1990 Toyota LiteAce GXL

"I need a minivan, but it has got to be able to crush offroad" you say to the void. The void whispers back "LiteAce".

Inching into ‘super practicality’ territory, this LiteAce is a minivan in all the right ways with the bonus of a 5 speed manual and a true 4x4 system complete with locking front hubs and a low range gearbox. Equipped with a 4cyl engine you get good power and good fuel economy. You can cruise at 75 all day on the highway, then slow it down and crawl up a mountain or two later.

The outside wears its original gold paint well with only minor sun damage on the front underneath the windshield. The original 4WD decals and stripes on the sides add to the cool factor. Around back you get a sweet LiteAce monoflap behind the rear wheels in addition to their seperate ones. No rust, no rot, no damage on the body or underneath. Up top is the crown jewel, the Skylite roof. 6 total glass panels with 4 of them able to be opened. If you like having the windows down and wind blowing in your hair then this van is the king of airflow. On the back facing down is your early 90s backup camera, a mirror pointing down. Looks kind of goofy until you start parking with them and you come to appreciate them heavily. Yellow fog lights are integrated in the main headlight unit.

Inside reminds one of a time where you could get interior colors besides black, as there isn’t any, all brown baby. The seats (including the driver’s) are in perfect condition with no damage, no pulls and no crushed foam. Quite a large dashboard stretches out in front of you as a massive windshield wraps around up top and along the sides. Above is your first set of glass panels. Push button 4WD to the left of the steering wheel with AC in your HVAC options parked in the center stack. Underneath this you get a ‘COOL & HOT BOX with ICE MAKER’ unit which can do exactly as it says, keep things hot, keep them cool, and also make you ice with the included ice trays. Note that no matter how rad it would be, you can not have both a hot and cool box at the same time.

In the back is arguably the best place to be as you get 5 total seats, including tiny jump seat without any sort of seatbelts. If you have to transport someone you don’t like very much you make them sit here. The center seats can swivel allowing passengers to sit in the tradition configuration, facing the left side, or facing rearward. Back here you also get a separate heater unit in the floor and a separate air conditioning unit in the ceiling. The rear-most seats are stuck facing forward, however you can fold them up and to the side allowing more cargo area to be utilized. Above is the Skylite roof, the two largest panels can be opened upwards allowing air in and out. The rear panels are, unfortunately, unable to be opened. Fold flat the rear seats and give yourself a comfortable bed!

This LiteAce is one of the prime vans for the #vanlife crowd and for good reason. You can daily, camp, offroad or live in it if you’d like. Excellent maneuverability, exquisite visibility and 4x4 capability truly makes this among the most practical of all vehicles. Plus it’s got killer looks.