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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