Dollywobbler's Caravan Capers

[dollywobbler]

I blame KruJoe. Having had a drive of his Pleasure Wagon last year, I really quite fancy one. It meets the current set of requirements very nicely, and also has a bonkers name. The Toyota Lucida Estima Charme Pleasure Wagon 4x4. With Joyful Canopy.


Now they do come in a wide range of specs, with varying options. The most appealing aspect is diesel auto though. Not a particularly common set-up in the 1990s, though they're now all the rage.

Anyone else got any experience of them though? Economy is a slight concern, but then they can be bought very cheaply. Which is obviously appealing.

[JohnK]

I've looked at quite a few since driving Joe's as well - I really do fancy one.

 

There's a lot of dogs out there though and prices do seem to be a bit all over the place.

 

Run it on veg and the economy is negligible...

 

Edit - just realised my old 190E is in the background of that pic!

[Station]

About 25mpg max. They handle and drive well though.

[Asimo]

Not 4wd, 6 months mot, 80 miles away............

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201603131931965

[Felly Magic]

Now that would have to be painted like a 1960's hippie wagon!

[dollywobbler]

About 25mpg max. They handle and drive well though.

 

25 is bloody awful! My mate's Delica L400 can do better than that, even on chunky mud terrains.

[Lacquer Peel]

I think they'd do better than 25MPG, my parents had a petrol Previa for a while and it averaged high-20s MPG.

This monotone one with steel wheels is quite appealing, it was on eBay a while ago.

[dollywobbler]

I have enquired about that £400. It has the potential to get me in a lot of trouble. It has the JOYFUL CANOPY though, so is obviously ace.

[Six-cylinder]

Mrs Cyl thinks on name along this would be better "Mazda BONGO FRIENDEE"

[dollywobbler]

Nah. Bongo's haven't got a hope of competing with Pleasure Wagon. They also seem hideously pricey.

[Cavcraft]

Don't these have a worse rep than the K-series for HGF?

[dollywobbler]

Don't these have a worse rep than the K-series for HGF?

 

My suspicion is that they don't tolerate neglect. At all. KruJoe seems to have survived, though he seems immune to Special K issues too.

[Rusty_Rocket]

I looked into one of these recently too, inspired by KJ, obvs.  Also, because I need the space of a van and don't want the disadvantages of a van, I think they're ideal.

Head failure is a very real concern; it's not a repair you will be doing on a £600 car as spare parts are very expensive.  A new/ recon head is the only option and they're pricey, even for Chinese copies.

I viewed a couple.  They seem to attract all types of owners, most of whom don't service them- think bald tyres/ treacle oil/ zero coolant... which was enough to give me the collywobbles.

 

My attentions turned to the (lesser spotted) Toyota Granvia, which is basically a very plush Hiace van IIRC.  These things are much the same as the PLEASURE WAGON but even dearer when they go wrong!  I'd love either but unless you get a decent one like KruJoe's, I'd say they're a bit of a lottery.

[Lacquer Peel]

My suspicion is that they don't tolerate neglect. At all. KruJoe seems to have survived, though he seems immune to Special K issues too.

 

A lot of grey imports, particularly with big diesel engines, suffer from head issues if they've been in the UK for a while, even engines that have a good reputation in UK market cars.

I think there are a couple of factors; the humid climate, and stop start traffic of some parts of Japan is hard on cooling systems, and the type of people who own them in the UK may ignore an overheating engine until it breaks.

[dollywobbler]

I think the main factor has been nicely highlighted by Rusty_rocket. They get owned by the sort of people who think an MOT is a service. Loads of cars have HGF reputations. The PSA XUD is one of them. The Toyotas do look pricey to sort out, but the owners' forum seems full of folk who seem to have avoided a steamy death.

[spartacus]

Fantastic vehicles, except for the engine. They're well known for epic head gasket failure which also takes the head out too. When fixed it needs a proper Lucida head gasket, designed to work in the north-south engine configuration, not the transverse of the Picnic. There are also some other dowel modifications that can be done, the details of which I have forgotten, which should be done at the same time. I would guess that all of these have had at least one head by now, so it's a gamble that you'll find one that's been done properly.

My wife ran one for about 5 years, I really liked it but can't defend the woefully crap engine and hideous fuel economy. In a 4x4 auto at 70 mph, you'll just about get 30 mpg.

[dollywobbler]

Maybe, given that fuel costs are lower these days, I shouldn't overlook an actual UK-spec Previa?

[Lacquer Peel]

XUD HGF is rare, I don't know where they get that reputation from. Are early XUDs and XUD7TEs like Cleon-Fonte's BX prone?

In my experience XUD9s are unburstable, it's usually the rest of the cars that fall apart.

 

UK spec Previa may be a good bet, they look a bit less trashy.

[dollywobbler]

I don't think XUD HGF is rare. I've known a lot of even well looked after cars suffer it. Mostly XUD7, but not exclusively. I also had a friend who's XUD9 put a rod through the block. Apparently a batch were prone to that. My 306 had HGF at 46k miles too. Thankfully, I'd just bought it, so it was all done under warranty. I've never had HGF with an XUD, but then I've never had it with a K-Series or even a Rangie VM either. Perhaps short ownership reduces the risk of copping a bullet!

[KruJoe]

Yo, just seen this!

Our Will suffered HGF a few times, but always the smaller XUD7.

 

This was mine this afternoon, before its springtime wash:

 

 

It was darkening when I finished, I'll snap another tomorrow.

 

I run it on 90+% veg most of the time, thinned with pez. It's lumbering, slow, and thirsty, exacerbated by the veg I'm sure. I'm considering some minor mods to make it happier on the 50ppl cabbage juice, still need to make time for those.

It's good at everything else, but not hooning. That's why there are contrasts on the fleet - MX-5, Seicento Sporting, etc.

 

I got lucky with this one, though I waited to find a likely contender before I went to look at one (for fear of talking myself into trying to fix it.)

If there are any signs of cooling system / HGF issues, steer well clear. Sometimes a new rad or coolant cap can fix them, but 95% will be serious pain. I mean "£1500 to fix properly" type pain. Read up on their peculiar foibles and know how to test it properly before agreeing to buy. Don't sign up for a cheap one if you suspect the above, even if it's free, it ain't worth it.

 

Auto box issues are scary but less common. Check it works well and holds fluid. Brown ATF can be changed if no harm is done. A flashing "O/D OFF" light is common, but safely ignored.

 

Other common issues:

 

drop links

tired shocks

broken door handles

in-op a/c

dodgy mph conversions

turbo failure

noisy SADS couplings

 

None of those need be deal breakers, and there's plenty of internet support and cheap-ish parts supply out there. This place is useful and fairly active:

http://www.teoc.ws/community/forum/26-classic-estima-chat/

 

[Noel Tidybeard]

lucifers and enemas are soooo last week you need a nissan elgrand

 

 

they defo have that "vorsprung durch fuck-me look at the chrome on that" appeal

[dollywobbler]

Thanks Joe! Useful stuff. Scary reputation is scary then. Hard to know what else ticks the boxes. Citroen Synergie perhaps, but no diesel auto option there.

[egg]

Mazda Bongo?

[Lacquer Peel]

Thanks Joe! Useful stuff. Scary reputation is scary then. Hard to know what else ticks the boxes. Citroen Synergie perhaps, but no diesel auto option there.

You can get a Galaxy/Sharan/Alhambra TDI with an auto box.

[KruJoe]

... and 4x4 4-motion?

 

4WD was an absolute must when choosing mine, due to the our steep, muddy fields and tracks. About 50% of imports are. I was after a manual one, but I'd say only 5-10% are, and it just cut the choice down too much for me, they all seemed utterly buggered. I'd have preferred the beige and brown interior option, but most are grey. They come with 6, 7, or 8 seats, 6 seaters had individual captains' chairs. I wanted an 8-seater with curtains (best for camping* shennanigans), and the J-top is a bonus.

 

After 20 minutes with the pressure washer, bucket and sponge:

 

 

I wanted a spacious, useful 4WD that didn't look like a 4x4. Or a van. Bongo/Elgrand/Granvia all look like bloody mini-busses to me.

[Lacquer Peel]

... and 4x4 4-motion?

Not at 'our' end of the market, no, but DW doesn't insist on 4x4.

Is the PW part-time 4x4?

 

Yours actually looks quite smart, I retract the tinky/trashy comments.

[KruJoe]

To use the correct terminology, it is AWD, that's full time 4x4. (Which is nice.)

 

Aye, I was pleased at how well it scrubbed up yesterday, particularly the wheels, which I painted with Hammerite last year. I thought they'd be permanently stained with WVO splashes etc.

[dollywobbler]

Forgot about the GalAlhamRon diesel auto. I have driven one. I seem to recall it was not a bad old thing really. Not common though. I may revisit my diesel requirement. After all, you can get used to peaceful morning starts when you have a petrol engine for a while...

 

Bongo is out on cost grounds. No way I'd fork out that much! Especially given how often they like to pop head gaskets too.

[dollywobbler]

Could this be perfection*? One month of MOT, all seats removed and sacked off and replaced by heavy ply, shagged rear suspension (by the look of it).

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131757798381

 

It is only £299 though. WCPGW?

[Asimo]

I would be holding out for a full fat wide body Previa.

 

Just for the wipers.