Hello From Canada!

[CDNN70]

Hey Everyone! New member here all the way from Edmonton Alberta, Canada! I currently own a 1990 Toyota Pickup (Hilux) Petrol but have been on the hunt and searching for my next rig! I have been searching the globe and am trying to track down a 2005-2006 Toyota Hilux 3.0L Diesel. Unfortunately they were not available here in Canada so i will be looking across the pond at the U.K ,Thailand and Australia! Thailand looks the most promising for me due to availability and price of the Vigo's but that comes down to heat and swapping in factory heat from another truck. if anyone has any recommendations or advice i am all ears! Happy to be here and hope to have a new Luxy here soon!

[hiluxxury]

Welcome mate, great to have you onboard. My brother lives in Calgary and I visit as often as I can - I love the place.

Have looked in Mexico and south for one? Do you mean the cabin heater or are you looking for a diesel heater?

[CDNN70]

hiluxxury, Awesome! Small world! I love it here but the winters can be terrible and the cool truck selection is seriously lacking. I am slowly starting to look at Mexico and South America via FB Marketplace but selection seems to be slim and finding someone who is a local that can look at trucks for me is tough.

Thailand built trucks didn't have Heater cores installed due to their climate, only A/C. So if i did import would i would be looking at removing the dash and completely swapping the A/C and heater core box and routing the appropriate coolant/water lines etc. i have been looking into it quiet extensively and it seems simple enough..

[hiluxxury]

Aha, I see now. How about that - are the vehicles sold in the middle east sold without a heater too?

[CDNN70]

hiluxxury, I am not to sure. I know some people import the Vigo and do a heater swap in Pakistan. And I have heard of people in the UK installing aftermarket heaters in them but information online is very limited considering most colder climate places already had the proper Heat provisions installed.

[CDNN70]

Truck Update, i just put down a deposit on a 2005 Toyota Hilux Vigo from Thailand! 1KD 5spd double cab! ETA to Canada is roughly 30 Days then ill be flying to Vancouver, BC to pick it up and drive back to Alberta. Pictures to come!

[hiluxxury]

Congrats! Post some pic when you get it!!

[Rob_Wood]

Sight unseen from a different continent.
I have to applaud your faith in man kind.
well done.
Although I'd like to know about the freight costs, a more important thing is (if you don't mind), please let us know how your build goes.

[CDNN70]

So the first truck i put a deposit on did not pass inspection due to a rolled back odometer. everything else checked out otherwise but with no exact idea of how many KM's are actually on the clock i opted out of the deal. after a couple weeks of searching with the help of my importer i can finally say i am now the owner of a 2007 Double Cab 1KD 5 Speed Toyota Hilux! now we wait for it to arrive!

[CDNN70]

https://imghostr.net/image/luxback.fh9Y2
https://imghostr.net/image/luxfront.fhHzw
https://imghostr.net/image/luxside.fhFxM

[Rob_Wood]

Pictures are not showing.

[CDNN70]

Pictures are not showing.

I have fixed the links! i still haven't quite figured out how to post the photos!

[Chopps]

Under Embed codes go to full image, copy and paste BBCode link






Tidy looking 07

[Rob_Wood]

OK, certainly tidy looking. I am keen to know about buying internationally and freighting it home. Maybe different for Canada, but in Australia I'd love to know how to get a less expensive option than buying locally. I guess that is my main question. Is your reason for international purchase based on (or mainly based) price / cost?

[CDNN70]

OK, certainly tidy looking. I am keen to know about buying internationally and freighting it home. Maybe different for Canada, but in Australia I'd love to know how to get a less expensive option than buying locally. I guess that is my main question. Is your reason for international purchase based on (or mainly based) price / cost?

Basically my main reason in importing to Canada is the fact that we never had the Hilux available (Only the "Pickup" until 1995) to us and the last Diesel Toyota platform available to us was the 1987 HJ60 Land Cruiser. the second reason is that the landed cost of importing a Hilux still comes in less then what I would pay for our Toyota mid size truck, the Tacoma.

I have looked into importing these trucks out of Australia also but the price and mileage is almost double for the truck and shipping costs and since these trucks are no longer made in japan the stock is also very limited coming out of japan so Thailand was the next option i found that seemed to have a considerable amount of stock for decent prices and lower mileage.

My plan is to sell my current rig (1990 Petrol Toyota Pickup/Hilux) once this new rig lands and start building this one into a touring rig for extended fishing and camping trips over the summers. I work at a Toyota Specialty Shop here in Edmonton, Ab called 4 Wheel Auto and we specialize in Toyota Land Cruisers and other Toyota/Lexus 4WD platforms and deal directly with Toyota Canada, Don Kyatt, ARB and Engine Australia so parts supply and availability for this truck is very accessible and surprisingly a lot of the parts for this truck are available through Toyota Canada.

[Rob_Wood]

OK, certainly tidy looking. I am keen to know about buying internationally and freighting it home. Maybe different for Canada, but in Australia I'd love to know how to get a less expensive option than buying locally. I guess that is my main question. Is your reason for international purchase based on (or mainly based) price / cost?

Basically my main reason in importing to Canada is the fact that we never had the Hilux available (Only the "Pickup" until 1995) to us and the last Diesel Toyota platform available to us was the 1987 HJ60 Land Cruiser. the second reason is that the landed cost of importing a Hilux still comes in less then what I would pay for our Toyota mid size truck, the Tacoma.

I have looked into importing these trucks out of Australia also but the price and mileage is almost double for the truck and shipping costs and since these trucks are no longer made in japan the stock is also very limited coming out of japan so Thailand was the next option i found that seemed to have a considerable amount of stock for decent prices and lower mileage.

My plan is to sell my current rig (1990 Petrol Toyota Pickup/Hilux) once this new rig lands and start building this one into a touring rig for extended fishing and camping trips over the summers. I work at a Toyota Specialty Shop here in Edmonton, Ab called 4 Wheel Auto and we specialize in Toyota Land Cruisers and other Toyota/Lexus 4WD platforms and deal directly with Toyota Canada, Don Kyatt, ARB and Engine Australia so parts supply and availability for this truck is very accessible and surprisingly a lot of the parts for this truck are available through Toyota Canada.

That's all so great. Would you mind if I send you a PM to discuss international purchasing in further detail?

[CDNN70]

OK, certainly tidy looking. I am keen to know about buying internationally and freighting it home. Maybe different for Canada, but in Australia I'd love to know how to get a less expensive option than buying locally. I guess that is my main question. Is your reason for international purchase based on (or mainly based) price / cost?

Basically my main reason in importing to Canada is the fact that we never had the Hilux available (Only the "Pickup" until 1995) to us and the last Diesel Toyota platform available to us was the 1987 HJ60 Land Cruiser. the second reason is that the landed cost of importing a Hilux still comes in less then what I would pay for our Toyota mid size truck, the Tacoma.

I have looked into importing these trucks out of Australia also but the price and mileage is almost double for the truck and shipping costs and since these trucks are no longer made in japan the stock is also very limited coming out of japan so Thailand was the next option i found that seemed to have a considerable amount of stock for decent prices and lower mileage.

My plan is to sell my current rig (1990 Petrol Toyota Pickup/Hilux) once this new rig lands and start building this one into a touring rig for extended fishing and camping trips over the summers. I work at a Toyota Specialty Shop here in Edmonton, Ab called 4 Wheel Auto and we specialize in Toyota Land Cruisers and other Toyota/Lexus 4WD platforms and deal directly with Toyota Canada, Don Kyatt, ARB and Engine Australia so parts supply and availability for this truck is very accessible and surprisingly a lot of the parts for this truck are available through Toyota Canada.

That's all so great. Would you mind if I send you a PM to discuss international purchasing in further detail?

Hey Rob, no problem. feel free to DM me whenever you like!

[CDNN70]

Quick update! i have just been informed my truck has landed in port and we are just waiting for it to clear customs. Should know some time tomorrow and i will be arranging towing out of port then booking a flight to go and pick it up!

I just ordered my 3" Dobinson's suspension lift today and will have some tires on order here soon, just trying to debate which tire size to go with. my last truck (1990 Hilux IFS) had 315x70R17's stuffed under it with cranked torsions and some major chopping so I'm leaning closer towards a 285 or 32" tire this go around and avoid chopping, for now....

I should hopefully have a new update for you guys some photos of it in person this Saturday!

[hiluxxury]

32" is widely regarded as the sweet spot for these vehicles.

33" can be done without chopping... a couple of good threads here on both options.

[CDNN70]

Hey Everyone! it has been a pretty busy couple weeks since I picked up the new rig and drove it back home 1200KM! the maiden voyage went extremely well, the only things that needed addressing before I started my journey home was a flat battery and some hyper flashings and dead rear LED taillight bulbs. also apparently its common to have windshield tint on vehicles with hotter climates so that needed to be removed during a pit stop on my way through the Rocky Mountains because I could not see anything at night....

Here are some photos of the progress so far!

Mid trip stop to stretch our legs and find some gravel roads! we also realized just how badly worn the stock suspension was in this truck.


The Dobinsons 3" kit showed up a couple days after i got home so i wasted no time tossing the OEM suspension in the Bin!



After the suspension was installed i needed to fill some wheel gap so I ordered up some 285/75R16 Falken Wildpeak AT3W tires and mounted them on some Hilux Surf Wheels i had been holding onto that a customer didn't want, overall fitment was perfect with only some minor trimming to the step and flares.



So far I am super happy with this truck and it breaks necks everywhere I go! parts are slowly starting to come in so I can do some standard maintenance and waiting on the heater core and water pipes to show up so i can started ripping the cab apart.


I have a big camping/fishing trip coming up beginning of September so I was able score a rack that a buddy had on his ZR2 Colorado that fits the lines of the truck very well, just had to modify the feet a bit to fit the wider bed of the Hilux. hopefully in the next couple days i can get my tent mounted up and the rig will be sort of ready to go!