Hi I am thinking about puchasing an f reg 2.0 space cruiser, for surfing and general use, I was wondering if you guys may be able to help in providing points to look out for when inspecting a vehicle.
Do these breakdown a lot or are they the best thing since sliced bread, The purchase price asked is £1545 with a 3 month warrenty and free AA check. On the surface it seems great.
Thanks in advance
ps can you remove the seats?
Dan - (#2089) dan, 4 Feb 02

Dan
Main problem with the SpaceCruiser is rust. It will have spent it's 13 years on Britain's salty roads. Main place of attack is the tailgate. Check around the rubber seal for bubbles in the paint. Also check the sills and rear wheel arches. After that have a good luck around the engine bay at metal water pipes, radiator and mounts etc. After that it's the usual looking for engine and transmission faults. You have to bear in mind that you aint gonna get mint condition for 1500 quid. Rear seats fold back and you can remove the middle row from their floor anchorages quite easily. You should then have about 2m length for your boards.
HTH
Ian - (#2097) Ian Dunse, 5 Feb 02

also check around the moon roof for rust. - (#2100) Phil Jones, 5 Feb 02

Hello
Just found your site - lots of good info - wondered if there were any tips or things I should watch out for when buying a spacecruier - hoping to spend up to about £2000 - obviopusly won't be the newest one in the world. What should I look for and how much should I expect to pay?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks in eager anticipation
NIC - (#2628) Nic, 2 Apr 02

Nic,
You've come to the right place, there is loads of info on the two main sites for the prospective buyer of both Spacecruisers (The UK spec Toyota people mover) & the much higher specification Townace (Japanese import sister to the Spacecruiser). Simply or click on the link at the very bottom of this page to go to Mark's main website dedicated to Spacecruisers, Townaces, Liteaces & Masteraces or click on the ace.webspace,fish.co.uk link above for Dave Mason's site that contains loads of info, mainly compiled from this Board of Knowledge, you can then benefit from all the rest of our's experience. Good luck & let us know what you buy. Regards Rob. - (#2630) Rob Drinkwater, 2 Apr 02

Hi,

I live in a shared house in London and I want a car/van to go on adventures in with my housemates - just like on Scooby Doo.

The Space Cruiser looks like the ideal form of transport for my needs.

I want to spend around £750 on the Space Cruiser - can anyone let me know of the best year/model/ideal mileage to look out for. Also I would appreciate it if anyone share with me details of tell-tale signes of a duff Cruiser/one that is just going to cause trouble.

Plus, if any of you chaps have one for sale, drop me a line and lets talk.

Ciao.

Hadley

- (#3299) Hadley, 10 Jun 02

I'm not best qualified to comment (Ian Dunse is yer man) but having driven a couple...

Anything that old's gonna be a bit rusty - less corrosion the better.

Make sure you have a decent test drive, give it a bit of welly and watch out for any signs of overheating.

Try and avoid Toyota main dealers - they like to charge. You may get some sort of warranty off them if you're lucky though :O)

Listen out for clunky noises on corners - steering and front suspension gets ropy when worn. Front tyres also wear easily - check treads left or you'll be in for a few more quid come MOT time.

1.8s reckoned to be underpowered, 2.0 more willing.

Sorry if that's a bit general, wait for Ian to give you the full works.

- (#3334) SteveFE, 12 Jun 02

Hadley
Extra things to check are body rust, the sills, under the mud flaps wheel arch and body, tailgate around the hinges-glass-lock and wiper spindle. Suspension parts are easy to get, depending on milage may be a B****** to get off. Exhaust easy to get but expensive. Sold mine after 11 years, with 240,000 on the clock with all the above for £750 in Feb (with 6 months Mot and tax). If you have any questions E-Mail me direct and I'll try me best to answer.
Clive

- (#3340) Clive, 13 Jun 02

I think it's all been said. There's no book price for a vehicle over 10 years old. It's down to condition and what the seller thinks he can reasonably get. Probably no benefit in buying from a dealer unless you can get a guarantee that is actually worth more than the paper it is written on. Get the best you can for the money. Mechanical defects are usually easier to sort out than body and chassis rot so go for one that looks in reasonable nick. Don't get carried away and buy the first one you see unless its really good.

Adventures? Scooby Doo? I would have thought a van with blacked out windows would have been more suitable, then you and your mates can play at being the A Team.

- (#3346) Ian Dunse, 13 Jun 02