Mitsubishi Delica

[jaseh]

Whatever you do don't get a V6 petrol one, the motors are a boat anchor prone to frighteningly costly failure.

Oh and go drive a Nissan Elgrand.

Big call! I'm onto my fourth v6 Mitsubishi and have never had a failure. My challenger had 300000km on it and used stuff all oil. It got serviced every 10000km through its life. A mate here at work has a triton v6 with just on 400000km on it. The Nissan elgrand is not an offroader like a delica its more like the hiace wed.
If its a good one and your not fussed on the fuel consumption grab it, at least you know its history while in oz.

 

[latheboy]

Whatever you do don't get a V6 petrol one, the motors are a boat anchor prone to frighteningly costly failure.

Oh and go drive a Nissan Elgrand.

Don't forget that the diesel pumps cost the earth to fix or replace.
I know a few people that have swapped out a diesel motor for petrol because it's cheaper than fixing the fuel pump.

But you do get a turbo with the diesel standard and can have the wanky pssst sound.

If your happy with it, get it. It will cost you no matter what, just like every other car it'll break down one day.

 

[FatGuts]

Don't forget that the diesel pumps cost the earth to fix or replace.
I know a few people that have swapped out a diesel motor for petrol because it's cheaper than fixing the fuel pump.

But you do get a turbo with the diesel standard and can have the wanky pssst sound.

If your happy with it, get it. It will cost you no matter what, just like every other car it'll break down one day.

Diesel pumps cost the earth on any diesel.

The other thing, the turbo is there for a reason on a diesel, atmospheric pressure cannot supply enough air for a diesel to produce good amounts of power, the turbo supplies this need.

 

[RCOH]

Mechanical inspection came through - front brake pads will need replacing soon (which I can do) and there is very small tear in the front right outer CV boot. Everything else got rated 'good' (rust/engine/air con/interior/tyres/suspension/exhaust/brakes). I think i'm going to go for it.

Thanks for the comments everyone.

edit: this will also be our 2nd mitsubishi v6 - our current 1998 magna has 240,000 kms and still runs well.

 

[indica]

That's the same motor that is in the manga, pajero, challenger and others....

And my Triton, 320,000 and going strong.

 

[jaseh]

Mechanical inspection came through - front brake pads will need replacing soon (which I can do) and there is very small tear in the front right outer CV boot. Everything else got rated 'good' (rust/engine/air con/interior/tyres/suspension/exhaust/brakes). I think i'm going to go for it.

Thanks for the comments everyone.

edit: this will also be our 2nd mitsubishi v6 - our current 1998 magna has 240,000 kms and still runs well.

Well done! You will love the versatility of it. CV boot is nothing major, you can get ones that you can put on and glue together now so they are pretty easy to fit.

 

[ADD]

I have known a few of those V6's to do rear seals. Including my triton's. Not worth getting fixed usually as the oil loss is f-all.

 

[floody]

Big call! I'm onto my fourth v6 Mitsubishi and have never had a failure. My challenger had 300000km on it and used stuff all oil. It got serviced every 10000km through its life. A mate here at work has a triton v6 with just on 400000km on it. The Nissan elgrand is not an offroader like a delica its more like the hiace wed.
If its a good one and your not fussed on the fuel consumption grab it, at least you know its history while in oz.

Yet I don't know anyone who has owned a rwd/4wd V6 Mitsu and not had constant, expensive (to rectify) problems. Things like having to disassemble most of the top end to do a waterpump are pretty scary. Headgaskets. Not to mention they seem to have soft as buggery rings, and are slightly more oil tight than something from BMC-Era British industry.

I'd say you're lucky. Its an inherently badly designed motor IMHO.


Escapegoat, if you don't want them leaky, smokey or overheating, yes. They do slog along in the previously mentioned states, but I just think 6G72s are a wheezy, leaky, fumey old thing.

The diesels are primitive but solid.

 

[latheboy]

Diesel pumps cost the earth on any diesel.

Thats what I was getting at. I've worked on too many diesels in my time.

You want a turbo for performance, not to make it possible for the engine to run.

I just hate stone age engines, next you guys will be telling me how good harleys are

 

[brisneyland]

Thats what I was getting at. I've worked on too many diesels in my time.

You want a turbo for performance, not to make it possible for the engine to run.

I just hate stone age engines, next you guys will be telling me how good harleys are

The thing that really shits me is that Harley's and pushrod V8s can actually be built into pretty good engines. Just don't tell the Holden bogans I said that or I'll never hear the end of it.

Delicas - they're pretty cool. Very practical. I drove the old square shaped one across the Simpson a few years ago.

The diesel was thirsty enough for me, I couldn't fathom owning the petrol.

It's not just economy - your fuel range if you do any real outback stuff will be severely restricted.

I don't know if it's changed on the new ones, but the old ones had a pretty shitty front suspension/steering rack design and wore out easily. I had to get the steering rack ends changed when I got to Alice Springs.

 

[brisneyland]

So I just got back from straddie - borrow mums delica for the weekend ( l400 turbo diesel).

I put a hole in the oil filter in some soft sand ruts and got slightly stranded. There is a very poorly placed bolt in the bash plate that will push up into the oil filter pretty easily - this is apparently very common with these vehicles.

If you guys take your delicas off road PLEASE GO AND CHECK THAT YOUR VEHICLE DOESN'T SUFFER FROM THIS DESIGN FLAW.

If it does, carry oil and a filter and get an aftermarket bash plate. Otherwise you might be stranded for a while, waiting to get a filter from the mainland like me, or completely fuck your engine out if you don't catch it in time.