Buying Toyota Townace Van with 350 Kms - $3k

LLeolan90 on 04/04/2019 - 21:51
Last edited 05/04/2019 - 09:06 by 1 other user

Hi everybody,

I'm new to OzBargain and I'm currently living in Darwin, thinking about buying a new car that I can travel with for the next 8 months, from NT to QSL and then NSW. I don't have much experience in buying used cars, but I came across a facebook marketplace's ad about a Toyota Townace van that I assume is a 1994 model(even though the owner wrote 2012…) with 350k kms on odometer.

The seller wrote the following details on the ad:

3000 $
2Lt petrol 5 Speed Manual
W.A Registration (easy and cheapest in OZ)
Bull bar with LED Light bar and rear tow bar
Just had Full Service: oil, air, fuel filters,New Spark plugs, Gearbox/Diff oil change
4x Near New Tyres
Brand New Bluetooth Radio with remote
GPS
Solar panel with Second Battery
Inverter for 240 volt and USB charging
LED lights and Fan in sleeping area
Kitchen with sink and water pump
12 volt Fridge and Storage Containers
Brand New Kitchen Supplies
Water and Fuel Jerry Cans
Toolbox,Tools and battery jumper cables
Adjustable Bed with Blankets, New Pillows

I read online that the Toyota Townace van has some pros like: low fuel consumption (for a van), easy to find change parts, good for a single traveller (apparently not the best with lot of weight on it) and perfect for travelling since you can sleep in it.

About the ad I looked at the photos and the van seems in good condition, although I would always take it to a mechanic for a general check-up. All the equipment and the fact that the van is ready for camping are interesting features for a backpacker like me, but since it's old and has so many kms on the odometer I'm not sure if it would be a good purchase or not.

What do you think about it?

• 

  Nice one baby on 04/04/2019 - 21:58

  +1

  Sounds like a bargain for the price.

• 

  cookietime on 04/04/2019 - 23:02

  +1

  Sounds like the seller is a backpacker selling the van to go home. I looked at a few of these before and was amazed that they still ran.

  Personally I wouldn't want to travel in a van with no aircon. Winter is fine but summer is just too unpleasant. Also check if it has power steering.

  Depending on your budget, if you can stretch a little more, consider getting a newer model, possibly a diesel one so that you can save on fuel in the long run. I have a Hiace converted into a campervan. The highest cost in every trip is the petrol cost.

  I don't know about Townace but I was told that a Hiace can run up to 600,000km just fine.

• 

  justaperson on 05/04/2019 - 01:11

  +1

  See if you can find some ex-rental Toyota Estima campervans. They're usually very cheap and drive much more modern and comfortably than the townace does.

• 

  brad1-8tsi on 05/04/2019 - 07:26

  +1

  When you buy a used vehicle you are paying for the "unused" kilometres. $3k is probably somewhere near the money but expect to spend a similar amount on maintenance and repairs over 12-24 months.

  The WA reg would worry me. How is that transferred over if you are in NT? You really don't want to have to get a Blue slip (or whatever the NT equivalent is) unless the seller is willing to get it done prior to purchase.