Doubling up on zuuk

[MikeT 744]

18 hours ago, Leadwing said:

 

The Super Oscars were huge ... like the ones in the photo.  What you may have had were Oscar Pluses.  (I have them on my 44 year old Honda Gold Wing)  The Oscar + lights have a little red plus sign on the lens.

No, I have Oscars now, used to have Oscar+ in the old days.  The lights on Keith's truck are something else.

[MikeT 744]

BC is one of the places it rarely makes sense to buy most used cars, especially Japanese ones.  I've seen people trying to sell 2 year old Corrollas for the same as brand new 

[Leadwing 565]

1 hour ago, MikeT said:

No, I have Oscars now, used to have Oscar+ in the old days.  The lights on Keith's truck are something else.

 

I don't doubt that.  In my first post about the lights, I mentioned that they "looked like" Super Oscars.  Huge and a very deep shell.  No big deal though.  They were great.

 

[smartzuuk 167]

Here's an example of a TWO wheel drive Tracker in plain jane trim with a SOFT top only, and albeit low kms/clean, they still want $7500

That is a $4000 truck in my world due to the 2WD 

And I know some will say that is still too much!

 

 

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/bnc/cto/d/burnaby-92-geo-tracker-collector/7013042515.html
 

Back to Mitsu

 

I could take the risk and import a Japanese vehicle myself and handle the clearance/conversion/inspection and for that Pajero i/o / Shogun Pinin I might have been able to get that cost to as low as $5500-$6000 CAD on the road provided there's no surprises/mechanical issues upon arrival.

 

Roughly assuming $2500 CAD bought in Japan with any fees there

$800 Ro/Ro freight to New West

$450 clearance/cleanliness inspection

6% duty

$100 AC tax

5% GST

$1300 compliance/DRL etc....

$150 BC Inspection

7% BC Tax

 

Could luck out and do better in Japan on auction, and if I felt like it, could get the mechanical/DRL done for less (DIY some of it)… maybe get that vehicle on the road for as little as $5000 - but assume all the risk

 

There are a few importers selling unregistered/still needing inspection vehicles for around as low as $4000-4500 range - and I am assuming they are getting a great rate on containers and bringing 4 at a time, thus spreading the cost around....

 

Now, about bringing over those three roadsters..... LHD from Europe, that is going to be my next challenge!! in a 40 foot container, but that means assembling three roadsters in one port city..... and there's costs to doing that..... so.....

 

 

[MikeT 744]

The problem is that the transport, taxes and conversion costs don't fundamentally add value to the vehicle...but then willingness to pay is also a factor with low volume imports.  If I ever get an RCZ in Japan, it will be LHD and I would still be paying over the odds for one.  I probably won't, being so deeply into the 404C (which is very costly to restore!).

[smartzuuk 167]

Absolutely, the vehicle didn't become more valuable just by carting it across the Pacific and putting a silly DRL module on it...!

 

For this purchase, it was a choice based on:

1) I cannot get my hands on a clean low km (say about 150,000) Suzuki with low range and manual transmission without spending at least $6000+ (And if I get lucky, I will buy one when it appears)

2) Here's an even cleaner and lower km vehicle for about the same dollars.... with a built in novelty factor

 

The following mini-Pajero clearly is NOT a great deal for anyone, except the dealer...

https://nanaimo.craigslist.org/ctd/d/2001-mitsubishi-pajero-minijdm-km/7007105380.html

1) 660 cc

2) relatively very high kms for a JDM (150,000+)

3) NOT even passed inspection or registerable in BC!!! That will take a minimum if you are LUCKY, $1200 likely...… but more likely it'll be more!

 

 

This vehicle probably sold at auction for a few hundred US dollars and landed here for not much more than $1500 CAD out of pocket with transport/clearance etc....

With half the kms I would suggest it's $4000 plus tax already inspected and registerable - the place I was at has one for about that much

 

Back to Willy's previous comment - I have about zero interest myself in the under-powered 660 cc turbo machines, unless the kms and price are such that it could strictly be a toy for the back roads that don't involve anything resembling a highway required to get there

 

I would just as soon get LHD from Europe, but they are a bit more beat up and higher kms and the cost to get to BC is significantly more

[smartzuuk 167]

And Mike - the RCZ is very cool! I did a quick look, and interestingly there is about equal qty of LHD and RHD on the Japanese auctions sites! (You knew this of course....)

Just have to wait 5 more years roughly!

Shoot me if I ever end up in a bird-watcher ok! lol

[Willys 747]

1 hour ago, smartzuuk said:

Back to Willy's previous comment - I have about zero interest myself in the under-powered 660 cc turbo machines, unless the kms and price are such that it could strictly be a toy for the back roads that don't involve anything resembling a highway required to get there

I agree 100%, they are selling here near Lake Simcoe as side by side ATV's for half the cost of a new ATV.  For trips out  onto the lake ice fishing...imho.    Like i said IF they could do easily 100kms/hr I would concider one, but it's screaming at 90km/hr  so no way!  It's all basically secondary roads around me but they still travel 100 everythere so it must keep up.  I like wierd vehicles especially smaller ones so it would fit the bill nicely.

 

[MikeT 744]

The (Kei) Pixis Joy we drove in Nagano last year was fun, even 4 up with its 660 cc it would go 130, and the turbo is better.

[smartzuuk 167]

For those that were interested, those larger lights on the front say they are 'Rallye 2000'

 

In the meantime, we've parted ways with our longest held vehicle, a 2011 Subaru Legacy sedan with the 2.5 naturally aspirated engine and the CVT transmission. Not anything wrong with it, just time for a change. Wife is now driving the Volvo C30.

 

Once the 2006 Grand Vitara is gone, then we'll be down to just the IO and the C30

[smartzuuk 167]

And now, down to just the Volvo C30 and the RHD Mitsubishi Pajero i/o (aka Shogun Pinin)

 

With nothing even being looked for!!  

[Willys 747]

So you need a 2005 Smart now...lol

 

[MikeT 744]

True.  Now, where is that Mitsu forum....?  

[smartzuuk 167]

There's a laf dozen of these around the Lower Mainland, but I have yet to see one in person other than mine.

 

As an aside, I am considering a Skyline V35 - the boring one sold here as an Infiniti G35... but the one I am interested in has just 45,000 kms and the price is extremely enticing.....

[smartzuuk 167]

And the 2004 Nissan Skyline 300GT with a 5 speed auto came home on Sunday, and my Pajero went out the door to new owners Monday! (They left a deposit Sunday while I was testing the Skyline for over an hour)

 

The price I ended up getting on the Skyline was a no brainer.... I will proactively get the rad changed out ASAP as it is unknown if it has been changed, and some of these developed issues with the AT cooler built in....

44,500 kms when I took it home. It's the 3.0 V6 instead of the 3.5 version in the G35... only 4 horsepower less, runs on regular, and at 256 HP, it's apparently still capable of 8.5 L/100, but that remains to be seen.

 

 

We're still "only" a two car family - 2008 Volvo C30 is the other. Will be on the prowl for another RHD any time.... And still interested in a smart 451 cabrio… I don't mind the 451, and the Mitsu engine is just fine IMO. I think the oil change interval was a bit long though at 15,000 kms, so I want as low kms as I can reasonably get.

[smartzuuk 167]

 

Should be picking up a 2020 VW eGolf tomorrow at Cowell in Richmond. Managed to find a base trim with leatherette and a ScrapIt allocation... so yes, $14,000 off in a sense.... $5000 Federal, $3000 BC and $6000 ScrapIt….

 

Believe it or not, we're scrapping the Volvo C30 which is a shame sort of, but at 185,000 kms, we've deferred as much maintenance as one can reasonably do, and it would take at least $2,000 and counting to get it up to snuff.... Cynthia added a love tap, and I'm not even counting that, as it's minor enough no one would bother on a car that would sell quick on CL at just $2500 (only paid $3000)...

 

Sufficient range in the eGolf for all our local great Vancouver, NW WA and Fraser Valley needs.... we'll see how that trip to Kelowna works with a stop in Merritt each way to top up sometime!  

 

Skyline 300GT will start to see a bit less use now, as we will share the Golf as often as possible.

 

A 451 cabrio could still happen at some point as a bonus car, or more likely, a smaller fuel efficient 4x4 like, well, a Suzuki, but they are getting hard to find now.