UKC

Looking at getting a van and recently had a look at a 2001, 150k Toyota HiAce. It looked in generally good nic and the seller seemed legit. But I was just looking for any further wisdom from the UKC massive regarding HiAce's in general, and also in particular whether there were any common faults to look out for. One thing I noticed about this one was the Coolant warning light was on. The guy said it was likely just not topped up, but could it be a symptom of anything else? Also any experience of how the RWD performs in wintery conditions?

Many thanks,

Alex

In reply to Alex the Alex:

I've had one for about 10 years. It's got 220,000 miles now and never missed a beat. Rear wheel drive is not great in the snow. I put winter tyres on and chuck a pile of bricks in if it snows a lot.

The older ones like mine (p reg) and that 2001 I think are non turbo so not much to go wrong. They're known for being bomb proof and very popular for export. People are always trying to buy mine.

Not fast or particularly quiet but just seem to keep going.

In reply to Alex the Alex:

Be wary with the coolant thing. It may be that it's not topped up, but it must have used that coolant somewhere. I'd expect some use on an old high mileage van, but still look very carefully as it could be leaking somewhere. Run the engine, and lay down underneath and see if you can see any dripping. Check the passenger footwelll for a sweet sickly smell too as on some cars it can leak there.

In reply to Alex the Alex:

I had a car with coolant issues, turned out to be the head gasket which wasn't cheap. Get someone who knows to have a look.

In reply to Alex the Alex:
I couldn't comment on the coolant issue, it's something you need to get checked but I can confirm these are great vans. I run a 250,000 mile d4D 2.5 turbo as my work van and it's never missed a beat. It's had two MOTs in my ownership and passed both with no advisories. I even wish I'd bought the people carrier version for my wife instead of a Previa.
Mine isn't too bad in the snow, bearing in mind it's rear wheel drive. Get some weight in the back and use proper commercial tyres that have a fairly aggressive tread.
I just looked at your profile, I'm in Sheffield, if it can cope with our snow then it'll be fine in Norfolk! Unless of course you're planning to go further afield. Good luck.