine, gearbox and drivetrain) means parts are readily available at main dealers.

The Nissan Elgrande and Toyota Alpard both look great base vans to use.

 

[Janne]

I have a proper mechanic inspect any old (more than 5 years) car I buy.

Mileage, how it is driven and serviced is important.
I would have some questions:
Original engine?
When was the conversion done?
Donor vehicle a write off?
Service book?

Chrcked out the company. Seems very serious. Trust worthy.
But remember, many of these vans had a very hard life. Stop and go driving, heavy loads. I do not know if the company warran5ies the vehicle?

You can have a Defender converted too by other companies. As it is a more simple base vehicle, it #hould be more reliable?

The Nissan Civilian looks nice!

For a simple defender conversion check out the german ququq. ( weird name!)

 

[Paul_B]

I saw that too but reckon it isn't driveable straight off a normal licence.

There are a few other companies out there who specilise in Japanese imports. The company I mentioned seemed the most reputable.

I think I would end up using something like RAC who do car checks or if there is a reputable company that does checks on campervans.

With cars I am fortunate to have a father with a lot of experience in buying secondhand. For the cars we have bought his expertise has never let me down (no dodgy buys after his inspection). These japanese van conversions are based on vehicles I would never consider if it was a simple car purchase. I think ppl do buy older vvans to convert or get converted to campervans. I still have a kind of fear over buying any vehicle over 10 year old. However you do see a lot of really good looking van conversions with number plates as old as a P reg. Whether VW or a japanese van they seem to be decent looking vehicles.

I have looked at the Wellhouse leisure vans and they seem to like low mileage. I mean a 2000 or even older van with only 40k mileage is crazy low. Calder is another company doing Japanese imports of both cars and vans. They do conversions too but not as good as Wellhouse IMHO. Still for £6995 base van and £4000 conversion for example you can get something that will keep you out all year round but how reliable I have no idea. Has anyone bought a Japanese import, converted van on this site? Any recommended dealers / converters / importers to look at?

If we go for one it would be used as a car replacement as well as for weekends away. That is why some of the Japanese vans appeal. They seem to be specced out like cars. We are trying to reduce are car use by commuting by bike a lot more often. Good for health and environment so the buljy van would not bother us so much. Having said that we have a resonable sized MPV right now so the van is not a huge increase in size. If indeed any since a lot of the Japanese vans are based on the floorpan of more normal cars such as CRV, outlander, pathfinder, etc. Parts for some are not an issue since the mechanicals are th same as for british sold cars. The Honda and Mistsubishi ones are good examples.

 

[Paul_B]

I saw a defender recently somewhere, it looked like a normal defender base vehicle but had a huge back to it like a box van. Well huge for a defender.

I also saw a great van conversion in Scotland once. It looked to be based on that Merc based 4x4 van the Unimog I think. A large box living quarters.

 

[Janne]

We have a lot of Japanese direct imports here. I looked on two, did not buy. One was clocked and the other one has been submerged.
Many Japanese imports are cars that fail the Jap. MOT fir various reasons.

How luxurious has the living area to be?
With that german add on, and a couple if simple mods, you can get a nice functional sleeper.

 

[Paul_B]

The dealers / importers / converters I've been looking at all claim to only get low mileage and grade 4.5 or 5 used vans or BIMTA certified mileage. They claim BIMTA are the UK motor trade body but to me they're contract leasing company. Manufacturers at SMMT IIRC and I'm not sure what the used car trade body is.

Looking back at it again their phrasing intending allay fears looks dodgy, what do you think?

All are in excellent condition with guaranteed mileage certificates issued by BIMTA (The British Motor Trade Assocication).

 

[BJJJ]

I am given to understand that Japan has an age related rule and vehicles over this age are not allowed on Japaneses roads. So they export, generally low milage cars and vans that are in good condition with little or no rust. A colleague has just bought a top of the range people carrier for a really good price. V6 petrol and in mint condition. This has led me to have a look at Japanese imports with a different perspective. I wouldn't discount them at all.

 

[Dogoak]

I have had a Japanese import pick up years ago and got friends who have had imports. No ones had any issues I'm aware of, they tend to be very clean underneath (someone mentioned they don't use salt?) and Japanese vehicles tend to be very reliable.
I normaly look for vehicles over ten years old Ive had my (UK) Toyota Hiace for two and a half years now, its a 1999, just done 64000, ex wheelchair vehicle, clean underneath, no reliability issues at all. I keep meaning to convert it but not got round to it, might have to sell it soon due to work but it's going to be a wrench.

 

[Paul_B]

One campervan converter buys only low mileage vans from Southern Japan where they do not use salt on the roads in winter. This is to get vans with no signs of rust anywhere. I've seen a 1996 van advertised by one with 40,000 miles on the clock! Assuming they're not clocked it's pretty low.

 

[Paul_B]

I have no problem with buying a Japanese import having read a little on it. My issue is a pure hang up over the age. How much of a problem is it with a decent Japanese import van?

You have to understand I'm coming from a history of Fords and Vauxhalls. All focus / astra sized. I would never touch a 10 year old one of those let alone a 20 year old! Mind you, how much of that is down to the UK market and conditions. The conditions with salt on the roads is obvious. The UK market isn't like the Japanese mini van market such as the bongo, elgrand or alphard. For starters japan likes its gadgets. In a car that means basic model is like a UK higher model if indeed you could even get some of the standard features. Can you remember climate control (front and rear) in a UK 1996 Ford, say a galaxy or even a sierra/mode type of car? Even parking sensors come in once you get into the middle of the 2000s decade, even front sensors appear!

It's like a kid in a candy store for me. I love the idea of those things in a van but obviously not that important. Although twin airbags, power steering are important.

So does anyone on here own a Japanese import campervan import? How old and how reliable?

 

[gonzo_the_great]

My Land Rover Discovery is a Jap' import. And the underside is all original and solid, unlike just about every other example I've ever seen.
It is over 20yrs old now and UK residing cars were rotting in half that time. And, I have a cert from the manufacturer stating that it was exported as a full UK spec vehicle. So the only difference must be the lack of salting.

In my case, I don't like the bells and whistles on modern cars. Mine are all going back to basic electrics and mechanics, as I strip off the elecronic bits (as they fail).

Another thing that may be in your favour with in imported vehicle, you may find that the V5 doc has only the basic details. On mine it only has things such as, make, number of doors, engine capacity. All the emissions and weights boxes are blank.
This means that though the vehicle should contravine the Emissions Zone rules (London), the automatic numberplate look-up has no values to check against. Though I go into londin as seldom as possible.
As it's possible that a UK built camper may still be registered as a van, this could be an issue for you?

 

[daveO]

Serious question. I would never look at a 20 year old car (prefer 5 year olds then run them into the ground over 7 years tops before selling them before thy stop being reliable), so why should I be ok looking at a 20 year old campervan conversion?

My simple question is, can I trust a 20 year old van when converted to be reliable and last for many years? Japanese is a good start but is it enough?

Japanese isn't always a mark of quality. I've got a Mazda Bongo camper and it's pretty terrible. Japanese cars of that age are usually made with terrible steel so rust is a huge problem. The Bongo is made up using an unsuitable engine and gearbox with a bodged together cooling system that is prone to catastrophic failure. Get a minor coolant leak on holiday and you either need to carry a lot of special equipment with you to bleed the system or you're looking at a long ride home with the AA. I've been trailered home from holiday twice now and it always involves a long wait in a layby because it will happen at busy times, on a bank holiday. It can also be a nightmare to get parts for imported vehicles. My local motor factors are really good but the owner has started to groan when I go in there now. When he can find me parts though they're a lot cheaper than most of the on-line specialist places.

In my opinion you either spend the money and get a proper camper or if your budget is limited get a caravan. Leave the older campervans to the young people who still consider breaking down a part of the 'adventure'. If you only get a few holidays a year why spend them stressing that your camper will break and ruin it.

Having said all that I love that Nissan Civilian

 

[Laurentius]

My last two cars have been Mitsubishi Pajeros, both of them well over a decade old when I bought them. The first one did succumb to the tin worm, but the second one, a later model never had any rust problems at all and was highly reliable except at the very end when it blew a gasket. It was however still driveable when stolen and good enough to be driven into a hole in the wall ATM. The Delica is a van version of the Pajero, and I am sure would do very nicely for a conversion. The Major problem is with insurance, most insurance companies will not touch grey imports and those that do, you end up with a loaded premium.

Formerly I had a land rover which I converted to camping use myself, all very amateur but it did the job, not anything like as comfortable and mechanically sound as the Mitsubishis though.

 

[Paul_B]

One company has a deal with a specialist campervan insurer. Mention their name and you get 10% off or was it 20%?

I know it's a risky area with some imports because of parts. However it's been a long time now since major players have tended to reduce design costs by sharing platforms across different models and regions too. For example the vans from Nissan and Toyota have shared platforms with UK spec vehicles. They've not imported the van but the mechanicals and electrics are shared with cars supplied into UK market. Shares the parts. Mitsubishi delica is basically almost a UK spec 4x4 with a van body. Main dealers can get the parts for it. I happen to live 5-10 minutes walk from a very good Mitsubishi dealership. 5 minutes to the showroom and a further 5 minutes to the garage. I would bet they'll do an extended warranty on the van mechanicals for it too. My parents keep going back there for nearly new cars and my dad is a shrewd car buyer. Motorhome buyer too but that's something else.

I personally thought bongo vans went out of production about 2000 but apparently late in that decade.

 

[Fadcode]

One of the main problems I found with these Japanese imports, Is that no main dealer will take them in part exchange for a car etc, I had a 2002 Bongo very good condition, not converted into a motorhome, but the seats folded into a double bed etc, a bit heavy on fuel at 22 mpg, so I decided to part ex it for a car, and i could not find anyone who would accept it as a trade, one of the reasons being that the vehicle did not appear in any of the guides so the dealers/salesmen had no clue as to its value, In the end I had to sell it privately at some loss , my advice when buying any vehicle, is put the reg into we buy any car, and see what they will give you for it, and although they offer about 30% less than its value, it will give you some idea of what it is worth, and as for Jap imports I doubt they will give you a price.if you are going for a conversion I would suggest that the Jap Imports such as Bongos and their like, are not big enough to warrant the expense, you end up with a small campervan, you might as well go for a full size camper, there are some good ones about, but make sure you have them inspected for damp, and spongy panels, before you buy.

 

[Janne]

The southern part of the main Japanese island has a sub tropical wet climate I believe/
Even if no salted roads, very high humidity.

A friend bought one of these small mini vans for his Iguana culling business. Was truly beautiful when it came. Cost under USD 700 (+shipping and duties here) but the rust came through the paintwork all around the wheelarches and sill.

My guess is it was living in a very rainy and flood prone area.
But it was still an amazing buy.

 

[moocher]

Couple years ago bought a M reg Toyota Lucida,just had to have bit of easy welding done underneath,been reliable up to summer holidays where if not used everyday battery would be flat.also interior is getting slightly brittle with age.

 

[peaks]

You might want to have a look at Poplar Motors in Chesterfield......they import Japanese camper vans

 

[snozz]

Why not buy a decent base model (I've got a Nissan Primastar which is a rebadged Renault Traffic) that I converted myself. Had a local garage install an elevating roof, but I've made all the cupboards etc. I've also had a Delica and think for more than 2 people you would quickly run out of room. Also milage pretty poor on them. It's probably pretty poor on most imports to be honest as many Jap import vans are 2.8 diesels or 3 ltr V6 engines. My Primastar gets close on 40 mpg and isn't too big - I have used it as a day to day drive for months. You can also pick one up for about 5-6k

 

[Paul_B]

What I've noticed about UK spec vans is how basic they are in the cab. If you're driving around then personally I'd want car like cab. If we get one it'll be too replace a family car. So not too big and the options a car normally have. Japanese vans tend to match this closer than UK vans.

BTW I read somewhere that the Japanese version of the UK mot is a lot more severe. Also something about not being able to export out of Japan or into UK a vehicle that's below a certain quality score. Not sure if that's true but I certainly read on a few sites that the Japanese "shaken" test is strict.