New Hiace from Colorado, USA

Hi all!
Just purchased a Super Custom Limited from auction in Japan through Pacific Coast Auto. It is currently with them preparing for shipment.

I am very excited to start this new adventure, ask a lot of questions on this forum, and hopefully start to contribute once I've figured some things out!

Welcome!
That's a tidy looking vehicle. Feel free to ask anything here, the folks are very friendly and helpful.

I saw your Hiace on Derek's YouTube channel. I bought my Hiace camper from him 2 years ago and have driven across Canada and back twice without a single issue. Enjoy your new truck.

Peter

I’ve spent an embarrassingly large amount of time watching that YouTube channel.. you are definitely going to enjoy that van, looks like a great rig! Sourcing parts in North America can be a pain. I’ve gotten a few different things out of portland, there’s a small shop/ importer there called vanlife northwest. Danny was really helpful and I was able to get a suspension part I needed to get back on the road after damaging it in a Nevada canyon.

Where are you in Colorado. I have a 94 sc and I’m in Parker.

habitants24@gmail.com wrote:

Post a reply Icon_minitimeThu Oct 22, 2020 5:39 pm  
I saw your Hiace on Derek's YouTube channel. I bought my Hiace camper from him 2 years ago and have driven across Canada and back twice without a single issue. Enjoy your new truck.

Merlin_ wrote:

I’ve spent an embarrassingly large amount of time watching that YouTube channel.. you are definitely going to enjoy that van, looks like a great rig! Sourcing parts in North America can be a pain. I’ve gotten a few different things out of portland, there’s a small shop/ importer there called vanlife northwest. Danny was really helpful and I was able to get a suspension part I needed to get back on the road after damaging it in a Nevada canyon.

I've spent many hours watching PCA's videos on YouTube, it was part of what convinced me to go with them as far as buying. Good to know about vanlife northwest, I am sure there will be plenty to fix once it arrives. It is 26 years old afterall. I have been a bit shocked that the Hiace community in the US seems a bit lacking thus far whereas there are plenty of Delica forums and things around. Hoping that changes.

Yota-ace wrote:

Where are you in Colorado. I have a 94 sc and I’m in Parker.

I am in south Denver by University of Denver. I know of at least 1 other Hiace in the area. It'll be cool to see others around the Denver area!

Hey Shaggy, did you get your Hiace registered in CO yet. I'm about to pick up my Hiace that's coming straight from Japan and therefore will have a Japanese title. I know it's possible to get a CO title but have heard it is not easy. Any advice?

HumboldtHog wrote:

Hey Shaggy, did you get your Hiace registered in CO yet. I'm about to pick up my Hiace that's coming straight from Japan and therefore will have a Japanese title. I know it's possible to get a CO title but have heard it is not easy. Any advice?

I have not yet. My van had some issues that needed to be addressed while still in Japan so it will arrive at port in California in early February.

That being said, I have done a decent amount of research into the process so I think that I have a good idea of what to expect.

1. It appears that the first step is going to the Colorado State Patrol and having them do a VIN Inspection/Certification. I think this step causes people trouble as some have reported that the state just inspects the Chassis Code and calls it good, and other have said that the state will actually create a new US 17-digit VIN to stamp in, with the latter taking WAY more time. Most recent link I can find is here.
   
2. The next step is going to a diesel emission and inspection. If you live in one of the areas where all the people in Colorado live, outside of Grand Junction, you are required to do this. Info here with a map and locations. The trouble I have heard at this step is that they will check to see if anything is modified, and if it is, many things are an auto-fail (emissions, non-OEM engine, nonconforming fuel pump). I am not sure if you can try different locations to see who is most lenient or whatever.
   
3. Once you have those items, I believe you are clear to go to the DMV. I will add a 2020/2021/(20XX????) caveat that the DMVs are currently all closed. I haven't yet figured out a way beyond this hurdle since these won't be cars you can register online. I will also admit I am not sure if you can get temp plates or if you have to drive around without them while doing all these checks and tests.
   

Beyond the links I embedded, there is a thread on the Mitsubishi Delica forums for here in Colorado (I have ALSO posted there since I was considering both vehicles). I also contacted the CDPHE directly and they basically ran me through the whole process, especially the emissions/inspection part.

I hope some of this helps. Feel free to DM me or reply here (or maybe we start a CO registration thread since these seem to be popular here) with anything else and we can figure this all out together. I know of at least 3 others across the Denver/FoCo area so it's nice to see more are appearing in the state.