Hello to all. I live in SW Virginia and I am looking to buy a mini truck. After looking on here for a few days I had a few questions. 1. Is there a dealer that anyone knows of in Virginia, West Va, or NW North Carolina? 2. It seems that the Suzuki Carry seems to be a little more expensive in comparison to others such as Diahatsu ect. Is it because of parts availability or just good old Reliability? 3. I would like to put a plow on it. I have heard good things about how they handle in the snow. Can anyone elaborate further on their experiences. 4. Would anyone recommend a particular brand over another and things to look for before purchasing 5. Lastly, is their anyone close around me that might have one for sale. Thanks
They're all good trucks, personally I like the Subaru's because they have a 4 cylinder engine and it's rear mounted to give you much better traction than any of the other mini's, but that's just me I actually own a mitsu but my father has a Sambar and I wish I would have gotten one of those, I can't even hear his run!
I think Suzuki's are more popular and therefore more expensive... the old supply and demand rule. There's a great sticky in general truck info that outlines the strengths and weaknesses of the different makes of trucks...
Artmutt: Try Ed Taylor of Mountaineer Mini Trucks. They have a good selection of trucks and professional. 304-864-4600 - Reedsville, WV. David-O Yamagin Corp. www.minitruckdealer.com 310-210-8108
Very good point Chicken, the most important thing a customer should make sure it has on the truck is the EPA sticker and Hang Tag. These stickers prove the truck was lawfully imported and that the truck comes with the manditory warranty required by the EPA. All trucks now imported come with a required emissions warranty no matter what the year or miles. So if you have any emissions related issues like, catalic converter, O2 sensors, timing, exhaust or other items failing you will be covered by the dealer that imported the truck. If your truck has the sticker. The MSO and Title are only for the road legal Low and Medium Speed vehicles.
If you buy a truck that was imported before Dec 2008 you dont need any paper work other than a bill of sale. I would try and find a truck with 70,000 kms(40,000 miles) or less, high/low tranny 4 or 5 speed. Rear diff. lock would be a added plus if you can find one with that option. My list below is trucks that I have put to the test at random in the last 5 yrs.. My two cents on reliability 1) Daihatsu - they are like the energizer bunny they keep on ticking, Ive sold more daihatsu's than any other truck. Worked on less daihatsu than any other make. Parts availability good. S83-S110-S210 easy to lift. Great trucks. I always keep one of these trucks at the ranch for my work and play truck. 2) Suzuki good trucks, have had a little problems with fuel pumps going out, easy to lift, have had to do a few rebuilds on carbs. Parts availability good. Ive had several at the ranch and used them for work and play. 3) Mazda exact same truck as Suzuki. mazda are made by Suzuki. Good truck. Parts availability good. 4) Mitsubishi only had a few. Seem to be good trucks never had one long enough to really put it through the test. Parts availability fair. 5) Subaru and Honda If they were street legal in Texas I most likely would have one of these as a road truck. Never had Subaru but I here good things about them. Doesnt seem to be a good off road truck. Rear engine tight working conditions. Honda had a few, never had one long enough to say anything about it. Seems like they would be a pain to work on with the rear engine. Again doesnt seem to me to be a good off road truck. Parts availability on Sub./Hon ?? Look up Doug @ Fremont Mini Trucks he ships trucks to your area often. Whatever truck you pick try to test drive it. Listen to it, crawl underneath it, if its already been painted look for rust cover up, be patience and pick a good one, dont buy the first one you see. Cheers and Good Luck. Terry Bearden TB Tractors/Trax and Horns Mini Trucks Austin,Tx 512-217-7456 www.traxandhornsminitrucks.com
I've never run into a situation where the date mattered at all, honestly I don't know anyone that ran into problems simply because of an import date,mfg date, etc. I'm sure its probably happened but most DMVs are nor that aware not motivated to care about a date, seems most just know what a mini truck is and are programmed to say no. I've never tried to register one so i'm not an expert, just relaying what past customers have told me. The dealer I had there in SD did have some issues at the DMV but only because they wanted the export cert to be translated, once that was done they were all set, but EVERY state is different
Up to the point where the EPA stopped the imports 2 yrs ago for a time all I needed was to give out a bill of sale to my retail buyer. I would give them a copy of the import cert. but would keep the original. There wasnt any window stickers back then. My point is that those early imported trucks are grandfathered and there is nothing wrong or illegal buying them. So if the guy that started this thread buys a pre 2008 he doesnt need any of the epa stickers just a bill of sale. If he is in a state like OK,LA all he needs is a bill sale and the import cert. For off road use only that was what I was addressing in my post.
Same system here Terry, in the State of Ohio because the trucks are not recognized as an on road or off road vehicle all we provide is the bill of sale and the export certificate, there is nothing else I can physically provide the customer. Ohio does not and will not issue any type of title or registration for the trucks so there is nothing else for me to provide.
A Green Export Certificate, Combined Transport Bill of Lading, and US Department of Homeland Security Bureau of Customs and Border Protection Entry/Immediate Delivery document (import form) must be attached. And...Bill of Sale. There are only two documents that are vehicle specific, the green export certificate and the 3520.21 for the EPA but that is new this year. The combined bill of lading and the commerce release from customs/border protection are not vehicle specific. Those documents just note the commodity and the H.S code, they do not break down the shipment on a per truck level so those documents would not do anyone any good if they were taken to a BMV. The only critical document, that started this year for each individual truck is a 3520-21 must be filled out for each vehicle and be part of your customs clearance package. We can provide the other documents but they are completely pointless because they do not specifically show a single vehicle, they just show that a container of non road vehicles cleared customs and the combined bill transport bill doesn't even show that, it just shows the container shipping information
Honestly Norm, I don't even know what you're arguing about, I've re-read my posts and I have no idea where you're coming from or what has you upset about,
I think there is actually two different issues. One: What documents should you get with your purchase of a minitruck? Two: What should you look for to make sure the truck was lawfully imported? The answer to question one is straightforward, but there is little in the way of statutes to guide you with the transactions. Mostly, it becomes a response that is tailored to each customer depending on where they live. Some states need a bill of sale, other states also need the bill of lading, export certificate and the homeland security document. Since I am not required to provide anything other than the bill of sale I don't, unless asked. If someone needs anything other than the bill of sale we provide it as requested. For the off-road vehicles the customer can receive: 1. Bill of sale 2. Export Certificate 3. Homeland Security Docs 4. Bill of Lading 5. MSO for Off-Road Vehicle 6. Title for Off-Road Vehicle For the On-Road Low and Medium Speed Vehicles the customer receives: 1. MSO (Manufacturers Statement or Certificate of Origin) depending on state of purchase OR a Michigan title. 2. In-transit tags; window sticker to use until you get your plates. 3. Application of Title form 4. Receipt for Dealer Transaction; shows any sales taxes paid. Two: What should you look for to make sure the truck was lawfully imported? Two labels should be on the truck. The emissions sticker and the EPA hang tags. If the truck has been lawfully imported after 12-31-08 then these two labels must be on the truck. The emissions label also means that the vehicle comes with a mandatory warranty required by the EPA. I am positive that all dealers with inventory imported after that date will have no problem proudly showing the potential customer where the very expensive label is.
I thank all of you for your replies, I didn't mean to get anything thing started. I had looked at a truck on ebay that I was excited about in WV. The auction just ended for about 4100. I think it was a good deal but I didn't bid because I didn't get a chance to actually look at the truck in person. Plus I think that I would benefit from a truck that has a dump bed. Again thanks for the replies and I am still looking. I will keep you all posted on what I find. I will probably be back with more questions as well.
I think this post hits the nail directly on the head. First of all, dealers need to recognize that the needs of SOME truck owners are going to be different than others depending on what state they live in and depending on what they intend to use the truck for. Second, any dealer who doesn't have the import certificate showing the truck was imported prior to 12-31-08 needs to show that the truck has the aforementioned pricey EPA certification sticker. It's all about making sure butts are covered... especially if someone is intending to attempt to register their truck for on road use.
