It has been a busy couple of weeks here at the shop what with getting new inventory at the shop and then selling like crazy.  I wanted to talk today about the little micro vans we have in the shop.  Using basically the same platform and engine (660cc) as the little trucks, these micro vans are really useful little vehicles and, with their covered cargo area, really nice for the Pacific Northwest during the rainy months.  We have two which we would consider more the cargo type of van and two which are thought of as family vans in Japan.  One of the cargo vans is a 1991 rear wheel drive Honda Acty.  This one is equipped with double sliding rear doors (as all micro vans have), four-speed transmission and a/c.  I consider this more of a “cargo” van since it has the vinyl interior and rubber floor mats so hauling things around is not that big of a deal since you won’t have to worry about getting things dirty. This is a really nice little van priced at $5250 and I would encourage you to look at the inventory page to see pics and further descriptions.

Another cargo van is a 1991 four-wheel drive Mitsubishi Super DX.  This little four-speed van runs great, but needs a little cosmetic love (primarily new seat covers).  Priced at only $3750 this is a real value for someone looking for a good utility vehicle or daily commuter.

Both the Honda and this Mitsubishi are not recommended for highway driving.  Having just four-speeds, they are both much more suited to in-town driving as they will happily cruise around all day at 40-45 mph all day long.  They are okay for short hop on and hop off of the freeway, but longer rides really put a strain on the engine due to not having the extra gear.  If you want something that is highway capable then we have the following.

1991 Daihatsu Atrai.  This micro van is a five-speed rear-wheel drive van with cloth interior, full carpeting and a/c.  Like all micro vans the two rear doors slide open and have roll down windows.  The nice thing about the Daihatsu is that it has a bigger front cabin area so taller people have no issues getting in and out.  Plenty of cargo space with the rear hatch and the rear seat being able to fold down for a flat service. With its five speed transmission it has no trouble going down the freeway and many people have bought these small vans as camper vans.

The other is a 1991 Mitsubishi Bravo.  I have driven this one quite a bit and really love it.  It is a very nice driving little van and, like the Daihatsu it has cloth interior, carpeting and a/c.  It is also equipped with curtains so privacy when camping is not an issue.  Mitsubishi’s tend to have smaller front cabins, but the seats on the micro vans (unlike the trucks) do have the ability to go further back.

Both the Daihatsu and this Mitsubishi are priced at $5250.  Although these two vans are considered “family” vans in Japan, a word of caution.  Rear seat belts were not required in Kei vans until the mid-90s so if you have small children we would really not recommend taking them in the back seat as there isn’t a way of safely securing them.

I hope you’ll all check out the listings for these little vans.  I personally think they are a lot of fun, but also quite useful.  In fact, every time I get in one I think to myself “Hmm, making I should get a van.”  With four cars already I really don’t need to go in that direction!

Hope everyone has had a great week!

Keith