Been thinking about one for dump runs, beach, etc.
Kei trucks anybody bought one?
- Thread starter andyd
- Start date
I'd love to have one, my parents neighbour has 2!
I've always wanted a commercial cabover from Isuzu or Mitsubishi. Pretty sure one of them makes a 4x4 version too. Some online prices used are high but once in a while I'll see one for a decent price. There's a local recreational small engine shop that sells motorcycles etc that has one of these Kei trucks & see him ripping around here. I have no idea on the price of these Kei trucks though.
Maybe I'll just get a Piaggio Ape instead.
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2024
- Messages
- 1,599
Scene witnessed by a friend somewhere in Europe decades ago...
Crappy weather, very strong windbursts. Sitting at a red light, a Daewoo Damas stopped in front.
Really strong burst hits from the side - friend feels it in his car.
The Damas tips over to its side.
Two big burly guys crawl out, lift it back on its wheels in the most nonchalant way possible, get back in still chatting like nothing happened. Light turns green, and the Damas drives into the sunset.
Other comment I got first hand back then, by an owner: "An absolutely amazing little workhorse. It can do anything. One thing to remember, though - IF you climb a sidewalk, you have to do it with both wheels. If you attack the sidewalk with one wheel first - the matching rear wheel will also lift like a dog's paw, and you're SOL as it's an open diff at the rear. So you'll have to open your door and push a few feet with your leg".
So yeah, if you get a Kei truck - remember that they are not all Japanese - you can actually find left hand drive ones. And remember to get them in AWD or 4x4
Crappy weather, very strong windbursts. Sitting at a red light, a Daewoo Damas stopped in front.
Really strong burst hits from the side - friend feels it in his car.
The Damas tips over to its side.
Two big burly guys crawl out, lift it back on its wheels in the most nonchalant way possible, get back in still chatting like nothing happened. Light turns green, and the Damas drives into the sunset.
Other comment I got first hand back then, by an owner: "An absolutely amazing little workhorse. It can do anything. One thing to remember, though - IF you climb a sidewalk, you have to do it with both wheels. If you attack the sidewalk with one wheel first - the matching rear wheel will also lift like a dog's paw, and you're SOL as it's an open diff at the rear. So you'll have to open your door and push a few feet with your leg".
So yeah, if you get a Kei truck - remember that they are not all Japanese - you can actually find left hand drive ones. And remember to get them in AWD or 4x4
Piaggio Porter would be better suited
Last edited:
I have a Subaru 360, a 1981 Comutacar and my father had a Miles zx40 all kei or smaller
I had no idea those existed, now I want one!Piaggio Porter would be better suited
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2024
- Messages
- 1,599
Mwa-ha-haaa
With diesel versions and whatnot.
Also, another kei car that used to be imported in Europe and is thus available in LHD (and possibly with larger engines than the mandatory 64hp and 660cc) is the Subaru Vanille / E12 / Libero - a kei car with three seat rows. Link to a French blog. 1200cc and 73hp in France. Would be close to impossible to find there, as very few sold, but there were more sold in neighboring Germany (different name there, possibly Domingo or Libero).
Last edited:
One was parked at the BBQ joint down the road from here yesterday. Guys I know who have them really do enjoy them but generally like them as a utility vehicle or second car, or have a second car they can use if they will be doing highway driving. They are becoming far easier to import now, with businesses that will inspect and import them for you. They must be in good shape and leak-free to be carried on a vessel, so the businesses that do this are motivated to do it right.
always had a back of mind idea, to get a job as a rural route postal driver, and getting a kei van, like a Delica or some such. Right hand Drive, ( Proper side for mail delivery), and they're 4wd, so less chance of getting stuck on unplowed rural roads.
when they were running through the design process for the replacements for the LLV, a Kei Van ticked most of the boxes in my mind.
when they were running through the design process for the replacements for the LLV, a Kei Van ticked most of the boxes in my mind.
Please get one, you will be my new favorite neighbor! 
And, you will get to participate in Micro/Mini Car Day at the Lars Andersen Museum.
And, you will get to participate in Micro/Mini Car Day at the Lars Andersen Museum.
I've driven handful of left hand drive Daihatsu mini trucks on military bases. I think I'd rather find a utility SXS or even an older 2 door Tacoma if you want a bed possibly a really nice Geo Tracker if you don't need a bed.
The mini/kei trucks I've driven are very tight and I hit my knees on the dash at 6ft. Also pedal position is not ideal for taller people as my knees would hit the dash or steering column when shifting. Roadworthiness is really dependent on your use case. The ones I have drove struggled to do more than 45mph. I would really suggest finding one to test drive if you can to see if it fits your needs.
The mini/kei trucks I've driven are very tight and I hit my knees on the dash at 6ft. Also pedal position is not ideal for taller people as my knees would hit the dash or steering column when shifting. Roadworthiness is really dependent on your use case. The ones I have drove struggled to do more than 45mph. I would really suggest finding one to test drive if you can to see if it fits your needs.
I've often thought that one of these would be handy and fun to have.
There are online sites that offer these vehicles, like https://carfromjapan.com/
They are quite cheap US POE, like less than 6K for one that looks good and has lowish miles.
4WD and AC are pretty commonly available.
There are online sites that offer these vehicles, like https://carfromjapan.com/
They are quite cheap US POE, like less than 6K for one that looks good and has lowish miles.
4WD and AC are pretty commonly available.
CleanSump
Site Donor 2026
Just like the Cushman's the Navy had on Air Stations. Very basic putt-putts.
JTK
$100 Site Donor 2025
I've never been in one, but see them for sale locally on the face hole marketplace from time to time. I always thought they looked cool. How are these things in terms of room in the cab? Reason I ask is, we recently got two brand new Kubota RTV-X's with cabs with heat and a/c for use at work. They drive nice and are powerful, but are ridiculously cramped in the cab for a ~$32K UTV. They also feel odd to me being hydrostatic. Let off the go pedal rapidly and you come to a screeching halt. I know that's how hydro's work, but I'm used to the Kawaski mules we've had for years.
Last edited:
Owen Lucas
$100 Site Donor 2023
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2021
- Messages
- 4,836
I'd get one over a SXS, much cheaper as well.
I like the real doors and window on these small trucks/vans. It gives it the real car feel.
Great for hauling stuff to the other side of the property or garbage cans down the road.
I like the real doors and window on these small trucks/vans. It gives it the real car feel.
Great for hauling stuff to the other side of the property or garbage cans down the road.
Check your state laws. Several states outlawed them citing they "weren't built for American roads". Even though they fall under the 25 year import rule. Colorado outlawed them then the owners were told they couldn't re-title them, then the pitchforks came out and now they're legal again. An old jalopnik article written by Doug Demuro and a new one on theautopian by Mercedes Streeter. The consensus is to use a well known broker as you can get all of the tax title, inspection and shipping rolled into one. Japanese auctions usually grade cars but damage or wear isn't always apparent. If you pick it up from a port you'll have to hire a port assistant to help you locate and get your vehicle processed and out the door.
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2024
- Messages
- 1,599
Things to keep in mind:
Kei trucks in the US can be considered mostly in two separate categories:
- As toys on private land/farm equipment: You can buy them from sites like the one above, including brand new. They will not be registered to ride on roads. They might, or might not be, less expensive and better suited for farm or private land work. They are real vehicles, meant for real work. But you will be driving them on private land, and they will never have the status of a vehicle.
- As road vehicles: They have to be imported as classic vehicles under the 25 years and older rule. There are importers for that too. Once registered, they can be used as any vehicle. Note that 64hp (or more) on a 1700lb vehicle is not something to sneeze at. These things are snappy and fully able in traffic. Most can keep 80mph. It's just that they are SMALL and they are a deathtrap if you get hit - consider it as safe in a crash as a trike or a sidecar on a motorcycle.
The hidden part of the iceberg: there's a concerted effort by a private organisation to get them banned under every shape and form, under the pretext that they are too dangerous on the road. Whether this organisation serves the recreational vehicles (ATVs, UTVs, etc) manufacturers' interests or not, is unknown.
They have been VERY efficient in the last few years in working directly with state DMVs and having not only new registrations banned, but also existing registrations taken away. They instruct the DMVs on all the loopholes that can be used. Typically, it's things like a VIN shorter than the standard US VIN length (not all countries used standardized VIN lengths 25 years ago), which results in a "Missing VIN characters" verdict.
Owners groups are fighting back, with some success here, less success there. At the end of the day, the final decision is local DMV. Except I believe in Colorado where things went so bad and owners fought back so hard that the issue blipped on a few radars and things were made better.
The East Coast was very heavily hit. There's light at the end of the tunnel currently, but few know if it's the Sun or an oncoming train.
The main thing in this whole story is that so far this fight has been completely underwater. The Autopian is pretty much the one media that is covering it extensively and following up on developments, then picked up by the bots at whatever remains from Jalopnik. Other (otherwise worthy) sites as Ars Technica have been openly hostile or at least misguided in their (few) articles on the subject. But even there, the one article that was borderline foam at the mouth hostile to them seems to have been edited recently, at least in its title.
While this battle might seem ridiculously insignificant in its scope given the quantities involved, it can metastacize in unexpected repercussions. This "Missing VIN character" axe can tomorrow fall on that beautiful collector Ferrari, or on that million bucks Nissan Skyline that makes the pride of so many collections. Indirectly, the whole world of 25+ yr old imports is threatened by the creation of such precedents. Used to be an imported collector car could be registered in 99% of the cases when all the legal paperwork was in order. No more.
As they used to say in the old country - The King allows it, but the crossing guard forbids it.
Kei trucks in the US can be considered mostly in two separate categories:
- As toys on private land/farm equipment: You can buy them from sites like the one above, including brand new. They will not be registered to ride on roads. They might, or might not be, less expensive and better suited for farm or private land work. They are real vehicles, meant for real work. But you will be driving them on private land, and they will never have the status of a vehicle.
- As road vehicles: They have to be imported as classic vehicles under the 25 years and older rule. There are importers for that too. Once registered, they can be used as any vehicle. Note that 64hp (or more) on a 1700lb vehicle is not something to sneeze at. These things are snappy and fully able in traffic. Most can keep 80mph. It's just that they are SMALL and they are a deathtrap if you get hit - consider it as safe in a crash as a trike or a sidecar on a motorcycle.
The hidden part of the iceberg: there's a concerted effort by a private organisation to get them banned under every shape and form, under the pretext that they are too dangerous on the road. Whether this organisation serves the recreational vehicles (ATVs, UTVs, etc) manufacturers' interests or not, is unknown.
They have been VERY efficient in the last few years in working directly with state DMVs and having not only new registrations banned, but also existing registrations taken away. They instruct the DMVs on all the loopholes that can be used. Typically, it's things like a VIN shorter than the standard US VIN length (not all countries used standardized VIN lengths 25 years ago), which results in a "Missing VIN characters" verdict.
Owners groups are fighting back, with some success here, less success there. At the end of the day, the final decision is local DMV. Except I believe in Colorado where things went so bad and owners fought back so hard that the issue blipped on a few radars and things were made better.
The East Coast was very heavily hit. There's light at the end of the tunnel currently, but few know if it's the Sun or an oncoming train.
The main thing in this whole story is that so far this fight has been completely underwater. The Autopian is pretty much the one media that is covering it extensively and following up on developments, then picked up by the bots at whatever remains from Jalopnik. Other (otherwise worthy) sites as Ars Technica have been openly hostile or at least misguided in their (few) articles on the subject. But even there, the one article that was borderline foam at the mouth hostile to them seems to have been edited recently, at least in its title.
While this battle might seem ridiculously insignificant in its scope given the quantities involved, it can metastacize in unexpected repercussions. This "Missing VIN character" axe can tomorrow fall on that beautiful collector Ferrari, or on that million bucks Nissan Skyline that makes the pride of so many collections. Indirectly, the whole world of 25+ yr old imports is threatened by the creation of such precedents. Used to be an imported collector car could be registered in 99% of the cases when all the legal paperwork was in order. No more.
As they used to say in the old country - The King allows it, but the crossing guard forbids it.
Last edited:
We have a rough, early 90s Daihatsu what ever its called. Its a pain to start in the winter as its carbureted and needs a tune. Its a tight fit for me to get in but it have proved to be exceptionally handy around the farm.
The one mod it needs and may eventually get, is a slight lift to clear some quad tires.
The one mod it needs and may eventually get, is a slight lift to clear some quad tires.
