Toyota earned tons of yen selling various members of LiteAce/Town of Ace van family in Japanbeginning in the early 1970s and sales of the Americanized version of the MasterAce Surf started here in model year 1984 (just in time to compete with Chrysler’s New Minivans). Because Toyota sold Hilux pickup truck EQUAL Toyota trucksit makes sense to call MasterAce Toyota Literatureand that’s what we have for today gem dump: a first-year Van LE with every possible factory option, found at Self-catering courtyard just south of Denver.
In fact, this truck was originally marketed as “Van Wagon”, but volkswagen US attorneys feel that this sounds like litigation close to name of their small truck. This is the top-end LE, listed at $10,498 (about $30,671 in 2022 dollars).
Of course, that price was before you start adding extras. This dual sunroof setup, for example, costs $800 ($2,337 today) and is only available on the Van LE.
The alloy wheels cost $345 ($1,008 today).
You get electric door locks as standard on the Van LE, but power windows cost an extra $175 ($511 in 2022).
The reality The Toyota Van Premium Wheelchair has this option: an ice maker right in front of the center console!
I had heard of this option but had never seen it in person until I found this truck. To get it, buyers of a new Toyota Van LE have to tick the box for the option of dual air conditioning, which adds a staggering $1,400 over the out-of-door price. That’s about $4,090 after inflation!
This one looks pretty shabby on the inside, and I bet it stopped working years ago. However, it is possible that some Toyota Van owners will buy it and get it working again.
Oddly enough, the original buyer of this van didn’t want an optional automatic transmission, opting for a basic five-speed manual instead.
Chrysler small truck manual transmission available in the mid-1990s, but very little so equipped. I find multiple Toyota Vans with three pedals on my trips to the scrap yard, so we can assume that many Toyota Van owners in the US were more averse to automatics than were American drivers in general in the 1980s.
Just like its successor in the US market, the PreviaVan’s engine lives underneath the front seats.
This did not rack up many miles by standard Valve. In general, they will have more than 200,000 yen (and often better than 300,000) miles on the odometer by the time they get to a place like this. In fact, this is the lowest mileage Toyota Van I’ve ever seen in an auto graveyard.
NISSAN And Mitsubishi offered similar vehicles in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. Mitsubishi versionbased delicious foods, formerly known as the Mitsubishi Van (with side windows) or Mitsubishi Wagon (cargo version). NISSAN sold Vanette here as Nissan Vanjust to confuse people, but nearly every example sold in the US has recovered and crushed due to its tendency to burn. So in a few years you can buy three different Japanese minivans with the model name “Van”.
You will find one in each car. You will see.
There’s some rust and a heavily battered bodywork, so it’s unlikely anyone would want to keep this Van on the road at 38, despite the great optional equipment. Old pickup trucks are still useful, but most 2022 US drivers won’t be able to operate one with a manual transmission. Next stop: crusher.
The ice maker and dual sunroof get some bragging in this trailer. Oh, what a feeling!
The cargo version is selling well here.
