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New Mini truck owner near Seattle

Discussion in 'Introductions' started by renli3d, Feb 13, 2015.

  1. renli3d

    renli3d Member

    Hey guys! I've been reading the forum posts obsessively every day for months and finally got my own mini truck. It's my first, a 1990 Suzuki Carry 4WD Dump with diff-lock. It's completely stock and is in fantastic mechanical condition. I imported it myself from Japan which was much easier than I expected. If people are interested I can create a comprehensive guide on how to import a mini truck into the US for personal use.

    Here's a photo of it:

    [​IMG]

    I plan on using it for landscaping my yard. As far as mods go, I will probably fabricate some bumpers to protect it and install a winch. The rear bed gate is missing the center hinge (looks to have rusted off) so I'll need to weld on a new one. The remaining two have cracked welds so those will need to be repaired as well. I think I can make hinges that will be stronger than the stock ones as the original design doesn't seem staunch enough to contain a heavy load.

    As far as the import goes, it arrived at the Port of Tacoma on the 5th. I went to Customs yesterday on the 12th and filed my entry papers for an informal entry. Got cleared in about 10 minutes, went to the Port of Tacoma, gave them my stamped entry papers and got my discharge paperwork, took the papers to the import supervisor across the street and got my vehicle. From Customs to getting my vehicle it all took about 30 minutes. Immediately went to the DOL, gave them my export certificate and customs stamped entry paperwork and got my WA plates in 10 minutes. Piece of cake!
     
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2015
  2. Inane2

    Inane2 Member

    Welcome aboard! It sure looks like you're research paid off and you got the exact truck you were looking for. Very nice looking truck.

    I'm sure many other members will look forward to hearing about your import experience. I assume since it's a 1990 model, you were able to get it in on the 25 year rule?

    Keep us posted with plenty of pics!
     
  3. renli3d

    renli3d Member

    Yes, I was able to get it under the 25 yr old exemption. I documented my experience so that I could do a write up on exactly how to import a kei car, including how to fill out all the customs, epa and dot documents. Hopefully other members will find it useful.
     
  4. Dave in Japan

    Dave in Japan Member

    Hi renli3d (and Hi again Inane2),


    Good score on that Carry 4WD with dump! The dumps are certainly popular and go for a bit of a premium here.


    Does yours have the full low range and full high range in 4WD with high range 2WD? Those transmissions are real corkers; they’ll crawl along like little tractors in first low just at idle with your foot off the accel pedal. You can leave the truck in gear crawling across a field by itself while you step out for a smoke and a scratch J (Just kidding, but it’s a hoot to see them go along by themselves at idle.)


    I, too, would be very interested to see your write up on how the importing went and how your fix on the hinges goes.


    These 25 year old trucks are often really good deals and it’s a great way to get around the EPA regulations cheaply and also have a minitruck that does not have to have a speed restrictor; so it can be driven legally on normal roads in the States. (I’m always on about the advantages of the 25 year old trucks and I have imported a number to the US (I’m dave@japancardirect.com) and to Australia and each time it has been a happy story of a good truck finding a happy home and no EPA hassle.)


    It is also interesting, from a pure motor engineering point of view, to watch how these older, simple machines survive and put in long years of trouble free service. It’s the whole engineering question of the cost/benefit balance of simplicity vs complexity and also the question of what is a perfect machine? When is a design “perfect?” Can you always improve on a machine or can a design reach basic perfection at a certain point and are any changes after that actually downgrades and not improvements? All fun theoretical stuff, but certainly a minitruck has got to be one of the near perfect motoring designs for what it is being asked to do.


    I’m a nut for the whole Kei Class of Japanese vehicles and I will just go on and on and on…… so I’ll stop scribbling and say, with Inane2, “Welcome Aboard.”
     
  5. renli3d

    renli3d Member

    I spent the three day weekend working on my car (not the Suzuki). I attempted my first 105K service (timing belt, water pump, spark plugs, etc). Boy, I can see why mechanics charge so much. Working on Acura is tough. I had a heck of a time getting the crank pulley bolt off. and some of the timing cover bolts were so hard to reach. It wasn't complicated, but tedious work. Still, I'm glad I did it myself and saved the $2000. I also know I did it right and none of the bolts are over or under torqued.

    The truck is really great. My daughter named it Daley. What Dave said about the low gearing in 4 low is so true. Put it in first and take your foot off the clutch and it will go without any gas. Amazing! I was able to climb a crazy steep hill with this truck. The hill is made of mulch so if it could conquer that there's no place it can't go. I noticed that the truck would bottom out on bumpy roads quite easily. I think it needs heavier springs in the front. Everyone is impressed with the dump feature and want to borrow it for landscaping.

    From an engineering perspective these little trucks are designed for a singular purpose which is to economically haul cargo at low speeds. Without all the nice creature comforts there really is very little to break on these things. They are also so simple to repair. Just looking at it I feel comfortable I could swap the engine and tranny myself and I'm no mechanic.

    Does anyone know how I would go about swapping out the gears in the diff so that they're slightly higher? at 35mph the engine is revving pretty high. I suppose I could go for some larger tires but the snow and mud tires it has on right now are pretty sweet.
     
  6. Inane2

    Inane2 Member

    Hello renli3d and hello Dave!

    Congrats on the Acura job, nothing like a job well done - by you!

    You've hit it dead on the head that these are simple little trucks. Plenty of folks here have done the spring upgrade. Be careful, once you start modding, it's addictive.

    I can't offer any advice on the gearing upgrade. I know on the Hijets, they only offered one gear ratio on the S210P's. It was a very low gear if I remember correctly, 4.xx or 5.xx.

    Is your truck a 4 speed? If so, it'd be interesting seeing if a 5 speed you bolt up to your engine.
     
  7. renli3d

    renli3d Member

    Yes, it's a 4 speed. I'd love to know if a 5 speed would bolt on as well. I'm searched the forum to no avail...
     
  8. mattyb43

    mattyb43 New Member

    I just bought a Mitsubishi mini cab in Washington but the seat belts show 1993 build. How can the year be proved or disproved on these trucks. If I could come up with export docs that showed it as a 1990 who would check the year and how could they verify?
     
  9. renli3d

    renli3d Member

    Did you buy the one from Renton on Craigslist? To answer your question, if the seatbelts show a 1993 build date then that's one way DOL could verify. They could also use Google and compare photos of different model years. If you don't have a CBP 7501 for the truck then there is no way you'll be able to register it in any state. It's not something you can go back and get either if it was never legally imported.
     
  10. mattyb43

    mattyb43 New Member

    It came from a local farmer who used it for off road use only. I only paid $1000 for it in great shape but he has no paper work. Sounds like I'm sol.
     
  11. renli3d

    renli3d Member

    You can still drive your minitruck on public roads by registering your vehicle as a "utility-type vehicle". See http://www.dol.wa.gov/vehicleregistration/watv.html
    You'll have to pay $50 to get it inspected and you won't be able to drive on the highway but at least you won't have to pay for tabs.
     
  12. mattyb43

    mattyb43 New Member

    But to register that way still requires a title.
     
  13. renli3d

    renli3d Member

    Rats, you're right. You're SOL. Farm use is pretty much all you can use it for. Or as a parts truck.
     
  14. fmartin_gila

    fmartin_gila Well-Known Member

    Don't know about your state, but in Arizona from which I last lived. you could get a "Bonded Title" utilizing an insurance agency. I had to get that type of Title for a trailer that I bought from a guy from a state that did not register Titles, so it had none. Check with your Dept of Motor Vehicles to see if such a thing is available in your state.

    Fred
     
  15. renli3d

    renli3d Member

  16. mattyb43

    mattyb43 New Member

    I will give it a shot and report back
     
  17. SeaStreet

    SeaStreet New Member

    I'm trying to get my hands on a 1990 Honda Acty Van, so I have a few questions. Did you get a regular street registration for this or something else. Were you able to insure it? How does it do on hills with a payload? I live in Seattle, work at the bottom of the hill and live on the top. I'm thinking of using it as a daily driver. I wonder how realistic an expectation this is going to be for a 25 year old Kei van.
     
  18. Dave in Japan

    Dave in Japan Member

    Hi SeaStreet,


    I can’t answer your question about registration in the US as I am in Japan, but as far as hill climbing: I’m at 1000m on Mt. Fuji and the farm in at about 450m. The farm truck is an Acty, although it’s the newer type, a 2010, with the E07Z (giving 45ps and 6.0kgm in torque, according to the book) it will be heavier than a 1990 Acty. But I don’t know by how much. The 1990 should have the E07A in there giving 38ps and 5.5 on torque. The newer engines get more power by ramping up the compression ratio from 9.8 to 10.5. Both N/A.


    Climbing up the mountain the truck has no trouble maintaining 60kph, and that’s with a load of fire wood on. Sure, he has to rev, though, but those engines are made for high rev and my motor does not feel troubled by it. In the end I can’t really say for the specific van you are looking at, of course, but it should not be too bad in a hill pull.


    There are some of the 25-year old kei vans here that had turbochargers and superchargers on them, and you’d certainly not have any problem getting up the hill in one of those; and you’d get better performance at altitude, too, due to the turbo. My old Subaru Sambar van with the supercharger could just eat the hill climb without even breaking a sweat. (I was stupid to sell that machine. Fantastic load capacity.)

    My Old Sambar Van.JPG


    Cheers,


    Dave

    dave@japancardirect.com

    My Japanese car blog: https://amoderngoldenera.wordpress.com/
     
  19. renli3d

    renli3d Member

    SeaStreet,

    There are no issues with licensing a 25 yr old minitruck in WA state as long as it was imported legally. I have regular vehicle registration for my suzuki carry and I have insurance through All State. My 1990 Carry has a pretty difficult time climbing hills to begin with but doesn't seem bogged down when carrying a load. Mine is a 4 speed and I have to run it in 2nd gear to climb hills. I think if I were to buy another truck I'd get a 5 speed since I never utilize my locking-diff and could use the higher top-end speed.
     
  20. SeaStreet

    SeaStreet New Member

    Thanks, Dave.
    I'll check out the turbo Sambar.
    Thanks too, Renli. I have been looking into the used car exporters in Japan. Did you go through one of them? If so, were they familiar with the administrative requirements necessary to pull in off at the port of entry?
     
  21. renli3d

    renli3d Member

    Hello SeaStreet, I did go through a Japan exporter. Japancardirect would be a good exporter if you're looking. Dave already tried to help you out so you can see their customer service is great. Some exporters are more familiar than others with importing a kei truck into the US. You can hire a customs broker in the US to do the import for a few hundred dollars or you can do it yourself. You can check out wittymelon.wordpress.com for how to import it yourself. It's a simple process and I can help you out if you have questions.
     
  22. SeaStreet

    SeaStreet New Member

    Fantastic forum. I did find Dave's resources, particularly wittymelon, to be really helpful. Now all I need is to find the classic van itself.
     
  23. Tuskano

    Tuskano Member

    Nice, your a few hours away from me. I'll keep an eye out for you if I go through or to Seattle. I'm over on Whidbey Island nw of you.

    Lol, if anything I'll be around there next weekend hopefully for Stancewars.
     
  24. Johnny90truck

    Johnny90truck New Member

    Hi guys I have a question for all of you! I'm actually looking at purchasing a 1990 carry myself. It was imported to NY and now the owner is selling it. He doesn't have a title just the import papers (in Japanese) and the vehicle itself. Does anyone know if I could go about buying it and having it be street legal? Or if CT will issue me a street legal registration for it? Thanks all!! Much appreciated!
     
  25. renli3d

    renli3d Member

    Sounds like he doesn't have CBP form 7501 which most likely means it wasn't imported properly as a road vehicle therefore rendering it only registerable in a state that allows minitrucks on public roads.
     
  26. Johnny90truck

    Johnny90truck New Member

    Okay thanks for the info!
     
  27. SeaStreet

    SeaStreet New Member

    Buying a Vehicle in Canada?

    I ended up finding a 1990 Subaru Sambar Try Dias II Sun Sun. Nice compact trim package name huh? I found it for sale in British Columbia where small Japanese vans for the other than North American markets are more common. Now it is registered in Washington This model comes with the supercharged ENo7Y engine, fuel injected, all-wheel drive and a nice power sun roof. The rear seats have lap belts anchored to the floor behind the seat deck. It does seem to handle the hills of Seattle sufficiently. The 13 inch rims the previous owner put on do not have sufficient clearance under a full load. You can hear the tires scrape in front when you hit a bump carrying a load. Keep that in mind if you consider changing for easier-to-get tires. All in all it's quite feature packed for a little service vehicle
    Getting it across the border was a breeze under the 25 year exemption. I got my entry in Port Angeles (CPB), a small trailer customs office at a ferry dock. They filled out the entry paper work for me and it took a very short time. Don't forget a checkbook for import duty. From this experience, I would recommend calling the specific port of entry you are going to use and asking them what they want from you to get your Entry Summary (CBP 7501) Review the wittymelon.wordpress.com page from renli3D. The two greater hurdles are buying the vehicle in Canada, and registering it in your home state. So here is what I see as a prudent chronology:
    1) You find out about a truck or van you like in a neighboring province.
    2) You contact the seller via e-mail and get a preliminary idea about what's for sale, and what the buyer's situation is (how long is it likely to be for sale, which direction the price is likely to move, whose name the registration is in and so forth.) I say via e-mail because it is valuable to be able to refer to a text record to check your self and not believe what you want to believe. How will you pay for it? My seller would have accepted a e-mail wire transfer, but I didn't know if I could do that on a Sunday, or at all.
    3) Do about a week of research on the vehicle your are considering if you haven't already. Don't worry about it selling. You're not ready to lay down a stack of hundreds if you have not completed this step.
    4) Part of this research is to walk in to your local licensing and registration office and tell them what you are planning on doing, so they can tell you what documents they need. Have a discussion to give them an opportunity to whittle down the un-necessary document requirements, for example an emissions form, that isn't necessary because it's more than 25 years old, or an odometer declaration because it's more than 10 years old. You are preparing them to register your car. Chances are if you live in a bordering state someone in the office has done a registration of a Canadian vehicle, but give everyone in earshot a chance to learn how. That might be the person who doesn't want to do it when you come in for your plates.
    5) Find out how to buy a vehicle in the province where it is for sale. In BC this is done in an insurance brokerage. You sign your bill of sale and registration application at the office, then the seller takes his plates off the vehicle. The first "Auto Plan Broker" I talked to required that I provide a birth certificate or passport to show that I was a US citizen, so plan to bring that with you. In BC you are going to want to apply for a one day temporary registration, which includes insurance for about $30, I think. Before you agree to the sale, you are going to want to call an Auto Plan broker or whatever office handles sales and registration in the province and make sure the seller talks to someone that tells them they can do the sale and how. In BC you are exempt from paying the provincial sales tax on the vehicle if you are buying it to register in the US. This makes you a "foreign visitor"
    6) Call the US Customs and Border Protection office where you are planning on crossing and ask them what their requirements are. Plan on bringing your check book to pay duties. This is just like waling into the DMV and preparing your clerk to process you. In a small office, you may end up preparing the person who will grant your entry to be ready. I found this to be the most stressful part because if you haven't done this before, you are not sure that you will be allowed to take the vehicle you already paid for, that you are driving, out of the Port.
    7) Go check out the vehicle. I can't help you here. Know as much as you can about the specific engine. Comb all mechanical problems forums for your model. I will say that I have learned that if you find a 25 year old Subaru Sambar with a working automatic transmission, it is statistically unlikely to continue working for very long. Go to check out the vehicle with a check-list of any concerns you might have. Perhaps check it out, and then if you are satisfied, plan to meet the next day. In the mean time write down a check list of anything that you think you missed or want to double check. Still satisfied? Then go do the sale paperwork. Get your temporary window permit.
    8) Cash for keys.
    9) Drive straight to the border.
    10) Register your vehicle at home.

    Buying a used vehicle in Canada can be a good option for someone who is looking for a "classic car" exempt 25 year old mini-truck. The supply of 25 year old Keis in Japan is really quite limited. Also, my experience with the on-line brokers is that I was never contacted about a specific van I was interested in, I got a lot of spam from the exchange web-sites, and I started to hear stories about shady dealers working through some of the exchange web-sites. Apparently, African buyers are frequently scammed by some of the shady dealers. The web sites are not the dealers. I feel like you would really need a broker you could develop a personal relationship with and who had a sterling reputation to buy a vehicle from Japan site unseen.
    00m0m_gMwXbMoRUap_600x450.jpg
     
  28. AGrayson84

    AGrayson84 New Member

    Hi folks! This thread has been very helpful, and I read the blog about importing mini-trucks 25+ years old, however I can't seem to find much information anywhere on importing trucks newer than 25 years without going through an importer/dealer.

    I'm really hoping to find a 1999-2001 Suzuki Carry with 4WD in good condition, and then have it imported to the port in Baltimore, MD. I only plan on using the car for off-road driving (it will never been driven on roads). Would anyone here happen to know if these vehicles meet U.S. DOT and EPA standards so I can import something like the year range I am looking for? Are there any other legal methods to import one of these newer vehicles aside from paying 2x the price to order through an importer/dealer? I've been looking at tradecarview.com and found some very reasonable prices on there. Thanks everyone!!!

    -Andrew
     
  29. renli3d

    renli3d Member

    Hey Andrew,

    IMHO, don't even bother trying to import a non-conforming vehicle newer than 25 years old, especially a KEI vehicle. You would need to show that the manufacturer sells a similar model in the U.S. that meets US standards or bring your vehicle up to US standards which requires going through a NHTSA registered importer or becoming one yourself. For KEI vehicles, you won't be able to bring it up to US standards so the best you could do is bring it in as an off-road vehicle and install a speed limiter to keep it under 25 mph. Unless you're going to turn it into a business, don't bother.
     
  30. AGrayson84

    AGrayson84 New Member

    Thanks so much for the detailed and helpful response. So to your understanding, how does a U.S. dealer like Eaton Mini Trucks (http://www.eatonminitrucks.com/) bring these into the U.S. if they're an NHTSA registered importer, considering they can't be brought up to U.S. standards? I guess what I'm asking is what legally allows them to import these and not modify them to U.S. standards versus a normal consumer like myself?

    I don't own my own garage to simply go through the process of becoming NHTSA-registered, but the idea does interest me. I have a few friends that own their own garages that I can probably talk into becoming registered if I handle that side of the business. But in the immediate future I'm just looking to get just one of these vehicles over here to customize it how I want and enjoy it for trail riding and camping. Are you in fact saying, though, that without turning it into a business I can still import one of these just by going through an NHTSA registered importer? How would anyone know if the speed limiter was installed or not if I only use it off-road and don't need to go through a state inspection nor registration? Thanks again!!!!
     

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