Forum:
Hi all, I have just purchased a little '97 993cc Hijet, firstly to assist with a house move and then hopefully to keep for camping etc. It's a little rough round the edges but I'll tidy it up a bit, it was bought for the princely sum of £500 so I wasn't expecting too much on the looks front! Here is a picture of it at the moment, and then after a bit of Photoshopping how I'd like to have it after a tidy up-
I must say I am impressed with how well it goes, I drove it 60 miles home up the motorway and A-roads and it was comfortable keeping with the traffic, I even overtook a couple of cars on the single carriageway which I didnt expect to be doing!
New HIjet owner
Camping in a HIjet?
Hmmm, advice would be to fit a tow bar and full electrics, then find/build your own teardrop caravan.
http://www.thebedbug.co.uk/
http://littleguy.co.uk/
http://www.tinytears.cc/
These will probably be more spacious than the van but easier to deal with on site etc plus you do not loose your pitch if you take the van off site...and they are more civilised than being under canvas, just.
If you fit side windows to the van make sure they open as small vans get rather too warm for comfort and if there is money in the budget a glass sunroof is worth considering. Mount it towards the rear of the van, the bonus of this is it allows you to carry loads longer than the standard internal length and in a slightly more controlled manner than driving with the tailgate open; which is NEVER a good idea.
Although the glass panel sunroof is a double edged sword and may make sleeping in the van less than ideal as the interior may be too bright once the "Big White disk in sky" gets its mid summer act together.
Just be aware how vulnerable your legs are as there is not too much protection in the front of a MIcro so it sometimes pays to be a slightly more restrained than jung-ho when contemplating passing slower traffic other than on a dual carriageway. I'm not sure if anyone still makes a bull-bar but it is worth considering one as they do keep other road users at a distance.
Plus there is also the possibility of fitting a front push/tow bar to help the impact resistance of the minimal tin between your knees and the outside world. Whilst not the best handling of vehicles most Micro's will respond to spirited driving IF the driver makes full use of the minimal width of the vehicle and maximum width of his carriageway
Just be aware that if you do over-cook an approach you will be visiting the scenery at high speed and possibly in several different directions at the same time! Sudden heavy braking can and will get the back wheels off the ground.
From my experience of Micro's the Hijet and Rascal sit fairly firmly on the road, the sporty Micro is the Subaru Sumo 4x4 1200 and the most worrying and least "stuck down" is the Suzuki Cary.
The Extol, I'm afraid is bl**dy hopeless if you do not have a left leg that unscrews after you have finished changing gear. I took a 30 mile test drive and had a miserable time in one, but as I am nearly 6' tall rather than 5'3" I suppose I only have myself to blame for being to much of a quart in a pint pot.
HIJET
I'd agree with your comments and have had both a 1.3i Hijet and a 1200 Sumo 4WD. Of them both I preferred the Sumo because of the rear weight and the 4WD. Both were rapid but the rear engined and 4wd Sumo was more stable. I understand that new legislation will see the demise of forward control vehicles in favour of items like the EXTOL.
The Micro vans are great fun and really good vans as long as you respect their limitations. As for camping well at least the Hijet has a flat load bed whereas the Sumo had a stepped load bed to accomodate the rear engine. I do often wonder how people deal with the confines of the bambino camper vans, the heat of cooking, sleeping etc all within the confines of a match box.
Every one to their own
OLDMINIMAN
M J Young
FC Micro-vans
Perodua purveyors of motors to the near destitute like myself.
Have taken the rights to manufacture and are importing the Hi-jet in most forms to the UK, there appears to be a stall on the "frontal impact" legislation so they are taking a chance to sell a few more via their very limited dealership network.
There is a reworked MPV which is even taller, I feel potential owners may find that it won't access some multi-storey car-parks, than the previous vans and has deeper glass for a better view out...personally I would rather see the Russa imported as it is just that little bit larger all-round being based on the old Lite-Ace often seen in MPV form.
IIRC the majority of current Japanese micros have the stepped floor design to allow the rear bench seat to fold into the space and give a flat load floor of around 6', said bendy bench looks to be of the "I think I will walk" comfort level than something you'd want to perch on for a few hours.
The original Hi-Jet had the mid-seats based on the cab recliners and are better than the rear bench by several avenues of domiciles. Sleeping in a micro is something I would avoid. As a pic-nicker it has more potential, the addition of a small table and perhaps a tiny sink and store cupboard would cover visits to Heritage sites, exhibitions and the beach.
I have enquired about adding a tag axle and chassis extention to a rascal/hijet pick-up to allow 60cm cab extension and still have the standard pick-up bed but the need to lift the floor to access the rear of the engine and gearbox put the project on hold.
Whilst on the subject of Vans the original MOVE would be easy-ish to convert into a Mini-van. Fitting a Dog guard behind the front seats and mounting it to the redundant seat hinge plates and upper grab handle fixings would realise a round 1cuM of load area and enough cab space to carry the odd tool case and thermos.
In Exeter there is a very YELLOW pick-up/breakdown tender so clearly others have had similar thoughts to me on the reuse of a MOVE as a basically sound but silly sized commercial.
I've seen some DIY "camper"
I've seen some DIY "camper" with a double mattress in the back on a raised platform, it just fits. Under the platform was a toilet, cooker, water tanks etc and other storage. This would also be removable easily enough to convert back to a van/bus etc.
????? I can't see any
?????
I can't see any mention of a Hi-Jet-u-Like on Perodua's UK website...
I think you are getting confused with Italy's Piaggio, who actually assembled all Hi-Jets for the european markets. This is the reason we get lumbered with the revolting little diesel engine from Lombardini which has caused no end of headaches for owners.
Piaggio still build it under licence and market it as the Piaggio Porter, and is avaliable thru UK dealers. The Extol is built by Daihatsu themselves in Osaka.
Dave with a Sporty
Dave with a Sporty
My local(40 miles distant)
My local(40 miles distant) says he can get hold of the Vans. I'll enquire further and report back...
Re: camping
Well when I say use it for camping, I mean primarily carrying my tent and gear to the campsite, rather than actually living in the van. It is large enough to sleep in if need be, and also to fit a sink, hob and some storage etc, but I think I'd always use it alongside a tent.
I am looking out for a bull bar from a Rascal van as I'm sure with a little modification it could be fitted to the Hijet. I may also toy with the idea of fitting the spare wheel to the front, but only if I build permanent units in the rear to counter the extra weight at the nose.
I like the sound of the
I like the sound of the wheel on the front. My is inside the van as it lpg and the lpg tank is where the wheel is normally.
I've tried to get old of a bulbar for mine but found it impossible secondhand when I was looking. I think someone did post on here about a german manufacturer that made them specifically. I even tried to translate a german daihatsu website forum but the launguage barrier made it too diffiult.
Back to alking along the lines of a camper I'm sure MAX or Harvey had plans for making a camper. I don't know to what quality/specs or even if i was a DIY design?
Vertical
Spare wheels and bull-bars
Why not just use one of the get you home aerosol puncture kits? This is what passes as a spare for smart cars etc and in my experience I have perhaps 6 punctures in 33 years of driving and most of them were of the slow type which could be taken to a repairer for attention.
I do however have one of the plug in digital inflators which is a LOT more compact than any spare and will add enough air to a soft tyre to get you off the motorway so you can attend to the failed wheel either with an aerosol repair, which tyre depots hate because of the mess they produce when you get the tyre attended to, or by putting on the spare.
Of course having no spare can leave you abandoned if you have an explosive blow out; but in a Hi-jet an explosive blow out will probably mean the vehicle will need some serious body and mechanical attention if it is to be drivable again.
Have you looked for an A bar which is the replacement for the twin scaffold tubes on the front of your vehicle as used to be almost standard on the nose of micro's?
The following might be of use to you all:-
From 25th May 2007, Minister of State for Transport has confirmed it is illegal to continue to manufacture AND sell metal bull bars that do not comply with the new EU legislation (Directive 2005/66/EC) for pedestrian protection. The maximum penalty to be imposed within the UK is 12 months in prison and a substantial £20,000 fine.
The new legislation requires Frontal Protection Systems (FPS) to enhance the safety of vehicles and applies to products either fitted as original equipment or sold via the aftermarket. It will be impossible for wrap around metal bull bars to meet the strict new standards, so the legislation will effectively ban these products while endorsing new energy absorbing FPS products.
According to the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), only one UK manufacturer is known to have developed a non-rigid FPS that complies with the requirements of the May legislation - this product is known as the Endura FPS (www.endura-fps.com).
Automotive manufacturer and supplier, Concept Mouldings (www.conceptmouldings.co.uk) has produced this revolutionary aftermarket product. Testing based on the 2005/66/EC legislation, carried out at MIRA (one of Europe’s leading vehicle design, development and certification centres), has proven to make 4x4s, SUVs and LCV’s (light commercial vehicles) up to 50 times safer. All EC approved test data and video footage can be viewed at www.frontalprotectionsystems.eu.
So now you know why you cannot find them now... and picking up one from e-bay could put you and them on some very iffy legal ground.
The other place to store the spare is on a small roof rack although this can be more troublesome as the wheel is heavy and getting it up on the roof can be a struggle to say nothing about the increase in overall height plus the change in balance by shoving 20+ kilo's so far above the centre of gravity.
Of all the options the aerosol has a lot going for it.
I always thought the ruling
I always thought the ruling about bull bars only applied to new vehicles and aftermarket parts - does this mean that if I was to fit an old set to my 11 year old van I can still be pulled up? If this is the case then perhaps a simple bracket to hold my spare wheel will have to do.
This will all be some time away anyway - right now the Hijet is first and foremost a tool with a job to do, and once it's done, assuming it behaves itself and proves reliable, I may keep it for leisure use.