My uncle got one for his orchard. Calls it Pikachu. Perfect for going between rows of trees.
My uncle got one for his orchard. Calls it Pikachu. Perfect for going between rows of trees.
That’s kinda awesome
if its not yellow with red tinted headlights I will be disappointed
Does it go “Pika Pika” when you press the horn?
If he touches the radio it shocks him, so
shockedpikachu.jpg
Gotta put a Pikachu bobble head on the center dash
~~Pet~~ Car Tax please?
pickupchu
Please tell me it is electric!
Funnily enough, there were a few electric mini trucks sold in the US in the 2000’s, though I believe mostly based on Chinese trucks
I've looked into them as well. They seem like they'd be perfect for around a farm instead of trying to buy a beater truck to do the same thing.
I see them on university campus a ton too. They use them for everything. It makes sense when you need to share the space with pedestrians.
The overall simplicity is what is the most attractive. There's less stuff to go wrong on those things. The lack of 'technology' means that it'll be an easier thing to repair yourself.
All in all, I think it's just the best sort of simplicity for the job. Kind of cuts all the fat and gives you what you need. It wouldn't take a ton of room in a building and would handle most tasks that get thrown at it.
My local NHL team even has one with a kei sized plow and salt spreader in the bed for clearing the arena area lol
Edit: I misremembered the plow but kei truck tax
https://imgur.com/a/KWw99Ug
What team is this! Trying to go to every arena and I don't want to miss this thing
Columbus blue jackets! I tried to find the picture I had of it but can’t find it
Misremembered the plow but here ya go
https://imgur.com/a/KWw99Ug
Late, still cool without the plow tho
can you adapt it into being a zamboni?
Yup, my university had one when I was there (mid 2000s), it was used by the IT guys to carry equipment around campus.
I think theirs was fairly new too, not sure how it was getting around the 25 year rule. Maybe it wasn’t registered since it never went on public streets (at least, it wasn’t supposed to)
Some places allow off-highway vehicles to be registered with the city and insured to be driven on the street. That’s how it worked on my campus. Little things were cruisin around everywhere.
If you limit the speed to 25 mph anything can be legalized easily.
Next time you go to the airport, check how many are around. Mechanics love them for driving around the line and to and from the hangar. Local airport is like a JDM mini truck meet.
I wonder if Chevy or Ford offered something similar with the Colorado and the Ranger, how much would they sell? Like, get rid of the sensors and make everything work with a physical button instead of a screen. Basically, make 98 Ranger with side airbags.
I think you're overestimating how big these things actually are. They're tiny, even compared to an old Ranger.
I worked landscaping at my university and we had a bunch of these. Absolutely perfect, it could go anywhere on campus because it could fit on sidewalks and walkways.
Am farmer can confirm, I don’t personally own one but they are getting very popular with guys near me. I’m too busy trying to import a Unimog…
Literal opposite of a mini kei truck lol. What do you farm though?
Row crops, citrus and cattle. It ain’t much but it’s honest work.
Please mail me citrus. The garbage we have here in Canada makes my tastebuds sad.
I read this as a guard in Skyrim
Ah the Unimog would be perfect then. Those can be used as tractors basically. Towing, ploughing, carrying and just absolute offroad prowess. Awesome choice ngl.
Nice! I found a Unimog in Nashville but there was some problems so I backed out. UTV’s seem like a maintenance nightmare and cost a ton. Somehow I came across a cheap NPR with a flatbed, so that’s getting freshened up and will be done next week for another beater/ hauler.
I’m surprised NPR flatbeds aren’t used more often because they seem to be very practical for farm use.
They’re mostly beat the hell and overpriced where I live. I lucked out on a low mileage fleet vehicle with proper service records. I’d like a diesel again, but the 6.0L gasoline engine will be fine for me.
Have you driven one? They're not the most pleasant of vehicles... Admittedly the one I drive has road rail gear bolted on to it so I might be biased.
I don’t believe commercial vehicles are suppose to be that nice in the first place. My father was a farmer and his work pickup trucks were never really that nice because they were used for work and nothing else. One of them was such a piece of junk that the driver’s door was unable to open lol. The only amenities they had was A/C and a radio.
Unimog is one of my dream cars
There's a bunch in Florida. There's a guy couple minutes down the road from me who has 3
I remember my dad taking me to look at a UNIMOG at a used car dealership where I grew up in west MI. This would have been like 20 years ago. Never heard of one before, now I also dream of owning one.
I do not want these to get popular. I want them to stay shitty. I can't enjoy any of my JDM dream cars, and these are safely at $4k for a decent example.
FYI to any fuckhead who wants to try to flip these - they're slow as shit, and they get hot under your ass if you try to drive it on the highway. Do not fuck with these trucks, they're incredibly useful and great that they're cheap. We need people to see how small utility trucks can be better for work than all these goddamn F150 mall crawlers, but not at the expense of cheap used trucks.
I live in the town featured in the beginning of this story. The shop I get serviced at is constantly working on kei vehicles, both the fun and the utilitarian kind. Hoping and doubting automakers take notice and make a few US bound vehicles to cater to this crowd.
They exist in the form of John Deere and other UTVs. The problem is that they're ungodly expensive.
I’m a farmer and you’re exactly right. The amount of money I have to shell out for one of those, I’d rather just buy a used Jeep or a Samurai, hell even a “fucking Ford RANGER!” and just beat it up for about 10 or so years lol
Too bad all the Samurais and even most of the Trackers/Vitaras are rusted away in the snowy states.
I read of a farmer who rigged up a hydraulic platform on the front of his big articulated 4WD that was heavy enough to carry a Tracker, so he could drive out to his farthest fields, leave the tractor there overnight, and drive home on the highway in a heated vehicle instead of a 4-wheeler.
yeah, my brother-in-law bought a Honda Acty with a dump bed for his farm over a UTV for that reason. The Acty was in excellent condition and under $5k, around here $5k is gonna be a janky UTV.
Worked great for rock picking and their dogs like how easy it is to jump into the bed.
They don't have much farm stuff in my area, but kei trucks are decently common for small time trades people.
Are those able to go on the road? Do they come with enclosed cabs?
Serious questions, I don't know UTVs.
UTVs aren't strictly road-legal, but if you're just driving on gravel roads, no one really cares. And some municipalities allow them to be driven within city limits under 30 MPH as well. The cabins are "enclosed" in the sense that they have a windshield, roof, and doors attached to a roll cage. Many have heat, some have A/C.
Nevermind then, they wouldn't really work for me. Where I see kei trucks are deliveries and small tradesmen. That's a segment that North America is really missing out on. Vehicles in North America are so big, and I hate it.
Most trades where I am (me included) drive the Ford Transit Connect. Small, good on gas, handles well, and tall enough to make up for the short length.
I think the Maverick is the cheapest you can get given the current regulations to make vehicles conform to safety.
The problem is not being street legal. New Kei cars are similar prices, but you can actually do shit with them.
Where do they get parts from?
Japan.
Parts are cheap, it's shipping that kills you.
I have a buddy who flew to Tokyo to pick up parts for his X90 Chaser cuz it was cheaper than putting it on a boat.
I often find it cheaper and faster to order my S2K parts from Japan than American parts websites so it might not be that bad assuming you don't need something massive
Mind sharing or DMing me what site you source those parts from?
So it just depends. I usually start by Googling the part number. Often it's a Japanese ebay seller or a site like Amayama. I've literally ordered parts direct from Honda dealers (like hondapartsnow) and received them after ordering the same part from Japan. They move so slowly here.
Awesome, thank you for the response.
You can relay ship a Japanese purchase through services like Tenso. That way, you get local pricing on the purchase, and sorta bulk shipping rates.
Thank you for the bonus advice :)
Depends on how much money you're spending, though, since shipping local usually incurs tax, while international shipments don't. So, if it's something small, you're usually ahead eating the shipping and avoiding the tax. Plus the service/packing fees with Tenso, depending on if you're bundling.
Not sure. I know you can order just about anything off the internet so I’m sure it’s not hard if you’re patient and have the money.
Hoping and doubting automakers take notice and make a few US bound vehicles to cater to this crowd
These are 25+ year old vehicles that cost less than $5,000 and have no safety equipment, which is a definitive part of their appeal.
Even if the automakers wanted to make a car like this (they don't), they couldn't do it anyways.
Kei trucks can be imported brand new to States that count them as ATVs, which is roughly half of all States. They are exempt from the 25-year rule when a state considers it an ATV. University of Wisconsin Madison has an awesome assortment of brand new kei trucks they use around campus.
Well that’s badass lol
Still isn’t going to make domestic OEMs interested in entering the “ATV” market with tiny margins and low volume. But it is cool
The article just says outside of Raleigh. There’s more but I can’t see beyond the paywall. Which part of the state is it in?
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Lol at your username
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I’m more of a football but it’s definitely fun to see what happens!
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I don’t know about consistently. Never forget we traded Russell Wilson to Wisconsin lol
There’s a place in VA that does imports
More locally there's a place outside of Franklinton on US1 as well, kei trucks and vans seem to be most of what they pull in. I've was very tempted looking at one with a dump or lift bed of some sort (memory fuzzy) until I came back to the reality I don't really need one as neat as it is.
Duncan imports in Christiansburg for your goofball bullshit mixed with some nice stock jdm stuff, and Japanese classics in RVA for more enthusiast stuff. A couple in Maryland as well I believe.
Japanese classics was who I was thinking of. Is method auto in Maryland?
Hard to compete if a guy is willing to buy a 2 grand import
Did I misunderstand or was the $2 grand the shipping cost, not the vehicle cost?
Yes, $2k shipping, but I think you can buy a kei truck for $2k depending on options (dump/tipper might be more.) So could probably get one landed in the US for ~$5k
You'll be hard pressed to find anything under $8k...and that's for a well-used ones. https://minitruckimports.com/buy-japanese-mini-trucks/
Not true. US importers love buying $1000 cars and marking them way up. Kei trucks can sell as low as $100 on Japanese auctions and maybe a couple grand for one in reasonable shape.
What good is a truck in Japan to me when 90% of the effort is getting it here and doing the paperwork. Do you assume the importers are importing these for charity?
By all means, if you speak Japanese and are an import/export expert, go ahead and do it yourself but 98% of people are not capable of/do not want to/do not have the time to do any of that.
I imported my van (Toyota HiAce) from Japan. I was in college and never owned a car before, so not exactly an expert importer. I don't speak Japanese. Companies like Pacific Coast Auto or the Import Guys do a good job of handling it from the Japan side of things for a reasonable price. It's not that difficult, maybe a little time consuming and definitely risky, but I still recommend it over paying $5000+ for someone to do it for you
I was impatient and wanted to see my car in person before buying, which is why I chose to buy from a dealership. But in the future yes, I'd likely want to pick out and import my own car. The reason for this is of course a much greater selection of cars, the possibility of getting broken things repaired in Japan where knowledge and parts are plentiful, and of course cheaper.
But really importing "yourself" mostly just means choosing a reputable exporter, importer, and someone to pick it up from port for you. There are probably some parts I'm missing, as I haven't done it, fortunately you can find plenty of info online and especially on Facebook groups about it.
Said it way better than I could. It is worth pointing out that buying a car sight unseen is a major risk (especially because Japanese auctions typically only take a few photos). The main tradeoff is price vs. being able to physically inspect the vehicle. That's it. There's no magic to car importing as long as you're well informed, patient, and not risk averse.
Lots of Japanese sites and companies will arrange for the purchase and shipping to a nearby port for 4-6K all-in. You just pick it up from the port and take it home.
If you want someone to do all the work and have a dealership, service dept, and all that jazz, then yes it will cost you closer to 10K minimum.
I work in maritime shipping and lots of things can be moved worldwide with a few calls/emails. Its a pretty efficient process especially for vehicles and container cargoes.
I bought one for $800, plus $900 in shipping lol It has AC, 2 wheel drive and almost 100k kms.
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My car was $10,000 Canadian to buy and ship to my driveway, including import taxes and shipping insurance.
They're more like $5-6 when everything is said and done, and they're doing this because nobody makes domestic vehicles like this and they haven't for decades.
This "competes" against ATVs which aren't trucks and when used in this kind of role, are shoehorned into something it kinda wasn't made for, UTVs, which are extremely expensive and oftentimes do less and small 90s pickups, which is a form factor that isn't made anymore domestically and are ungodly expensive for what they are because of it.
Protectionism is one thing, getting mad that cheap imports exist in a niche that the domestic market refuses to cater to is another.
You can buy brand new ones in the USA just can't road register them.
If you slam the brakes as hard as you can while the bed is empty a kei truck it will do a stoppie.
The more you know. 🌈
The first Econoline vans and especially van-pickups did this too, so Ford put ballast behind the rear axle. Chevy took out the ballast when they did a comparison video with their rear-engined Corvair van to show how "superior" their design was. Buyers still preferred the front-engine Ford and Dodge models over the Chevy because the rear-engine design meant the load floor wasn't flat, and Chevy eventually went to a conventional front-engine design anyway.
Then you can call the Subaru sambar the corvair of Japan! Though they still have a flat bed.
Also a front roll if you get a bit too excited: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqtvUV8Aq7P/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Interesting you call them a stoppie? Never heard that term. Where I’m from (northeast) we call them “endo”s
I'm from the north east lol. I've heard both.
Can confirm it's happening in rural Canada too. lad down the road from me has one and uses it as his main delivery vehicle for his small brewery. He's got it lifted a bit on some BFGs, it's a sweet little rig tbh. Sounds like a little tractor rolling past my house. I often wonder how involved it would be to convert one to LHD, they don't exactly seem like complicated little beasts.
A lifted Kei truck with little rally tires.
Holy shit this is the thing I need in my life that I don't have the money or driveway space for.
In Canada, we can import them at 15y. We should then pass them off to the US in another 10. Recycled, just like their beer.
We need a picture of this!
It basically looks like this, but instead of the dump box it has a black enclosed cargo box that's the same height as the cab.
https://offroadminitrucks.com/inventory/arrriving-april-1st-2022-daihatsu-heavy-duty-dump-manual-transmission-4x4-hi-lo-range-locking-rear-diff/
I imagine it’s thin and tall enough that being RHD is less of an issue.
If you can't get past the paywall, here's the MP3 version.
Kei trucks had their first wave of popularity as farm runabouts in the US about 15-20 years ago. Ironically, it was the proliferation of new side-by-side UTVs from Deere, Kubota, Polaris, and others that dampened sales of kei trucks for a time. Depending on local laws, UTVs and golf carts are allowed to drive on paved roads within city limits.
Compared to a kei truck, a side-by-side is more expensive (new), has a smaller cargo bed, and may not have an enclosed cabin. But it also has more suspension travel, a cab that's more American-sized, a CVT vs. manual transmission, seating for up to 6 in some models, and better dealer support.
Plenty of automatic kei trucks available. Although I wouldn't want one.
Just looking at what HVNY has for sale, they don't seem eager to import many. I wouldn't want one either.
Ah. I'm in Japan. I see auto kei trucks all the time.
But it makes sense they don't want to import them. These things really need to be manual trans to take advantage of what little power they have.
These were everywhere when I went to Japan, they use them to deliver parcels and stuff locally, cute as hell. Seen them inside shopping centres and stuff too since they're small enough to drive inside lol.
I'm here in the UK and I want a kei car too, the Suzuki Works looks amazing for me
At least you guys get the Jimny over there...
Yeah since i've looked them up i've been noticing them Everywhere. I'm probably gonna get one before winter
OMG, but I want the 5 door Jimny for Japan's forest roads if they decide to bring it from India.
I was expecting Blues Brothers, but this works too.
Kei truck and van is also everywhere in Taiwan too, but Taiwanese Kei trucks and vans get beefy engine.
Taiwan is same like Japan, the country has so many tiny streets, a COE Kei truck works there.
There's always been an appeal to kei cars, we're just seeing more and more, as the cool ones from the nineties that we've only been able to read about, are now hitting the 25 year mark (at which point, it's far easier to import).
Lots of municipalities are starting to use these in parks departments and street dept.
I wish there had been some when I was working at Parks & Rec, but they did have one of those Toro Workmans with a 3-speed that only a few of us could drive.
I think there’s pretty good applications for them in between small pickups and golf carts.
I live in a community in Arlington tx, about 2000 residents and there’s a couple kei mini trucks used by the community land scaping workers. It’s fun seeing them whiz around.
My local MTB park uses Daihatsu Hi-Jets for grounds maintenance. Because they are just 5 feet wide, they only take up half of the paved main trail that runs through the middle of the park.
Honda's been quietly reproducing parts for the Acty with their Japanese consumers in mind. Hopefully they expand their parts reproduction program recognizing a growing demand in the United States.
Better get them quick:
https://jalopnik.com/here-is-the-organization-behind-the-many-states-banning-1848104429
"lobbying organization" 🤦 of course
Domestic manufacturers would rather ban than compete.
I was gonna link that. Kickass read.
Bullshit protectionism preventing me from a street legal mini truck.
Cuz 'muh safety' even though that 1968 Beetle is totally okay.
Here in NY they banned them (even though I still see them) under the guise of some vague law that basically said that they can ban any vehicle not fit for road use. Complete bullshit.
I miss all the small trucks that we had back in the 90s. I mean they were big compared to these, but the old Dakota/S10/Ranger line was a good compromise. Now they just make narrow versions of the giant cruise ship sized trucks and call them small. They just look dumb
The late 80s Mazdas and 90s Nissan trucks were cool too. Small and simple and good enough for most light hauling duties. Toyotas were just slightly bigger until the mid 90s, when everything started getting bigger.
Modern full size trucks just feel and look like monsters compared to 90s full size trucks!
It’s ironic that people doing actual work want a small truck while white collar suburbanites want gigantic trucks
Having a bed that's not nipple high is helpful.
I love my Kei truck. The bed is like a huge work bench.
People doing actual work have both. These aren't road legal and the bed isn't meant for hauling heavy loads, so if you're doing anything more than lugging some tools around a trail or some light property maintenance you also need an actual truck.
Plenty of people doing actual work love the big trucks too, and I'd put dollars to donuts that most everybody buying one of these also has an f250 or higher for hauling goods to market. I know every operation I've been on did.
when I used to go to my local greenmarket in NYC the vendors either had real box trucks for the space needed for a big stall or a van. don't remember anyone having a pickup truck parked by their stall
Many grocers use box trucks or vans, yes, but if they have livestock or work in larger/more bulk goods they definitely have a truck. Also, NY is not necessarily representative of the wider market.
A shortnose van-based box truck, or a tilt cab, makes perfect sense in tight urban quarters. Longnose trucks are preferred in rural areas for the same reason conventional semis were preferred over cabovers in the '70s.
This. These are mainly being used to haul tools and other goods around the farm itself, in spots that are too big to fit a full size truck.
Shit like hauling all your tools around while repairing fences for example.
I've seriously considered one of these as a companion to the big F-350 flatbed, but we've been getting along just fine with two ATVs, and soon Grandpa's '49 Chevy will be in drivable condition for a short-distance runabout again. Space is not so much an issue that a cabover kei truck would be needed.
Yeah I mean I'm sure they're viable alternatives to UTVs, but they're never gonna pull a gooseneck or anything like that. Perhaps less relevant to some operations but I mostly dealt with cattle or mixed cattle/farming setups where you needed something to haul hay/silage/cattle/grain/water well beyond anything a kei truck will do.
For my money I'd prefer to have a horse and a one ton - usually you can cover 99% of tasks with one or the other - but I can see the appeal.
A 1500-lb. payload means you could put at most a 150-gal. water tank in the back if you wanted wiggle room for other stuff.
Yeah, me and tools and 150gal of water would put one of these right at their limit - and 150 gallons is like 10 hours for 15 head of cattle, tops - not really great. Usually I think of one tons with 500-600 gallon tanks when I think of bringing water to pasture (which is why we try to avoid it).
Our 1000-gal. water tank for filling the sprayer doesn't even move, and we had to put it under a Minnesota Jumbo 10-ton gear because it was stressing the previous running gear too much.
MinnCor--the finest wagons you can buy made by convicted felons!
Yeah I can imagine, 1000 gallons is a hell of a lot of water. Trailers and wagons definitely help - but they can't get everywhere.
I don't know, I think I'm just gonna stick with keeping them near rivers as much as I can. Much easier for my brain holes when it's possible.
my old CPA from NYC had a huge F150 that he somehow parked on the street
I hope rural states don’t get into a hissy fit like the Maine DMV did and ban these from registration and road use.
Vermont too, I'm pretty sure.
Can you still get farm tags for them? Like a tractor?
I've insured so many of them. Quite a few are vets who were stationed in Japan and got to own a bunch of rare and weird japanese cars. I talked to a Marine who owned an RX7, 3000GT VR4 and a 4×4 Honda Acty and he had the opportunity to bring one home with him exempt from the 25 year rule.
Guess which one he chose lmao. Still doesn't regret the decision which is awesome.
You can beat the hell out of 'em, they don't break, maintenance is easy and cheap, gets good gas mileage, and has more bed space than anything new that's not a $35,000 commercial pickup. And you can see over the #$@&ing hood!!
My city uses them as gardening vehicles for pedestrian areas.
There is also a big crew of people in my area that offroad these things.
Have you priced Side by Sides these days?
You can import one of these kei trucks for like a quarter of the cost to do the exact same kind of work
I've wanted a Kei truck for years, but for some stupid reason they're (Kei vans included) illegal for road use in Minnesota. Kei cars on the other hand are totally legal. Smells like bullshit to me.
Breaking! Ford to make tinier kei car style version of the F150 called the F50
Nah, they would call it the Pinto.
Pinto refresh would unironically hit hard in these trying times
For the love of god don’t spill the beans, the normies can’t find out
I feel like most truck buyers have desperately wanted small truly compact body on frame pickups for the last 20 years. Especially when they're affordable.
Compact is great, but I don't see why it necessarily has to be BOF for the target audience. The unibody Mav and SC are selling well.
That's fair.
What? The S10, original ranger, and Dakota all got discontinued because the compact truck market and sales disappeared.
All of the big three wouldn't have discontinued a truck if there was a genuine market for them. The rise of SUVs killed the compact truck market.
I can't speak for the Dakota or S10, but a huge part of why the Ranger failed was because Ford refused to ever update it but continued to expect top dollar for it. The MSRP of a 2011 Ranger wasn't far off the MSRP of a 2011 F-150, and as we all know, bigger, higher trim trucks are more profitable.
So I'm afraid I gotta call bullshit on the "oh people just didn't want them anymore" schtick. People didn't want to pay almost F-150 prices for a truck that hadn't really changed in 20 years.
Ford let the Ranger die so they could get more money from F-150s, then they blamed the public for killing it.
They’re awesome but can’t replace UTV’s on our operation. I bought one to do chores around the barnyard and checking nearby pastures. Works awesome for that. Not really able to take the terrain and abuse that our Ranger and CanAm can.
Yeah a lot of people in this thread acting like kei trucks are a better option than a utv.
They are wicked, but only on pavement or maintained dirt roads. They have a lot of limits utvs don’t lol
I think a lot of the people in here shitting on UTVs haven’t driven a modern one. They can get expensive but they’re also incredibly capable when properly optioned. There’s a hell of a difference between a nice Polaris or Can Am and an imported big box store Chinese model.
I’ll happily follow any Kei truck around in my UTV and see who gets stuck or breaks first.
Kei trucks just aren’t off road work horses.
Own a brewery and want to move kegs around? Perfect. Own a property with mountainous terrain? You need a utv. Pretty simple stuff. Honestly, I’d love to have both.
Yeah, I’ve seen lifted 4WD kei trucks take on some hilly small 2 tracks, but they were pretty firm 2 tracks compared to, say, a field that doesn’t drain well or somewhere that’s more bumpy than a forest dirt track
For the difference in price though, he could probably modify a kei truck to be pretty damn rugged.
For some operations, I’m sure they could do something to compensate. There is no way a mini truck could do the work a UTV does in some of the places we need them to work.
Depends on the mods/balls.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDq52KBeSW0
They’re absolutely thrashing that mini truck to go over terrain that is really not all that serious for a capable UTV, and the driver appears to be fairly skilled. Add in mud, snow, rocks etc I am still going to take the Ranger over a mini truck for serious ranch work. It can stay up at the yard and put out hay and mineral for the maternity pen and show calves and other light dude. Incredible tool for convenience but it has a lane, not the whole road.
They offer more bed space than a ranger and are already equipped with all of the equipment to be street legal. It’s a no brainer. I’ve been eyeballing them for a while now.
I want a Kei truck so badly, but in Minnesota you can only register them as an ATV and need a 30 MPH limiter installed. Such a bummer.
Aside from old rangers and tacomas there's no reliable small trucks.
And both of those are getting expensive too.
I wish new trucks were built for people who haul more than air, the maverick looks good.
There’s a guy in my parent’s neighborhood that stuck a hayabusa engine in one. It sounds awesome.
Me personally, in the land of massive oversized SUV's and F150's, I want a cute quirky Japanese pickup truck
I'd settle for an old Japanese Mazda, Nissan, or Toyota from the 90s. They were just the right size for light hauling and no frills.
Lol, very true. Even this guy got one. Look here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymyDjaL6hZs
Didn’t read the article, but the little truck in the picture was out there 10 years ago everywhere in India , from delivery to small farmers. It was big hit
I love this trend. Not everyone needs a full f150 to move some boxes around. Much more economical. Plus enthusiasts usually go nuts because of the novelty
This is old news. G&R imports in Southeast Missouri has been selling small Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Nissan and Chinese trucks for 20 years. Most are Ag clients but some large manufacturing plants use them as plant transport
For anyone interested: https://www.grimports.com/basic-truck-inventory
Uhh this has been a thing since Japan started making mini trucks. I'm from the deep south and know dozens of people who have these. I can find 10 for sale on craigslist/marketplace right now within an hour drive of my house. I know people who tag them and use them as on road vehicles. Importing Japanese junk isn't new, tons of right hand drive imports on the road.
Totally makes sense. There's a very real need for full trucks but the small sized variety is seriously underserved. All these farmers importing small trucks also have big ones for hauling/towing but most trucks don't need to be full-sized.
As someone that used to use one for work, I do not understand the love for the little kei trucks. I worked at a chemical plant for engineering work, and we had three kei trucks, a pair of Polaris UTVs, and some 1/2 ton trucks. The kei trucks were used as the vehicle of last resort. This was for many reasons, chief among them that anyone over 5’11” rams their knees straight into the dash and generally barely fits. Put two fat maintenance guys into one and they look like clown cars. Parts availability was bad, and since they were old they broke down semi often. They had 4x4 but it only worked about half the time. The only advantage they had over the UTVs was that they were narrower, which is a trade off, and that the bed was longer. For niche use they can work, but I personally would not buy one.
Been wanting one for 20 years. Highly practical
There's definitely a hard limit, seeing as they're 25+ years old. Hopefully rural Americans that need them for work are able to get what they want and they're not all snapped up by the "freaking epicly awesome!" Donut media types while they're still affordable.
I get wanting to have a weird piece of Japanese ephemera that only costs $7k to drive around your suburbs with, but every kei truck that gets imported and put to work in a rural area is probably replacing a far more polluting and inefficient vehicle.
Kei trucks are considered ATVs and can be imported brand new to the States. They do not need to abide by the 25 rule. That rule only applies as to whether your kei truck can be treated like a car.
So in other words - import a brand new 2023 Suzuki Cary? You must register it as an ATV.
Import a 1997 Suzuki Cary? You can register it as a car or ATV.
Since different States have different rules about ATVs, where you can take your kei truck varies by States. In most states they are street legal on roads with a speed limit of 30mph or less.
Based.
B-b-but w-what about safety? What if one of these rolls over, get hit by a semi then accidentally bombed during an air force training exercise?
Those in the market for one usually drive them in a limited area like a 10-acre farm or a gated community, not on the highway or public roads.
Your kneecaps are kinda the crumple zone on these but if you can get away with just using backroads if it’s road legal or keep it on property there’s basically no risk
I’m seeing them all over in farm country. Even saw something called a Honda Life the other day. Pretty neat
This has been a thing for some time. Makes sense as they're useful getaround rigs for large farms and properties. Far less wasteful than driving around a near-empty full size pickup around your 40 acres every day.
A buddy of mine got one of these with a manual transmission. He converted it over to a set of four tracks instead of tires and uses it for ice fishing and getting around his property and light work like a UTV. The thing is actually pretty damn fun and surprisingly practical. Not to mention he spent like 12k on it total and a side by side starts at like 18k.
I totally get the appeal of Kei trucks as enthusiast vehicles because they are lightweight, easy to work on, good on gas, cool...
But for rural/farm work, payload is important, and these little guys lack payload capability. If you're going to shell out $10k+ for a late 90s vehicle, why not just buy a used mid-2000s Tacoma? It will actually have a payload capability.
Anyways, if this means that demand is increasing for Kei trucks in the US, then I'm all for it!
Haven’t been to a Japanese farm, but I have been to Korean ones where they use similarly tiny trucks.
How are American farms different? Bigger?
Much bigger, both in terms of acreage and distance between fields.
According to the data I've found, the average farm size in Korea is 1.5 ha/3.7 acres. The farm I'm part of has nearly 500 acres (almost 200 ha), and the farthest-flung field is 9 miles away, which takes almost half an hour to drive in a tractor. And we're considered a smallish farm. There are some guys who have 1000, 5000, or even 10,000 acres.
That's also not counting other farmers' fields that we do custom cover crop seeding for; some of those are 15 miles away. I have relatives who do custom chemical and manure application from one end of the county to the other, 24 miles apart, sometimes in one day.
I've never been either but just comparing to Europe, American farms are much bigger in terms of acreage, in terms of # of livestock (if they are looking after livestock instead of cultivating crops), the farm equipment is much larger...not to mention that the average American is quite a bit...ahem beefier than your average Asian.
Looking at one of the imported kei trucks for sale on a website importing them - it reportedly has a 350 lbs payload. Which is frankly...laughable.
That payload is literally like me and two 50lb bags of feed
Exactly what I was thinking as well...might as well get a Yamaha TW200 at that point - arguably just as useful, way better on gas and cheaper.
I mean shit at that point you're better off getting something like a Subaru baja or brat. Both of which have a payload capacity of about 1000lbs
Or importing an older Toyota Hilux. Personally that would be choice.
Certain models of Tacoma even had a 2000+ lb. payload for a few years.
Yep, Hilux too.
Oh yeah, there was the "one ton" (1 metric ton/2200 lb. or more) Hilux/Truck in the US for a while, although I think that was dropped around 1993, when the long bed option disappeared and the mid-size T100 came out with an 8' bed. 1 metric ton payload is the norm these days for the global trucks.
It sucks that we can't import small trucks easier.
Looking at one of the imported kei trucks for sale on a website importing them - it reportedly has a 350 lbs payload. Which is frankly...laughable.
That is laughable. Most of the ones I'm finding are 1000-1500.
Way bigger. Thousands of acres is pretty common.
Bubbles wants his truck back from Julian.
Was in my wifes hometown of Aomori in northern Japan where they grow 90% of Japans apples back in November and I saw these small little trucks/vans absolutely EVERYWHERE. My RAV4 looks absolutely massive compared to these tiny little farmers trucks, and many were 30+ years old and still in perfect working order.
I've never seen such a wide variety of small cars in all my life then in my time in Aomori last year. Our rental car, a Toyota 4WD Yaris vehicle would sell sooooo freaking much in the USA but sadly, it will never happen
https://imgur.com/a/thP4tqU
Relevant mighty car mods video: https://youtu.be/rSt5tWPaI7I
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Move to Avalon on Catalina island, and Kei trucks are fully legal! That’s a big move just to have a Kei truck though.
As someone who lives in the Midwest, most UTVs are for “farmers” who don’t actually plant anything but need something to get them to the deer stand once or twice a year
CAFE is definitely a huge reason why truck/SUV sizes have exploded, and I'm really hoping with electrification we can start to bring that back a bit.
An electric mid-2000s tacoma is the dream. Just a little bigger than a kei truck!
I mean, I understand. Japanese cars and trucks are some of the most reliable trucks in the world and if you live on a farm, you're gonna want a good truck that won't break down in the middle of nowhere.
Even though It cant carry stuff compare to US Pickups they are better than US Trucks when comes to fuel efficency.
This is surprising to me.
I’ve been looking into these, my only concern is I’ve heard that taller guys have a hard time either ergo’s.
It’s just a bummer what the US truck market has become—for most trucks they are just luxury cars driven by people who use them for truck things a few times a year.
The fact that no US company is making something as utilitarian as these is kind of mind blowing. Keep them around $10k new and develop a big aftermarket to aide in profits.
my only concern is I’ve heard that taller guys have a hard time either ergo’s.
Yes, that is true: if you're over 5'10" it can be hard to fit comfortably in a kei truck. Some Daihatsu Hijets have a "Jumbo Cab" that gives a little more cab space.
Where do you see the profit for companies in this? Let's say they sell them for $12k, generously, and somehow they manage to skirt govt regulations on safety and emissions. Maybe they get treated as UTVs (which manufacturers already make, by the way, just not the big ones because it's a niche market). So they're selling for 12k, cost 9k to make, development at a billion with line setup.
That's 340k units to recoup those base costs. There's not enough demand for that - that's 55% of extant UTV demand that has to transfer from existing, proven brands and products to some random piece of shit from any given manufacturer, some piece of shit that can't go on the road or be driven in town or do great off road or carry much weight or compete with the more traditional options available like a normal UTV or a cheap used truck.
They..are..small..as..fuk.. inside the cab. Anyone bigger then 6'1 and 250 good luck.
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They're not small for anyone who's not obese.
Ehhh....you can have a perfectly healthy BMI, but if you're over 5'10" or so you're not gonna fit in a kei truck comfortably.
I'd love to get a kei truck, but they're deathtraps on the road. Perfect for farms and large properties though!
Ludwig?
Omg I got stuck behind one of these the other morning on the way to work. 55mph in the left lane. I swear to god I hope that mfer blew up. Idgaf how cool you think you are or different or whatever, get the hell out of the fast lane with this toy.
Username checks out
I want one so bad. The big three lobbied Texas and they are banned from public streets which is frustrating.
No they are not both my acty van and acty truck are road legal, titled, insured and registered in texas.
What county? I know here in Harris county Mini trucks and Mini vans are outright banned from getting titles. You can still slip them through but you run the risk of getting them confiscated and crushed.
All my keis are in Montgomery but I have friends in Harris with zero problems getting theirs registered, harris county has nothing listed for banning these cars.
Here ya go 14.11 Golf Carts and other miniature vehicles
Mini-trucks Vast numbers of used Japanese mini-trucks and vans (also known as Kei-class vehicles) are being imported into the US primarily as off-road vehicles. Some states allow mini-trucks to operate on roadways as low or slow speed vehicles. Mini-trucks are not eligible for title or registration due the vehicle’s lack of compliance with US environmental and safety standards.
I spoke to an importer of these trucks here in houston a while back, he showed me the exact line where it says Mini trucks and Mini vans are barred from titling and license plates for road use. I will continue to look for the form to show you but again, you can get them registered without issue, it's just that it's not legal.
I know the form, it states something about not being legal because they can't meet dot and emissions standards. if you read further down it specifically has an exemption for 25years or older cars, because they don't need to meet those standards.
Interesting... the importer I spoke to actually gave up and left Houston because of the issues he was dealing with.
Can you put me in contact with your friends in Harris? I would love to know more about it though. If they got plates, and titles, and aren't getting heat it might change my mind.
There's still quite a few importers in houston that will get you a kei truck. But join some of the Facebook groups, there is quite a few texas kei/mini truck groups that are very active. Or just get on the main acty groups and tell them you're in texas and want a kei truck someone will help you out. Every now and then I'll also hit up some of the bigger local car meets and there will be a few of us kei guys there.
It holds muh case of ~~Bud light~~ shiner bock the 3 deer i killed with mah .22 and even has room for momma and the kiddos to ride along. Hell it even looks good with mah "Dont tread on me" windshield visor. The Chinese Lightbars and LED flood lights mount right up, Whats more MURICAN than that?!?!
(I'm absolutely joking!)
That’s interesting 🤔
Seems like a market that has not been filled in the US. The UTVs and ATVs are terribly expensive and poorly made most of the time. They also don’t usually have a real cab.
For UTVs and ATVs, it depends on what model you're getting. Something like this is an expensive toy; something like this is a workhorse.
You're right that the "cabin" is pretty rudimentary, essentially panels on a roll cage, but kei trucks are pretty spartan too, and aren't built for the typical American (read: anyone bigger than me). They feel much like a '70s or '80s compact pickup in that respect, except with optional A/C.
Suddenly, a manufacturer hears this and the 25 year rule is killed. It was meant for enthusiasts (and while I agree with the people importing them), they will lobby the government based on the fact that "these people don't know how unsafe their decisions are" and bam. Banned. On the other hand, if they do it soon, the price of BNR34 and S15 will drop back to realistic levels.
I have read somewhere that old regular size pickup trucks are making a comeback.
Not necessarily jimny type as that is too feminin but the old school american pickup trucks from the 70s and 80.
Cool as gigantic big dick trucks are (and i want one as a broke european) its silly and expensive as hell for most americans
Regular size pickup trucks never left. Full sizers have been 77-80" wide and ~70" tall since the 40s.
I think they're talking more about the basic regular cabs, which, while not entirely gone, are a lot less common these days.
That's a fair point - I've seen maybe five-ten regular cab trucks so far this year, and one of them's mine.
I see more regular cab HDs (and not just basic fleet models) in daily use than half-tons. That's not counting our "fancy" XLT with Bluetooth and power-folding mirrors.
Probably a difference by region, too, and there are definitely more single cab HDs than half tons, but most of the trucks around me are crews even foe hauling and such.
Some of my OEMs imported these years ago to use around the factories instead of golf carts or gators.
i own/daily an Acty in nc, its pretty handy, good on gas, and NC has specific regulation for registering them as a "mini truck".
https://mayberryminitrucks.com/nc-titling
I miss small trucks and American companies have forgotten that people love them, so Japan is filling the gap. Im seriously considering one after paying off my subi
My local city has one that they use to clear out the homeless. Its definitely a Kei car and not a golf cart.
Winter Park ski resort has some of these trucks. Perfect for running around in the snow and mud for maintenance crews.
I just saw one of these the other day, in farm country on the PNW coast.
Didn’t Maine and RI make them illegal? https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/maine-and-rhode-island-take-aim-at-jdm-cars-but-why/
These are everywhere in my country, but many of them are Korean ones too(Kia, Hyundai)
The Kia Bongo and Hyundai Porter aren’t Kei trucks, they’re more small to medium pickup size. Korea does have a Kei-sized truck (with a larger than Kei-sized motor) in the form of the Daewoo/Chevrolet Labo though!
In the process of buying a small farm right now, this is top of my list.
Donut Media on YouTube just did a video on these imported lil rigs.
How do you find parts for these vehicles when something brakes and your local auto parts doesn't have it in their system. Or how do you even get sensors if the ecu system is different.
Thunderhill Raceway Park in northern California has a couple of kei trucks on the property. Their maintenance crews use them for trash collection and a few other tasks. And the fact that they're slow isn't an issue since they never leave the property.
I've had my eye on a few, carsandbids have then almost every week. I'm hoping to jump on one later this year.
I live in rural minnesota, i know of at least 3 of these trucks in the county
So weird, I just saw one of these little trucklets last night parked downtown - had to do a double take. I commented to my wife it had to be from Japan or India.
I lost interest when prices on them exploded.
these make Subaru Baja's look big lol
Marketing has too much power these days. They point every manufacturer to do the same things - the things that sell the most - while leaving perfectly good niches up for grab. Nobody was making small pickup trucks anymore because they supposedly don't sell - but that was just a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you don't make them of course nobody will buy them. The Ford Maverick proving them wrong.
Now go make a brown wagon with a manual.
I love kei truck, it’s fun to drive and cheap to run
Saw on one a horse farm literally yesterday.
When I was in the military we had a little MAG brand mini truck for getting back and forth between the airplanes and the tool area. We called it the "Stuttering Stanley" because it ran like a 25 year old golf cart, the clutch felt like stepping on a shovel while trying to dig in really rocky dirt, and the shifter was so vague it was almost impossible to tell 1st from 3rd from 5th until you let the clutch out.
I was upset when they got rid of it and nobody got the chance to buy it because I totally would have. Total pile, but to an endearing extent.
I seen plenty of these on Maui. Mostly right hand drive.
The independent European shop around the corner from me has gotten into selling these, and I have to say that after some initial interest, their inventory has gotten stagnant.
There's a local garage in my town that has a couple Kei trucks, and they use them to haul parts, tools, and wheels around the yard. They also use them at the local track as pit trucks. They're actually super cool.
Yep been seeing them in my farming town in NC
They are popping up everywhere here on Maui.
I wish I had a use for one of these things. They look fun.
The real cool ones have scissor lifts and dumping beds
Saw one at an RV storage place out in the country, being used by staff. Got excited as I hadn’t see one in years.
Gas prices continuing to rise higher and higher, these vehicles are perfect for small towns.
Nice coincidence, I just saw a Honda Acty on the roads today.
Definitely the best hunting trucks. My uncle had one while I was freezing my ass off on a 4 wheeler.
There's one somebody did out into a surf/ beach cruiser on base in atsugi and I've wanted one ever since. Board was as long as the truck and it looked awesome
My neighbor just imported one for his kid, he mentioned it was about $15k for the Street van and another $15k to import. It's actually really cool and unique here.
There's hope. Maybe, at one point, Americans will learn about biking.
No way, I have family in Japan, I love those things! But why are Americans getting them? They are designed for tiny streets.
I've seen a few of these in my city. They actually seem really practical.
Yea I'm not a farmer although I have seriously considered getting into the profession as physical work like that I have done before and is the most satisfying work ,spiritually and physically, I have ever done. But these cars are beautiful and I really love em, I watch the Yard, youtuber Ludwig's podcast, and he has one of these and has been talking about them for years and these are my favorite cars from that.
If I had to answer why, really I can't precisely say but I love them to death, and I am seriously considering getting one atm. I am looking at the website Ludwig mentioned in his last video about these things carsfromjapan.com , which, all things considered, seems pretty reliable! So if any1 has any advice on a little Kei truck they think is better than the rest lmk, otherwise I am just gonna go with the better stats + price, and one with not so much rust lol.
Ive been seeing assload of these around town. I guess being old exempts them from being deathboxes to drivers and pedestrians. Pretty cool though.
They're pretty useful, especially the ones that are 25 years old or older. They can be registered as a classic car and driven anywhere. New ones are treated as golf carts and atvs and cannot go on the road.
I saw these in the. Caribbean. I asked Hyundai US if I could buy one. It’s perfect for my business. Won’t pass crash test
I've looked into these. They're way cheaper than an atv/utv amd can do the same job around the farm. Probably jump on one in the next month or two
They aren't made with crappy four wheeler/lawn mower components like UTVs either. They're actually meant to haul things and be reliable.
For the price of some UTVs, you could pay for a really nice used truck. Its crazy what some people spend on them.
Next door neighbor paid $30k for his and had another $15k in modifications to it. He only paid $20k for the truck he drives everyday that he uses to haul the side by side to the mud bog
I really don't understand the pint of that. Id rather buy a used Ford F150 raptor.
Dollar for dollar you’ll get way more offroad performance out of the SxS - the high end ones have incredible suspension specs. They are also lightweight, easier to tow, and easier to work on.
If you need an all-in-one vehicle for daily driving and offroad, then a full size pickup makes sense. But if offroad is your hobby and you have space in the garage, a SxS could make a lot of sense.
SxS are also completely repairable in your garage for almost all issues. You roll it over you just get it back upright and keep going. You roll that F150 over and you're dealing with bent body panels, busted glass, and torqued suspension.
As decked out as I've seen some, I'd believe it
Yeah I ended up buying a Wrangler for way less than a UTV
It blows my mind how many people in rural Minnesota/North Dakota take out big loans to have those things. A lot of people treat it like a weekend fun car/convertible, on the weekends you see tons of them lined up at the local bars since many towns allow them to be driven on city streets.
I'm definitely starting to see a shift though, there's been a few high profile accidents in the news the last few years where people have been killed. UTV vs Truck or SUV is not a good fight.
Same way up in northern wisconsin. however after being in a great one on the trails around - those suspensions are worth it compared to the offroading trucks lol. My back thanked me so much for the UTV rental.
I mean, I'd trust a lot of modern ATVs/UTVs over a 20+ year old vehicle that was made to be cheap as fuck, just strength wise.
They still have their limitations, i knew three fellas driving them around in a small northern community in Canada. The difs aren’t really made to carry around much weight, they’re really tiny and if you want limited slip you have to do some modifications and it can get a little pricey from what I was told. Better than a utv for sure but I’d think a smaller bush truck would still be the way to go if you don’t have space requirements.
Just like any truck, it depends on configuration. They're work truck first, novelty second. I've seen kei tippers with locking diffs.
Yup. Worked at a shop that used one as a parts running truck/lot truck. Was lifted, tiny little knobby tires (I think they were 12 or 13”?), had a plow, and a tilt bed. Worked great for clearing snow out of a small lot.
Some come with rear diff lockers
If you’re on pretty much just dirt a diff locker would be amazing.
It’s been a while since I read about it, but apparently there are a few rear axle/diff upgrades people like for the Kei trucks that have solid axles.
The stock axles are SUPER light, but some other small Japanese trucklets (like the Pajero Junior) have slightly beefier axles.
I’ve also seen one with a narrowed rear axle from a Chevy S10, which was much beefier than the stock unit.
I saw one that had what looked like stock LSD decals and the owner confirmed it had the diffs, could have been aftermarket still I guess
Where have you looked to purchase one? I was considering one but I'm a bit early in the searching stage.
There are Japanese dealers that will ship.
$1500 sambar or acty in Japan is about $5000 by the time you pickup at the port... At least when I looked at bringing one to Canada.
https://carfromjapan.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjw6IiiBhAOEiwALNqnccF9nmEYh97GmeiDm5Eb5FE4F7qEehbL_eiIWu7RQoZvKnYY8DcgGhoCbd4QAvD_BwE
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Bummer. Still legal in Canada.. I see a few around. For the price of getting it here I'd sooner by an old Chevy Colorado
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Oh don't you worry we are doing our very best to follow suit!
They caught a guy here in Florida with a 98 Skyline a few years ago when they were still illegal. They took it to the junkyard and crushed it.
The government is really fucking stupid. Which is already known.
Yeah they’re dumb but the guy knowingly driving an illegal car while knowing what will happen if he gets caught is just as dumb if not dumber.
A 97 can be registered and 50 state legal now because it's over 25 years old, but it can be a little tricky if you imported it before it was 25 years old and didn't keep all the documentation.
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'97 should be legal now, it's 26 years old.
I imagine it's similar to areas where you can golf cart anywhere within a housing development, but not on the outside streets.
The trick is is those are private roads there for you can do whatever you or the HOA allows
Yeah, that's the distinction I was trying to make. "Get a farm (or wait to retire)" ;)
Little town near me in Ohio allows golf carts on roads. A lot of businesses have even marked parking spaces for them.
Just tell them it's an Impreza?
What did you end up doing with the Sambar?
Does anyone know if Kei trucks are legal in Illinois?
You can up in new hampshire
Can you do the LLC-> Montana registration and plates?
That's how people are getting humvees plated.
You can't register these or a UTV in FL anymore? wtf
Are they cracking down on fully street legal? Or registering them as ATVs in states where ATVs are street legal?
I thought the latter was fairly popular these days.
If someone can't repair the truck themselves it's gonna be a pain to have to get it towed to and from a shop. Though I suppose many people who live in the country will have a bigger truck that they can use to tow it.
I think I see something like those smaller pickups used by maintenance crews in our nearby University.
You can probably find an importer relatively easy if you search for Kei trucks for sale, especially if you live near a port. They'll typically run in the $7-10k range.
I bought mine at Duncan Imports in Nashville. Kei trucks are an absolute blast to drive, you can go all-out almost all the time and not even break the speed limit.
r/keitruck is a great resource, their pinned post has all of the info about the process.
There’s one on carsandbids now. I’m not bidding, but I kinda fell in love with it. 95 honda acty.
In Canada, I bought my car through B-Pro, and they do trucks like that all the time.
How do you insure it?
Ontario is next to impossible for rhd
RHD cars are decently common on the west coast, once I got it registered, the only difference insurance-wise is a box that says rhd.
I pay $121/month, which isn't anything too wild for around here. I just have icbc coverage, I don't have any extra fancy stuff.
Ahh ICBC, didn't they cut rhd coverage?
I want a Toyota Alphard. There's a guy in Japan that can do the LHD conversion and source the car for 10k CAD. Just gotta ship it
If that's what you want to do, then do it. If it's over 15 years old, then you only need the out of province inspection, like you would need if you bought a car from BC and brought it over.
Why do you want a lhd converted Alphard instead of a Previa?
Aviva insures RHD cars if you are in Ontario. I work for a car export company in Japan. DM me if you have any questions.
https://japancardirect.com
We got one and it’s a fucking blast.
I’m sure they are very useful but on a hilly ranch nothing beats a utv. I seriously doubt these things can do the crazy terrain that utvs can handle with ease.
My property is fairly flat for the Shenandoah Valley. They'd actually do just nicely for what I need it for
And they can have heat and even A/C! Put it on mattracks and you can have fun in all seasons.
Can you import them without all the DOT nonsense bc they’re for farm use only?
You can buy brand new ones if you don't care about registration.
Makes sense, you only need to register if you take it on public roads right?
Correct. You can own and drive most anything off-road on private property and private streets.
Lots of them are 4x4 too.
Which model is the best in your opinion?
Why not just get an old regular can ford ranger or S10 etc for like $2-4k, that's legal on roads an highways, and easier to find parts and a knowledgeable mechanic for here in the us.
Because you can't anymore - COVID destroyed the reasonable used car market. Searching on cargurus, the cheapest Ranger near me is a 2001 for $4,199 and it looks like it's barely held together and has over 240k miles. The next cheapest Ranger is $4,919 and it's a 2001 with 110k miles (not awful) but still just RWD. The cheapest one with 4x4 is $6k. The days of buying a cheap beater truck are over.
It was less than a decade ago when I bought a 91 Ranger XLT 4x4 that I got for $1200. Prior owner had spray painted it (poorly) and had seen given it a rough life but I gave it a good home hauling materials and driving in snow until it gave up the ghost - then it went to someone who had an equally rough Ranger who was going to Frankenstein the two together. Maybe in 10-15 years the used car market will turn over and we'll be able to get cheap beater Mavericks.
Because I don't need something street legal, I'm a mechanic by trade and I already have an f150. But I need something smaller to tool around in
Kinda makes sense, but parts are still harder to find, it costs more, and is more complicated to find to buy usually, and probably harder to insure (if you do) or eventually sell.
Can you still get a $2k ranger that's not rusted hell and back?