- seating for two adults and one child;
- enough load carrying capacity to use lead acid batteries required for the approx 100km range (>800kg);
- enough space to include batteries;
- air conditioning;
- less than $5000.
The 1996 Toyota Hilux single cab is a good choice as it has:
- three seats in the front (the middle is a bit small but should be suitable for a child if all three of us want to go somewhere);
- a tare weight of approx 1350kg and a GVM of approx 2700kg so there is lots of weight margin for batteries if the range ends up being too low;
- the single cab means that most of the batteries can go behind the cab to keep the weight balance good;
- has a carburetted engine so there will be no ECU to be confused when the engine disappears.
I watched three car sales web sites every day for 6 weeks. This one was advertised in Sydney for $6990 - out of our price range but worth a look to see what could be had for some more money. When I went to look at it I told the dealer what I wanted to do with it and our budget. Apparently he had paid more for it than I offered. I asked him to call me back if he changed his mind. Three weeks later he did and we got our donor vehicle.
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| The Donor Vehicle |
On the drive back from Sydney we had a bit of a scare as the engine cut out on the way up a hill on the freeway - not a good sign.
Luckily it was just a blocked fuel filter and easily fixed. There are no rattles or squeaks, the air conditioning works, the radio might need replacing and some seat covers won’t go astray.
