Nomadic Delica FAq

The following is a list of resources, links, and facts to better guide you in your Nomadic Van journey. From specifics about the Mitsubishi Delica to options for financing; we’re putting our knowledge out there to enhance your experience with us wether it be maintenance, parts, or sales.

-Nomadic Van

Glossary:

• I have a random Delica question about my own Delica! How do I answer it??

• What is the Mitsubishi Delica?

• Who is Nomadic Van?

• I am interested in buying, but live out of state… What does the typical process look like?

• I think I am ready to pull the trigger! Where do I start?

• How do I find parts for my Delica?

• Financing Options?

• L300 Starwagon Vs. L400 Spacegear?

• Short Wheel Base Vs. Long Wheel Base L400?

• Who will work on my Delica after I purchase from Nomadic?

• Do you work on JDM imports that you don’t sell?

• Do you guys do custom interior buildouts?

RESOURCES For Learning

If you are purchasing a van from us or are in for maintenance we are happy to answer any/all of your questions! However if you are just reaching out to glean knowledge for your personal Delica project we encourage you to become a member of the “Delica Forum” and “Delica Club”. These two resources have more active Delica owners who have asked questions and are willing to answer your questions than you could even imagine! If you still don’t find your answer please schedule a consulting call. We would love to help everyone, and in order to keep our garage running we need to pay the bills.

Who is NOMADIC VAN?

Mission Statement: “Nomadic Van Sun Valley is dedicated to the highest quality of Japanese domestic market 4X4 vehicles delivered with pride, honesty, and authenticity.”

Officially founded in 2019, we are the premiier Delica experts in the US, and have become known as the only US based importer to refurbish and tune our 4x4 vans for great performance both on and offroad. Our company culture is rooted in ski town lifestyle with a work hard, play hard culture. While we are an Idaho licensed dealership, you will realize that we identify as a mechanics shop as soon as you step foot in the door. JDM imports are our passion, but an obsession with mechanical reliability and upgrades is our blood.

Recently we’ve done custom imports of other JDM 4x4 vehicles like the Toyota Hilux Surf, Land Curiser Prado, Subaru Forester Sport, Honda Acty (mini truck) and JB470 camper just to name a few. Whether your needs are purhcasing a freshly ferubfihsbed vehcile straight from us, or mechanically overhauling your existing Delica/JDM 4x4, we’ve got you covered!

Our goal is to make the vehicle as accessible as possible to working men and women who don’t have time to tinker iwth their vans all day like many 4x4 van owners :)

See more on our Who We Are Page!

What is the Delica?

Known from the steppes of Russia all the way to the Jungles of Indonesia, these vans are both work horses and recreational legends. However the Delica had humble beginnings, being designed as a DELIvery-CAr by Mitsubishi Motors back in 1968. By the time 1986 rolled around Mitsubishi had reached the third model of Delica (the L300) and the intention was geared toward’s Japans fast growing recreational vehicle market. This model captured the attention of Nomadic Van’s co-founder “Rondo” aka “Rondo the Van Man” with its aesthetics, practicality and off-road-ability. Rondo had been looking for a reliable van that had three key components: 4x4 drivetrain, parts availability, a sense of radicalness. After importing a few Toyota’s and Mitsubishi’s Rondo decided that due to the aesthetics and added 4x4 clearance he was going to run with the Delica, but only after doing some mechanical maintenance.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, there is a reason that every Delica in the United States is 25+ years old. In the US there are two main rules/regulations that keep us from importing new vehicles that are not “released” in the States. These are chiefly Emissions & Safety Standards. While the L300 Delica and it engine was par (if not above) for the course of a vehicle of its time, no one is going to go through the lengthy and bureaucratic process of proving that these vans would meet standards. So instead we just wait 25 years and enjoy the 90’s Japanese quirks we missed out on (all the while Canada and Australia have been hammering their Delicas in the Outback for another 15 years).

So the first “Delica” that had the spotlight in the US was the L300 Starwagon, and for obvious reasons. You just cant help but smile when you see the van purring down the road with its 2.5L 4D56T engine. Very similar in looks to a VW Westfailia, these vans struck a chord with the true van-lifers of America who weren’t looking to take out a mortgage for their adventure vehicle.

Rondo quickly realized that while these vans had a ton of potential, they are still 25+ years old and need some TLC before the next owner took it on their cross-country road trip. Enter the “Nomadic Maintenance Routine” and the reality that your average non-mechanic weekend warrior can happily own a Delica L300.

The L400 Spacegear came out in 1994 (2019 for US), but did not get popular in the States until more recently. People realized that while they loved the look of the L300, the L400 can be more practical. As co-founder Mr. G says, “If you want that classic car feel, are willing to check your fluids and have a smile when you are in the slow lane the L300 is the van for you. However if you want to hop in your van, fire up the engine and go 85 down the freeway you should consider the L400”. In concert with L400’s booming more readily available in 2023/2024, the good condition L300’s all but disappeared. When you have to spend upwards of 25K to get a solid L300, people start considering the added luxuries of the L400, especially the later 90’s versions (airbags, ABS breaking, power seats).

I think I am ready, how do I start the process?

We get this question a lot in a lot of different forms shapes and sizes. With buyers from such diverse backgrounds of all walks of life, a few themes unite them all! Thirst for adventure, love of the aesthetic, and the appreciation of functionality and reliability.

Often, the typical purchasing path starts with an initial inquiry via the contact us page and an initial call. We often introduce the person to this page as a recourse if they havent found it already. Your initial conversation will be more fruitful if you have more knowledge of what you are looking for (but we are super willing to answer questions). From there we set up a followup call and continue to work with people to discuss buying details, vehicle details, interests, vehicle uses and also help determine right fit. Our goal is to make the vehicle as accessible as possible to working men and women who don’t have time to tinker iwth their vans all day like many 4x4 van owners :) Have a look at our website, and when in doubt reach out!

As always, if anything comes up, feel free to ask us questions via email or form and we will try to get back to you ASAP :)

I am interested in buying, but live out of state…

Lucky for you nearly all of our customers are out of state. We typically operate on a three step process for you get get your van:

1. Determine which Nomadic Van is right for you

   • If the van of your dreams is currently on our website then we have done our job! Move on to step two.

   • Not sure what van you want? Hop on a phone call with our sales team to determine the perfect van to fit your lifestyle. We have plenty of vans on our lot in Japan to choose from! (Note that ordering a van from our Japanese warehouse will take extra time).

2. Review our Purchase Agreement and send in a deposit

   • We will provide a purchase agreement with VIN, mileage and various other identifiers for your protection. Our typical deposit is $5,000.00, but this can change depending on the circumstances.

3. Fly out for your test drive and pick your van up!

   • We will schedule you to fly in for your van pickup and this will depend on if we: have your van on hand, we are bringing it in from Japan, we have yet to complete the Nomadic Maintenance Routine, or a mixture of all three. All situations varying timelines and we will do our best to get your van on the road in a timely manner!

How do I find parts for my Delica?

Parts, parts, parts… We wouldn’t be in business if we hadn’t figured out parts sourcing for the Delica! We sell nearly every part for the L300 and L400 (minus AC components), just give us a shout and we will line you out.

There is a mixture of cross over US parts available (mainly for the drivetrain) and OEM parts for engine specific seals/belts etc. We only use high quality parts where we can, staying away from the dreaded Chinese manufacturing (JDM and USA for the win). If you purchase a van from us we are more than happy to share any of our part numbers with you and give you exclusive access to our inventory.

Otherwise use the resources detailed above (Delica Forum) and you will be able to track down nearly everything you need!

Financing Options

When financing a Dleica you must think of it as an imported classic car. Most big banks don’t know how to properly value your van and thus are not willing to take a “risk” on using it as collateral for a low interest rate loan. That being said there are plenty of options to receive financing that we have listed below. First and foremost is you or a relative has been in the US military and you are part of USAA you can get a loan NO QUESTIONS ASKED! They have been fantastic to work with. If you do not fit in this box then I would start with “Lightstream” and move down the line. If you have any questions pleas give us a shout!

Difference between the L300 and L400

Ahhh where to start… Nomadic’s journey started with a love for the L300 and has blossomed into an appreciation of the L400. Lets begin with the joys of the L300 Starwagon.

The L300 has an unmatched boxy 90’s aesthetic that will turn heads and keep you coming back for more. Throw some offset rims, oversized A/T tires, a roof rack and a ladder on and you will be dropping jaws! But looks alone didn’t capture us so lets start on the interior - the cab over design (engine being under the drivers/passenger seat) lends to a nearly square rear cabin that is perfect for a camping setup. The multi function swivel seats allow you to pack 6 friends at a time or lay the seats down flat for a full sized bed with storage underneath (we recommend adding a 3” foam mattress to really settle in). Up front in the drivers seat you get that classic car feel and unmatched parallel parking skills. Our rule is if your toes aren’t touching the car in front of you then you still have room!

Moving on to the engine of the L300 we have the turbo charged 4D56. This little beast pushes about 100 hp to the flywheel (after a Nomadic Stage 1 Tune) and at the end of the day is not very complex. This allows for tune-ability and the ability for many mechanics to work on it. The main issue for most mechanics is parts sourcing, but we have remedied that issue with our extensive parts catalogue and inventory on hand. Paired with an ultra reliable 4WD system, 11 inches of clearance at the lowest point (lift/tire size dependent) and 201 Nm of torque you can conquer all but the most technical of backcountry roads.

The L400 Spacegear isn’t as eye catching as the L300, but what it lacks in looks it makes up for in heart. The L400 is capable of going 85+ mph on the highway (both gas and diesel engines), has some added safety components, and is generally upgraded all around from the L300. This of course makes sense as it is the next model year design and Mitsubishi took everything the learned from the L300 and improved upon it.

The interior is noticeably different as the engine moved to the front of the van and there is no longer a hump to climb over mid van. Some people prefer this design as you can walk from the front to the back of the van, while other people prefer the separation that the cab over design offers…

Difference Between the SWB and LWB L400

We have written an extensive blog post that dives deep into the differences between the Short Wheel Base (SWB) and the Long Wheel Base (LWB) L400 >>here<<

If this takes you to the top of our blog keep scrolling and you will find what you are looking for!

Who will work on my Delica?

The main issue with finding a mechanic to work on your Delica typically comes down to parts sourcing (which we have covered above). Big time shops do not want to deal with sourcing parts for a niche market vehicle, where as smaller town diesel mechanics typically don’t mind doing a little extra leg work. We recommend finding a smaller shop and referring them to us for any parts they may need. At the end of the day it is not a complex engine to work on, it just takes a willing mechanic!

Do you work on other JDM imports?

Yes! About 1/2 of our business is working on Delicas that have been imported but never worked on before. We are also happy to work on Toyota Hiaces, Mazda Bongos, and other various 4x4 JDM imports. If you have a vehicle that needs work shoot us an email on the Maintenance Form and we will get you scheduled!

Do you do interior buildouts?

Unfortunately we no longer do custom interior work for Delicas. We have designed a beautiful CNC layout for the short wheel base L400 that we are willing to share if you are willing to instal. Alternatively we have a great friend down in Costa Mesa, CA who has designed and installed some of the most beautiful L300 and L400 builds we have seen! If you know of any other builders out there we would love to connect with them.

Conclusion

We hope we’ve enhanced your Nomadic journey. When it comes down to it, you and your vehicle may form a bond, and that bond is perhaps the most important element. Owning a 90s JDM vehicle can be an adventure in itself. The leap is yours to take.

Always feel free to reach out anytime, and if you find a good recourse, Delica spec, or tip we don’t have on here, shoot us an email and we might add it on here!

-Nomadic Van Life