August 15, 200718 yr Hey all I am a true soob goob spent a good deal of time stalking a poor taxi driver in Vanuatu when on holidays to get a photo of this subaru minin van 4wd. Naturally he thought I was mad! It was fairly rough (all the cars there are!). It was left hand drive something I not used too i presume it's about an 83 or 84 model given the dual headlights and the style of mud gaurds with the red 4Wd lettering. Anymore info would be iteresting are they in the US? Sort of want one now just for the novelty value, i mean a 4wd mini van!! Cool! Have attached picture with message
August 15, 200718 yr thats a subaru SAMBAR they were like the newer version of a 360. they made them in a truck too the have a 4wd 6 speed:eek: really cool stuff. my mom saw one in costa rica and didnt know what the hell it was either. Knowledge is power!!!! -Dalton
August 15, 200718 yr These were sold in the UK as the Sumo and Europe as the Libero, they're quite rare in the UK but they crop up on eBay sometimes - you could also get 2WD versions. It shared the Justy's 3-cylinder engines. The quad-lights mean it's post-87.
August 16, 200718 yr I seen a Sambar last week when me and the fiance was out for a brat ride. Didnt have a lick of tags on it.
August 16, 200718 yr http://www.japanoid.com/cardata.php?carNo=24 http://www.xs4all.nl/~mjs/cabover.html its almost honorable , its a micro van, not a mini van. This can use a min van as a a garage nipper
August 16, 200718 yr Wow! Yeah the Sambar's are cool! I like the Sambar mini truck. Yeah i've seen alot of pics of Libero and Sambar's! The Libero was also sold in Australia. As you know aussie Roo's are always cool!
August 16, 200718 yr A fair number of those out here. Whistler Ski Resort uses them as their maintence vehicles. Highly practical for that application. They still dont really compare at all to the competition though, Mitsubishi Delicas are far superior.... No matter how it it pains me to say.
August 16, 200718 yr I drove one once, hellish experience :-p the suspension is amazingly weak, the pedals are tiny and move on a vertical line (instead of diagonally) if you kick your feet forward you'll kick a dent in the hood (which can't be opened) engine is a pita to work on, can't reach anything and it looks like a justy engine but it's not! they share the same configuration, but no parts. but, besides all that, I would love to own one :cool:
August 16, 200718 yr Are you sure they aren't Justy engines? They seem to go along the same lines - you could get 1.0-litre and 1.2-litre versions in both, 3-cylinders, etc. Maybe it's been modified for a longitudinal and/or van application, but it's still the same basic engine.
August 16, 200718 yr ...and I thought Vanuatu was only good for Vacationing, Money Laundering and Off Shore Shell Corporations....:cool:
August 16, 200718 yr There are Lots of those micro Subies Here, Models from the early 70`s up to this date (they`re Still in Production, and comes as Pick ups, Cargo Vans & Passenger Vans, also a Luxury edition with Higher Roof and better finish are avaliable) they`re a Hit in the Market here But not only Subaru does those micro Vans, they compete with Daewoo (Sold as Chevrolet too) and Suzukis... even the Subaru Dealer here, sells another brand (Chinese) who makes micro vans: "Varica". :-\
August 16, 200718 yr A fair number of those out here. Whistler Ski Resort uses them as their maintence vehicles. Highly practical for that application. They still dont really compare at all to the competition though, Mitsubishi Delicas are far superior.... No matter how it it pains me to say. Oh yeah there's tons of cool mini/micro vans. Like the Mitsubishi space gear. And Toyota Hiace. Even Nissan has some cool ones. I would buy one if i could find one. MICRO VANS ROCK!
August 16, 200718 yr Are you sure they aren't Justy engines? They seem to go along the same lines - you could get 1.0-litre and 1.2-litre versions in both, 3-cylinders, etc. Maybe it's been modified for a longitudinal and/or van application, but it's still the same basic engine. the basics could very well be the same, but, intake and exhaust are very different, the heads may be the same, internals may also be the same, but the main casing is very different. all in all, probably based on a justy, but definately not the same.
August 16, 200718 yr Oh yeah there's tons of cool mini/micro vans. Like the Mitsubishi space gear. And Toyota Hiace. Even Nissan has some cool ones. I would buy one if i could find one. MICRO VANS ROCK! I see at least five micro van, 4wd, lifted everytime I leave my house. Mostly Mistubishi though. I think our importing rules are a little more relaxed in Canada. Im importing a JDM 1993 Imp WRX in november.
August 17, 200718 yr Author Yeah there were heaps of micro vans in Vanuatu seem to be a hit there as well. And it is a great place for a holiday and also off shore money laundering! (ps some of the best coffee i ever had called Tanna Coffee) There were many brands of cars Some Daewoo, some chinese and Malyasian brands I have never heard of like Geely, DAMAS, Maple, Pero-dua, etc. These vans are significantly smaller than the Toyota Hi-ace and Delica Mitsubishi vans I see them here in Australia all the time, the micro vans were a definite novelty to me and I could never own a car with three diamonds on it!!!. We got a Mitsubishi factory in our town and the cars they make are a laughing stock here! When you can see a cloud of smoke you know it's an Adelaide built Mitsubishi made by some wacked out meth amphetamine junkies! I thought the micro van i saw was an 83/84 model cause my touring wagon got the dual headlights and thats an 83, the dual headlights are not limited to post 87 vehicles many of the EA81 coupes around here have the dual headlights. On another note why do Subaru call there cars different names in different spots? Brat = Brumby Loyale = L Series Sambar = Libero Estate wagon = MY Wagon Legacy = Liberty I dunno seems confusing to me ?
August 17, 200718 yr Justy = J-series, Tutto, Trendy Four different names for the same car. Subaru's one of the worst offenders... Apart from Brumby, the Brat was also known as the 284, MV or Shifter. Five names!
August 17, 200718 yr On another note why do Subaru call there cars different names in different spots?Brat = Brumby Loyale = L Series Sambar = Libero Estate wagon = MY Wagon Legacy = Liberty I dunno seems confusing to me ? Because there's JDM and UK, Aussie one's. Just like Datsun with there 1978 240Z. In Japan it's called Nissan Fairlady. Because Datsun is a part of Nissan. So you understand.
August 20, 200718 yr Wow! Yeah the Sambar's are cool! I like the Sambar mini truck. Yeah i've seen alot of pics of Libero and Sambar's! The Libero was also sold in Australia. As you know aussie Roo's are always cool! I disagree there. they sold the REX here but not the truck or van. NZ got both of them.
August 20, 200718 yr Author Yeah thats right no Libero or the vans here, and we got no EA81 turbo cars either!! I am spewing bout that cause turbone has got a sweet looking black ea81 turbo coupe with the gold badging and pin stripes it is soooo coool!!! Probably a reflection on our over regulated Australian society that we didnt get the mini vans or trucks. Or marketing which again makes me ponder as to why marketing boffins make these choices i mean is sherpa a more aussier appealing name them justy, Brumbies (the wild aussie horse) over brat I can see. L series over Loyale, legacy over Liberty - is that more aussie? And how do they determine what our market needs who decided on no mini vans? Why aren't we gonna get the new WRX as a sedan just the hatchbacks and why no diesel impressa here until 2009? Schweppes thinking too much about Subarus better go to bed! :-\
August 20, 200718 yr Yeah i guess i don't really know why they do that? It's wierd? But what do you mean Australia never had the Libero or Sambar? I've seen a few 80's ad's for the Libero from Aussie? Search "Subaru libero" And you'll see what i mean!:-\
August 20, 200718 yr By the same token we never got an ea81 dual carb motor in the states. And Datsun is Nissan. The name plate changed over in the 84/85 model years.
August 21, 200718 yr Author Oh yeah well we get nthe datsun Nissan thing goin on. Now i will stand corrected on the Libero but I have never ever seen one here, not on ebay on the streets anywhere, so if they were in Oz, they are extremely rare! Which wold make it even cooler to own one. Yeah the dual carb ea81 would be cool too, we not got them here either. Seems we exist in a subaru Black spot. Oh and to my knowledge no hatch ea81 either which I think lok cool especially that one with the body kit in the old press photos. :-\
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