Anyone have a Kei Truck?

[unclebilly]

I’m 99% sure I’m going to buy a Kei truck for my wife for doing farm stuff.

These have 660 cc (40 cubic inch) engines, are 4x4, have heat, 5 speed transmissions, and can be setup with quad tires.

Unlike a side by side, they will do 50-55 mph and can be licensed for the road. They get 40 mpg on the highway.

[Arizona_928]

I imported one.

They're okay. I should have bought one with ac and fuel injection. 40mpg is optimistic btw

[Arizona_928]

The 4wd is amazing on my Carry. 12 inch tires are non existent so i run bias ply trailer tires. They'll go 60 mph but it's not fun. It's like driving a hmmwv 60mph. You just don't do it. I like the bug eye models but the cross over for rectangle headlights were the same year for mine.

I paid 2700 for mine to Long Beach.

[GothingNC]

A few states have made them illegal to drive on public roads.

https://jalopnik.com/here-is-the-organization-behind-the-many-states-banning-1848104429

[fastfredracing]

Actual footage of one in action . Sorry for the language Seahawk.

[2.7RS]

3rd world rolling coffins

No thank you

[GH85Carrera]

One of the large hospitals in our area have a couple of them for the maintenance department. Typical huge hospital and lots of various maintenance. They are not tagged, and only used on hospital property.

[911 Rod]

Never too many toys!

[stevej37]

Last summer a car lot with them popped up one day near me. I stopped in to check them out.
They had Daihatsu, Suzuki, and another brand that I can't remember the name.

The cheapest one of all twelve trucks was $23.9K and most were in the $30K range.

[Arizona_928]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Last summer a car lot with them popped up one day near me. I stopped in to check them out.
They had Daihatsu, Suzuki, and another brand that I can't remember the name.

The cheapest one of all twelve trucks was $23.9K and most were in the $30K range.

People are illegally importing the new ones for on road use.

Once you get your paperwork stamped at the port. Local DMV does not care...

[unclebilly]

Originally Posted by 2.7RS

3rd world rolling coffins

No thank you

Japan is the 3rd world… Who knew?

Seriously, I think anyone buying these is fully aware that the don’t offer same crash protection as a modern car… neither do any of my air cooled Porsches.

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Last summer a car lot with them popped up one day near me. I stopped in to check them out.
They had Daihatsu, Suzuki, and another brand that I can't remember the name.

The cheapest one of all twelve trucks was $23.9K and most were in the $30K range.

The Suzuki ones are good, I've been told. Great engines and spare parts aren't a problem.

[pavulon]

https://www.minitruckmarketplace.com/minitrucks

[stevej37]

^^^ the newest one on there is 16 years old.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by GothingNC

A few states have made them illegal to drive on public roads.

https://jalopnik.com/here-is-the-organization-behind-the-many-states-banning-1848104429

They have never been road legal in every U.S. state. Check local regulations before buying one.

Originally Posted by 2.7RS

3rd world rolling coffins

No thank you

You would never use one as a regular road vehicle, they are apparently great for what they were designed for which is farm work, etc..

[Seahawk]

As Speeder knows, I took a long look at this class of vehicle. Drove one for a few days here, with a/c, and loved everything about it except the size of the interior.

I’d still have my Dad’s RX-7 except, like the Kei, size matters.

I know you will/have, but spend some time getting in and out before you buy.

And I really wanted one

[KNS]

Never owned one but when I had a job working for Brackett Airport in Pomona, CA they had a Daihatsu as one of the airport hacks. We ran it hard and it was great, perfect size for small jobs - never left the airport property.