PHOTO: And I Thought Kei Trucks Weren't Street Legal in TX

[Ming]

Snapped these in San Antonio this Wednesday:

[96_impala_ss]

Why would you import a Kei truck?

[Ming]

Originally Posted by 96_impala_ss

Why would you import a Kei truck?

Because of the way regulations and taxes work in Japan, very lightly used vehicles are "scrapped" quickly (a deal the carmakers and gov. worked out decades ago). But in Japan they are close to worthless because of the stiff fees for owning "old" cars. The low miles driven within Tokyo city limits or small fishing or mountain towns helps, too.

This makes for a booming export market of lightly used Japanese vehicles mostly to places like the Middle East or SE Asia.

Here in the USA the 4x4 Kei trucks are used as alternatives to vehicles like the Polaris Ranger or Kawasaki Mule, but with more power, utility and a lower price tag.

And if the state will let you (Louisiana allows them on all but Interstates), you can drive them on-road, too.

Get a used Kei truck on the cheap, or buy one of these for almost as much as an Aveo that is not going to be road legal except on back rural roads when no one's looking :

[96_impala_ss]

Right, But to me, a Silverado, or even a Tacoma would have done the same job that the Kei truck is doing in the picture, but better as they wouldnt need the extension.

Thats why I say "why"

[Xenon]

Originally Posted by 96_impala_ss

Right, But to me, a Silverado, or even a Tacoma would have done the same job that the Kei truck is doing in the picture, but better as they wouldnt need the extension.

Thats why I say "why"

A Kei truck can easily maneuver through alleyways, and campus sidewalks. Emissions aside it makes them almost ideal for transporting things inside, say a college campus, or a large hospital. Try doing that with a Silverado.

[Ming]

Originally Posted by 96_impala_ss

Right, But to me, a Silverado, or even a Tacoma would have done the same job that the Kei truck is doing in the picture, but better as they wouldnt need the extension.

Thats why I say "why"

Fuel economy? Cost to purchase? Cost to maintain?

I'd buy one and drive it if I could. Loved these tough little suckers in Tokyo and Nagasaki, and still do, seeing them loaded up with tall canvas hoop cargo covers with dozens of beer crates stacked high or boxes of fish. Not everything needs to be bigger=better, and look back at the size of the trucks we could buy in the 1980's, not to mention the price tags.

From my perspective it's completely understandable why someone would want a 3-year old used Japanese truck of this size --- it's almost impossible to find a "mini" truck anymore that isn't 20 years old in this country. Heck, even the old S-10 fans are disappointed by the bloating and jacking up of the Colorado/Canyon, as well as the bloating MSRPs and lack of incentives that make them little better than a Silverado to purchase.

The Canyon I was intending to buy (when I ended up keeping my Safari and getting a Vibe instead) was only $1000 cheaper than a decently equipped Sierra!

That's just wrong, not to mention a used Tacoma can be ridiculously expensive because of high resale value...and a Silverado/Sierra, like I said, bigger is not always better. I know it's the thing to park one's truck outside in Texas all the time, but I'd like to actually have a vehicle fit my garage...

[mattyman1010]

This this kei and Kia have any relation?

[Wolfman01]

Originally Posted by Ming

Snapped these in San Antonio this Wednesday:

They are not, and the bill to make them legal here failed due to TXDOT basically telling the public that they will never allow them untill the feds do.

If that guy has a plate on his (which I doubt due to the orange triangle on the trailer), he will eventually have them seized. Mine were.

96 Impala SS, I was able to drive one on the streets for 10 months. It got more than twice the fuel mileage of the F150 that it was originally slated to replace, and hauled anything that I needed it to - including over a half ton of travertine tile.

If the EPA would get off of its high horse, and allow these to be sold in the states with a restriction on them regarding driving them on interstate highways as a condition to their being unable to meet U.S. crash specs, the market for them would explode. You would not believe just how tough these little buzz bomb trucks are.

Oh yeah, something that I forgot to mention. Look at the bed sides of that truck. They are removable. I can instantly convert one from a pickup to a flatbed, and carry oversized loads flat on the bed of the truck. Then when I'm done, I can instantly convert it back to a pickup. Show me ANYTHING on the lots that can do the same thing.

[Slideways]

Originally Posted by Ming

Fuel economy? Cost to purchase? Cost to maintain?

You need parts, so you pick up the phone.
Parts Guy: This is your local parts store, how can I help you?
You: Hi, I need an oil filter, an air filter, and a starter solenoid for my Mitsubishi kei truck.
Parts Guy: I'm sorry, we don't have that in stock.
You: Which one don't you have in stock?
Parts Guy: We don't have any of them.

I'll give you two out of three Ming.

[Wolfman01]

Originally Posted by Slideways

You need parts, so you pick up the phone.
Parts Guy: This is your local parts store, how can I help you?
You: Hi, I need an oil filter, an air filter, and a starter solenoid for my Mitsubishi kei truck.
Parts Guy: I'm sorry, we don't have that in stock.
You: Which one don't you have in stock?
Parts Guy: We don't have any of them.

I'll give you two out of three Ming.

Sorry, but I got parts for my Daihatsu Hijet from my local parts store just fine. The only extra step involved was to get the numbers cross referenced to U.S. parts. Since oil filter mountings are something that a car company can easily design to fit across nearly their entire home designed product lineup to save money in making parts, it was no problem finding matches. My only exception was the air filters, and I simply kept an extra one on the shelf. When I needed a part that I could get locally, I simply asked for it by part number.

[Smaart Aas Saabr]

Originally Posted by 96_impala_ss

Right, But to me, a Silverado, or even a Tacoma would have done the same job that the Kei truck is doing in the picture, but better as they wouldnt need the extension.

Thats why I say "why"

Even on a long bed full-size pickup you would still need the trailer for that load he is carrying in the pictures

[mbukukanyau]

That is not a Kei truck.. Kei trucks are small. really small

[Bravada]

It is a kei truck, it's a Suzuki Carry:

This makes for a booming export market of lightly used Japanese vehicles mostly to places like the Middle East or SE Asia.

And Russia:



(this is a photo from Vladivostok - try to spot a non-JDM car there)

[Quickening]

UTSA uses Kei trucks around campus all the time, driving in the inner workings of the campus, on sidewalks, etc.

[Stéphane Dumas]

Originally Posted by Ming

Fuel economy? Cost to purchase? Cost to maintain?

The Canyon I was intending to buy (when I ended up keeping my Safari and getting a Vibe instead) was only $1000 cheaper than a decently equipped Sierra!

I wonder if those small pick-ups/utes like the Mexicans Ford Courier and Chevy Tornado http://www.chevrolet.com.mx/content_...do/diseno.html could fit the void left by the S-10?
(btw, I wonder if you spotted them on San Antonio as well? as for Dodge, the Brazilian Fiat Strada could be a new Ram50/Rampage as well)

Come to think of it, if the aborted Pontiac G8 ST is recycled into a Chevy El Camino, would it fit the void as well?