Toyota Hiace Commuter... good/bad points please.

[Chuck]

No, it's not for us...

The eldest grandson in Brisbane area is seriously considering buying one of these commuter (bus) versions, remove the seats & convert to his style of a camper vehicle to do some traveling around Oz.

His requirements are:

Cost limited to $23-25K
Must be the hi roof/commuter types.
Prefers manual gearbox.
Petrol motor.
Preferably no older than 2008.
In the Bris area for ease of checking.
Lower Klms the better.

Good or negative points?

Not in a hurry but would like to be mobile within 6 months.

Any help or info from our knowledgeable members would be greatly appreciated.

[T1 Terry]

If he can live with the cost of petrol and the fact it can accelerate up a hill, the engine part is fine (just waiting for the old tech diesel lovers to bit here )
With the high roof the ability to stand up is addressed, the Toyota brand means you can buy parts almost anywhere and there will be someone who knows how to fix it even in the outback regions.

Do the due diligence, that there is no monies owing or caveats on the vehicle and the person selling it is the actual owner ..... and the vehicle really exists, another one that can catch out the unwary, look for the actual vin and engine number yourself and make sure they match the rego papers, then do the REVS check in all states, not just Qld and try to find an ownership history to verify the reading on the speedo adds up .... then do the same checks before handing over the actual money and taking possession, this is the favourite scam for selling a stolen or encumbered vehicle, switch between the viewing and the sale ......
Naturally, get a mechanical and body inspection, up to you whether you use the state based motoring authority or a favourite mechanic and panel beater.
If all that adds up, go for it, a good choice as a base to build a motorhome

T1 Terry

[jon_d]

Just look for rust (new, old and repaired) where the roof joins the walls.

[supersparky]

Chuck, that is an excellent choice of vehicle for a Campervan I think. The high roof models of the recently superseded version are 200mm wider than the standard LWB one. We used them back in my old council days. Unless he is pretty short he won't be able to stand up in it, but that shouldn't make much difference. Tell him to be careful if he is screwing down anything through the floor though, the fuel tank sits hard up against it on the passenger side. It's really easy to put a tek screw into the top of the tank. He should be able to pick up an ex govt one at the auctions for a reasonable price.

[Chuck]

Thanks gentleman, the info was sent to the grandson & he was very pleased with your thoughts.