Skip to main content
Gerry | Vanagon
Checking account...
← vanagon.com home · Continue the discussion in the forum
VanagonEuroVan
Subject:Re: Vanagon name - where�s the HiAce�s... Eurovans
From:Andrew Grebneff
Date:Sun, 19 Dec 2004 18:19:46 +1300

That's Hiaces, no apostrophe.

>But as so often with company cars nobody bothered to put any real attention
>to their rustproofing and since Toyota left it to the customer to put that
>stuff on, many of them has rapidly rusted away on the Swedish salted roads
>which is a shame since the drivetrain was almost bulletproof.
>It�s too bad it doesn�t fit in the Vanagon since there was a really nice 4x4
>diesel sold  :-)

They don't generally rust here, fortunately. But 
ours are all Japanese-assembled. Of course our 
roads are unsalted, but a large proportion of 
them come used from Japan, where they DO salt 
roads.

Some of the previous generation of Hiaces 
(LH60-series, the 3rd generation) do have rust 
problems. My previous 4WD diesel LH66 had rust, 
but it had been used by a scuba backpacker's 
hostel, and not only carried dripping salty 
divers & gear, but ran along wet beaches.

As to Europe, the BIG van disease seems to have 
displaced normal large domestic vans there. The 
Frod Transit, Fiat & Renault are all very large, 
comparable to the LT/Sprinter clone. The only 
normal-sized vans I know of from there are the 
Mercedes Vito and VW T5, and the Vito is really a 
wagon, with its low roof.
--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin
New Zealand
Fossil preparator
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut

Have something to add on this topic today? Revive this thread in the forum »