ask for the info on the truck, if it was bought from auction there should be a auction cut sheet with inspection information from the auction inspector with the it was given and any damage noted about the truck.
I've spoken to him just before I bought my truck. he does seem honest. just remember that he does what you can do. buy a truck at japan auction and do some basic maintenance when it's here. Tony 1996 Carry
well actually I have to disagree. when I bought my truck I had a mechanic from Japan inspect vehicle before I made a bid. The first two trucks I was interested in came back fail after inspection. Tony
I have been looking at his site for a bit. Looks pretty good. He seems to have his stuff together and lots of good info on there. I like the idea of having a bit of after purchase support as well when it comes to ordering parts and accessories. Going to contact him.
Yes depends on your exporter. I went with pcjdm and he doesn't have that ability. I think my next purchase would be through brave.
I don't mind not having the support later if it would save me a couple grand. How was pcjdm to deal with? Haven't heard of brave.
No as smooth as I would of liked...but it all was worked out in the end. Like I said I probably go with Dave at brave next purchase.
I've conversed with Rene and he seems like a nice enough guy...but...the issue I have with some of the Alberta importers is that they see these far more as competition for side-by-side ATV's and price them that way (i.e. $7,500-$10,500), rather than pricing them as "normal" vehicles ($3,500-$6,500). I want one for the latter, not the former. Granted, some of the former I've seen have been sweet little units, but far beyond my budget for an "around town putt-putt." I've found a few locally priced as cars / trucks (transportation, rather than recreation) and it has made it more likely that I'll be in the owner's club soon.
Mike I have to say that a price tag from Alberta @ $6500 is actually pretty fair. I imported my own at a cost of $3500 to Vancouver, but it cost a $1000 to get there and back plus all upgrades such as filters and oils. all in I'd say I have at least that much into mine and still going.
I am into my 95 for around 5 grand. That's truck at auction, exporters fee, shipping, taxes and fees here plus upgrades. Local seller sells them for 7-10g before taxes
Tony, I agree...but all of Rene's stock is $9,000+. His site is aimed (or at least has a huge emphasis) in comparing them to side-by-side ATVs. Western Minitrucks and Terik Imports are more in the $6,500-$8,000 range which is more reasonable considering they are businesses and need to make a buck. Most private offerings I have come across, including some heavily upgraded ones, range from $4,000 to $8,000 in Alberta right now. I'm not bashing Rene or his business model...but he's marketing to a different group.
well I'm thinking of selling mine. great unit for $6200. all in new tires , winch, filters, oils , crash bar, bush guard. 300# coils, new wires ,rotor cap and rotor. upgrading to Toyota Landcruiser Prado.
Would like to address this being there are several points missing when comparing my Mini Truck business, which by the way is a full time business, and comparing with those that do this as a hobby to offer a better understanding of what is fully being offered. 1. All of my Mini Trucks are hand picked in Japan and fully looked over before considering purchasing them, by people I have used for over 10 years that I trust. 2. I take the time most evenings communicating with suppliers going over each truck personally, before they are purchased from auction and private source. 3. I only ship RORO which is more expensive however I did have vehicles shift in a container 1 time which damaged all of them and I will not gamble with my customers investment this way. 4. I purposely hand pick ones with 1-3 years registration on them, with less than 40000km with most having less than 20000km. These are more expensive however they are in the best shape. 5. Once they arrive in Calgary, to be proactive I fully go over them top to bottom including a full Safety/Out of Province inspection, tune-up & winterization, then I test drive each one for 30-50km to verify they run perfectly, if anything is found it is fixed immediately before the customer takes it and that is all part of the posted price. 6. I do state on my website that the value of this is $1,800.00, however it really does not take into consideration all of the extra hours I put into each Mini Truck, but it at least gives you a value when comparing what I offer compared with what others offer based on price and value add. 7. I support what I sell with parts and accessories and am very familiar with how each model can be customized being I drive Mini Trucks myself both on and off-road. 8. Lastly I, like the customers I attract value their time. I only sell what I would drive myself and all of my Mini Trucks have lower kms and are in better shape compared with any 2 year old North American vehicle. Downtime costs money. I hope this gives anyone questioning a better perspective on my business model, I am a firm believer in word of mouth advertising and most of my business is because of this from very happy customers. Also if you have purchased a very worn Mini Truck, I would be happy to help you get it running or adding any accessories being even if you purchased from someone else, I want you to enjoy your investment. October I helped 8 people get their worn Mini Trucks up and running so they could enjoy them. If you have any other questions feel free to contact me, have a great Remembrance Day and remember to thank a Veteran Rene www.streetlegalatv.ca info@streetlegalatv.ca (403)461-7173
Rene I have to say that after 14 months of owning my 1996 suzuki I now have put $6900 into it. plus about 50 hrs fabrication time for up grades. I agree 100% with your prices. I hope to see you around for a long time. Tony
Hi Tony, sorry to hear about that, if there is anything I can help with, send me an email with the year and VIN and what parts you are needing, make sure to indicate driver or passenger side being they are RHD, I will do my best to be on this forum moving forward however I speak with many customers daily so it is always best to email me, being I do not have much free time for these websites. Cheers Rene www.streetlegalatv.ca info@streetlegalatv.ca (403)461-7173
Rene, I hope you don't take my comments the wrong way...I'm glad to have folks like you out there, making sure that folks are getting their hands on good quality, well maintained trucks and that provide pretty immediate access to bolt-on upgrades. Yes, I understand there is a premium with any auction grade 4+ truck, with shipping to Alberta done, initial maintenance done, manual and spares, out-of-province inspection and block heater. That said, maybe you need a reminder on your inventory page that you are bringing in higher end trucks and you are not simply getting them from Japan to Calgary... otherwise there is a big "sticker shock" when folks compare your inventory prices with those at other JDM vehicle sites. There's a big difference that makes it easier for a "noob" to dismiss your shop as catering to the ATV market....after all, $10,000 for a mintruck is gobs less than $25,000 for a new Polaris side-by-side, but why pay $10,000 in Calgary when you can pick it up in BC for $4,000-$5,000 cleared customs price? I'm not trying to be judgmental....just passing on an observation. I will apologize as I know a bit of my bias is probably showing though...I personally feel that these little trucks have tons more to offer than simply being an ATV alternative. For their size, I don't think there is another vehicle out there as practical or useful in an urban environment...that's what they are built for. After all, how many other 4x4 pick-up trucks are out there that can fit in small car parking and get 40+ mpg fuel economy while still hauling 70% as much capacity as a full-sized truck? Again, Rene, please don't take any of this personally...I'm glad we have folks like you and Paul (Western Mini Trucks) out there...heck, I have recommended you to a couple folks I know in Southern Alberta...I just think more information and more "angles" on the sales pitch would help potential buyers see these trucks as more than expensive weekend toys and better understand the value added services you are providing.
Rene you took my post wrong. What I meant was that after initial purchase at japanese auction + shipping and auction fee ,and going back and forth to Vancouver to get it. there was my first $5000. then I have been improving on my truck every month since. for a total of $6800. I was just agreeing that your prices are fare. Tony--- I love that little truck. I have a polaris side by side and a new F150 that typically stayed parked during the day because I'm running my Mini
No worries, constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated, there is a good amount of information already on my website which you are more than welcome to check out. However like any good business I can always change my advertising to grow even further based on my customers expectations and current market conditions. It is true Paul does offer a similar product as well, however as stated on both his and my website we have separate business models, based on value add & kms which is reflected in the purchase price. So we are both going after different market segments, I have had this conversation with him in the past. I could easily have a similar business model like his and everyone else's out there and saturate the market even more, however it does not make sense for me to do so. I have not seen anyone else in Canada offering this type of service and it is something that my customers appreciate, it feels good to have a business where I can offer a hand picked 15 year old vehicle, that are in better shape with lower kms than a 2 year old North American vehicle. Will be looking at my website shortly to see if I can offer better information, thank you again for the input Rene www.streetlegalatv.ca info@streetlegalatv.ca (403)461-7173
Hi Tony, Well good to hear that it is running well for you. Hope you get many kms out of it. Rene www.streetlegalatv.ca info@streetlegalatv.ca (403)461-7173
Hi Rene, I'll let you know when I get to the upgrade portion of my work on my Suzuki...I have plans Now that the regular maintenance work that the previous owner had ignored is done, it's purring along like a truck with <50,000 km should Just need to find a shop to re-do the 25 year old paint
Yup, when I get asked about mine, it's great to be able to say it's 25 years old with less than 50,000 km on it
Very happy to hear that you found the perfect Mini Truck for yourself with less than 50000km, that works well for you. I prefer to bring in the very very low km ones, most less than 20000km that have 1-3 years registration on them so that I know that they were very well maintained by the previous owner and not just sitting there for months or possibly years. Maybe its the Saskatchewan farm experience speaking now however I have seen to many higher km older vehicles with dried out seals or other problems from sitting, that become not only a headache to work on, also very costly, and I like my customers greatly value my time. I do pay trusted people to physically check any auction or private source that I am interested in, even if on paper it looks like a winner, simple example white smoke which may look like exhaust from a cold vehicle to an average person, or could be bad gas or a cracked head. The people I trust are knowledgeable and have saved myself and my customers 10's upon 10's of thousands of dollars by picking the best quality low km Mini Trucks along with all of the extra work that is done once they arrive here to insure many kms of worry free driving for myself and my customers. Rene www.streetlegalatv.ca info@streetlegalatv.ca (403)461-7173
Yeah....I hear you. Mine wasn't a long term storage job, but it wasn't used much. My biggest issue was that, although it was run a bit and at least given oil changes, the longer term "age-able" items like plug wires and vac lines needed to be done. There has been some wrench turning for me....but the truck is simple enough I can enjoy doing some of the maintenance while I learn more about it. It seems to be doing well as a daily driver now....but if you have a good idea for a block heater, let me know....mine will need one before we get into the really cold stuff.
We only use the VW style oil pan heaters with ours, they are more expensive however they are the best, make sure check your coolant if you have not already, sometimes they ship with water in the radiator, we always flush ours and put in Canadian grade coolant. Even if the original battery tested positive when you got it, replace it before winter, the first real cold snap the battery will die being it has never seen a Canadian winter before. We replace all of ours when we receive them with larger higher capacity ones. Lastly do not, I repeat do not use synthetic oil at all or for at least the first 3 oil changes, only use regular oil and lucas additive to re-lubricate the seals so you do not have an expensive project on your hands down the road. Hope that helps Rene www.streetlegalatv.ca info@streetlegalatv.ca (403)461-7173
Thanks for the tips, Rene. The truck was used occasionally, but run more regularly...the guys who owned it before me ran equipment and knew the importance of keeping things lubed. The coolant in mine is good...one of the things I did check off the bat when I got it. I'll likely do a flush when I add a block heater, but it tests out at -45C right now. Battery on it is not the stocker....has been replaced and seems to be in decent shape....I'll still keep an eye on it as I didn't replace it and don't know exactly how old it is. It may not be quite the same calibre as what you bring in and sell, but it's proving itself to be a good little find. Had to go to a site yesterday and deal with some fairly good snow (belly dragging deep)... With the sandbags in the box and in 4x4, it got around just fine on the road tires, which is more than I can say for the locator's F150!
