I LOVED my vans but got rid of my last Toyota van a few weeks after going to the junk yard for parts and not being able to take the parts I needed because they were essentially soaked in blood.etc Supposed hit by a car then into a tree, it was DESTROYED. A freind was hit in the front in his Mitsu van and is recovering from broken legs now, combined speeds it was only about a 40 mph crash, van totaled.
All of the Nissan's have been destroyed because they kept catching fire. The ones they imported to the states had a slightly bigger engine and air conditioning and it was too much heat in that tiny engine compartment. Nissan bought them all back and crushed them
The reason you never see the Nissan is because they were all bought back and crushed by Nissan. Multiple recalls for engine fires doomed them. Only about 33,000 Van's were sold before the buy-back.
I've seen BOTH OF THEM in dealers (they sold better in Puerto Rico than Stateside), but there's little chance to see the Nissan Vanette on the street since they were RECALLED TO BE CRUSHED because as they were fitted a too large (NA-2.4L) engine for the little space it had and NOWHERE TO COOL (only from the bottom) and tended to OVERHEAT AND BURN. Only ones running Stateside maybe counted at < 100 if at that... At least both the Mitsubishi Van and the ToyoWagon did have some front grille to cool them somehow...
@@W0RLDSSMALLESTVI0LIN - these vans were more abundant when new in either Stateside coastal states or in the Island jurisdictions, not so much in Middle America...
1:25 I love the drama queen they hired to get into the van. All that shrugging and tapping of her head -- makes me feel like I'm back home visiting the family.
Especially the Nissan's since that van came under fire literally for engine fires. Nissan actually had to buy back those vans and have them crushed because the recalls that were issued didn't resolve the engine fire problem.
Hard to believe Mitsubishi still produces this van, called L300 in world markets. Even more unbelievable, they still produce the predecessor of this van, which debuted in the 70s. It's called the Colt L300
Oh, forgot about the predecessor: many of them too are still around! I fondly remember it, as I sat many times in it as a small child and remembered touching on quite a warm iron tube below the center seat! 😝😂
damieg82 yeah, but that’s not really surprising. The demand for these is there, and many other automakers are doing the same. VW produced the 60s Bus until 2014!
The Nissan van had a bigger (both in displacement and physically) engine than it was designed for, it was put under recall for engine fires and Nissan simply bought up and crushed as many of them as they could get their hands on.
Wow!! This brings back TONS of memories!!! My parents bought this 1987 Mitsubishi van Brand new. They were actually looking at a car on the lot, when they were ushered in to through the showroom, and into the salesman's office, this Van was on display in the showroom. Complete with blinds for privacy, as the rear seat turned into a bed, and the whole nine yards. My mother immediately fell in love, and the rest is history. The only thing I wasn't too fond of, was the fact that it was RWD. and we had(Back then) some terrible snowy winters. PS: It was also around the same time when they also had a STARION in the showroom. It was in the 90s that I was able to find my fav of the bunch, in pristine condition. a 1989 Mitsubishi Starion ESI-R fully spec'd out. Miss that car :(
You too huh? My parents had one as well, in white, just like the one in this video. They loved it until they had to drive it in bad weather - at one point my dad thought he was going to go flying off a bridge on a windy day, which is probably when he decided it was time to trade it in. That thing carried our family plus several friends or cousins everywhere in comfort for a few years though.
My dad also bought a white one with the same brown interior. I was with him in the dealership when we picked it up. I was about 10 years old at the time and I saw a Starion in the showroom. I was blown away by that car. I LOVE flared fenders on cars. I really do. The Starion and on the 80s M3. I got in the drivers seat and i was blown away. The seatbelt anchored to the door was something I've never seen before. The digital dash and climate control made me feel like I was in a spaceship. I loved how the seatbelts had TURBO on them. For many years I wondered what ESIR meant. The deep dish 16" wheels were also so damn beautiful. About 8 years later I bought my first car. It was a Mitsubishi Mirage non turbo. I still wanted a Starion but they were still expensive. At that time the new star was the Eclipse turbo. My base Mirage was slow but light. Later my dad bought a wrecked front end of an Eclipse turbo. He said we were going to transplant that engine in my Mirage. It took us a little over a year to do it but we made it happen. I had a turbo Mirage. The Mirage did have a turbo model but with a 1.6L engine. I had the Eclipse 2.0 turbo. That car was a hoot to drive. I blew away Hondas that pulled alongside me and yes, I blew away the mighty Starion. I played with 5.0 Mustangs but being FWD my Mirage just spun the wheels struggling for traction up to 2nd gear. But when it grips, it was a hell of a ride. I parked it in the street on a Friday night. Next morning the rear end was bashed thanks to an illegal alien driver with no insurance. Guy was drunk and didn't have a penny to pay me. My insurance deductible made it not worth to fix the car. I still remember the day that car was on the back of a flatbed being hauled off to a junkyard somewhere. To stop myself from being sad, I just told myself if that car didn't get killed, it would have killed me. 😄
There's a bloke in Australia who swapped a twin-turbo LS1 engine into a Mitsubishi van like the one in this video. The thing is so powerful that it lifts the front when he accelerates. And the funny thing is that he left the exterior totally unchanged.
This retro review is bound to be remembered as the “this crud” video because of what you heard her say when she got in the driver’s seat here. I can see it now. Thanks Motorweek!
My neighbor had the Toyota version when I was 16. I got to drive it a bit and will never forget it. Very satisfying driving position, seeing the road in front of you, what seemed like only inches away.
I’m loving John’s pronunciation of any Japanese car - here we have the neesarn and meetsobeeshi mini vans - the meetsobeeshi uses the engine from the gollont sedan
That little Mitsubishi van totally reminds me of a time I was walking to lunch in the business park I worked at in the very early 90s. As I approached some parked cars in the lot, I noticed an extremely attractive Latina(probably a sales rep) exiting one of the offices and heading to a Mitsubishi van(it was a customized van, like how the 70s full-size vans were) and as she entered the vehicle, she left the door open and then proceeded to reach over to the center console/floor area between the front seats......well, as she was wearing a very short dress, she showed her "goods" and I forgot I was going to lunch and went back to work with a huge smile. Now that I think about it, this is the first time I've told this story in nearly 30 years!
These two minivans, along with the Toyota Van and later Toyota Previa, are very interesting vans to own! They are, however, very hard to find in the used car market!
Johnny Mason in the late ‘90s I had an ‘85 Toyota Van. It was such a piece of junk; the engine loved to flood and did so at the most inopportune times. If it was raining, the windshield fogged up to 99% opacity. The steering felt like the wheel was attached to a stick in a bucket of wet concrete. The body was half Bondo, and I accidentally kicked the fender off the front driver’s side, meaning only to joke around. My dad ultimately scrapped it when it left him stranded after dropping me off at my dorm for the first time, the torque converter crapped the bed on him. I loved that thing; I miss it to this very day and will do so until I die.
@@RobCamp-rmc_0 I envy you! You actually had one of those vans! If I could get one of these vans, I'd have a turbo put on the engine! A turbocharged four-cylinder Nissan Van with an automatic transmission would be perfect for me!
Not just overheating, but actually due to engine fires. After several recalls didn't fix the problem, Nissan bought them back at full Blue Book value and crushed them. But some owners opted to keep theirs anyway.
my grandmothers 86 toyota van went to the scrap yard only10 years ago. due to all the hoses giving out and the pain in the butt access to fix those hoses in the engine bay.
I worked for a Nissan dealership when these vans were being recalled. They were recalled and crushed. Sad because they were a cool little van back then. I saw some pristine ones with low miles being crushed. We weren’t allowed to even touch them.
@@captainamericaamerica8090 not more than the Ford aerostar and Chevy Astro from those eras Those were large death traps on half assed pickup chassis lol
Both vans are still going very strong and are very easy to find at almost any street in my country (Greece). Their names here are the Nissan Vanette Cargo and the Mitsubishi L300! Today's tiny piece of trivia for you! 😉
Somehow the mitsu van was more difficult....it has the exact same door and seat..oh that's right! no manual in the mitsu version, john is too butt hurt to be objective...
I love these quirky little death traps! I miss weird little features that used to be in cars. They were strange and not very American to drive, but I just loved these Japanese small 80s vans. Keep the retro reviews coming!!
I remember my dad taking me to the Nissan dealer looking at this same exact Nissan van and I thought the ice box w the ice tray was the coolest thing ever.
Underrated Comment here. My barber had one before. His was a somewhat light colored purple over here in Boston. Although, i think his was the Toyota. And of course, be was Dominican. I heard these Van's are all over DR.
Had a Nissan Stanza Wagon around this time and I loved it. Had sliding doors on BOTH sides which was really convenient for off-loading kids and groceries. Now have a Nissan Xterra S and once again I love it!
I used to have the turbo diesel version of the Mitsubishi, known here in New Zealand as a Delica. The back of mine used to step sideways under braking like that too, always thought it was a fault with the brakes but I guess that's just how they are. Was very easy to get sideways around corners but also very easy to correct again. I converted mine to a camper, wound the boost up a bit and travelled the country in it and loved every minute. Mitsubishi sold the basic 2 seat commercial version of this van here up until about 2014 and there are still lots of them around.
It’s amazing to see a test on the Nissan Van, especially if you’re aware of its history of catching fire due to the lack of proper cooling equipment during its conversion for the US market.
When the Mitsubishi mini van was released it was an instant success. First released in 1980 they were very boxy but in an 8 seater or van types. After 3 months of release in Australia they were number one in sales and a waiting time of about 6 months to get your hands on one.n I bought mine at a crazy $6800.00 Aus dollars in 1980. After being chased by so many dealers I sold it back to a dealer for $7300.00 in only 8 months of ownership. Yep I got more than I paid for it. The New slightly face lift model included a high top roof increasing the headroom all over the mini van. The windowless model the also came in a longer wheel base for those bigger jobs. The models ran until the early 2000's when frontal impact did not reach safety standards but this same shape models are still available in the Philippines as the Mitsubishi L300
@@scdevon in the 80s Japanese companies were still on the rise and there was not much competition with other brands for the kind of cars that mitsubishi and nissan produced
@@scdevon umm Nissan is still a very large company, and own majority of Mitsubishi. They have had a bad time, specifically in the US, but they are rebuilding. They certainly aren't in decline.
I love at the end where John says what we really like to see is one made that is front wheel drive. Well a few years later they were called the chevy lumina APV.
"The optimal minivan design has yet to appear" -- what about the Dodge Caravan / Plymouth Voyager? That set the standard which everyone else ended up following.
6:09 ALSO ON MOST LHD L300 vans as well, but in LHD converted JDM Delica vans in the Philippines, you only open the engine cover under the driver seat and parking handle brake at the right.
Virtually the 1st vehicle in us history that was recalled and scrapped due to inability to fix electrical issues...they are largely extinct.the follow up nissan axxess was a piece of work too....
Biggest problem was LACK OF COOLING (they didn't had any front grille for that, those only cooled from the bottom). Something that couldn't be repaired.
In Australia we got these as the Nissan Nomad and Mitsubishi Starwagon, the commercial van version Mitsubishi express version was available until 2013 with 1 star ANCAP crash rating
As a kid during the 1980's I remember seeing these all over the road. They weren't as popular as the Dodge Caravan, the Ford Aerostar, or Chevy Astro van, but they were on the road.
These vans were fairly popular in Australia where I’m from, the Mitsubishi in particular. I remember seeing quite a lot of them. Been a long time now since I’ve seen one though
These cab forward minivans were quirky, yet nice. Mitsubishi should have brought the Delica name here, and the Access name should have went to this Nissan, instead of that tall wagon back then, that competed against the Plymouth Colt Vista.
Our family had the Mitsubishi van when I was younger. Cool seats that could move all the way around. Engine under the driver seat. Very quirky vehicle to say the least.
It used to be that a true car enthusiast would want gauges instead of warning lights. It's like car guys today who say that all wheel drive is best and no car should have a CVT.
Cars weren't as reliable and that's an easy way to keep tabs on a properly running car? Notice most trucks still have those gauges these days. If you drive a car hard then you'll want to know what's going on vs waiting for the idiot light to come on.
@@oambrosia Yep, they were coming out of looser build tolerances and carburetors instead of EFI. Warning lights had a reputation for only coming on when it was too late.
Super Cheesy acting, LOL! My family had the Mitsubishi van in Blue and it's true. When you drive this van and it's windy, the wind will move it. My dad drove it on a bridge and a gust of wind pushed it to the next lane. He hated it. Unfortunately, mom crashed the van... maybe for the better... Ahhh, the memories...
I love the creativity of the naming. Boss: We're creating a new van for the US market. What should we call it that really encapsulates our efforts? Person 1: TranSporter Person 2: Cargovator Person 3: why don't we just call it a van? *silence* Boss: brilliant!
I ALWAYS used to laugh my ass off at that tester grumbling as she was getting into the Nissan at 1:25!!!! 3:06..........that's nearly 3 seconds SLOWER than my old '91 VW Vanagon Carat!!!!!! At some point, I would love to see your Retro Review of the 1987 Mazda 323 so I can share it with my uncle. My aunt had a blue 1986 sedan.
6:01 In Taiwan, CMC DELICA VAN (shorter version) have only 5 seater van with dual sliding doors but no 3rd row seating and comes with horizontal strut bars onto 3rd row windows and rear windshield.
2:27 that's something that Nissan seems to understand where most automakers don't. Opening the entire hatch can be cumbersome and annoying, while opening a piece of glass isn't especially when it's throwing something in or taking something out quickly. I loved it on my mom's 05 Pathfinder as a kid (and it was the only thing anyone loved about it)
I miss quirky yet practical Japanese family haulers from the mid 1980s. And then the 1990 Toyota Previa arrived to take engineering and weirdness to a whole new level.
When I was in the Navy and we were deployed to various Asian countries, these cool vans were literally everywhere. I remember the SEALs from various SEAL Teams had their vans labeled “Navy Band” over in southeast Asian. Haha. Great times!
I ALWAYS used to laugh my ass off at that tester grumbling as she was getting into the Nissan at 1:25!!!! 3:06..........that's nearly 3 seconds SLOWER than my old '91 VW Vanagon Carat!!!!!!
Mainly because those Nissan vans had a tendency to catch fire and they issued a recall. It was so bad Nissan offer to buy back the vans from customers and send them to the crusher
Back when you could buy a minivan with a stick. I actually have a newer 90s model Mitsubishi Van. Back when these vans were out I had a 86 Dodge Ram Mini with a 5 spd. Just a caravan with no windows in the very back. It had the windows where the slider was and on the other side. Plus had one rear seat.
I had a chance to nab one on Craigslist for just $300 over in Lower New York/Long Island i think. This was just about a year ago. I was broke. As soon as i had the money finally, it was gone. Which was pretty ironic, since it was still on the listing for the longest beforehand.
Motorweek, When you would take those interior decibel readings, would you drive the same strip of road and have all the HVAC fans off as to not produce extra "white noise?"
At some point, I would love to see your Retro Review of either the 1987 Mazda 323 wagon or of the 1986 323 sedan, if you tested that, so I can share it with my uncle. My aunt had a blue 1986 sedan.
I’m not a foreign car guy but I really dig the looks of that Nissan. From the comments on here the reliability is not the highest but I love the interior on this more than the new Caravans out.
I don't think I even knew the Nissan Van ever existed! I can understand these as small cargo or short distance shuttle vans in congested environments, but to try to sell this body style in the USA as family haulers was just ridiculous. I can't picture any soccer mom struggling to get in and out of the driver's seat daily.
IMO the next generation of 1990's mid engine Japanese vans represented a HUGE technological leap forward. More power, more space, better handling, a lot more refinement, just in every measurable way better IMO. Think of the 1990's Toyota Previa and 4wd Mitsubishi Delica, those were such an improvement vs what was tested here in 1987
