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| Appearance is good |
I've made a habit of posting on this blog only when there's been a change of vehicles.
Having said that, I've changed vehicles with monotonous regularity, so this blog is not, as yet, extinct.
Buying the second Kia was a useful experience, but owning one was enough. The original intention of converting it to a camper paled in the light of reality, on the basis of the fact that it was simply too small.
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| At the dealers' |
Anyhow, after lots of research and many test drives, I have acquired a 2014 Hiace Commuter. The vehicle is a Japanese domestic market vehicle, imported by one of the many businesses set up to bring them south and get them certified.
It was originally a dry cleaners delivery van, which should mean that it hasn't had a hard life. Clothes are not heavy.
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| Head unit is useful |
The racks installed as storage for hanging suits, skirts and jackets will provide a useful mounts for curtains, and because it has a high roof (2280mm) it should be liveable.
It has covered 153000 kms, which for a Hiace is not much at all. It drives well, albeit a bit like a block of flats, but a block of flats without rattles or creaks. The paint is good, and as a "GL" has goodies like full instrumentation, bluetooth and Apple Carplay.
There are some mysteries, such as a clock set on Tokyo time which stubbornly refuses to be adjusted, and Japanese script that comes and goes on the instrument fascia. I have downloaded the Toyota drivers' manual, which resides on a memory stick. It is also downloaded on my phone. No tools or handbook came with the vehicle, which is par for the course for JDM cars.
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| It has a motor (2.7lit) |
Not too many Australian drivers can make sense of a handbook written in Japanese.
I'll keep you posted on its (slow) fit out as a camper.
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