Repair or Replace Vehicle

[Snake1]

Im not sure if this is the right place to post this....

I currently have a second vehicle which I use for business and when there is a need to bring the whole family. Its a Toyota Town Ace Diesel A/T import (original RHD). It works... meaning its in running condition and it even has made a trip up to Baguio recently with 2 passengers.

It does have certain quirks / issues that are a bit of an irritant:

- engine is under a seat and an amount of heat seeps thru
- window/door/ side mirror controls are on the right passenger side
- side mirrors are optimized for RHD driving
- gear shift doesnt lock up in its respective selectors
- wippers are set for RHD (so when raining a large spot on the upper left of the windscreen .. my side is left un swept)
- torque is on the weak side (270,000+ on the odometer)

Other than that the kids love it and i think I can fix those quirks for a small fortune.

However, Ill have access to a small amount of money in the next couple of months and I'm thinking that instead of having these quirks fixed, I can just get a new van without the difficulties Im experiencing.

Im looking to get a Toyota Estima/ Lucida from Cagayan (and yes Im well aware of the pros and cons of this). Of course, If I opt to just do repairs/ enhancements on the Townace, I'll still have some left over money for some house improvments and SC stuff...hehehe

So is it worth it to keep the old vehicle or invest in a new (second hand) one?

Any opinions would be most welcome.....

[Manilablock]

Kung meron kang buyer sell mo na, safety ang priority mo and based sa description mo ung wiper pwede maging cause ng poor visibility in the rain

[ParticleX]

You're still going to have the replacement vehicle (incase you decided to change) repaired for the similar quirks you're experiencing now with your Town Ace. Weigh the costs, if you'll be buying another vehicle, might as well go for the local ones, gives peace of mind and you don't have to pay to correct those minor inconviniences.

- engine is under a seat and an amount of heat seeps thru
- window/door/ side mirror controls are on the right passenger side
- side mirrors are optimized for RHD driving
- gear shift doesnt lock up in its respective selectors
- wippers are set for RHD (so when raining a large spot on the upper left of the windscreen .. my side is left un swept)
- torque is on the weak side (270,000+ on the odometer)

1. Add/replace insulation in the engine well, also probably the rubber seals starts to become useless, replace them
2. I guess there is no fix for that, unless there is a local assembly which fits
3. Replace them with local counterparts
4. No idea on this
5. Could be retrofitted I guess, many JDM vehicles I saw natransfer na
6. Have you changed filters and fluids already? Delayed ba ang pag shift, if so then you may need to have your transmission overhauled.

Guesstimate cost is 40-60k with tranny overhaul already.

[1D4LV]

kung bibili ka ng bago, pagpagawa mo ulit.... and Cagayan unit yan.... converted RHD din.
if i were you, i'll have the current unit fixed and allocate excess funds for the home repairs.

[dct]

retain na lang. ganun din yun e. same repairs lang gagawin mo sa kukunin mong unit

[Retz]

Toyota Town Ace pa? I think you should sell it na.

[weisshorn]

Benta ang luma at palitan ng mas maayos ng used vehicle but should be local model for ease of maintenance. Used car kasi yan kaya kailangan madali maka kuha ng original spares..

[Syuryuken]

Kung converted ipapalit mo para ka rin lang bumili ng bagong sakit ng ulo. Mag spacegear or starex ka na lang.

[raine]

since original yan na ganyan mahal para ma palitan mo yan, bentya mo na lang at bili ka ng orig na lh drive

[jaguarpw]

If I were you, I'd stick with the Town Ace. Unless what you're planning to buy is a brand new or a slightly used model.

Like you, my Delica Space Gear is a converted unit. During the 1st year, it was a money-draining venture, repair expenses here and there. Until almost every issue was addressed, it's now a reliable car, not perfect but reliable.

[Snake1]

*ParticleX.. yep all the other repairs are not going to be expensive.. its the ghost of possible tranny repairs that haunts me..

*1D4LV..wishfull thinking.. that I get a pristine unit.....hehehe... or maybe I could get a unit from an owner who has already adressed all the issues..

* weisshorn.. The only local units that will immedietly fit my bussiness needs and budget would be a nice tamaraw fx... which engine is almost exactly like the Town ACE but syempre better power to weight ratio... and my SC kids cringe at the thought of riding a Tamaraw FX...hehehe

*Syuruken... Spacegear would really be ideal... but its a bit over my budget

*jaguarpw.... The Delica was my first choice.. what made me decide for the townace was the lower gas consumption


I guess I got spoiled by the amenities provided byt the JDM Town ace.... I might be wishing for the benefits of both worlds.... budget vehicle but with all the creature comforts....haaay.... hard earned money so kinda hard to decide...

[ParticleX]

*ParticleX.. yep all the other repairs are not going to be expensive.. its the ghost of possible tranny repairs that haunts me..

Buying another JDM vehicle entitles to the same quirks as you're experiencing right now, depending on the condition of the vehicle you're buying. There's no "nothing to fix" vehicle, problems will crop up as soon as you drive it more. Have your tranny checked first, maybe it just needs ATF flushing, but be ready to shell out for overhaul just in case.

[mateomarco]

=I guess I got spoiled by the amenities provided byt the JDM Town ace.... I might be wishing for the benefits of both worlds.... budget vehicle but with all the creature comforts....haaay.... hard earned money so kinda hard to decide...

Actually sir i agree with you...i have friends who have JDM cars and they tend to replace it with JDM cars again after maluma sa kanila...Sabi nila, iba daw talaga ang amenities na inoofer ng JDM cars as compared to local counterparts...everytime they ride a local car or a local counterpart of their ride, feel na feel daw nila ang downgrade...its really a matter of safety/piece of mind over riding feel/comfort.

[dr. d]

sell it now, while it may still bring a better price. buying a used grey import might just turn out to be deja vu..
get a used, local vehicle whose engine is in front of the driver. HINDI KA MAGSISISI!
while the local vehicle may also need various repairs, you might be happily surprised at the ease of repair of locals, compared to importeds.

[GTi]

Im not sure if this is the right place to post this....

I currently have a second vehicle which I use for business and when there is a need to bring the whole family. Its a Toyota Town Ace Diesel A/T import (original RHD). It works... meaning its in running condition and it even has made a trip up to Baguio recently with 2 passengers.

It does have certain quirks / issues that are a bit of an irritant:

- engine is under a seat and an amount of heat seeps thru
- window/door/ side mirror controls are on the right passenger side
- side mirrors are optimized for RHD driving
- gear shift doesnt lock up in its respective selectors
- wippers are set for RHD (so when raining a large spot on the upper left of the windscreen .. my side is left un swept)
- torque is on the weak side (270,000+ on the odometer)

Other than that the kids love it and i think I can fix those quirks for a small fortune.

However, Ill have access to a small amount of money in the next couple of months and I'm thinking that instead of having these quirks fixed, I can just get a new van without the difficulties Im experiencing.

Im looking to get a Toyota Estima/ Lucida from Cagayan (and yes Im well aware of the pros and cons of this). Of course, If I opt to just do repairs/ enhancements on the Townace, I'll still have some left over money for some house improvments and SC stuff...hehehe

So is it worth it to keep the old vehicle or invest in a new (second hand) one?

Any opinions would be most welcome.....

This means very little money was spent in the conversion process and so only the essentials (steering and dashboard) were done. You can always have the controls, wipers and mirrors replaced or simply moved. A quick look at the mirrors tell me that those from the Revo will fit.

Have you been changing your filters and fluids on time, including differential and ATF (most often neglected by many owners)? For the heat, I'd suggest you invest in a generous layer of heat insulation beneath the seats.
In the end dapat ganon ang maratingan mo. Toyota Townace MT - 04 | Cars for sale Makati | AyosDito.ph

The Townace uses the 2C-T engine if I'm not mistaken. The Tamaraw FX diesel uses the normally aspirated 2C. Which means significantly less power and notoriety for cracked cylinder heads.

If you find the car already undesirable, I suggest you get a Korean surplus. No need to spend on conversion. Or, if you really want Japan surplus, get a Delica. You get much more punch and excellent off road capabilities. Price is at 100+k so not very far apart. If you want better fuel efficiency, get the manual.

[Snake1]

This means very little money was spent in the conversion process and so only the essentials (steering and dashboard) were done. You can always have the controls, wipers and mirrors replaced or simply moved. A quick look at the mirrors tell me that those from the Revo will fit.

Have you been changing your filters and fluids on time, including differential and ATF (most often neglected by many owners)? For the heat, I'd suggest you invest in a generous layer of heat insulation beneath the seats.
In the end dapat ganon ang maratingan mo. Toyota Townace MT - 04 | Cars for sale Makati | AyosDito.ph

The Townace uses the 2C-T engine if I'm not mistaken. The Tamaraw FX diesel uses the normally aspirated 2C. Which means significantly less power and notoriety for cracked cylinder heads.

If you find the car already undesirable, I suggest you get a Korean surplus. No need to spend on conversion. Or, if you really want Japan surplus, get a Delica. You get much more punch and excellent off road capabilities. Price is at 100+k so not very far apart. If you want better fuel efficiency, get the manual.

Very insightful comments and suggestions...

Im actually the second owner of the vehicle here in the Philippines so I had no control over the conversion process...

- I can live with the side mirrors already since I've put fisheye mirrors, the wipers... well its a nuissance when it rains....I guess in hindsight.. since it was my first JDm vehicle I should have paid more attention to those details

- I agree re the insulation under the seat and the area over the engine.. Im about to purchase enough insullation materal to put up a gazebo...hehehe...

- thanks for the link of the townace at ayos dito.. Its a nice model... heck if I had the cash available now.. Id purchase it in a heartbeat..hehehe... thats how much I enjoy the Town ace....If it wer not for the quirks I mentioned.. It is fun to drive and likeI said the kids love it...

- Yes, fluids are chnged ragularly (every 6 months) the most recent one was last december.... the engine is a normaly aspirated 2c engine.. so perhaps the torque is really a little on the weak side.. considering i baby it and rarely go over 2.2k RPM

- I've mentioned that the Delica was my first choice... but reconsidered when I compared its fuel consumtion and maintenance cost.. having said theat... I still drool when I see a nice clean Delica go by....

[GTi]

Very insightful comments and suggestions...

Im actually the second owner of the vehicle here in the Philippines so I had no control over the conversion process...

- I can live with the side mirrors already since I've put fisheye mirrors, the wipers... well its a nuissance when it rains....I guess in hindsight.. since it was my first JDm vehicle I should have paid more attention to those details

- I agree re the insulation under the seat and the area over the engine.. Im about to purchase enough insullation materal to put up a gazebo...hehehe...

- thanks for the link of the townace at ayos dito.. Its a nice model... heck if I had the cash available now.. Id purchase it in a heartbeat..hehehe... thats how much I enjoy the Town ace....If it wer not for the quirks I mentioned.. It is fun to drive and likeI said the kids love it...

- Yes, fluids are chnged ragularly (every 6 months) the most recent one was last december.... the engine is a normaly aspirated 2c engine.. so perhaps the torque is really a little on the weak side.. considering i baby it and rarely go over 2.2k RPM

- I've mentioned that the Delica was my first choice... but reconsidered when I compared its fuel consumtion and maintenance cost.. having said theat... I still drool when I see a nice clean Delica go by....

There are actually many nice-looking and cheap Townace's in Sulit and Ayosdito. If you are experiencing trouble with your unit, and you really like this car, you might as well go trade up before your car gets any worse.

Are you sure yours is a normally aspirated 2C, and with a matic tranny at that? All Townace's I've encountered so far are turbocharged, many of them 4x4 as well. Maybe you were experiencing lack of torque because the turbo hasn't kicked in yet? They usually do at around 2500rpm.

I'm curious, what gas mileage do you get? So much so that you would consider the Delica to have a voracious appetite?

[Snake1]

There are actually many nice-looking and cheap Townace's in Sulit and Ayosdito. If you are experiencing trouble with your unit, and you really like this car, you might as well go trade up before your car gets any worse.

Are you sure yours is a normally aspirated 2C, and with a matic tranny at that? All Townace's I've encountered so far are turbocharged, many of them 4x4 as well. Maybe you were experiencing lack of torque because the turbo hasn't kicked in yet? They usually do at around 2500rpm.

I'm curious, what gas mileage do you get? So much so that you would consider the Delica to have a voracious appetite?

Per the research Ive done.. mine is a normaly aspirated one.... either that or I just dont know what the turbo looks like..hehehe.. Ive never gone up to 2500 RPM.....

I usually get 12kms/liter city driving w/ 4 adults and some and bagage. for mixed highway/ city e.g. trip to baguio i averaged about 13KMS/liter... but then I drive w/ a very light foot... Factor also the higher cost of tires for the delica and more fluids during oil changes....

[GTi]

Per the research Ive done.. mine is a normaly aspirated one.... either that or I just dont know what the turbo looks like..hehehe.. Ive never gone up to 2500 RPM.....

I usually get 12kms/liter city driving w/ 4 adults and some and bagage. for mixed highway/ city e.g. trip to baguio i averaged about 13KMS/liter... but then I drive w/ a very light foot... Factor also the higher cost of tires for the delica and more fluids during oil changes....

You haven't gone up to 2500rpm? I would never have been able to practice such restraint! If you look at the engine, there would normally be the word "turbo" on the cam cover. Or the plate bearing the engine/model/chassis numbers would write "2C-Txxxxx" for the turbo and "2C-xxxxx" for the n/a.

We have a Revo 2.4L diesel. I get around 7-8km/L in short city trips and 8-10km/L in longer city trips. The one time I personally took this car out of town, to Subic to be exact. I got an average of 9.4km/L with the rpm constantly at above 3000rpm the whole way and almost constantly above 4000rpm during the whole SCTEX stretch. We usually bring the faster cars for out of town trips, so it was flogged for all it was worth.

WIth old school diesels, maintenance cost is at the back of your mind! 6L ang motor oil na nilalagay sa 4D56 turbo if I remember right add that to oil filters and that would be around 2000 pesos per maintenance session, once every six months. With normal usage, tires should last you five years at the very least, so its not a very big deal. Where are you from, by the way? What "city" do you mean by city driving?

[Snake1]

*GTi

hhehehe.. perhaps 'restraint' is my middle name.. or too much of it anyway....

City driving is Mandaluyong/ Makati/Quezon City. kasma na traffic dun.. but I accelerate gently. During my 2 day stay in Baguio (coming from mandaluyony) with trips to trinidad valley .. total fuel cost was only P1,600. Im afraid magugulat ako sa FC if I switch to a 2.5 or 2.8 diesel. which is why it seemed and Estima (at 2.2) seeamed an acceptable upgrade.....