We have a special request today. Taylor C., one of JNC‘s long-time readers and repeat QotW champion, is on the hunt for a Toyota Hiace van. Unfortunately, what he wants is, in his words, “a unicorn”. He’s about to settle for a van that’s already sitting on the lot of a US-based importer, but before he flies cross country to buy it, we’re going to do him a solid and see if anyone out there can find him his ultimate van.
First, let’s get the requirements out of the way. Taylor is looking for a Toyota Hiace that meets the following conditions and has a budget of around $17,000.
- 1996+ post-facelift
- RWD
- 1KZ-TE turbodiesel engine
- 5-speed manual
- no camper mods
- under 120k miles
- maintenance complete, no rust
Apparently, this spec is pretty rare, especially in stick. When he began his search, Taylor wanted a triple moonroofs as well, but after doing more research he found that 1994 was the only year moonroof-equipped Hiaces were available with a manual. In later years they were paired with automatics only. As such, he is now on the hunt for a post-1996 facelift van without moonroofs.
But as the owner of a Miata, Prelude, a manual Mazda 6 and other sporty cars, why a Hiace? We’ll let Taylor explain in his own words.
“I had a Grand Voyager back in high school, and then a Nissan Quest in college, so there was going to be some van in my blood. Initially, I was looking to at the fifth-generation Hiaces after seeing them on vacation in 2010. I really liked the mid-engined turbo diesel packaging, the dashboard-mounted stick shift, and the fact that people were putting TE37s on and lowering them. However, with the fifth-gen illegal stateside until 2029, I realized it was a pipe dream.”
“Some years down the line I came across a fourth-generation Hiace while perusing Craigslist, and that conjured up all the desires again. This time, though, I realized the dream was actually attainable. I started seeing the models with the moonroofs, the swiveling seats, and the renowned 1KZ-TE engine. A modern-day Sienna hybrid can spank the Hiace in every single respect: acceleration, ride, fuel economy, safety, handling, utility, number of USB ports, cupholders, and so on. On the other hand, American-market minivans have become so large nowadays, to the point that I felt like I was driving a barge during a recent road trip. Plus, there’s a reason I’m on JNC.”
So, if anyone knows of a van that meets Taylor’s requirements, please let us know in the comments. As anyone who has spent time chasing a very specific dream car knows, it can be a time-consuming and nerve-wracking experience. Here’s hoping that we can find Taylor his holy grail.
Hey Taylor, have you contacted Duncan Imports? He should be able to find you one.
I have looked around Duncan, unfortunately they don’t have any. I am also slightly wary that, as the largest importer around, their selection of vehicles might have lower quality. They don’t specialize specifically on any one car, so you don’t really know much about the its history.
I like the a lot of the “other” countries’ models that we never got. But, RHD turns me off.
I would look into getting a firewall and dash out of a LHD and mating it to a non-US spec.
Now that would be a Unicorn.
Hey Taylor,
Have you tried Japanese Classics in Virginia? They currently have two in stock.
Yes, i had recently checked, although they are 4WD and automatic. Thanks for looking though!
Hi, there are some hiace vans in india. Most of them are in condition.
Folks, thanks for the insight. I had been looking at a van over at Javan Imports, but sadly i was not quick enough to reserve it. I flew over to Seattle and drove down to their Portland, OR dealership to check it out. I only wanted to put a reservation down after seeing it in person.
As such, Javan is in the process of checking their auction list daily for something that meets my criteria, but man, what a long process this has been so far.
I will also be spending some time down in VA in the next few months, so I guess I could start seeing what importers exist in that area.