1.
The Walkaround.
Walk around the car. It can take several trips. Get an impression
first, then go for specifics. At this stage you are just looking.
First determine what van you are looking at. There are presently
3 vans on the used market. The earliest years were imported as Cargo
Vans. I call them Panel Vans, because
they had no back windows, just steel side panels. They are now rare,
especially in the 4WD version. That's the first kind and they are
obvious. If you are staring at a 4WD van with no windows, and don't
want it, email me pronto!
The second kind is the same van with windows. We'll call it a Conversion
Van, and they are quite common. The interior and window
configuration is variable depending on who installed it. It's not
necessarily bad, but since they started as Cargo Vans, it's unlikely
you'll find one with many options such as AC or electric windows.
The third kind of van is the Factory Window Van,
perhaps responsible for the Van Wagon confusion. ("What Model
are they?, What are they called?" "Just 'Van' or 'Van
Wagon'"!))Indeed, it is more of a family Wagon, with removable
seats for 7 and all possible options. The difference between #2
and #3 can fool you. The key is an indentation where the windows
are on the outside of the body. On the factory version, there's
an indent. On conversion vans, the body is smooth with windows sitting
on the surface. If you're looking at a conversion van, expect the
interior appointments to be non-Toyota. This Wagon version came
as Deluxe or LE, and there are
variations within each, depending on what a customer ordered. LE
seats are fabric upholstery, some very nice, with very fancy interior
lights and appointments. The line between Delux and LE is blurry,
though most Delux interiors were reworked at some point. Many units
exist with an LE interior but manual windows. Typical for Toyota,
quality of construction is extraordinarily high throughout the factory-installed
parts of the vehicle. Parts tend to be weak, even flimsy, if an
untrained mechanic attempts repairs.
The rarest units appear to be: Any 1989 4WD. The 1989 4WD Panel/Cargo
(not sure these were even imported). 1986 (early)4WD LE Wagon (may
have even had two tone paint). The Automatic is much more common
than the Manual transmission. Factory installed options such as
AC are variable.
a. tires (do
they match, especially important for 4WD, how are they worn?)
b. body dings
c. spots of oil on the ground underneath
d. rust
e. wierd looks: a wheel looks like it's at an angle
etc
f. missing or broken parts:
those great cornering lights are super hard to find
- are they OK?
windshield cracks, rock chips - or new?
missing or broken turn and marker lights, taillights?
missing antenna?
windshield wipers front and rear?
bumpers been bumped?
if the van is an aftermarket conversion, are the picture windows
OK?
If anything is wrong with them, there is no known source
for
replacement parts.
anything else you can spot?
g. optional items
tow hitch?
Warn hubs? or what?
Chromed wheels (stock van 4WD pattern but not painted)
Spare tire present? Condition?
anything else you see
2. Get Involved.
Act on the information you saw in the walkaround.
a. Does tread wear suggest
front end problems? (wear on edges is common problem)
b. Seek source of oil spots on ground. Is anything
obviously leaking. Look closely.
c. Wheel looks odd? Grab it and shake, looking
for looseness.
d. Missing or broken - is it in the car/available
e. twist both front hubs, check that they move
fully and reasonably easily, leave them FREE.
f. quantify any observed items, add to previous
listed issues
3. Further
involvement
a. open each door,
how well do they work, shut seal, open.
b. Open Hood, making sure to clear passenger seat
arm rest if the van has them!
check antifreeze
check oil level and condition (foamy gray oil indicates problem,
black or clear is OK or good. If foamy and gray, check inside oil
fill cap for same gray foamy deposits)
note general condition of engine, and any abnormalities. (The more
you look around here, the better. New alternator? Water pump? Belts?
or are they frayed?) If safe,
c. Start engine. (you must step on the clutch to
start a stick, make sure trani is in neutral, parking brake firmly
set.) With the engine running, hood open, do another walkaround.
Noises?
Smells?
Smoke from exhaust beyond normal steam at first? rev engine- smoke?
what color? black or blue? or excessive steam (might indicate blown
head gasket or worse.
Anything wrong, odd or not working?
d. With drivers door open, push on the clutch and
put the van in 1st gear. Again, listen for anything
abnormal. If something comes up and you don't recognize its source,
have someone else create the noise while you attempt to trace it.
Above all, be safe.
4. Vehicle Controls
Take transmission out of gear and commence testing all functions
from the drivers seat, engine running.
a. Lights, dash
light dimmer, check outside for operation
b. wipers, washer
c. heater blower
d. rear heat blower
e. brake lights, turn signals
f. dome light
g. heater controls
h. gauges, particularly fuel, pays to ask if operational
- fuel gauge goes out on vans all the time!
i. AC controls if available
j. Parking brake function, dash indication
k. Foot brake function
l. accelerator
m. Cruise- does it have it? no test yet
n. Shift Linkage- does it go into gear easily?
o. window cranks
p. door latches
r. steering wheel slop
5. Interior
Condition
Kind of like the exterior walkaround, but inside; a sitaround!
a. Seats, condition,
missing or broken (If it is a conversion it may have wierd upholstery.
I've seen some very faded junk in conversion vans.)
b. headliner, side panels, window trim
c. carpets; damage, grease, evidence of battery
acid (someplace in here, you do the best you can to assess the electrical
condition of the van. Asking the owner is one way. If lots of stuff
doesn't work, there are problems at the back of the fuse panel or
elsewhere.)
d. plastic in dash area- broken, loose, missing
6. Test
Drive
By now you know if the van is basically safe to drive.
a. customary
to leave the owner with some token that you will come back, in this
case, your own car!
b. Drive knowing that any damage you cause will
be on someone else's vehicle. I don't normally take a test drive
on the freeway, preferring empty county roads to test speed.
c. Test everything. I usually start out with a
Brake Test! Is OK?
d. Note problems
pulling to one side, wandering, steering slop
clutch problems- sticking, chattering grabbing
Shocks- bouncy and lacking control, or firm and predictable
Vibrations; how serious, when do they happen?
Engine response - anything besides great?
Transmission - hard shifting on vans can be linkage or clutch. Once
you're moving, does it go between gears OK? Any noises? Accelerate
and decelerate?
Axle/differential: hard to tell this one since the driver is so
far forward, but note anything you sense.
Now for that low range test. Pick an empty area, or better yet a
dirt lot where you can actually use 4WD. If paved, just stop (the
hubs are already out) and pull the shift back all the way into 4
Low. Don't bother with the gas, just let the clutch out slowly in
1st! Now, step on the gas, rev it up. You see what I mean. Tractor
time. Wierd that the civilized little Van has this. You may use
all 5 gears in Low range. One often starts up in 2nd or even 3rd-
it's so low geared. When going between 1st and 2nd, you are most
likely to come to a stop anyhow!
7. Final Exam
By now, you have a solid impression of the van. If it was listed
for sale, a top question is: why does the owner want to sell it?
If it has been for sale for a long time I'd expect some problems.
The question you now
ask yourself is:
a. is
it a fairly tight rig, just in need of tweaking?
b. is it a piece of junk, sure, might be possible
to bring it back from the brink of destruction, but at what cost?
I usually do another
walkaround without really thinking about it. I look for
any extra things that may have cropped up by driving it, such as
antifreeze (or any) leaks, things making noise, falling off, or
otherwise a problem.
That last walkaround usually
finalizes the impression, tells me if I want to buy or not. I'm
a cautious spender- money is hard earned and I don't like tossing
it away. Once in a while, I run across a van that is really nice,
perhaps a perfect 89 LE 4WD with less than 100K miles. OK, this
is worth a pretty penny. If it's a bargain, I'll jump on it then
and there. More often than not, I quiz the owner and make casual
arrangements to contact later on. Even if I know I want to buy.
I let the impressions sink in for a day or two before making an
offer.
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