When you look to buy Japanese cars and are interested in a vehicle that is truly multi-purpose, the Toyota Hiace Wagon is one of the best options on the market. Of course finding one in the United States may not be easy, and if you decide on the Toyota Hiace Wagon you may need to contact a Japanese car exporter to get one. To buy Japanese cars this way you will get a better vehicle with low to medium mileage for a price that could be a few thousand dollars less.
In 1967 the Toyota Hiace Wagon rolled off the production line. It has been used for a variety of different purposes including ambulance, motor home, taxi, and minibus. The very first Toyota Hiace Wagons were cab over pickup trucks with an additional commercial vehicle introduced the same year that was used as a campervan. Toyota Hiace Wagons found in Africa could be first or second generation versions as these vehicles were prone to suffer from rust and wear due to inclement weather, and they are hard to find anywhere else in the world.
The first generation of the Toyota Hiace Wagon is the one that is difficult to find and did not see a redesign until 1977. When the new model came out it had a smoother design to the cab with single headlights, with a gas and 2.2 liter diesel engine. The 20-40 Hiace was also released that same year, and it had an extended cab with a longer wheelbase and higher roof. In 1982 the third generation of the Toyota Hiace Wagon came out. It had most of the same features as the second generation.
A pick-up version of the Toyota Hiace Wagon came out with the third generation and it was similar in design as the light truck the company released. The pick-up version stayed in production through the middle of the 1990s, even after the fourth generation was released in 1989. The fourth generation was a Grand Cabin version that came in both a standard and longer wheelbase. Toyota increased the engine style to offer consumers both a 2 liter gasoline engine and a 2 liter diesel engine. Four wheel and rear wheel drive versions were also made available.
The last version of the Toyota Hiace Wagon was released in 2004 and was a Grand Cabin version with a replacement of the gear stick in order to make the cabin roomier for consumers. It was available in a four and five speed version as well as an automatic transmission. The Toyota Hiace Wagon is, unfortunately, the one vehicle Toyota produced without an anti-theft device, and according to Toyota it is the number one vehicle in Japan that is stolen.