Date:         Mon, 12 Sep 2005 23:55:53 +1200
Reply-To:     Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:      Re: Japanese style vans! for info
In-Reply-To:  <BF492680.4250%camper@tactical-bus.info>
Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=us-ascii

>Cant find my link right now, but the base vehicle for the vans is a subaru
>mini(very mini) van sold in japan.  When stationed in japan years ago I
>owned one of the air cooled rear engine versions with a 550cc air cooled
>engine in the rear.  They now run on water cooled engines.  The air cooled
>vans even had the same number three cylinder problems.
>jimt

I don't know if Subaru is still making the Domingo; the youngest I
have seen is a mid80s (one lives just down the road from me; I
believe they are watercooled and doubt they are boxers, but I'd have
to look at one to be sure). Suzuki and Daihatsu certainly are making
minivans, but these have grown from 750/850 triples to
liter-or-larger fours. The recently-redesigned Suzuki Carry has grown
a nose; previously it was cabover, like most other Japanese vans. I
haven't yet seen a recent Daihatsu Hijet, but it almost certainly has
grown a nose... all of the smaller Japanese vans have, including the
Toyota Liteace (and the Townace version; dunno if it's still marketed
as Daihatsu Deltawide) and Nissan Sunny/Cherry Vanette/Largo.
Fortunately the large Japanese true vans remain cabover, probably
because they are big enough to be able to withstand impacts.

I guess the Domings must have IRS... the only true van other than the
Transporter to have IRS!

The vans in these websites (I recently came across another Japanese
van website, which had a section on these VW-styled ones) are recent
models.
--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin
New Zealand
Fossil preparator
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut

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