Looking at a vehicle to put road race bikes into.Hiace petrol van sounds ideal, or a tow wagon with good trailer like safari or landcruiser., Opinions on either would be good
morrisman1,
Mar 23, 1:11am
Can you get away with fitting everything into a van! That will be more economical than towing a trailer everywhere. There isnt that much room inside a safari.
LWB van would be my pick as far less hassle
mm12345,
Mar 23, 1:12am
Well, if you can fit the bikes in the back of the van, that would be good. But if you want to put the bikes on a trailer, then a safari or landcruiser would tow it ok. I have a Safari, and the only reason I have it is because it owes me nothing (have owned it for over 12 years) and I need to tow a boat which weighs about 2.5 tonnes.The safari (diesel) does the job really well.But I don't expect that a couple of race bikes on trailer, plus quite a bit of gear, would weigh much more than 1/2 of that - so perhaps a more economical tow vehicle or car may be the way to go.
nizmo692,
Mar 23, 1:16am
Yes can fit both into van with gear,but on the odd occassion will have another 2 on trailer.safari or cruiser just because its is a good tow wagon, what are the Hiace 2.4 petrols like on fuel
ema1,
Mar 23, 1:18am
Out of the elements as well.
skin1235,
Mar 23, 1:31am
no worse than a safari for fuel, and frankly they tow just as well too a pro not mentioned yet, security on road and at site etc - very handy being able to close doors, lock and go watch a couple of races without the worry that your kits gone from the trailer when you get back
would suggest that the cooling system gets a thorough going over especially if asked to pull a trailer at times , most vans have good cooling systems but they are not out in the main flow and are generally unseen - until they pack it in, they'll last for years at reduced efficiency too, and always blow at 2,37am sunday morning on the desert rd as the frost comes down or the snow drifts get deeper
nizmo692,
Mar 23, 1:36am
very annoying indeed, speaking from experience i take it !
the_don_61,
Mar 23, 2:21am
If you want a lot of go for that open road. Toyota Hiace meat wagon.They are factory 4 litre V8 Lexus. They are also wider than a normal hiace and good for taking bikes around in.
and you can pull out and pass hosv's and xr8's.
skin1235,
Mar 23, 2:59am
sleet packed shoulders and frost bitten fingers, 1/2 pissed and a freshly broken front tooth to breathe past, damn near froze my boots to the tarmac, personal experience, nah, I hope the weather wasn't just being personal, I'd like to think my night from hell experience was being shared by others too, somewhere up there there is several chunks of frozen flesh off the back of my hands, did I remind you to check the cooling system - do it in the daytime, with torches, cos they're a right prick in the dark without
nizmo692,
Mar 23, 3:17am
on a serious note, looking at a 94 hiace 2.4. cant afford a newer one just for racing. whats your opinions on the petrol vs diesel hiace
skin1235,
Mar 23, 3:25am
either, the petrol would be cheaper - with rucs and pump price of $1.60+, plus a 94 diesel is getting longer in the tooth, check the cam belt has been done .( snapped the belt in my old 86 2.4 diesel hilux recently - got away with fit a new belt and drive on - no damage to engine) and for gods sake check the cooling system - seriously a 94 cooling system may well be showing it's age by now - a recore could be immanent and much better done before it craps out and take the head with it you'll be well pleased with a 94 hi ace van for what you want to do
jenny188,
Mar 23, 4:23am
Seriously! . You can't have too much room. Put bikes onto a trailer and use the 2.4 for tools and gear. A van won't ever be comfortable but will give better fuel economy than the safari . Van then can become base and maybe even extend to workshop or Bed for the night. 2.4's will still pull140 with trailer on behind and it won't effect the handling. If you can haul a racing bike round a corner , the toyota is well within your grasp
tmenz,
Mar 23, 4:58am
I've got a '95 2.4ZL petrol Hiace - I get about 24mpgor 11.5L/100km with normal round-town running. Great vehicle - watch out for rust especially under the front and at the top of the back door and ends of gutter strips. Get a 5 door if you can - access through both sides is much more convenient.
nizmo692,
Mar 23, 3:09pm
thejazzpianoma, sure they may be a better option economy wise, but parts are not that easy to come by like the toyota. I have driven common rail diesel euro vans, sure they are nice to drive and plenty of power, but when it goes bad its to expensive to maintain.
Still looks like the good old toyota wins overall for parts reliabilty and room, even though the one i am looking at has 350km it is bloody tidy and drives well
thejazzpianoma,
Mar 23, 9:17pm
I have never had any problem at all getting parts for a Ducato, the likes of Italian Auto Centre can overnight you pretty much anything you would ever need. Their pricing is very good aswell.
As for expensive maintenance, I would put my money on the Ducato costing significantly less in maintenance than a Diesel Hiace and what you save in economy will be a significant bonus on top of that.
Buy a Toyota if you like (its your money and decision) but if that's your reason for not doing so I think its a misinformed one.
Best of luck with whatever you choose.
sr2,
Mar 23, 10:21pm
After owning a number of Hiace??
stevo2,
Mar 25, 3:13am
I can tell you a 2.8lt (2L) diesel Hiace 5 speed runs at about 10lt/100km with a payload of 700kg. A 2.5 turbo auto Common rail diesel Hiace about 9lt/100km with same payload.
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