Ask an expert

My partner and I are looking to buy a van to convert into a camper. We have our eye on a 1997 Toyota Hiace, manual, 3L turbo diesel, 4WD (as we'll be in the South Island over winter). Asking price is $6K, it's been a private vehicle, serviced every 10,000kms and appears to be in great condition (far better than some newer ones we've looked at). Only worry is that it has already done over 360,000kms. Should we be wary?

Hi there,
A vehicle with this many km's has most-likely used up a great part of its working life. The longevity from here on in may be dictated by how it has been serviced or what has been replaced so far. You may find that more items will require replacement or servicing to maintain an acceptable condition from now. We do know that they can do very high km's but may start costing.