Hi from Holland + looking for a van

So I went to take a look at a Hijet today, the one that is for sale in Rotterdam. First impression was kind of OK: car looked old and tired with some dents and rust, but nothing really worrying on first sight.

The test drive started off very positive. The car felt steady yet nippy and surprisingly comfortable to drive. I was falling in love. Luckily I had printed out the buyers guide (many thanks HighlyJetted) and had learnt the part about the cooling system by heart.

The cold cooling system check was OK, but after I had taken it for a long test drive and had had the engine running idle for about 5-10 minutes, the temp gauge was creeping up to max without the fan kicking in. Bad news.

On top of that, the heating system didn’t work (just cold air). After almost maxing out the temperature I shut off the engine and heard all kinds of alarming gurgling sounds coming from the cooling system.

So I drove back to the seller, gave him back the keys and kept my money in my pocket. The seller told me it would be an easy fix. But I knew better than that

Tomorrow I will take a look at another one. This one’s very expensive (asking price € 3.500 with 67.500 km) but the owner put some work in it and it seems to be in very good condition. Via email he told me that he knows about the cooling problems with Hijets but that his van hasn’t had this problem so far and that I’m free to test this for myself -- maybe he is one of you guys?

The thing is: without your advice I wouldn’t have had a clue and would have definitely bought the first van. So, again, many thanks. I wish I could give something back. Oh well, maybe in a few years I will be an Hijet expert. Until then I will just sponge on all of you

Dont forget that the heating does not give hot air out of the face vents only fresh air, heat only goes to feet or screen or both (I got caught out by this). Also if the temp does no rise at all, thermostat probably missing to disguise an overheat problem ( had this as well )
Other than that sounds like you have all the info at hand and read it at least.

Good choice leaving it at the seller! Only if he would give you a big discount (50%) it would be worth the hassle. Good to know for other buyers this van has got issues.

3500 is a really big number... You could almost buy two and build one out of them! What year? Pictures? Timing belt changed already? What work has he put in? It's not really relevant how much work he had if nobody wants to pay him for it.

This one?

For 67.500km with an almost flawless appearance on the bottom, I'd accept 2000. If you really can't wait, then 2500 would be the ultimate maximum. I don't think he is getting any more from someone else, so you could play a game of chicken...

I still can't post links due to n00b status but this is the van: ww3.autoscout24.nl/classified/283557899?asrc=st|as

EDIT: I offered the first guy € 500,- but of course he declined
EDIT 2: as I'm unexperienced it might be best for me to go for the safest option within my budget, that's why I feel quite good about the one I posted in this post (if I can haggle a bit off the price) -- unless y'all stop me that is.

It looks fine, but I can't see underneath it. I would not pay more than the 2500 (and I don't think somebody else would), but I can't stop you from paying 3500.

What I don't get is why he is selling it after all that work, just smells a little fishy. But if it's all true what is in the ad, then it's a risk worth taking.

Yeah I'll cross-examine him on that!

Proud to announce that I am a rightful member of the Micro Van Owners Forum now. Bought a 2000 1.3 Hijet and I'm very happy with it. I've driven about 100KM with it and so far everything's been great, apart from freezing off my legs on the highway (which I read on this forum can be easily overcome using an old sock) and the fact that the key broke in the contact, with a part of it still in the contact (already was the case when I bought it). Oh and I'm not a fan of the paint job (red/white) but will fix that later. But for the rest: great car! I will post some pics later on.

Congrat, and welcome to the club. I noticed the ad was removed so I presumed you had bought it.
I hope you've had it for a decent price.

Nope, I'm sure I paid too much, €3.150. But it was worth it to me.

Godverdomme wat een geld...

And post pictures! (Although I haven't posted pictures myself...)

As I live in Amsterdam I am on the waiting list for a parking permit (just one month) so I parked the van far away. Will take some pics later and post them here.

Heuj, gefeliciteerd!
Ideale amsterdamwagen, wat een drukke krappe stad is dat zeg.
Veel plezier,

Prijs?, ja wat de gek ervoor geeft is het tegenwoordig:P Collectables die Hijet's haha.

Heujjjj indeed Jeremiah

Fixed the draft that occured during high speed by carefully jamming a screwdriver in between the glovebox and the black plastic headlight cap - works like a charm and I'll always have a screwdriver handy

No pics yet (will come later, promise).

http://link.marktplaats.nl/m1033427617

Zie je nou dat wachten loont

haha, tja..

It's all a bit double-dutch to me...

Today I had some fun turning our van (named Jet) into a camper.

In another thread on this forum I read that the Ikea Exarby sofa bed fits in the back of a Hijet perfectly. So I bought one and installed it in the van and...



... Like a glove!

The only drawback was that the height of the bed did not leave much space for luggage and camping stuff. So we decided to use Jet's height. Bought some brass pipes at the hardware store; they were the best fit for the rubber floor protector thingies that came with the Ikea sofa bed. The result:



Not bad hey?

Finally we decided to do something about the color. Until today the van was spray dipped white & red. I didn't like the red - I prefer something more subtle / original looking. So we started to take the red off:


* No this is not me but my girlfriend (on the right) and a friend.

About three quarters done we were bored with it and in desperate need for a cold beer (this being the first warm day of the year), so right now Jet is looking a fairly scruffy white/gray/red. I don't mind the white & gray color scheme though, might leave it that way. I'll post some better pics in the appropriate forum when the reversed paint job is done.

One of the Dutchies in this forum advised me to take beginners lessons in car mechanics (who was it again?). After an extensive search I found a very nice guy who is willing to teach me (and my gf) the basics. We'll start somewhere in April or May. Looking forward to it!

That's it so far, will update you when there's news.

Oh. More news.



Also ordered today:
- New rearview mirror
- Two cushions (hope that they'll improve the comfort of the seats)
- Wood beaded seat cushion (for that vintage look and to cover the cushions)
- Blind spot mirrors

If you want to sit comfortable go for the Smart seats. Not expensive and not difficult to install.

Yeah I saw many of you guys are doing that. Don't really like the way it looks, so I'll try this first

+1 for smart car seats - they are the daddy.

cool
i like the grey and white to.. not an ugly combination in my opinion

Wood beaded seat covers in a Hi-Jet? The ones that are supposed to massage your back as you drive??
About all that happens with those is that they act as rollers and you slide forward the first dab of the brakes and smash your knees on the Dashboard. Or worse!!

Get your wallet out and buy some seats. You know it makes sense.

Haha maybe I will Woodie, maybe I will. But I guess I need to learn the hard way.