Thread 28650432

>Current news of the kei truck: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-03-24/japan-s-tiny-kei-trucks-find-fans-in-us-cities-dmvs-are-less-enthused
also post why you like the kei truck so much (open other car models discussions)

-reasons why i like the kei truck-
my obession with kei trucks i have become attracted to the kei truck most recently because theyre affordable and used for multiple task.

bump!

bump?

bruh nobody here :(

I like them. Does anyone here own a kei truck? How's the ride quality?

>>28650432 (OP)
I like the idea of the kei trucks and vans, and even the little 1.5L and smaller uni-body utes that permeate japan and SEA. I see a lot of them in town these days used as small delivery vehicles for mom and pop shops. I honestly like the unibody utes a little more as they often shared parts with coupes and sedans, making part sourcing easier.

My only real issue is the costs. To get one landed here in the US cost as much as my giant sedan, that can easily out tow them.

If I am going to spend 5-8K USD on a small used 25+ year old truck, I could just get a Nissan D21 or Taco locally and get a bigger tray and have less bespoke and hard to source parts I need to worry about.

Gei Truck enthusiasts will never explain why you shouldn't just buy a small Truck with an ACTUAL TRUCK ENGINE instead of a 600cc motorcycle engine.

>>28650552
Because that is NOT quirky chungus jdm tyte, that's a work van.

>>28650432 (OP)
I like kei trucks because I like small vehicles, and kei trucks despite their size are actually pretty practical.
My first car was a miata and I currently own a jimny
Wanna get a sambar or acty eventually

>>28650552
Do you just stalk 4chan for kei truck threads to post this in every one of them?

>>28650432 (OP)
>dmvs-are-less-enthused
webm related

>>28650591
Based
They're legal in my state, not reading whatever the article says because I don't care

>Used to be $3500 for one that was almost mint
>Now it's $8k for the same truck
I hate the fact that everything got 100% more expensive while wages remain constant. I also hate that the government decided it was the perfect time to tax people more.

>>28650606
I'd say just import one yourself but loltariffs

>>28650588
You say that like /o/ is a high traffic board where it's hard to catch threads before they drop off the catalogue

>>28650432 (OP)
Is it okay to post kei car, here?

So where does one buy one (near Atlanta, GA, USA)?

I assume replacement parts have to mostly be shipped from overseas right?

>>28650648
I say that like it's unhinged to focus so much energy on something you hate
No one that likes kei trucks is going to be convinced to start hating them because anon doesn't like them.

>>28650662
Hate?
What the fuck are you talking about retard?
I LOVE small Trucks with actual Truck engines, which is why I make sure to remind all you Gei Truck retards how much better they are every time you make one of your gay motorcycle powered Truck threads.

>>28650658
There are some places like g&r imports that stock kei truck parts stateside
You'll have to order direct from japan for some though, which right now with jp post telling the US to fuck itself, it might be difficult

>>28650665
it's unhinged to focus so much energy on something you hate
No one that likes kei trucks is going to be convinced to start hating them because you don't like them.

>>28650670
Hate?
What the fuck are you talking about retard?
I LOVE small Trucks with actual Truck engines, which is why I make sure to remind all you Gei Truck retards how much better they are every time you make one of your gay motorcycle powered Truck threads.

>>28650674
>it's unhinged to focus so much energy on something you hate
>No one that likes kei trucks is going to be convinced to start hating them because you don't like them.

>>28650676
>Hate?
>What the fuck are you talking about retard?
>I LOVE small Trucks with actual Truck engines, which is why I make sure to remind all you Gei Truck retards how much better they are every time you make one of your gay motorcycle powered Truck threads.

>>28650680
>>28650674
>>28650665
None of these are as small as a kei truck. You're just posting bigger versions of basically the same thing.

>>28650689
Yeah that's why they're good you fucking retard.
Why would you need a Small Truck specifically built to adhere to a Japanese tax code?

>>28650693
Because I want one. Why does that bother you?
It's basically a side by side but better and cheaper

>>28650696
and a small Truck with an actual Truck engine is basically the same thing, except with an actual Truck engine, which I will continue to remind you

>>28650698
>and a small Truck with an actual Truck engine is basically the same thing
It's not. It's bigger by a significant amount.

>>28650700
>literally the size of a 90s Honda Civic
>NoOoOOo IT'S TOO BIG!!!!

Yes how will you park infront of the Cafe to get your onions late with a Truck that's as large as a 90s Honda Civic.....

>>28650704
>stop liking what I don't like

>>28650708
>start liking what I like, because it's better
Yes.

>>28650710
>It's better because it fulfills my desires rather than yours
You are nobody, you do not matter.

>>28650742
>it's better because it fulfulls the desires of a human being, rather than the desires of an irrelevant Japanese tax code
Yes.
But go ahead and try to pretend that you actually want a 600cc motorcycle engine and 350kg load capacity in your "Truck".

>>28650432 (OP)
Suzuki Carry or go home.

>>28650755
suzuki carries suck compared to sambars (more cabin room and an l4) and actys (better engine location)

I don't know much about hijets so not sure how they compare, but we did get some usdm ones so parts may be easier to come by. And iirc the minicab and scrum are both rebadged suzukis?

>>28650748
>You are nobody, you do not matter.

>>28650748
a kei truck can haul furniture, lumber, drywall, motorcycles, car parts, firewood, a deer, camping gear, a small trailer, maybe your mom, and do speed limits around where I live without any problems.
I don't need a truck to tow cars or carry a yard of gravel.
Why should I buy something more than I need for my use case when the thing I like will do everything I need it to do? because some faggot with a hate boner on 4chan says so?
>noooo, you NEED an f650 to haul your groceries!!

>>28650710
this is like saying 1/2" drive rachets are better than 1/4" drive rachets or a 2lb hammer is better than an 8oz hammer.

>>28650882
You're in luck buddy because a small Truck with an actual Truck engine can do all of those things too, except it has an actual Truck engine instead of a motorcycle engine!

>>28650942
You want a ratchet that was built too small to fit a Human hand and has an oddball 4mm drive because a foreign government mandated it

>>28650655
i think its fine...

>>28651230
Are you actually retarded? You are on a loop. Or are you so desperate for validation?

>>28651363
The more you gei truck enthusiasts seethe, the more the Truck with actrual truck engine posting will continue.

>>28651230
That's not small.

>>28651840
>literally the size of a 1994 Honda civic
>"not small"

>>28650432 (OP)
They are dumb.
Just make a Ute that is actually capable of freely speeds and safe instead of a mobile death trap that will kill you 100% of the time in an 80kmh crash.

>>28651925

>>literally

It's actually as long and wide as a Nissan frontier

>>28651925
If you cut off an f150 at the hood, it wouldn't suddenly be a small Truck.
Kei trucks are also significantly smaller than civics
Again, your argument is
>get a 1/2 drive ratchet, it's better than a 1/4!

>>28652317
Literally (LITERALLY)
I
T
E
R
A
L
L
Y

>>28652333
>why buy a 1/2 drive ratchet which was designed by the free market to meet people's needs, or a 1/4' ratchet which was also designed by the free market to meet people's needs, when you could buy an oddball 4mm drive ratchet which was designed to adhere to retarded government mandates in a foreign country

It's funny to me that this faggot accuses anyone of seething when he's physically incapable of not pitching an absolute fit over someone liking something he doesn't.

>>28652391
He's been seething for years that I've seen

>>28652391
Just like you Reddit niggers do at trucks.

>>28652361
This is almost 4 feet longer and a foot wider than a kei truck.

>>28652369
Different tools for different jobs. Farmers love small trucks be ause they're basically a more capable and cheaper sxs.

>>28652430
>>28652437
Yeah because Gei trucks are mandated to be unnecessarily small in order to alleviate congestion on tiny Japanese streets which were designed before the advent of the automobile.
The free market produces small Trucks with actual Truck engines, because obviously there's no actual reason you'd want your truck to be smaller than a subcompact economy car.

>>28652983
>there's no actual reason you'd want your truck to be smaller than a subcompact economy car
Maybe it's the gimmick to Americans then, because that's one of the primary reasons I find kei vans/trucks neat. I've seen one or two people importing those "larger" JDM trucks, and they typically don't sell since they mostly resemble the clapped out Isuzu and Hino trucks that you typically see landscapers riding around in whereas the kei trucks naturally stick out.
Yes, most import them for attention. Just see who's conversely driving Silverados and RAMs in Japan - they're similarly used as LARP vehicles for the novelty rather than as work trucks in the same sense.
On the other hand, quite a lot of the people that import them as SXS/Gator substitutes absolutely want that size and do still use them for utility purposes as well. It's logical for a kei truck to otherwise not make sense as a work truck substitute in places like the US, because the average morning commute for work truggs involves blasting down highways at 80+mph.

I'd like to have a kei truck, but the only place I've ever seen one for sale is at an auto swap meet. And then they're not in the greatest of condition.

>>28652994
>I've seen one or two people importing those "larger" JDM trucks, and they typically don't sell since they mostly resemble the clapped out Isuzu and Hino trucks that you typically see landscapers riding around in whereas the kei trucks naturally stick out.

Exactly.If you buy a small Truck with an actual Truck engine you'll just look like someone who actually uses their Truck for work, because of course that's what someone who actually uses their Truck for work would buy.
As anon already stated way up there >>28650562 Kei trucks are just for the people who want to stand out with "quirky chungus" points.

It sucks that people give the attention whore what he craves instead of just ignoring him to talk about the intended topic.

>>28650655
At this point just get an s660,, theres nothing left from copen on this body, my nigga.

>>28650552
Because we already have cabovers that size here. It's not special or interesting. Cars as small as Keis are a novelty here because you haven't been able to buy anything that small here since the late 60s, and even what was small (but still bigger than any Kei) is disappearing both in attrition of old ones and new ones not being made. TLDR the Toyoace class of cabovers is too big and prevalent here already to be of interest.
>inb4 muh 1994 Civic is the same size
Doesn't matter. People pay for novel experiences which the Toyoace is not.

>>28654011
>you haven't been able to buy anything that small here since the late 60s
We did get a single generation of the jimny, as well as some daihatsu hijets, rockys, and mighty mits, though they were only registerable as OHVs

>>28654011
>le quirky chungus!!!!!!
lmao

hows this thread still not archived?
>im suprised

>>28653790
Nothing else to do here otherwise
>>28654836
>le quirky chungus!!!!!!
Got any other arguments? Even my American, V8-powered truck was bought to "stand out". There's nothing wrong with that.
I guess if I buy a kei van it's alright, because it's not a "work truck" by your logic, right?

>>28655799
There's a reason they stand out lol
It's because they're shit and nobody else wants to buy them

I got a 2007 Suzuki carry but I also live in Japan. My dream would be to put treads on it once I buy a property that gets snowed on. I only use it for under 20 min trips where my nice new car won't get up to temp in time.

I like my model since the front wheels sit forward of the seat rather than you sitting on top. I actually bought it thinking maybe it might be fun to turn it into some type of drift or race truck but there's too many other options here for that.

>>28656284
>I like my model since the front wheels sit forward of the seat rather than you sitting on top.
Same. I have a 2001 Suzuki Carry and I also prefer to sit behind the front wheels. Seems less bouncy.

>>28650484
>How's the ride quality?
lol, there is none.

>>28656834
This generation is when they went to efi, right?

>>28653971
The laughable frunk space kinda kills it for me. I want it for grocery trips.
Also the s660 is discontinued now, may make sourcing parts more challenging in the near future.

>>28650432 (OP)
I'd love to have a 4wd kei truck to piddle around the farm in. I have an old kawasaki mule I bought and fixed up for that, but it would be so sweet with heat/AC

>>28650696
>basically a side by side but better
I specifically want one so I can drive it on all the side by side trails while enjoying air conditioning

>>28655799
Standing out in blob npc traffic is based

>open Kei truck thread
>schizo retard having a meltie
every time

>another gei truck thread DOMINATED by small Trucks with actual truck engines
>quirk chungus's coping and seething

I have a modern Honda Kei car in Canada and I love it. its super good on gas and has a bunch of options. even though its a 2010 it has a smart key card, and a back up camera.

The seats fold flat into a bed too, its great for camping.

>>28650484
Used to see themd aily when I lived in Hawaii, them and the little Japanese vans

>>28650432 (OP)
They're cute, cozy, and utilitarian.
I would get one if they had just a smidge more power. I want them to be able to get at least to 85mph

>>28662110
So get one of the small trucks which has more power lol.
You might even end up with a load capacity greater than 350kg!

Japs should give kei trucks the jimny treatment.
Widen and lengthen the bed by 20 centimeters in each direction and replace those nasty moped engines with a 1.5 N/A 4 cylinder

CJ5 and VolksWagon bugs were cool, until people needed 10k for a rusty heap.
Kei trucks prolly worth 5k tops, but YooTube tax make them unaffordable.

>>28662174
They do lol

>>28662110
>I would get one if they had just a smidge more power. I want them to be able to get at least to 85mph
you want a sambar then. They're arguably the best kei truck for multiple reasons, among them is an 85-90mph top speed and a factory supercharged option.
they also have more cabin room.
you can also just fuck around with tire sizes as an easy way to get a little more top speed.
If you just want more power, suzuki carry f6a is the same engine found in the cappuccino, so the cappuccino's turbo is a straight bolt on for the carry.

>>28662192
you can still find them for ~5k if you look for a while or just import one yourself.

>>28657025
Suzuki have run fuel injection since the eighties.

>>28650432 (OP)
Virginia already has legislation on the books banning them, or at least restricting them to farm use. You can't register one for use on the roads.

>>28650591
Why didn't they just PIT him into the ditch?

>>28652994
Probably better than carrying a spare tire...

>>28662716
Not in the carry

they used to sell kei vans and trucks in europe in the 80s and 90s. they were usually ruined with a bigger (1000cc~) 4cyl engines tho.

>>28663507
The model I have (2000-2005) was sold in the UK, don't know about LHD Europe.