Illegal Alien Van Nabbed: JDM Toyota 4×4 HiAce

Paul Niedermeyer
by Paul Niedermeyer
illegal alien van nabbed jdm toyota 44 hiace

Running into this Japanese Domestic Market Toyota Hi-Ace in Eugene was about as unusual as the cold weather that week. It was a frosty December morning after an overnight low in the single digits; pretty uncommon hereabouts. Well, it did have British Columbia plates on it, so that helps explains it. But it’s right hand drive, and a long way from home.

This is a larger vehicle than the smaller Toyota vans that were sold here in the eighties and have all ended up in Eugene. A separate CC feature on old Japanese vans is overdue.

I couldn’t get a good shot, but this baby has a full transfer case and stout drivetrain that looks borrowed from an old Hi-Lux 4×4 pickup. If it had a diesel, this would really be something for a globe trotter.

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  • Shiney2 Shiney2 on Sep 08, 2010

    Here in Seattle Previas seem to be everywhere. Seriously, I see several every day. They are cheap enough and common enough I have considered buying one just as a beater/driver. A friend had one when I was in college and I remember it as a very useful and pleasant to drive vehicle. The older style toyota vans have all gone south to Eugene however - they were pretty common once but it seems like ages since I have seen one on the road.

  • Miodrag Miskov Miodrag Miskov on Feb 11, 2011

    I drove one Hi-ace 2.4 petrol (slightly detuned engine as in egg-shaped Previa) , which served as school bus during my studies in Switzerland. Rigid rear axle, leaf springs, vintage tires, but handle surprisingly well even unladen, on wet tarmac...with modicum of common sense applied by driver, of course! On dry, however....with 150kg of baggage, carefully distributed on the floor, that thing was FLYING on the road!:) at 170km/h ( 102mph) it was still accelerating (granted, tacho could have been lying slightly :) ). It was great in every way, very reliable. Any car surviving 23 drivers during a 6 months, with just regular maintenance deserves that adjective.. Fly in the ointment...during 200km round trip it burned through about 35 liters of unleaded! My student budget wished it had had LPG conversion :)

  • Bullnuke It may be awhile before these show up on US shores. The MV Fremantle Highway has just started demo/reconstruction in Rotterdam after the large fire when transporting its last shipment of electric Porsche products.
  • Fie on Fiasler Big, fast and thirsty does not equal good. True luxury is not cobbled together by the UAW.
  • Inside Looking Out I see it as gladiator races - only one survives in virtual world.
  • Crown They need to put the EcoDiesel back in the Grand Cherokee. I have a 2018 and it has been the most reliable vehicle I ever owned. 69,000 miles and only needed tires, and regular oil and fuel filter changes.
  • El scotto Y'all are overthinking this. Find some young hard-charging DA seeking the TV limelight to lock this kid up. Heck, have John Boehner come up from Cincy to help the young DA get his political career going. Better yet, have the young DA spin this as hard as he or she can; I'm the candidate for Law and Order, I defied our go-easy office and leadership to get this identified criminal locked up. Oh this could be spun more than a hyper active kid's top.Now I'd do some consulting work for Little Kings Original Cream Ale and Skyline Chili.
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