Daihatsu Hijet buyers guide - a little information for getting a good one

No the Suzuki is a different van from the Daihatsu/Piaggio.

But the Suzuki is a good van, unlike the DSFK.

Can I do 2 .30 hours drive on A1in1lt daihatsu hijet camper?

Why not? We do it every year up to Scotland, been up to Orkney, down to Isle of Wight, Cornwall, Norfolk etc. And mine is a 1.0, I just stick it at 55 and it goes all day virtually. If you have a 1.3 you will have no issues at all. The only limitation is the human behind the wheel!

Thanks to Highy Jetted
I will admit to be an infrequent user of the forum as i work 9-5 and weekends disappear into the mist. I always found Woody's, Raggy's & your's useful but not being a mechanic i tend to know what i need to do but not got the confidence or experience to do it.
From my experience (i have owned 2 Porters since 2011) if you want a cheap van to run and you have to rely on a garage to repair your vehicle, you rely on it to get to work don't buy a hijet/porter. Don't get me wrong i love my Porter but spares are really an issue, i am lucky i have a Mazda 2 as well and and can afford to run a Porter. last year it was off the road for 2 months because my Porter was a hybid of the Maxxi and standard Porter so had 3 attempts to get a propshaft for it. It is now off the road because i cannot get a headlight. another bit of advice don't try and get a cheap Lambda sensor - replace the front one on the manifold with a genuine part from Daihatsu and get it fitted by the garage. I paid around £180 for 3 sensors that did not work and a sensor that cost me £220 but fitted by my local garage, it failed and i couldn't get refund because the supplier hadn't fitted it. Many thanks to Daihatsu Baldock who fitted a genuine sensor also £220 - but it still works 2 years on.

bob.prior wrote:If you want a cheap van to run and you have to rely on a garage to repair your vehicle, you rely on it to get to work don't buy a hijet/porter.

I think these are wise words!

Finding parts is a time consuming hobby.

Finding someone who will work on them, and actually do a decent job is nearly impossible.

They are often bought by the naive and clueless, then turn into a costly mistake.

But they make a good toy for those who have will and ability.

Over heating, rot, LSPV, head lights, door handles, window winders, mirrors, propshaft etc etc. Always the same old things. Nearly impossible to find nowadays.

Highly Jetted’s original Buyer’s Guide post is amazing.  I recently added a posting under “Site related issues” section appreciating his and other experts’ notable assists. I even suggested “how to” links to aid their tedium of repeats.

bob.prior wrote: ..but not being a mechanic i tend to know what i need to do but not got the confidence or experience...

Me likewise. My question for Highly Jetted:  My old 2005 Daihatsu Hijet pickup is getting on; however, I did have the engine replaced 3 years back and running well now, but its Euro 3 emission is becoming increasingly restrictive. Thinking ahead DSFK seems to be the only micro 1.3 pickup around now, but having considered your criticisms I shall avoid.  The DSFK also has a longer bed than the Hijet requiring fairly major modification to seat my Romahome - another reason to avoid.  This would only leave a Piaggio Porter left-hand-drive import option with its decent Euro Emission rating.  (I do also hold many parts from a previously scrapped Hijet).

So, I’m in the strange situation of considering a LHD Porter!  However, the cab is helpfully narrow and I do intend to spend a quarter of the year on the continent.  Not sure how easy such a driving transition would be for me.  How crazy am I Doctor HighlyJetted??

Someone on here brought to my attention the forthcoming XBUS launch, have you considered one of those?
If I am correct, you can set it up to be LHD or RHD - a useful feature if you are visiting the continent. I'm keeping a keen eye on how these do, they sound too good to be true. Soon into production.

buttondup wrote:...the forthcoming XBUS launch...you can set it up to be LHD or RHD..

The XBUS slide across steering wheel from Left to Right Hand Drive use is amazing!  However, I think electric charge anxiety is an issue that will require much more future development.

Still wondering if I’m being extravagantly crazy considering a LHD Piaggio Porter to swap my Romahome onto for continental driving. Don’t see many used LHD Porters pickups for sale. How awkward is driving a narrow cab RHD Hijet on the continent?

The main thing to keep in mind is to make sure it's safe when thinking about overtaking. I've been driving my Hijet pickup in Spain for the last 12 years, I drive back every year for the M.O.T. Spain doesn't let you register a commercial RHD vehicle that's why I bring it home every year.

Hello everyone,

I ve recently looked at Porter 1.4D. At first, there wasn't any coolant in the cooling system (I found that out after the first test drive).I took it for a drive (full throttle as recommended . The temperature got up to 3/4 but the heater didn't work. Is it normal? Than I stopped and the temperature rapidly fell down to cold (within a moment). Also if I wasn't doing full throttle, the temperature was at the coldest level too (It wasn't warming up). The engine seemed fine except for the issue with no heat from heater.

I stopped and looked at the coolant level and found out that there wasn't any. So I filled it up and took it for another round. But There wasn't still coming any heat from the heater. I checked the coolant level and it didn't loose any after the drive. There wasn't coming any "head gasket smoke" from the exhaust.

Is it normal, that diesel Hijets don't have heat from heater?Can it be bad head gasket? Or something else? Or just cooling system that needs to be bled because there wasn't any coolant in it?

Thanks for your opinions
Sorry for my poor English

Interesting story but please post this on one of the other areas of the forum rather than clogging up the buyers guide thread with a new post.

Great list of tips. I already have my Piaggio (currently getting some minor TLC from my garage) but its good to have this info to refer back to be able to keep an eye out for any future issues.... I do expect there to be some at some point. haha.

On the whole, though, I'm very happy with it.

Although I'm a little nervous to start a new convo about upgrading wheels/tyres.... Eek!