Vanlife Northwest

There are a number of people around the Hiace that are pillars of the community. The knowledge that these guys have is incredible and I love the turn around on shipping. I have had five or so interactions over the years with Danny and Jamie, they’re always there with an idea of which direction to go. The in-house fabrication and quick turn around gives me faith that the grass roots are coming back in America. Thank you James, Jamie and Danny. I told James to keep my credit card on file since I have used you so much over the past few weeks.

I bought a van from Vanlife NW last March and I couldn’t be happier with the decision. Danny and his team are super accessible, helpful, and friendly. They go out of their way to make sure you are happy with your ride.

**EDITED** I’ve had the absolute worst experience with Danny (the owner) at Northwest Vanlife. I purchased marked up Bilstein shocks for my Hiace. They were grinded down and repainted, they are also not spec’d for the vehicle. Most likely from the fronts of an 80 series Land Cruiser. I followed instructions from their in-house technician and James (who were extremely helpful) and ended up with a broken shock. I kindly reached out about a replacement or refund on both rears. Danny essentially stated he doesn’t care about his customers - regardless, in all the business I’ve been involved in, I’ve never seen somebody so defensive and rude over the phone (who then proceeded to hang up). They will not even abide by Bilsteins lifetime warranty and couldn’t even if they tried! They modified the shock before the customer even gets it. For this being a small niche community, I’m disappointed that there would be Ill-willed people such as Danny. **RESPONSE** Their response is simply not truthful. I directly took the advice of their technician and James, which broke the shock. I ordered the proper shocks from another Hiace vendor and guess what? They fit perfectly without issue. I did not ask for a free replacement, I inquired about a warranty of the product. Nowhere in the shops response do they address the fact that they grind and modify shocks prior to sending to customer. They do not disclose that in their listing. Leaving a negative review based on Danny’s behavior and attitude is not slanderous. It’s truthful, first-hand experience. Upon being hung up by Danny, I reached out and filed a claim with PayPal. PayPal is aware that I am willing to return the shocks for a refund and I submitted all documentation and correspondence accordingly. As far as reaching out to me, Danny emailed me within the last two days and threatened to file a “police report” for slander and extortion. This is as far as his communication goes. I’ve been completely responsive, but will not go back and forth with a business owner who is now freaking out. There are many Hiace owners out there who all speak on Danny’s terrible attitude. It’s unfortunate that James and the techs work for him, they are really nice, respectful and were absolutely helpful.

If you’re into the world of quirky and amazing JDM 4x4 vans these are the guys you want to know and visit. They are not only consummate professionals but truly nice people. Rolling into their lot you are instantly in HiAce heaven. Look around, drive the van and go home with your new adventure rig.

Vanlife Northwest really is the best if you’re looking for the most knowledge, the best service and of course if you’re looking to get yourself into a Hiace or other JDM vans (but mostly Hiace). Plus ownership from Vanlife Northwest has its privileges! I had a small issue and hit up Danny and told him what was going on and within 30 minutes had filmed, uploaded and sent me a YouTube video showing me how to fix it! They are literally The Best.