Okay, you got me. Today’s cars were chosen strictly so I could make that dumb pun in the headline. We’re going to check out two potential 4×4 overlanding adventure rigs, for sale in the Seattle/Tacoma area, that are not Jeeps, to see which one of them could end up being the Tom Hanks to your Meg Ryan. Or something.
We were all about getting around in the snow yesterday, with a big-ass 4×4 and a little beat-up wagon, and it was a close race, with commenters on both sides making good valid cases for their choices. In the end, the big Excursion won by a small margin, but I have a feeling it’s because a lot of you would rather have it than the Focus regardless of price, condition, or situation.
As far as I’m concerned, you’re welcome to it. No way do I want to try to maneuver that monster around in a snowy parking lot. My wife’s short-wheelbase Yukon is big enough. I’ll take the rusty little Focus, and liability-only insurance, and spend a fraction of the difference on good snow tires.
If you’ve spent any time in the Pacific Northwest, you know a lot of the folks who live there tend to be outdoorsy types. I understand why; it’s a particularly beautiful part of the country. To enjoy all that nature, however, first you have to get to it, and the further down the trail you can get, the fewer other nature-lovers you have to trip over. So four-wheel-drive, lots of ground clearance, and a vehicle you can potentially sleep in are admirable traits. As you would expect, Jeeps abound, but with both Seattle and Portland being the weird-car havens that they are, plenty of adventurers turn to other brands for their overlanding needs. Today we’re going to look at a couple of alternatives to Yet Another Wrangler. And here they are.
1992 Mitsubishi Delica Star Wagon – $4,000
Engine/drivetrain: Probably a 2.4-liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, 4WD
Location: Ballard, WA
Odometer reading: 87,000 – but I don’t know if that’s miles or kilometers
Operational status: Runs and drives well, but burns some oil
America’s 25-year import rule has been a source of frustration for car enthusiasts for decades now. All those cars we can’t have aren’t necessarily better than what we have, but they’re different, and often more interesting. The American auto market tends to be pretty homogenous, and all the cool low-volume specialty vehicles, especially from Japan, are tempting choices for importing once they “come of age.” They’re even more tempting when they’re something practical like a four-wheel-drive cabover van.
The Mitsubishi Delica van, which was briefly sold here as simply the “Mitsubishi Van,” has become a special favorite of importers, though it has also been misidentified by clueless legislators as a “Kei truck.” It isn’t; if you’re unfamiliar with the Delica, it’s about the size of a first-generation Caravan, though it’s quite a bit taller due to the 4WD system. Like most Japanese vans, its engine rests between and below the front seats. Most Delicas that get imported seem to be diesels, but this one has a gasoline engine, probably a 2.4 liter 4G64, sending power to a part-time 4WD system through a five-speed manual. It runs well, but the seller says it burns quite a bit of oil. That probably means mechanical repair is needed, but sometimes it’s a problem that can be solved by an “Italian tune-up.’
I think this was originally a Delica “Star Wagon,” which is the passenger van version, but it has been converted into a camper van. The rear seats have been removed, and a folding platform with storage underneath now takes up the rear. It also has a refrigerator and a second battery for off-grid power. It’s all in pretty good shape, and it looks ready for adventure.
The seller says it has been in a minor accident, and repaired somewhat haphazardly. It’s a tiny bit wonky in the front, but still presentable. There’s also a dent in the sliding door, but the door still works fine. These flaws are unfortunate, but they also make this the cheapest Delica I’ve seen for sale so far.
1996 Nissan Pathfinder SE – $4,900
Engine/drivetrain: 3.3-liter overhead cam V6, five-speed manual, 4WD
Location: Kent, WA
Odometer reading: 161,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Now this vehicle, I know pretty well. My wife and I had a first-generation Pathfinder with a bazillion miles on it, and years later, we had an Infiniti QX4, the fancy version of this truck. Both were rock-solid reliable except for a few minor details, so I would not hesitate to recommend this one. It’s got a lot of life left in it, especially with no automatic transmission to conk out.
This is the first year for the second-generation R50 Pathfinder, which eschewed the truck-style ladder frame and adopted a unibody design, with McPherson strut front suspension – an unusual choice for a 4×4. The rear still uses a solid axle with links and coil springs. The engine is an update to Nissan’s VG series V6, displacing 3.3 liters. It’s for sale at a dealership, so the only real information we get is a long list of features and barely a word about its condition, so you’ll have to go inspect it to find out more. My experience tells me that the most likely issues are minor oil leaks and minor electrical problems.
It’s a very clean-looking vehicle, with few signs of wear inside. It does have an aftermarket stereo that appears to be missing its face; hopefully it’s in the glovebox or center console. Does anyone ever actually remove the face of those things? I can’t remember ever actually taking one off except for pressing the button accidentally, swearing, and then snapping it back on.
Outside, it’s clean and shiny, and a nice shade of blue. This is the last generation of Pathfinder that looked like a proper 4×4 SUV; after this, they got huge and crossover-y, and lost their edge. It carries its spare tire on the tailgate, the only proper place for it, as we all know, and while black fender flares have become shorthand for “poseur” in recent years, here they work.
No, neither one of these is an Instagram-worthy rig; nobody who is used to seeing six-figure Ford Transit conversions or decked-out Wranglers with rooftop tents is going to be impressed by a weird Japanese import van or an old Nissan. But as far as I’m concerned, the whole point of having a 4×4 you can take into the woods is to get as far away from those people as possible anyway. Either one of these will take you off the beaten path far enough to find some peace and quiet. All you have to do is choose a shape.
(Image credits: sellers)
The removal of the seats in the Delica make it a non-starter for me, my two teenagers, and my SO. Pathfinder would be perfect OTOH
I’m here for the weird and different. Van all day long.
Nothing against the impressively clean Pathfinder from the days when the Pathfinder was still good, but I’ve always wanted a Delica, and this one isn’t in horrible condition for the price. A bit disappointing that it’s missing the rear seats, but with the number of people out there converting these into campers, getting replacements shouldn’t be impossible.
Also, come on guys, it’s a manual 4WD JDM van.
That Nissan is the proper alternative for an overpriced thanks to the market Toyota 4Runner. Similar for the Tacoma/Frontier, both vehicles are very reliable and will do their job with no issues.
The van is more of a project car, the Nissan I could drive it back to Michigan stopping for gas and red bulls.
“Today’s cars were chosen strictly so I could make that dumb pun in the headline.”
Worth it
“Can get parts” wins again.
What’s with the hair clip on the oh shit handle on the Delica?
I might have voted for the Delica if it was stock, but you could still do better, so I voted Pathfinder.
It just means the seller has a partner that rode along!
I voted Pathfinder. I love the general idea of the Delica, but it immediately shouts at me “I’m a money sink project vehicle”, and I don’t need another one of those at the moment. Meanwhile $100 and gas will probably keep the pathfinder running for decades.
Pathfinder. If the Delica still had all the seats it would get my vote, but the camper conversion limits its usability for me. Plus the Pathfinder is one I’ve wrenches enough on I know finding parts won’t be super hard.
PNW the home of outdoorsy folks? I always have the picture of them as Outdoor in the Park as opposed to outdoors in a real woodsy area. But I’m going van for the lower price and mileage
Plenty of both types up here. You can tell who’s who by how dirty or clean their rig is lol.
I so wanted to vote for the van, but I don’t think I could handle the right hand drive in a left hand drive country. But the Pathfinder is nice, and a manual!
Certainly the manual on the wrong side would be a little bit of a learning experience, but still.
Pathfinder is nice, but i have to wonder how the front shock towers are- there was a major rust recall there that lasted a looong time.
Doesnt matter, give me a Delica-te Delica-cy to take me on a Delica-table roadtrip across the country. Maybe stop at a Delica-tessen for sandwiches.
If this spent its whole life in the greater Sea-Tac area (Kent is between Seattle and Tacoma), it should be good. Despite the rain, it isn’t really a rust-prone area outside of perhaps some surface rust mostly caused by the salty air.
I’d fake an orgasm for that Delica.
OK, so I confused that with When Harry Met Sally. But in my defense, I’ve never seen either movie.
I went with the Pathfinder because I wouldn’t be able to register the van 🙁
I’m a ham ‘n eggs kind of guy and normally I’d go for the Pathfinder, but today I’d like a taste of that JDM Delica-cy.
Delica.
I think they’re interesting vehicles, and this is the first one I’ve seen down at a price where I’d be willing to risk the JDM hassles if they come.
Tough choice today.
That Nissan, though, is rough, tuff, and rugged. And plenny o’ room for axes, picks, and maybe a wool blanket.
That Pathfinder looks great. Thank goodness it’s on the opposite side of the country so I’m not tempted. Carfax linked on the dealer’s site doesn’t show any red flags on it. Only real question mark is the timing belt.
I’ll have what she’s having. Which is the Delica.
Wrong movie.. that would be When Harry Met Sally with Billy Crystal, not Tom Hanks.
Is what I did the romcom equivalent of saying Han Solo is my favorite Star Trek captain?
The Nissan is a rock solid platform that you can modify the way you want. Great drivetrain. Price is probably negotiable. The Delica is amazing, truly, but I love the practicality of having four seats ready to go. Nissan all the way today.
I love FC Vans, especially 4WD, manual ones. As others have said, I’ve seen several Delicas 4WDs in the wild, so there is popularity here in the US…But certain states this will not be a viable option unless you trailer it between destinations. However parts would be a concern and yeah, I doubt I could import a Delica for the asking price, meaning something is wrong.
Pathfinder: VG V6 is pretty bulletproof. Can Find Parts. 5-speed?!?!
Reason > Passion again.
The Pathfinder is the more reasonable choice but 4k for a 4×4 Delica that seems mostly alright is just too tempting to pass up. Even if the surely present to be discovered gremlins get too bad, you can still probably at least break even flipping it or parting it out.
I’ve seen quite a few Delicas kitted out as campers and overlanders as I roam the West. The rather low price on this one might mean its issues are more of a problem than the description would lead one to believe. Still, it could probably be flipped as-is at a profit.
Ripping the rad 90’s interiors out of Delicas only to replace them with some hippy’s DIY camping loadout should be a crime.
Plywood “furniture” takes the value to $0, and I say this as an unabashed Mitsubishi fanboy.
I’ll take the Pathfinder.
People buy these to use as campers, not to fanboy over.
Really Mark? Do you think a substantial number of THIS crowd is going to pick anything OTHER than the weirdo 4wd stickshift JDM loaf on wheels? And it’s the cheaper one, to boot?!?
I like it, but can’t stand RHD, so went with Pathfinder which also is in arguably better mechanical condition and is likely to be more reliable in the long run.
“…can’t stand RHD”
But if an oncoming vehicle swerves across the centerline you have a slightly better chance of survival. A passenger not so much so.