Very well put nicolodeon. Honestly I've never been a fan of converted vehicles. But yes, our opinions serve only as opinions. The would-be van owner, after all, has a better picture of the overall situation and the final say on the matter. Be it that I may not like converted cars, i dont hate them. And as far as safety is concerned, it's the responsibility of the owner to make sure that the conversion is done well. Do this and I believe you'll get a pretty satisfactory car!
to be honest, i've long wanted a delica. pero takot ako sa work involved to make it reliable. why? i once bought a gen 2 pajero, dubai version. hindi pa converted yun, orig LHD, pero the money, time and effort i spent into making it run the way want it to run was enormous. engine troubles, suspension troubles, consumables like tires and brake pads...lahat yan pinalitan ko in the short span of time i had it, all to make sure na hindi ako ititirik in the middle of nowhere.
pero guess what, tumirik pa rin ako for a couple of times, to my extreme disappointment. and the fact that those delicas and pajeros are 10+ years old or more, there's many more things to sort out...turbo, headgaskets, hoses, radiators. u simply can't take care of all of them in one go. i used to call bullshit on people who say na 10x higher ang maintenance costs ng 2nd hand SUVs over 2nd hand compacts, but now, i know its true.
two things can happen if you decide on buying a converted, 10+ year old diesel vehicle: you either run out of money to spend on it, or you run out of patience. both happened to me, and i had to sell my pajero, no matter how much i loved driving it. ang nakinabang sa lahat ng hirap ko nun yung new owner, pero i'm quite sure marami rin ipinaayos yung tao.
the whole point is that, if you're not prepared to spend, and to spend big time, both in money and effort, then i guess a big, brutal vehicle like the delica/pajero/patrol is not for you. if you do make the choice and get a delica, expect to spend lots of time at the shop sorting little things out, because after all, you cannot take chances with your family. this was my motivation - i wanted a vehicle that can take me and my family anywhere, reliably. sadly, i never got the chance to fully enjoy the fruits of my labor, as i had to dispose of it to pay off the massive debt i incurred to keep the damn thing running.
i'm not saying that all delicas, or converted vehicles aren't reliable. gusto ko nga bumili ng kapalit ng pajero ko e...pero pag naalala ko yung mga experiences ko nun, natatakot ako, because i have to do the same things all over again.
PM me for the list of things i did to the pajero. delicas and most gen2 pajeros share the same engine, i think i can point out a few tips.