Rural Americans are importing tiny Japanese pickup trucks

[Mainecat]

Rural Americans are importing tiny Japanese pickup trucks

I have seen many for sale on FB marketplace. Cool buggy’s.

https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/04/20/rural-americans-are-importing-tiny-japanese-pickup-trucks

 

Apr 20th 2023 | CHICAGO 

A couple of years ago Jake Morgan, a farmer who lives just outside Raleigh, in North Carolina, realised he needed a new vehicle to get around his property. At first he was looking at “side-by-sides”—a sort of off-road utility vehicle. But watching a review on YouTube of one that costs around $30,000 made by John Deere, he saw a comment that said something like “Why don’t you just get a minitruck instead?” That is, a tiny four-wheel drive pickup truck, sometimes known as a “Kei” truck, mostly made in Japan to take advantage of laws there which tax smaller vehicles less. 

Intrigued, Mr Morgan started researching. Within a few months, he drove to Newport, Virginia to pick up a 1997 Honda Acty, having spent a total of just $2,000 on importing it. He was delighted. Not only was it “dirt cheap”, but the Acty is less than five feet wide, and so can get into tight spaces a normal pickup cannot, like Mr Morgan’s barn. And unlike a side-by-side, it can also be driven legally on local roads. “They’re amazingly useful,” he says. Not long after importing his first, he sold it and bought another. The new one is even better—it has air-conditioning and a button which activates a dumper. 

Kei trucks were never intended for sale in America. Most are right-hand drive, and they do not always have airbags or other safety features required in new cars. The bulk are imported under a rule that allows non-compliant vehicles that are older than 25 years to be brought into America, a carve-out intended originally for collectible vintage cars, although a few specialist dealers import newer ones too, for sale as off-road vehicles. They fill a niche American manufacturers are failing to. 

[...] 

Unlike new vehicles with onboard computers and complicated proprietary parts, Kei trucks are easy to modify and repair. In northern Wisconsin and Minnesota, people fit them out with tracks to drive on ice in winter. Some owners are almost cultish. “MotoCheez”, a mechanic from Connecticut, says his YouTube channel’s popularity soared after he started featuring his Kei truck. 

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline "What a Kei-motion" 

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by Mainecat

[racinfarmer]

Our neighbor has 3.  Cheaper, probably safer, more comfortable, and faster then most utility UTV's.

[Cat45]

My cousin has 1 and loves it. Problem is he gets tickets driving it to town and you can't use it on the atv trails. Pretty handy if you keep it on private land though

[Frostynuts]

1 hour ago, Cat45 said:

My cousin has 1 and loves it. Problem is he gets tickets driving it to town and you can't use it on the atv trails. Pretty handy if you keep it on private land though

Tickets for what kind of infractions ?

Edited April 23, 2023 by Frostynuts

[Cat45]

7 minutes ago, Frostynuts said:

Tickets for what kind of infractions ?

I'll have to ask. It was a cass county mn deputy that wrote the tickets and threatened to impound the truck. He was on a county rd that was a legal atv route but I'm not sure if it was registered as a utv or plated

[Crnr2Crnr]

they're called Kei's

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

[steve from amherst]

4 minutes ago, Cat45 said:

I'll have to ask. It was a cass county mn deputy that wrote the tickets and threatened to impound the truck. He was on a county rd that was a legal atv route but I'm not sure if it was registered as a utv or plated

I wouldn't be surprised if it could not pass a modern day safety inspection. Most you see are in excess of 25 yrs old

[ckf]

There was one here in town parked at an auto repair shop for over a year. I haven't seen it recently.

[Mainecat]

21 minutes ago, steve from amherst said:

I wouldn't be surprised if it could not pass a modern day safety inspection. Most you see are in excess of 25 yrs old

Kei trucks were never intended for sale in America. Most are right-hand drive, and they do not always have airbags or other safety features required in new cars. The bulk are imported under a rule that allows non-compliant vehicles that are older than 25 years to be brought into America, a carve-out intended originally for collectible vintage cars, although a few specialist dealers import newer onestoo, for sale as off-road vehicles. They fill a niche American manufacturers are failing to. 

[racer254]

22 hours ago, Mainecat said:

Kei trucks were never intended for sale in America. Most are right-hand drive, and they do not always have airbags or other safety features required in new cars. The bulk are imported under a rule that allows non-compliant vehicles that are older than 25 years to be brought into America, a carve-out intended originally for collectible vintage cars, although a few specialist dealers import newer onestoo, for sale as off-road vehicles. They fill a niche American manufacturers are failing to. 

Originally carved out for millionaires that could afford European collectible vintage cars that were at a price point that no one in the middle class could afford.  Now with these vehicles, more people can afford them. 

[Highmark]

How much do they generally cost?  I'd rather find an old Ford Ranger or other small truck but they bring stupid prices for what they are really worth.

[Tomas.]

13 minutes ago, Highmark said:

How much do they generally cost?  I'd rather find an old Ford Ranger or other small truck but they bring stupid prices for what they are really worth.

Up here in Canada you can import vehicles 15 years or older and those kei trucks are popular. They go for around $6000-$10000 Canadian. That is bought in Japan, deregistered, put on a boat and shipped to Vancouver, through customs and waiting for you to pick it up.

[Highmark]

13 minutes ago, Tomas. said:

Up here in Canada you can import vehicles 15 years or older and those kei trucks are popular. They go for around $6000-$10000 Canadian. That is bought in Japan, deregistered, put on a boat and shipped to Vancouver, through customs and waiting for you to pick it up.

No thanks...I can get a street legal small pickup for that.  

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=677510457&makeCodeList=FORD&modelCodeList=RANGER&city=Mc Farland&state=WI&zip=53558&LNX=SPGOOGLENONBRANDMAKE&utm_source=GOOGLE&utm_medium=sem_non-brand_perf&utm_campaign=at_na_na_national_evergreen_roi_na_na&utm_content=keyword_text_na_na_na_spgooglenonbrandmake_na&utm_term=ford ranger for sale&gclid=CjwKCAjw0ZiiBhBKEiwA4PT9z3ReMdKW8eKcV5nB8oS9U3101RpHu-PRRsyl1NyR8jEob1KzmM6qKBoCm3sQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&requestId=2281868035&searchRadius=200&startYear=1998&marketExtension=include&endYear=2009&isNewSearch=false&showAccelerateBanner=false&sortBy=relevance&numRecords=25&listingTypes=USED&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fford%2Franger%2Fmc-farland-wi%3FLNX%3DSPGOOGLENONBRANDMAKE%26utm_source%3DGOOGLE%26utm_medium%3Dsem_non-brand_perf%26utm_campaign%3Dat_na_na_national_evergreen_roi_na_na%26utm_content%3Dkeyword_text_na_na_na_spgooglenonbrandmake_na%26utm_term%3Dford%20ranger%20for%20sale%26gclid%3DCjwKCAjw0ZiiBhBKEiwA4PT9z3ReMdKW8eKcV5nB8oS9U3101RpHu-PRRsyl1NyR8jEob1KzmM6qKBoCm3sQAvD_BwE%26gclsrc%3Daw.ds%26requestId%3D2281868035%26searchRadius%3D200%26zip%3D53558%26startYear%3D1998%26marketExtension%3Dinclude%26endYear%3D2009%26isNewSearch%3Dfalse%26showAccelerateBanner%3Dfalse%26sortBy%3Drelevance%26numRecords%3D25&clickType=listing

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by Highmark

[Carlos Danger]

In CT you can register them for the street. They only go about 45 mph with the motor screaming. A few of my buddies have them but I still prefer my Kawasaki Mule. 

[Matt]

Should import the ones from Taiwan.  They're all left-hand drive.  The things are everywhere and they're used for every type of activity you can think of, from mail delivery to construction.

[Not greg b]

We use to have them here. They were called cushmans. Textron killed off them off years ago 

[spin_dry]

Those “90’s RAV4’s fetch some good money. I’d like to get my hands on a diesel Hilux. 

[X2700]

Those Suzuki samurai’s were a great rig for wheelin!!

could go anywhere.just not a freeway rig!!!!

[steve from amherst]

7 minutes ago, X2700 said:

Those Suzuki samurai’s were a great rig for wheelin!!

could go anywhere.just not a freeway rig!!!!

The mini truck I( saw yesterday afternoon in town was a suzuki.