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Toyota Hiace Campervan
Conversion
(Sleeping Capacity 2 persons)
Toyota Hiace (1994) Overview
If you are looking for something unusual, and I mean
unusual, then this type of Toyota Hiace campervan may be
what you are looking for. The most economical way of
buying one of these is to buy direct from the Japanese
Auctions, import it then have it professionally
converted. It may sound daunting however, there are
specialist companies out there that will do the whole
procedure for you and at quite a reasonable cost. We
bought ours via an Importer from Folkestone. We told him
what we were looking for, he contacted his scout in
Japan who sent pictures over of prospective vehicles.
The importer shows you and you decide on how much you
want to pay through the Auction. Then they try and get
it for you. The Importer arranges all the necessary
Customs paperwork and employs a shipping company to
bring it over for you. The approximate cost of shipping
from Japan for this height of vehicle is £1,000. The
importer will require payment for the vehicle before
shipping and you may have to pay the shipping in advance
as well. Scary it may be however, it will be all worth
it in the end.
When it arrived at Folkestone the Importer collected it
and we went to see it. As soon as we were happy with it
we paid him the final costs and he sorted out the
odometer conversion, special VOSA Post Import test,
undersealed, import duties and VAT.
Having got it home (it drove like a dream) from
Folkestone we soon decided that we wanted it to
converted from a Day campervan to a Night campervan. The
campervan was previously owned by a high class Pimp in
Tokyo and was a Street Cruiser, hence the low mileage.
It had no heating or cooking facilities and the bed
settee seating was side facing so no seat belts were
allowed. It only had 20,000 miles on the clock and the
bodywork was perfect as they dont use salt on the roads
in Japan so it was worth spending out to have it
properly converted.
Several quotes were obtained varying from £5,000 to over
£14,000. Our last call and visit was to Wellhouse
Leisure, Shepley, Huddersfield. As luck would have it
they were happy to do a bespoke camper on condition the
inserts were left to them as they wanted to experiment
with new lighting, units, etc. We were more than happy
with that, and even got to discuss with them the basic
design we wanted. It was also on condition it could be
done as a fill-in job with a six week window. As we were
going abroad for 5 weeks anyway it fell in just right.
We were supplied with photographs by email on the
conversion progress throughout. Right on time we went to
pick it up six weeks later. To say it was stunning was
an understatement. The quality of work was extremely
high, without a single fault. We had gone from:- Side
facing bed settee, 110 volt fridge, Shower cubicle with
Porta Potti and basic lighting to:-
Current Specification
2.8 Aspirated diesel engine, 4 speed Automatic gearbox,
Power steering, Electric windows, Category 1 Thatcham
Approved alarm. Dinette that converts to 4 foot x 6 foot
double bed, 3 burner Smev cooker/sink combination,
Webasto diesel blown air heating, 240 volt mains, 12v
sockets, Fiamma F45 wind-out awning, 17 flat screen
TV, 1 x 110amp leisure battery, 1 x 440amp inverter
power battery, 1000 watt inverter, turbo vent polar
control ceiling fan, Porta-Potti in floor level
cupboard, loads of cupboard space, Night stick-on
blinds, fully insulated and easy clean flooring.
Conversion
Conversion by
Wellhouse Leisure, Shepley, Huddersfield
Base Vehicle
Toyota Hiace. Body kit fitted in Japan in 1994 when new.
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Pros and Cons |
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Pros |
Cons |
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Good driving position & front overhang
shades the cab
Can be parked in any parking place where you
can gain additional length for overhang
Well designed for daytime camping
Roll out awning handy during inclement
weather
Good lighting and heating for night time
camping
Big back door to allow access from rear and
allow fresh air through campervan
Plenty of worktop space for preparing meals
You will never be without friends with the
design. Not a vehicle for anyone who wants
solitude. You are not going to slip in and
out of anywhere without being noticed and
paid attention to
You get a lot of campervan for your money |
Uneconomical at 22mpg overall.
Heavy at 2280kg
Underpowered struggles up steep hills
With the engine between the seats meant that
the front seats could not be used as
Captains seats.
You have to make up the bed layout at night
Limited movement when bed is down.
Porta Potti is at floor level and difficult
to use at night
When the side door is open during rain it
drips into the vehicle
You will not be left alone everyone is
curious and you often see faces peering up
against the one way windows |
The Verdict
Wow, this is the campervan to be seen in. It is Ok for
two able bodied people however, for one this is the
perfect friend/lady catcher for sure. It gives excellent
value for money as the total cost was under £14,000.
That is a lot of campervan with no rust and only 20,000
miles on the clock. It is just a pity it is so
underpowered. Had this have had a 3000cc Turbo Diesel
with 4x4, as some do, it would be an awesome machine to
be reckoned with.
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For more details on campervan conversions check out
Wellhouse Leisure at
Shepley, Huddersfield where this van was converted
Reviewed by JaG for 365 Camping Caravanning
Reviewed 2010
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