To import a minitruck to Australia it must be made before January 1st, 1989, so it is getting a little more difficult as time goes on to find good units here in Japan that we can import to the guys down under. But we do keep an eye out and sometimes we find something promising. Sometimes nothing comes up for a while and then we get one, but this week, BAM!, two have come up. (And both clear the 25-year import rule for the States, too.) The first is a nice, clean 1987 Suzuki Carry 4WD that has come available with only 20,000kms (12,500miles) on it. (Pretty amazing there.) Looks clean and the only rust on it is a bit of surface rust in the load bed. The seller is asking JPY200,000 in light of the very low mileage but there is a chance he’ll go down. Suzuki Carry 4WD 1987 by Dave in Japan posted Apr 15, 2015 at 3:19 AM If anyone is serious about grabbing this little guy, just send me an e-mail: dave@japancardirect.com And then there is a 1988 4WD Carry with 59,000kms (36,700miles) on him, and, again, looking clean (repainted in the load bed, I think, but I’ll have to ask the seller). But this one is a dump type, and they guy is asking only JPY200,00. Well worth grabbing, I’d say. Suzuki Carry Dump 4WD 1988 by Dave in Japan posted Apr 15, 2015 at 3:19 AM So, yeah, if you’re serious, just drop me an e-mail: dave@japancardirect.com Cheers, Dave Price
Dave how are people getting those new Carry trucks into Canada ? Recently I saw a fellow from abbortsford here at minitrucktalk with a 2014.
Hi Tony, I'm blowed if I know. (And I'd really like to know, too.) We can only get the 15 year old ones into Canada, although at least that does mean that we can now ship the wider (8cm) and longer (10cm), but unfortunately heavier, trucks that came out here in Japan after October of '98.
Just an update, Gents: That 1987 Carry is still available. Other than that, there is nothing really nice in the pre '89 bracket (for Australia) or the 25-year-old bracket (for the US) available at the moment here that I am aware of. We are just in the process now of shipping an amazingly clean and low kms 4WD unit to Oz and will be keep our eyes out for other like it. They come up. You just have to be ready when they do. Cheers, Dave
Hi Dave, can you keep me informed with pre 89's as they come up. I may look to import a couple into Perth WA. Suzuki Carry only. Also looking at half cuts and parts. Are you the guy for those as well? Regards Pos
@Tony Evers I suspect that they are getting them up from the US. Imported to the US "for off road use only" to get around the US 25 year rule and then brought into Canada from the US. Some Customs agent is probably letting them through under the truck regs...can't be cutting edge new, but might explain some newer Carrys and Hijets. If not, could be folks going down to the US, getting a newer "off road" kei truck, slipping on a Canadian plate and driving them across. Many registry folks have no clue when it comes to these, so once in, it may be easy enough to get some clerk to register it. Not a legal way to do it, but it may explain some of them.
yes thats what I should do. buy a new truck under off road and have it delivered to Washington port. then drive it to Montana where there is tonnes of mountain passes into BC. HA Ha perfect I can be a smuggler. Maybe I'll bring some good Canadian whiskey to trade on my way. Tony in an old 1996 Carry
