Hi, I'm out on Vancouver Island, BC. I've been considering getting a mini truck for a few years now. I met a fellow today that reaffirmed it being a good idea. Being 6'2", I'd prefer a Daihatsu Hijet, 4x4 with dump. Now for the big questions (perhaps I should ask this in another forum?). How feasible is it to buy direct from Japan vs through a local 'dealer'? And how do I track down a good dealer? Thanks!
Look around on the posts. There was someone recently going to try and get a container of trucks and wanted some more folks to go in with him. By doing that I suppose he did his research and understands it as for getting them imported into Canada.
Hi dochockin, It's certainly fairly straight forward to import a minitruck yourself from here (Japan). Freight to Vancouver (New West) is pretty reasonable and you could just go over on the ferry and bring the truck back with temp plates. On the Japan end you'll need to find a truck via an auction service (or to have an exporter find a good one for you) and then get the exporter to arrange the documents and clearance and freight to ship the truck to Vancouver. In terms of interior cabin height, they are all good, really. I'm six feet and have still lots of inches over my head in a Daihatsu Hi-Jet, or a Subaru Sambar, Suzuki Carry, or in a Honda Acty. (Have driven them all on and off road.) What really to keep in mind when choosing is what you plan to used the truck for. If mostly off-road, then the full low range and high range in 4WD that you find in the Suzuki Carry is a big drawing card. But Hi-Jets are kind of more "civilized" I sometimes feel, which is a plus. The Sambar has a great ultra low first gear in 4WD that gets you out of pretty well everything. For on road, I'll put the Sambar first. Rides better and the engines can sustain prolonged high rev and are well-balanced units that don't tire you out with vibrations. I've not been too pleased with the Acty on some forest trails here and also cornering when going too fast (my fault) on gravel roads, but that's just my experience. Some of the guys up the mountain here say they are very good on snow. Hmmmm. Anyway, PM me if you want to know more (although Trax and Horns knows sixty times than what I know about minitrucks) or if you want me to help you get a truck from here. I'm at dave@japancardirect.com. Cheers, Dave
