Mitsubishi Express van axed after ‘zero star’ crash test, fallout with Renault

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by hayseed

Do people actually Buy Them, Though....!!

A few of the cab chassis conversions getting around as motorhome hire units.



Yes as .:4:. put it, punters never bought these things as luxury sedans, they were a work vehicle. Mine was a used $800 regoed 84 model to do a Victorian Alps circuit in Summer as a cheap camper and cart some stone later. Sold 8 years later, best bucks I ever spent. That crappy van was a money maker. Only thing I ever changed was the oil and points in it.

[.:4:.]

$800.. what a steal. Im assuming its was an anaemic carby 2L.
The 09 i had. So work bought it new. It had a safety cage fitted, parking sensors fitted, van shelves, 3 roof racks and a pipe on the roof. So decked out, 23k new.
Hauling stone though, that stuff is heavy. In the 09, With say 500kgs of work stock and tools, i put in 400kg of lead acid batteries. The van was riding on the bump stops, as the driver, i was riding the clutch. The efi 2.4, well it didnt love it, nor did the brakes, but it did the work.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

$800.. what a steal. Im assuming its was an anaemic carby 2L.
The 09 i had. So work bought it new. It had a safety cage fitted, parking sensors fitted, van shelves, 3 roof racks and a pipe on the roof. So decked out, 23k new.
Hauling stone though, that stuff is heavy. In the 09, With say 500kgs of work stock and tools, i put in 400kg of lead acid batteries. The van was riding on the bump stops, as the driver, i was riding the clutch. The efi 2.4, well it didnt love it, nor did the brakes, but it did the work.

84 had smaller engines 1.6ltr rings a bell ??, this thing was 18 years old when I bought it, off a guy days before Christmas, (best time to buy trucks IMO) did a quick and dirty camper conversion back at the caravan park in preparation for the tour of the Alps, mainly on dirt roads.
Did lots of relay trips up and down the Pacific/New England/Hume (upper Hunter Valley to Victoria) with it in conjuction with the motorhome.
I remember one time leaving Wangaratta and driving to Gunning in the morning ealry enough to get the XPT from Gunning back in the arvo so I could drive the MH to Gunning the next day then onto Sydney and Newcastle.

Later used it on site to pick field stone loading it to the window sills, by this stage didn't care if it broke but it just kept going. Finally gave it to the local wrecker because his son wanted it. Saw it a few years later running around.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

A few of the cab chassis conversions getting around as motorhome hire units.

image

Yes as .:4:. put it, punters never bought these things as luxury sedans, they were a work vehicle. Mine was a used $800 regoed 84 model to do a Victorian Alps circuit in Summer as a cheap camper and cart some stone later. Sold 8 years later, best bucks I ever spent. That crappy van was a money maker. Only thing I ever changed was the oil and points in it.

Those Renault Master camper van crapola things are a good money spinner, they chew through brake pads and rotors at a rate of knots, as well as the wear sensor being about half way up the friction material surface so the light comes on when there's like 50% pad left too.

If you look at SKU velocity Renault Master and Fiat Ducato brake components are the fastest movers in QLD and TAS because of the tourism industries they have with people hiring these camper van things.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Those Renault Master camper van crapola things are a good money spinner, they chew through brake pads and rotors at a rate of knots, as well as the wear sensor being about half way up the friction material surface so the light comes on when there's like 50% pad left too.

If you look at SKU velocity Renault Master and Fiat Ducato brake components are the fastest movers in QLD and TAS because of the tourism industries they have with people hiring these camper van things.

Usually see these things on the freeway with tourist in them doing 130km/h, once you get a motorhome upto speed you don't want to slow down.
Would never consider buying anything like the one pictured dicky front wheel drive and single wheel rear axle.

[roKWiz]

I once has dark thoughts to convert mine into something like this. Would have been fighting the wind most of the time.

[roKWiz]

I thought Franco was joking when he mentioned a facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/categ...9473385718145/

[marty351]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

I once has dark thoughts to convert mine into something like this. Would have been fighting the wind most of the time.

image

That rear view mirror is the deal breaker.

[.:4:.]

Im thinking we should turn this into an L300 appreciation thread. The people who have driven them and dont appreciate them, well, they are probably deceased at the hand of the express van.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

Im thinking we should turn this into an L300 appreciation thread. The people who have driven them and dont appreciate them, well, they are probably deceased at the hand of the express van.

L300 Survivors Club

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

L300 Survivors Club

Sounds like a good T shirt slogan.

We the survivors mastered the 4 on the tree shifting.

[CyberWasp]

Here is one way to get around a bad crash rating.
Just lift the body higher than anything you might hit.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

Here is one way to get around a bad crash rating.
Just lift the body higher than anything you might hit.

image

Bet it doesn't have the 4 speed column shift.
Watched a great YT clip of a 4X4 Mitsi L300 drivng down the famous "Black Bear Road" to Telluride. Can not believe it did it where CJ5 fail.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

This guy fixed the slow aspect of the Mitsubishi Express van - turbo L98 conversion and its his daily driver.



10L/100km - uses less fuel than the standard 2L 4 cylinder engine on the highway lol

When you want to die, but faster

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

When you want to die, but faster

Yep.
Years ago a workmate had a minor incident in an express. He rear ended a car at maybe 10kph. It wrote the van off, pushed the pedal box up scraping up his legs pretty good, ride in an ambulance good. When he came back to work i almost died of laughter when he said 'atleast the airbag didnt go off'.
One of the subbies i worked with on the odd occasion. He rear ended a garbage truck doing an estimated 50kmh in his old express. He walked away fine. He attributes that to the fact he fell asleep at the wheel so his body was limp. He replaced the express with another express. He loved them.