A wanted to share the details on the HZJ105 I just brought home.
I have had a 55 and 2 60s in the past, and then have been on a cruiser hiatus for the last 5 years with an LN106 Hilux. I was planning to keep that for some time, but in 2019 a new import facility from Europe opened in my hometown that I can literally see out my window. It is used by Mercedes to bring new cars from Europe to the west coast of Canada. The new import facility peaked my curiosity and I started looking into imports from Europe where I could find a LHD diesel cruiser. I have had a few RHDs (the hilux, a delica) and I don't mind them, but prefer driving on the right side... I was reading up on the forums and got in touch with Gilmorneau who has a comprehensive how-to thread in the importing section. It seemed easy enough if you are systematic, and I learned a bunch more helping him store his 24.5 year old HDJ80 in Canada while it awaited its 25th birthday. Seeing his 80 arrive here got me excited and helped me build enough confidence in the process to give it a go.
I wanted a HZJ105. I like vehicles where body parts can be found locally, and I wanted more headroom than the Hilux or a 70 series. On the 105, most of the body and interior can be borrowed from the North American 100s, the engine and transmission from the 70 series mine trucks in Canada (plenty of new parts available in the country), and suspension bits from the 80s. I never minded the naturally aspirated 2.8 liter in the Hilux because I live at sea level and the roads here are not American style interstates - the Hilux never had trouble keeping up. My favorite 105s are the white "poverty pack" versions, but I thought it would also be pretty nice to find one with lockers which I don't think were offered in the poverty packs (maybe someone knows definitively?)
I started watching in 2020 casually, and then started watching seriously in the summer of 2021. 105s are hard to find in Europe as they were never sold in the EU; everything available in the EU is already a grey market import (my understanding at least). I saw a nice poverty pack 105 in France in Fall of 2021 and tired to secure it within hours of it being posted, but I missed it. I also saw some sketchy units outside the EU or in eastern Europe, but nothing that looked good/was a reasonable value. Then in early 2022 I saw this 2003 GX with lockers come up in Albania. I immediately messaged the seller and luckily he spoke good english. He provided some details, sent some photos, and I arranged for it to be checked over, purchased, and shipped out of Belgium to me in Nanaimo BC.
When I had it checked in person it was the classic "seller using the best photo angles", but still it looked like an honest vehicle with original paint and rust free or very close. It had 295k km and was a UNDP (Development Program) car, so it saw real use but also hopefully good maintenance. The only real defects I noted was some questionable trim around the windshield (and I know windshield issues are common with the 100s) and some evidence that the front clip was a bit tweaked (which is easy enough to sort with 100 series fenders available in north america).
Here are some of the photos the seller sent:
I have had a 55 and 2 60s in the past, and then have been on a cruiser hiatus for the last 5 years with an LN106 Hilux. I was planning to keep that for some time, but in 2019 a new import facility from Europe opened in my hometown that I can literally see out my window. It is used by Mercedes to bring new cars from Europe to the west coast of Canada. The new import facility peaked my curiosity and I started looking into imports from Europe where I could find a LHD diesel cruiser. I have had a few RHDs (the hilux, a delica) and I don't mind them, but prefer driving on the right side... I was reading up on the forums and got in touch with Gilmorneau who has a comprehensive how-to thread in the importing section. It seemed easy enough if you are systematic, and I learned a bunch more helping him store his 24.5 year old HDJ80 in Canada while it awaited its 25th birthday. Seeing his 80 arrive here got me excited and helped me build enough confidence in the process to give it a go.
I wanted a HZJ105. I like vehicles where body parts can be found locally, and I wanted more headroom than the Hilux or a 70 series. On the 105, most of the body and interior can be borrowed from the North American 100s, the engine and transmission from the 70 series mine trucks in Canada (plenty of new parts available in the country), and suspension bits from the 80s. I never minded the naturally aspirated 2.8 liter in the Hilux because I live at sea level and the roads here are not American style interstates - the Hilux never had trouble keeping up. My favorite 105s are the white "poverty pack" versions, but I thought it would also be pretty nice to find one with lockers which I don't think were offered in the poverty packs (maybe someone knows definitively?)
I started watching in 2020 casually, and then started watching seriously in the summer of 2021. 105s are hard to find in Europe as they were never sold in the EU; everything available in the EU is already a grey market import (my understanding at least). I saw a nice poverty pack 105 in France in Fall of 2021 and tired to secure it within hours of it being posted, but I missed it. I also saw some sketchy units outside the EU or in eastern Europe, but nothing that looked good/was a reasonable value. Then in early 2022 I saw this 2003 GX with lockers come up in Albania. I immediately messaged the seller and luckily he spoke good english. He provided some details, sent some photos, and I arranged for it to be checked over, purchased, and shipped out of Belgium to me in Nanaimo BC.
When I had it checked in person it was the classic "seller using the best photo angles", but still it looked like an honest vehicle with original paint and rust free or very close. It had 295k km and was a UNDP (Development Program) car, so it saw real use but also hopefully good maintenance. The only real defects I noted was some questionable trim around the windshield (and I know windshield issues are common with the 100s) and some evidence that the front clip was a bit tweaked (which is easy enough to sort with 100 series fenders available in north america).
Here are some of the photos the seller sent: