Any mini truck daily drivers in Canada?

Hello wondering if anyone is using one of these as a street legal daily driver in Canada and how they like it?

Thanks

 

That's my plan if I can find one that I like to buy. I went and looked at about 10 yesterday at two dealers about 50 miles from here but they were all much rougher than I'd like. I want it as a mobile business card and would like one in very nice shape. All the ones I saw had poor paint, small dings, a little rust, or a combination of the above. Would make great work/hunting vehicles but not what I want. I look forward to hearing other "Canadian" responses as I've been wondering about this too. BTW - where are you located?

BLES

 

my Acty has been a great runaround for Winnipeg.

 

Hi BLES, I'm located in Windsor Ontario. I haven't seen many for sale in Ontario, so I'm looking at either buying one from the states, importing one or getting one shipped from somewhere else in Canada...not sure yet, trying to look into all my options?

I read on another thread that no one is actually getting 45mpg as they claim though? This is kind of a dissapointment.

The mobile business card is a great idea, I think you'd get a lot of lookers.

 

unless the trucks have had a paint job it'll be rare to find one without a few scrapes or dings. mine has a small ding, some minor scrapes around the box, but after a good clean looks pretty good. there is zero body rust. Overall, looks pretty darn good for something thats 17 years old and was used as a work truck previously. the nice thing is that you can get one of these rigs painted up quite easily( and cheaply) and new upholstery as well if so desired.
as far as mileage claims go, well, its easy to "claim" whatever you want.

 

Hey d rock so your using your truck as a daily driver?
What are you seing for milleage?
Do you have a hitch? I'm wondering how well these would pull a double trailer with a big seadoo and a standup jetski?
How much is your insurance if you don't mind me asking and have you had any problems with liscensing etc?

 

I've been legally driving my Carry on the Streets in Edmonton for over a year. They do have to meet Transport Canada regulations, i.e. daylight running lights, front and rear markers etc. In Canada they must be 15 years old from date of manufacture to be imported. Applies to buying one from the US. Speed limiters are not required in Canada. Check out the regulations before buying.

Mine's been an incredible attention grabber. I never did get around to putting the advertising on it. Kids love it. The ladies love it.

I'd rate the fuel economy as alright. Over the year, I've averaged 42 KM/L. bettter in hot summer and not so good in cold temps.

Speed bumps and potholes are an issue but you get the hang of avoiding those. Last winter I pulled four different large North American vehicles out of snow banks. Chickened out on a school bus though.

They are absolutely fantastic for around town deliveries.

There are plenty of upsides and a few downsides. I'm not a dealer. Just a guy who has owned and driven one for a year. Shoot me a PM and I'll let you know what to look for.

 

yep, unless you are only planning on hauling the 'skis' from the cottage to the docking area it wouldn't be the way to go. geez, a bit of a headwind and the ol Acty is working its tail off to get to speed! again, other than backing down to the dock or whatever these are not towing machines.

insurance is around $600 for me, fuel economy has been between 36-42mpg. i'd say around 38 the avg. Really, thats all i expected, considering its flat front end and fulltime 4wd, and carbeurated engine. no issues with getting a safety here, although i know Ontario can sometimes be a bit of a pita!

 

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"I'd rate the fuel economy as alright. Over the year, I've averaged 42 KM/L. bettter in hot summer and not so good in cold temps."

42km /L? what?

 

Sorry 42 Cnd gals / mile for the years average. Depends on what type of driving I'm doing and weather conditions. I do fair amount of travelling up and down hills in the river valley so sometimes it is not so good.

 

Sorry 42 Cnd gals / mile for the years average. Depends on what type of driving I'm doing and weather conditions. I do fair amount of travelling up and down hills in the river valley so sometimes it is not so good.

 

42mpg? not too bad for a brick faced truck!

 

Uh make that miles per CDN gallon.

 

It's alright but I was hoping for better. Cut my business fuel bills in half or more.

 

Direct conversion would be equal to 26miles (U.S.) to .26417 gal. (A little more than 1/4 gal.) Jeez, that seems really good!

 

Hey KAMworks, what do you mean by your 42km/l? That works out to approx 1470km on a single 35L tank? Seems a bit high.
I'm only getting about 300km on a tank in town, which is pretty bad. I'm driving it easier this time around to see if i get any better. I needs a tune up, and i will give it that soon. Just waiting to finish my garage! I think d rock was getting in the 40 mpg, with the same truck as me. Much better. Keep in mind this is intown figures, so its really not that bad.

I have a 1991 honda acty, and i live in Northern Alberta. I can't WAIT to try it out in the snow. Its supposed to snow on thursday...this may be the first time i've actually wanted snow! Yeehaw!

These are great daily drivers, and are very practical. They can take about 800lbs payload, about the same as a ford ranger! It gets more looks than a ferrari, but the it is a good look, not a "you have to much money" look/scowl than you would get driving a million dollar exotic

Paint jobs are cheap, just try and find one without rust, that is the most important. Most of these trucks were used for work, so the odd ding is hard to avoid. A good way to tell if its been used alot is it the original drivers seat still exists. Almost all i have seen don't have the original drivers seat anymore, assuming because they have been replaced due to excessive wear from entry/exit.

Best of luck,
-mark

 

Hand brain co-ordination. wrong units.

Mine was great in the snow last winter, on the 12" wheels. I'm currently running 13" with summer radials.

In the looks department, I've held my own against some very expensive units. I had it in five different car shows in Edmonton. Lots of interest and compliments.

There getting to be old hat around here though.

 

I'm up in Kitchener and I sell Kei cars, trucks, vans and sports cars.. I have a Honda Acty on the lot as well as a couple microvans.. Will be getting a Subaru Sambar van later this month..

You can check my website at

http://www.kei-cars.com

 

Kitchener isn't too far, I'm going to have to come test drive that honda.

 

Check mine out. I have lots of customers getting high 50's miles/canadian gallon. Lots of them running 13" tires. I have 185/60/14" on mine. Lovin it. Driving on the street every day

 

Awesome paint job on your truck! Is that a factory dump, or did you use a kit? What kind of wheels are those? They look great! And it's not lifted either, is it?

-Hiram

 

Thanks. The paint is pretty well original, just cleaned and highly polished. Unfortunately it is not a dump box. Just the original. Wish it was. Rear bumpers are required on Suzuki's to pass inspection in Alberta.
I opted to go the cheap route on the wheels. No lift. They are 13 inch steel rims running 155/80R13 radials. I got a super deal on the wheel covers. I switch back to the 12" wheels with snow/ice radials for winter and the truck transforms into just another odd ball on the streets. No fancy wheel covers. The truck has been in five major car shows this past summer, with some very positive feed back.

 

The paint is not factory. It is a factory 1992 Suzuki dumptruck with ITP alloys and 185/60/14 Radials. No Lift. We have tried many lifts out there and not one is suitable for road use, they all throw the camber out, and the axles have to much stress on the joints. I don't reccoment anyone use a lift unless they are dropping the frt cross member and strut rod pockets as well. All the sites say that there lift works. They do lift the truck but the suspension geometry is shifted too far out. 1" lift is OK for the suspension but not worth doing only to gain an inche.

 

minitruck.ca,

Thanks for answering all of my questions. I know what you're saying about the lifts. Many others on here are saying it, too. Before I had ever found this forum, I had ordered a couple of kits from one of the dealers claiming his work. I put a 3" lift on a 1993 Suzuki, a kit with the add-a-leaf for the back. Sure, it "works", but the front geometry wasn't pretty, so I ended up spending a little time today taking it back off. I now have 23" All Trails on without a lift. There is a little rubbing in the front when turning, but I think I can remedy that without too much effort. Anyway, another question about your truck. I saw you had posted a picture with a Blackline plow. Have you used it to plow yet? If so, how do you like it? I'm thinking about getting one.

KAMworks, I don't think I've seen a picture of your truck, but thanks for also answering my questions!

-Hiram

 

The plough looks nice. No snow here yet. I ordered a front and rear receiver from them. The rear one really ****** So We developed our own with two tubes and a hitch pocket below. the hitch they sent covered the license plate and the mounting was not so good. The front mount works but I don't like the esthetics. So we will build our own. The plough blade is very heavy. The truck drops 2" with it. I think it was designed for a full size pickup. I have found a lighter blade almost as strong. We are in the works on redesigning the lift for the plough. My son is a welder. So I have to grab him on weekends when he is free. When we have it finished we will hire a shop with the proto type and go into production. We are doing the same with our rear bumper and. checker plate alumium bed liners.

 

I have a set of 23/8/12 All trails on stock rims. I had to push the lower 1-1/2" wide vertical strip on the inner fender in gently with a hammer so they did not rub on corners. Excellent tires and they take 1320lbs each at 22psi. Might get away with them on the road here if it snows. When there is snow on the ground here cars are cracking up everywhere, so no worries about getting pulled over for a saftey.

 

Thanks about the tip for massaging the fenders to keep the tires from rubbing. I think I'd rather try that first, before I think about cutting.

-Hiram

 

I'm looking at buying a mini truck for mainly city use. Anbody able to compare the different makes? I've heard the diahatsu and honda are smooth and quiet, suzuki and mitsubishi better for off road, more space in the subaru and better weight distribution with the rear engine. Comments?

 

Oh boy, is that a rats nest! For every truck you will find an owner who swears it is the best way to go. The problem is that unless you get to try out many of them you have to rely upon second hand information. Each truck has it's good and bad points. If you can get close to as many models and makes as possible that would be the way to find out what works for you. Nothing like a chance to sit in the cab, start it up and take it for a spin.
The problem with this scenario is that many of us don't have access to a dealer with many models to choose from and you basically have to just keep doing the research to find what make and model has the best bang for your buck spent and offers the options you want. It will still require a compromise no matter how you go.