Got a call the night before last. Four trucks arrived at our local dealer/relative. Went out yesterday evening to check them out. Got to look over two Honda Actys, a Subaru Sambar dump, and Daihatsu HiJet extended cab. All trucks were early 90s with slightly under 80000kms on them. The cabs ranged from very good condition to pretty bad. Three of the trucks had torn seats. Most of the interiors had obviously seen a fair bit of sun as they were faded. One interior had more than a few screw holes where equipment was mounted. The exteriors were good to okay. I was a little nervous when it came time to sit in the driver's seat of a Honda Acty. It took a little bit of maneuvering to get my left leg by the steering wheel and it was a little tight while driving. We took it out for a spin on the highway and through a trail in a pasture. On the highway, it shook a bit over 80 k/h so we didn't push it past 85, but that would have been difficult anyway. I had trouble finding a place to put my left foot when it wasn't on the clutch. Otherwise it was fine. Hopped into the Subaru Sambar dump. This was roomier. Still took some maneuvering to get my left leg passed the steering wheel, although less than the Acty, and it was comfortable once I was seated. No issues with where to put my left foot. Had no trouble getting it to 90 k/h but 95 took some work. It was obvious the engine was working hard in 5th gear. The ride was quieter than in the Acty. Nice little truck, but the dump is of more value to others than it is to me. They'll pay more than I would. I was surprised how little of an issue the right-hand driving position was. Except for reaching to signal and turning on the windshield wipers, it only took me a couple of shifts to realign myself. Parking and keeping the truck centered in the lane was a non-issue. Perhaps this is because we're used to this view as passengers. The fold down truck-box sides and tail-gate are really handy, especially on such a small truck. Same goes for the headache rack, which I would use often. I really like the tie-hooks that are integrated into the box-sides as well. Nicely thought out and practical design. Driving these trucks around made me realize that I definitely want a super-charged Sambar, although EFI and/or turbo might be an option if such an option fell into my lap. I'm not sure if I would mess with lifting, but I could see running slightly larger tires. An extra inch of clearance would make a difference in the winter when driving through pastures and especially into and out of approaches after the plow has went by. All and all, I was really impressed, especially by the Sambar. A kei truck will definitely be in my future and I'll spend a few extra dollars to get something that has been taken care of. Seeing these really bare-bones trucks made me interested in seeing a van.
Glad you enjoyed your first foray in a Kei truck. FWIW the 90's Sambar's with S/C have EFI and as such are the only trucks you can legally import into Canada with EFI. So if EFI is a must then your list is short - Subaru Sambar FTW With the 15yr rule it will be quite a few yrs before you can get a different brand with EFI.
Well, that makes my choice simple...and kills two birds with one stone. What kind of fuel economy do you get with your Sambar? (And yes, I know that's an "it depends" question, but it never hurts to ask.)
Just got back from seeing my sis on the mainland. If I drive almost flat out [130kph ,flat out is almost 140] on the freeway it gets 29 Imperial mpg. This figure has been corrected for my bigger tires which adds 6.2 % more than the odometer shows. If you drove closer to 90kph then I think 35 Imperial mpg would be do-able.
Has anyone tried putting low rolling resistance tires on one of these to see what fuel economy they get?
Thanks. 35 MPG is perfectly acceptable. That's about twice what most of the local trucks get. It's funny. I didn't think going 90 k/h would bother me, and it really doesn't. It's not being able to be go faster that gets to me. You know, with the pedal planted in the floor you can slow down, but not speed up. That really bugged me. Especially at 95 k/h. I'm no speed demon, so even 120 k/h would be fine as a max speed.
in no wind situations i keep my acty in the 100kph range although it will go up to 110 and past if i don't watch it.
Weird. We were pushing a wind on the way out with the Acty, and that was the one that started to shake at 80, so I didn't push it. I had no issues with flooring the Sambar though...but maybe the four-hundred pounds of passenger in the truck made a difference. I think I could have got the Sambar to 100 k/h or better, but I would have needed a bit more road.
I'm looking forward to driving mine with the 13" tires on it. It'll be my commuter when we move outtatown next spring
My brother is tossing around the idea of a mini-truck so I used that as an excuse to go out for another couple of test drives...with him along of course. We took out a different Honda Acty and a Daihatsu HiJet extended cab. We were both curious about top-speed so we took each truck out on the highway and drove far enough on the highway that we were sure that we achieved something close to the vehicle's best. The Acty made it to 108 k/h. The HiJet to 111 k/h. With both trucks, it seemed to me that they had the gearing to go faster, but those little engines just couldn't push it to higher speeds. These little trucks shift differently than our Civic, so I found that I had the engine revving too low when shifting up. This would cost the truck about 8 k/h every time I shifted. By the end of our second test drive, I was better but still had room for improvement. I also had less of an issue with fitting my legs into the space available to the driver than last time. Probably just figured out where to put my left foot. The HiJet had a Hi-Lo transfer case which we tried out on a service road for a natural gas well. The difference between high and low is profound. At the same RPM and gear, I'd guess we would go half as fast in low as we did in high. Of the four trucks they had for sale, I would buy the Acty. If there price were $1000 less than it is, I probably would have committed then and there. They wanted what I think is an insane price for the Daihatsu, but maybe there is a lot of demand for the extended cabs and no supply. In any case, I've still got a few more trucks to check out before laying down cash. My brother is saving his pennies.
Well, this is a business and people are in business to make money. Jumbo cabs are extremely difficult to get in a 4wd in good shape. We have paid $3000 more for a jumbo over a regular truck in Japan. This translates into a higher price. Our Jumbo's average $10,900, and have sold some for $12K. So, I guess if he is higher than that, then maybe, but he is not out of line at these prices. They are rare, and the demand is high. Basic economics. If you fit in a regular cab, then its a non-issue. If you are too big to fit in a regular cab, then you have to pay the price.
Well I'm a little over 6' tall and weigh in at about 180 pounds and have no problem fitting in my Mitsubishi MiniCab once I get my left leg in. After about the second time in it, I had it down to a science and could get into it just a easy and quick as I can get into my Colorado. I guess a jumbo cab would be nice but I sorta like the looks of the regular cabs.
I hear you. What the market will bear. Nothing wrong with that. However, in this case, the market price is more than I would, or have to, bear. But this is only because I have no problems fitting into any of the mini trucks I've been in to date (excepting my left foot issue). If I were a couple of inches taller, I'd have no problems ponying up. And, just for reference, they were asking for a lot less than your (Jeremy and Co.'s) average Jumbo price. The difference between their Actys and the HiJet Jumbo was close to your $3k figure. So everybody seems to be in the right ball-park.
first road trip went to calgary on saturday to the wreckers to keep the old ford one ton running lol highest speed was 125 a couple times one hill got me down to 80 but 110 was normal haven't figured out milage yet i'm 6'1" have a 91 sambar once you get the hang of left leg in first entery is no problem as long as you remember which door to get in...... i love it...... beats out the 89 chev extended cab long box and the 83 ford 1 ton for fun and ride ..... you just have to plan your moves as once on the highway you are not going to speed your way out of a jam
Yeah, after reading, I do believe it is important to find a mini-truck that has been taken care of. The 4 you got sound like they probably have been worked hard and may not be performing at top/normal levels. So finding a sambar that has been very slightly used makes all the difference there. Haven't got to get mine on the highway yet but come Nov. I will and will report the highway driving/speed/noise/mileage of mine.
Those four aren't mine. I just test drove them. Each had close to 80k on it and, from the look of the upholstery and dash in each, had definitely seen some use. So I agree with you. And I may be wrong, but my impression is the couple selling them is still near the bottom of the learning curve. (We all have to start somewhere.) So they probably didn't have them all tuned up. The one Acty definitely needed some work. But on the others, I think I'm to blame. On my first two test drives, I was nervous. The shake in the Acty (my first test drive), didn't help that. But on my second evening of test driving, I felt better about pushing the little trucks a bit harder. I think that all except the Acty would have made 110 no problem. A fresh tank of gas and changed fuel and air filters would probably do them all some good. Uh-oh! Better check on the duck-noodle soup.
you guys gotta keep in mind that 80,000 km is still only 48,000 miles. i would never hesitate buying a japanese car with that low mileage. granted you have to keep in mind the overall condition of the vehicle, but the diminishing effects of 48K on the drivetrain is nominal. i bought a daihatsu charade once it had over 150K on it and still ran great, i had no problem making the drive of 400miles to L.A. and back. you just have to get used to the sound of a motor that's rapped up pretty tight at hiway speeds and keep you foot to the floor. feel is an important aspect. i have had my truck past 140k and it FELT good. i would have slowed down if anything were shaking or getting out of hand. it tracked well and ran hard. i have a motto now... keep the foot down and the radio up. it tends to drown out the noise of the motor and th wind rushing over the high speed beer can i choose to pilot. liek i said, there is a lot to be said for the over-all condition of the vehicle as well as the feel... but don't let the mileage scare you away from what could be a fantastic vehicle otherwise. my truck has about 110,000 kilometers on it and i wouldn't hesitate to make teh drive to L.A. ... aside from the fact that it's a little cramped and needs some new seat cushions
i have a 92 mitsu 4x4 4 speed and it has no problem holding 100k's, and have to really watch my speed once i am at 100 because it seems to really start making power then i have been doing a rough fuel test and it looks like my truck get about 45mpg in town and about 35mpg on the highway. i am not surprised the engine is reving at 6500rpm at 100k's so it going to use fuel gas and its loud wyatt
Now that I've driven a few of these trucks, I'm comfortable with their maximum speed. Most seem to have no problems with 100 or even 110. Rarely do I need to go 110k/h, but it's good to know that the truck can if there is a need. I didn't find the Acty or the Sambar to be loud at speed. The Daihatsu had some wine to it, but not enough to bother me or my passenger. There were no issues with handling at speed, and it was pretty windy the one day. Regarding your attached picture: A tachometer would be sweet. Same goes for sandal-friendly weather. Actually, if my truck needs 6800 RPM to hit 100 k/h, I'd probably rather not know.
yep it was about 20c that night...i drove all over through two different towns . i didn't get back until 12:30am...these trucks are a ton of fun sorry about the sandals...keep your feet cool but makes it harder to drive
It varies with the year/ make. More common to see earlier [90's] with 5 digit and later 90's and up with 6 digit in my experience.
That is a very good question...and statement. In all honesty, I didn't notice. But like I said, except for the one, I don't think the lack of guts were the trucks' problems. But rest assured I'll be paying attention to the number of odometer digits when I look at some more trucks this weekend. It would be a real shock to get one home and then notice only five digits.
When I first started looking at these trucks, there were several at one dealer where they would put in bold letters on the windshield ... LOW Miles 21,000.. etc. One look at them told me that couldn't be right. Only question was how many times had they turned over.
Heh, wow didn't even think about that! Here's a dash shot of a 1990 Subaru Sambar Truck and a 1990 Suzuki Carry, clearly only 5 digits. http://www.luxuryimports.ca/forsale/1990SuburuSambar-2/photo2/600CIMG1240.jpg http://www.luxuryimports.ca/forsale/1990Suzuki4WD-1/photo/600CIMG4491.jpg It could potentially be 29 000, 129 000, or maybe even 229 000 km! I think the only saving grace is Japans crazy car laws. Edit: The 1993 Sambar seems to have 6 digits.
Mine had 121,000 kms on it when I bought. They were upfront about it in Japan when I first started looking at it. After having owned the Sambar for almost 6 months I have concluded that it was fairly well looked after by the Japanese owner. So higher kms but well looked after is probably equal to lower kms but not looked after. i.e. no oil change, etc.
