"Kei" Japanese Mini Trucks

[j-c-c-62]

Anybody had any experience checking these "toys" out?
So far I find them very interesting.
What I have found so far:
1. They need to be at least 25 years old to get around EPA/US safety regs, some have ABS
2. They are all right-hand drive
3. They come in three basic styles PU, Van, with 2 seats and an extended cab w/4 or5? seats and a short bed
4. They are made by most Japanese car makers, Honda, Subraru, etc
5. They are plentiful and have 20-50K mileage, after all Japan is an island
6. They have 4wd drive option and Auto or 5 sp
7. They have cargo ability from 770lbs to around 1800lbs
8. Most have basically a 2 cyl 660cc gas motorcycle engine
9. They are plentiful in the $2400-4000 range used of course plus shipping to major US ports for additional $1800?
10. They often have AC, and most look to be in rather good condition body wise, paint/rust/dents/etc

IMO they are more dangerous than a car/PU, and a lot safer than a motorcycle, but in reality, the risk is only to the driver, not the public. They get over 40+ Mpg, their top speed ranges from 51- 71 mph.
They are illegal to drive in 8? states. They have no restrictions at all in another 8? states. All the other states have their own restrictions.
In Florida they cannot be driven on any road with a speed limit higher than 35 mph. That's BS.
I would really enjoy owning one legally. Some complain about right hand drive. I don't see that as a real problem, you ain't going to be passing many anyway, and the mini truck is so narrow all you have to do is lean a bit to the left and you can see right around the car you want to pass.

And I don't have the distraction of "mine is bigger than yours" issue.

 

[71RRHI]

They were everywhere in Hawaii for about two years. People would buy the small van versions and have them painted to look like an old VW bus. They are slow. The fad seems to be fading though.

 

[thehemikid]

With wider tires for flotation I'd use it for yard work.

 

[j-c-c-62]

They were everywhere in Hawaii for about two years. People would buy the small van versions and have them painted to look like an old VW bus. They are slow. The fad seems to be fading though.

Other than US car makers having nothing to compete with them and likely afraid of losing market share (we have seen that before), why are so many states so restrictive?

 

[thehemikid]

Did they make any in 4x

 

[71RRHI]

Did they make any in 4x

Yes

 

[71RRHI]

Other than US car makers having nothing to compete with them and likely afraid of losing market share (we have seen that before), why are so many states so restrictive?

Not sure. They are too small for me. For my daily driver I prefer the comfort of a full size truck like a Ram 1500-3500. I thought about getting one of those little JDM trucks for yard work/for my wife to get around the yard. But ended up buying a Kawasaki mule instead.

 

[71RRHI]

 

[j-c-c-62]

I guess it matters where you look 48000 miles

 

[PROSTOCKTOM]

They are everywhere around where I live as well. I've considered one of the vans, but I really don't need one.

Tom

 

[F4R/T]

Probably not road worthy in places due to crash test failure and or no standards built into it. I would not want to get hammered by a Ram in one of these. The concept isn’t bad but off road use seems more fitting. Side by sides are off road too but everyone drives fast on the road and folks are getting killed because of it and lack of wearing a seat belt... I think they are fun but have their place too.

 

[BMosely]

In GA, apparently they were legal and then made illegal to tag. My neighbor has one so I inquired. You register an LLC in Montana and they will tag it thru the LLC and you are good to go.
He says it is good for everything and fun except interstates; That is a no go. Most are stick shift and the pedals are like left drive but obviously you would shift left handed.

 

[toolmanmike]

Anybody had any experience checking these "toys" out?
So far I find them very interesting.
What I have found so far:
1. They need to be at least 25 years old to get around EPA/US safety regs, some have ABS
2. They are all right-hand drive
3. They come in three basic styles PU, Van, with 2 seats and an extended cab w/4 or5? seats and a short bed
4. They are made by most Japanese car makers, Honda, Subraru, etc
5. They are plentiful and have 20-50K mileage, after all Japan is an island
6. They have 4wd drive option and Auto or 5 sp
7. They have cargo ability from 770lbs to around 1800lbs
8. Most have basically a 2 cyl 660cc gas motorcycle engine
9. They are plentiful in the $2400-4000 range used of course plus shipping to major US ports for additional $1800?
10. They often have AC, and most look to be in rather good condition body wise, paint/rust/dents/etc

IMO they are more dangerous than a car/PU, and a lot safer than a motorcycle, but in reality, the risk is only to the driver, not the public. They get over 40+ Mpg, their top speed ranges from 51- 71 mph.
They are illegal to drive in 8? states. They have no restrictions at all in another 8? states. All the other states have their own restrictions.
In Florida they cannot be driven on any road with a speed limit higher than 35 mph. That's BS.
I would really enjoy owning one legally. Some complain about right hand drive. I don't see that as a real problem, you ain't going to be passing many anyway, and the mini truck is so narrow all you have to do is lean a bit to the left and you can see right around the car you want to pass.

View attachment 1894248

And I don't have the distraction of "mine is bigger than yours" issue.

We can't license them here in my state. A customer of mine imported a shipping container full of them and finally ended up selling them for on the farm use. Hard to get parts for if they need fixed.

 

[Nxcoupe]

DIHATSU sold them here in the states back in the 90s. When I was fleet manager at the university, we purchased them for the grounds crew to get around in. Were not legal to license here in Ohio. We were able to get parts through a supplier that sold them to us. Took a while but they were available back then.

 

[DeltaV]

This one sold for $7,700 a few weeks ago on BaT.

No Reserve: 1994 Suzuki Carry Dump Truck 4WD 5-Speed

 

[cr8crshr]

Back in my USAF service days, when we would transit Japan and its neighboring areas, those were all over the flight lines hauling maintenance tools, parts, and such. Got so bad that they would hold up the US-made vehicles as they were way too slow, and passing on 2 lane rights of way is a no-no in most areas on base. But hell...Japan has always produced very small mini vehicles since they began making their own vehicles...cr8crshr/Bill