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I am considering purchasing a Townace/Liteace. Could someone please tell me what is the difference between the two?

Depending on the year, townace and liteace could be identical... These cars can go on for high milages, all it takes is a little tlc. Remember that you're talking about a ten year old vehicle, with no service history... But, if you're mechanically competent, they are both enjoyable to run and maintain, and cost-effective also.

Townaces usually have higher specs, like CD players, electric curtains, 4WD etc. I decided for the Liteace simply because of the size. Perhaps a couple of cm do not make too much of a difference, but I am happy with my vehicle. No problems with headgaskets, cooling etc. at all. It is a 1991 (H Reg) and had 111 Tkm on the clock. I have done 15000 [km in 10 months]. Just some tuning was needed to reduce the smoke.

Some Liteaces are same as Townaces. The smaller ones have less boot space and a fold-down third seat in the middle instead of the full three. Best advice on reliability is to be choosy and have a few test drives - tell the salesman you know about the heating problems and insist on taking it for a good long, mixed drive, up hills, town idling, dual carriageway thrashing etc. If you see any oil warning lights or the radiator symbol light (low coolant) or if temp guage goes over halfway, just walk away! This will also give you a good idea on whether the performance suits you - a good one will be quite nippy in town, but they don't really stand a chance against more modern MPVs on fast motorways.

I looked at all types before a decision to buy was made. All of the Espace's, Serena's, Spacewagons etc which I looked at had twice the mileage, were (at least) twice the price and had half the specification.

For an MPV there is probably nothing to compare in terms of space, build and equipment spec., despite being ten years old. If looking to buy a first time import, you are likely to get a vehicle with no rust and very low mileage. The Japanese don't salt their roads in winter and being a small island, they don't get to go far.

Be broadminded! have a look at the Estima (imported Previa)

Repair bills

Reading the notice board it looks like most people seem to have problems with these vehicles which are not only difficult to repair but also expensive if you can find someone to do the repairs at all? The spec you get with these vehicles is excellent compared to other mpv`s but not much good if your going to get alot of problems.

For example, mine is 1991, has 105K miles, and following a cylinder head problem caused by a recurrent coolant leak, has been totally reliable. I use it for my business.2.5 years driving, average of 28mpg, no problems since the head was sorted.

I am very pleased, even though my vehicle is now off the road so that I can attend to the mandatory "head job". The cooling system, and the 10 year old head gaskets, seem to be the "Achillees heel" of these vehicles but, with the low purchase price, and high specification, it does allow for some expenditure in bringing these splendid vehicles up to scratch. Spares are not a problem. What is a problem is the motor trade's attitude to imports but, this is changing. I would say, go for it and, if buying from a dealer, get some sort of warranty. I bought privately and saved around 1000GBP. Some of the dealers will tell you about the high price of spares but, this is true of many vehicles and, other sites will tell you of the expensive horror stories with the conventional MPV's.

The head gasket affair seems to be a rite of passage for these vehicles but once sorted, being a diesel, if serviced regularly should easily surpass 250k miles. Parts are becoming more easy to find as they become more popular. Even the dealers are having to acknowledge their existence as demand increases. For the money, I think there is nothing to touch them. But if you have something like £10k or more to spend then you might want to look at something more modern and faster.

What to look for.

Perhaps the most common problem with the Townace is the cooling system. However, as you usually only get a few minutes to give a vehicle the once-over you aren't going to spot it straight away. Just look for the obvious really. There shouldn't be any rust anywhere if it's not seen British soil. Just check that all the instruments, lights and switches etc work, including aircon. Go for a run and listen for any unusual noises. If noisy, don't get fobbed off with "diesels are noisy anyway". The Townace is pretty quiet as far as diesels go. Listen for a whine/whistle from the turbo. If there is it could be the turbo or cracked inlet manifold. All these things are repairable but should get reflected in the price. Make sure that the tyres are all to the same spec and check the spare (its viewable by crawling underneath the rear) ensure that low-profiles haven't been mixed with non-low profiles. Check for smoke. Black is easily fixable, white or blue could be costly.

Editor's footnote

Don't be misled by all the problems listed on these websites. No-one writes to say "I've had another 6 months of trouble-free luxury motoring"because the site is here to help with these problems- and notice that it does this very well.You can draw freely on the collective knowledge of the contributors who are using the cars under exactly the same conditions that you will be.

Consider buying and reading the JPNZ Owners Manual before you test drive, so that you have some idea what's going on.Remember that it may be 6 months since the car was last used in Japan. The battery may be dying, oil seals may have dried out, fuel injector pump and nozzles may be a bit gummed up, switch and relay contacts might not clean up until used a few times.Most of these faults are temporary.

You may find a car ready to buy "as seen" but some dealers find buyers so keen that they sell them before they're fully prepared.Write down what's in the deal. Speedo to indicate mph, radio to get UK bands, sidelights to be rewired, disable 100km/hr alarm, oil and filter change, new air filter.Some change the cambelt as the basis for the warranty, others leave it up to you.

Prepare for some hard work getting your insurance sorted (See Insurance discussions in the Ownership folder).