Mitsubishi L300 4x4

"Now I do want to make this an argument topic ".... Dont you just wish they had an edit button about now ;-)

Being an older model you may struggle to find a reliable low KM one about but if you did they would be fine for light offroading & a general runabout as long as comfort is not high on your list. People we have travelled with in the past have said they are very un-nerving going down steep hills & the poor clearance with a fairly high Low Range box limited their offroad use somewhat. We actually passed one on the Canning in 1990 & as would be expected was having alot of trouble.
Cheers Craig.................

i take it you are talking about a later model one(90s style not mid 80s) i had one for work and it was OK. went well but had many niggling gearbox problems and 2 full rebuilds in 220k. OK clearance but marginal flex and that ever present tip over feeling on anything more than a flat road. as some one stated it will be nigh on impossible to find a low km one now so all i expect you will find now will be junk basically. there are many other fine options that are much later model but not in that van style though. Happy Hunting.

Hi Mobi. The Delica's are a bit later model, are Diesel and have a really good following with those that own them. They have there own forum as well. May be a better proposition for you. Regards,Bob.

Hi Mobi,
not really what you are looking for but considering that you can buy good 8 seater Pajs and Jacks for less then $15000. Their was an auto Jack in Lithgow for sale with 58000ks for about that money.
Good luck with your search
Pete

We had 4 children and owned both the early L300 followed by a 1989 Starwagon, neither were 4wd.

But as a general family wagon, they were exceptional. Just slide the side door open (great in carparks) and kids would pile in and out. Plenty of space with the 5 + 1 seats in the back, and on the starwagon, you could fold down the 3rd row if you wanted. Great turning circle. Frontal collision protection was my only concern.

I didn't own the 4wd Starwagon, but we looked at them, and I have seen what Craig alluded to above - when you travel down a steep slope you feel like its going to topple over. We used ours a fair bit for family camping - space was not an issue, and 2wd versions handled very well on dirt roads, and had reasonable clearance.

Cheers
phil

they are overpriced, underrated and do make an excellent general family wagon and camping base... ive had 3, flex is for pose, they dont roll easily at all...

Hundreds of these were imported from Japan into New Zealand They were not noted for reliability or ability.

The Delica had the name "The falling over machine" due to its height versus its width.
Seems to be a few here now but I have no knowledge of how people are finding them.

I dont want a fight either just reporting it as I found it.

I had a HiAce diesel and a guy wanted me to take his L3004wd as part payment.

He finally admitted he had so much trouble he wanted out.

Hi Mobis

We had a 7 seater L300 4wd when our children were school age. I haven't seen one for many years. It was basically just a family mini-bus. There was room for a tent or two behind the rear seat.

It did have its limitations as a 4wd as the wheels were tiny and it was not high clearance, however our children used to take it to the coast fishing. Once with elder son driving it with a load of younger siblings and friends, they met a group of 4wds from the city, carving up the dune to get out from the fishing spot, talking on their 2-ways and saying how hard it was; needing to winch a few over. Getting sick of waiting, son asked if he could go. They couldn't see how this little mini bus would get up a dune at all. Up and over he went with no problems - i doubt he'd even let much air out of the tyres (but maybe a tad more that the city folk). We had no mechanical problems in the time we owned it (upgraded to a Landcruiser). I did feel very insecure with the traffic so close to me with the internal engine, especially when one of elder son's teacher backed into me and was inches from my face.

I used to do a lot of "Mum's taxi" runs bringing boys home from Ag School for weekends, as i could carry more boys than the parents with sedans.

Motherhen

Hello to all the kind and informative repondents.
I reckon we have a very good idea of what experiences are here. Thanks for the factual replies and no arguments etc - makes me happy to be able to be on the forum.

If more wish to reply - OK but I feel we have great impression now.
Cheers - Mobi

I was in Taxis in NZ and the general opinion was that Mitsubishi make great trucks and buses and crap small diesels and autos.
One guy bought a Sigma diesel and his wife drove it for 6 months.
It was OK
3 months as a taxi and it blew up.
Another one had to wait 3 months for parts from Japan for a blown auto.
Both cars had done supposedly under 100,000k
I had an Eterna and the auto was shot at 50,000 Mr tard ass san must have sat at the traffic light with his feet on both pedals.

The L300 had the worst frontal impact protection of any van.
Have seen more than one totally demolished by a not terribly severe impact.
Other makes seem a bit stronger.
As far as the Delicas go can only report observations but can assure you they had that reputation in NZ..