Hijet or Extol Rust warning.

Forum: 

Readers will know that my Hi-jet went to the breakers after recently snapping its cambelt. The paintwork was not the best and had flaked but the bodywork had just surface rust and no severe corrosion or holes. It was a V reg 2000 model, cheap road tax and a good little van until the 3 year old cam belt failed.

My friend who is sadly terminally ill has just asked me to sell his 2004 Extol with just 42k on the clock. Mechanically it can't be faulted and is more sure footed and quicker than the Hi-jet. The cab is modern and in line with larger modern vans plus the seating angle to the steering wheel is very much better and adjustable. Power steering is a nice addition but really not necessary on a van of this size and weight. The load height, however, is lower due to a false floor that gives it a flat load space. Where I was able to put a 4x4 ceiling board easily in the Hi-jet is a tighter fit in the Extol. This van has a full stainless steel exhaust which is a bonus. The biggest problem I have found is the body work. The paint is intact but there are some stress areas where the paint has cracked and being white has stained up to make them obvious. The worst area appears to be the door sills which are obviously corroded with a lot of staining on both sides. On further investigation the off side sill has corroded to a 3" x 3" hole just before the wheel arch. Yes the metal is thin but most vehicles these days do not rot so severely. It is also worth mentioning that the rear arches have some intricate mouldings and welding's that trap a lot of dirt and will eventually lead to severe rot if ignored. Of course another drawback, being post 2001 it has a much higher tax band at £220 per annum. Mind you Hi-Jets attract the same rate if manufactured post 2001 which is stupid as they are identical to my old 2000 model.

Looking on eBay and the prices achieved rather than advertised I was a little shocked about the low prices that the Extol are going for. Yes many are advertised in the £2000+ bracket but none sale. However, having spent an afternoon cleaning off concealed mud and salt from the aforementioned rear wheel arch areas I begin to see why some of these Extols are being sold so cheap. The Hi-jets rotted if not regularly cleaned beneath but they had less intricate areas than these Extols. My friend is not one for cleaning his vehicles and the first owner was a Daihatsu dealer who washed just what was visible.

I conclusion, if you are looking at these please intending to purchase please look underneath and at the sills. If the welding's and mouldings in and around the rear wheel arch areas are full or crap, make sure you get the seller to clear them out before buying. The metal on these is very thin and a problem to weld so make sure that rust is just surface and not at the point of turning to dust.

I know that some Daihatsu's rust but I have a 1991 Sportie that seems to have none and I have had it 20 years. I had a 1996 Sportie which was loaded with rust and I can recall discussing this on this Forum before I got shot of it. The general consensus was that later Daihatsu were not protected as well as the early cars as a cost cutting exercise. Certainly this is confirmed if this 2004 Extol is anything to go on.

Having said that I will sell it as I feel obliged to do so for my friend. I will have the welding done to the offside sill beforehand, however I am at a loss as to what price to put on it. My own feeling is no more than £1000, Any ideas?