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Please help

Discussion in 'Introductions' started by bmwr71, Oct 16, 2019.

  1. bmwr71

    bmwr71 Member

    I looked on Be Forward and found another Jimny I would like to buy. And the one I had planned on buying that did not show up in the search and I received an email from the company saying it had sold was back on the search again.

    I called the General insurance today to get a quote. Had the info up on the Jimny of my desires. We got to the part for the VIN number and I gave him what was listed as the chassis number and it is too short and he didn't know what to do and said he could not find the Jimny on his list of vehicles and also couldn't get the system to recognize the number ansd added zeros and it didn't work. Any suggestions here?
     
  2. matt167

    matt167 Active Member

    He would have to call his supervisor or underwriter to manually accept a VIN.. Usually they get them through by entering zeros or x's to make up 17 charecters. In my case, State Farm allows the short vin
     
  3. bmwr71

    bmwr71 Member

    Haven't been on in a while because I have been busy and also a bit defeated on getting insurance. The people I communicated with State Farm (3 different agencts) never returned any definite responses. The Allstate lady said they could insure a Jimny as a Samurai, but as I haven't had a vehicle insured for a few months, I couldn't get insurance through them (sounds like the mafia punishing me for not paying all my protection money). She gave me a number to call of another agent and this woman took my info and never called back.

    So today I decided to do a quick bing search on custom care insurance. At the top of the list was Hagerty Insurance. I decided to do the online quote thing and when I got to the part where they wanted the model of the vehicle, Jimny was on the list. It also asked if I currently had insurance and I indicated I did not. It gave me a quote of like $375 per year. Not sure any details of that and need to call them. Wonder if anyone else had used Hagerty? I heard of that company years ago, probably on some custom car show on educational TV or the like.

    There was the issue of KY having the law that said mini trucks were kei class trucks and they could only be used for agricultural, construction, and snow removal use with no license, but having a slow moving vehicle triangle. I still think I have them on the fact that there is no legal definition of what kei class means. But I think I accidentally solved my problem on that. I own a variety of old rusty cars, trucks, and motorcycles that I love but government code enforcement people hate. Have them at 3 locations as to be able to store them with not so much attention. Always wanted a place of my own where i could build a good workshop instead of working out in the gravel drive and a place to store my old toys. I saved for many years (but that in no way indicates that I am in any way old, just a very experienced kid). I found a place for sale in the listings a few months ago and never looked at it as the listing was just not impressive and expected some swamp. They lowered the price 21 grand and I decided to go have a look just because it seemed that I would never get anything and land prices keep going up and I had to face that all I could ever afford was a dud property. I ended up getting 13.65 acres with 2 old barns, an old equipment shed, a silo, and a pond all fenced in with crappy old farm fence with descent land. And it is zoned agricultural and it meant that I would get a very low property value assessment translating to a very low property annual tax bill. It also meant I have agricultural business to do. So, say if I bought a Sambar and kept a few fence boards in the bed and a cop pulled me over, I am on farm business. Didn't think about that until after I bought the place and it needs a good bit of work and a little junk hauler would be nice. Now i don't need a license or insurance for one of those.
     
  4. bmwr71

    bmwr71 Member

    My insurance problems persist. Called Hagerty and was told I could not get insurance unless I had another vehicle insured showing that the one I wanted to insure was just a secondary vehicle. Did an Internet quote on Geico and chose "other" on the model and got a quote. Called to make sure I could actually get insurance and was told I needed some sort of documentation from the local DMW showing that the vehicle had been modified to meet safety standards. Told her that being over 25 years old that the safety standards did not matter and she said it may not matter to import a vehicle, but it did matter for them to sell insurance. I told her that to get the vehicle inspected locally that I needed insurance. She just said importing a vehicle was a problem. Then she suggested I look for some substandard type insurance company.
     
  5. matt167

    matt167 Active Member

    You would have to trailer it to a DMV for inspection. According to FMVSS standards, lights, blinkers and working brakes. since the safety standards for a 25 year old vehicle is exempt with FMVSS standards, and the Japan 25 year old rule falls exempt as well ( the whole reason for the 25 year clause is, safety spec exempt after 25 years anyway ).

    And yeah, Hagerty will sell you insurance, as long as it's not your only vehicle.
     
  6. bmwr71

    bmwr71 Member

    I need to stop by one of the county clerk license joints where the inspecting sheriff deputies are and ask if they will give some sort of report I could give. It has been a long time since I had to have one inspected and don't remember them giving a certificate or report or whatever, thought they just told the licence people that it passed.

    I do have my eye on a few on Be Forward. Several look much nicer than my old beat up Ranger.
     
  7. lowranger

    lowranger Member

    Congratulations on the property that you found. Makes life easier for a place to store your vehicles all in one place. I bought a Daihatsu Hijet 1990 about 4 weeks ago. Going to use it on the ranch as a work vehicle. Has High and low range and a rear diff lock, plus a dump bed. Ordered a 2" lift and some 7" wide wheels and 23x8x12 UTV tires.
     
  8. lowranger

    lowranger Member

    I also have a 1988 Suzuki Samurai that I bought several years ago that I have fixed up. Fun rigs and a lot of after market parts to be had for them here in the US. I even added power steering to it from a kit that just bolts on from a Sidekick. Mine has the soft top which I like. I take the top off and bought a kit for $95 where I can lay the windshield down like a Jeep. It reminds me a lot of my old military Jeep I had when I was younger, but this is more comfortable.
     
  9. bmwr71

    bmwr71 Member

    I still can't get an insurance company to clearly tell me they will sell me insurance on a Jimny. Last thing was told by Geico that I needed and inspection and I went to the local sheriff inspection office and saw the form they sign when someone wants to title an out of state vrehicle and it is an application for the title and what the deputy signs is just a small box on the form. I called Geico back and spoke to another insurance rummy and I asked if what I would be given after an inspection would suit what they needed and was told that I would need to send a completed form in for them to review. I told the idiot that would mean I would need to buy the truck and I wanted to make sure I could get insurance for the truck before importing one and I finally hung up on him. I also noted that being over 25 yrs, the Jimny would pretty much automatically pass the standards that all do not apply.

    SO now I am somehwta back to thinking I should just buy like a Sambar and drive around with no license, just a slow moving vehicle triangle and a bale of straw in the bed.
     
  10. lowranger

    lowranger Member

    That will work! Triangle sign on the back and something ranch related in the back. That's what I'm going to do when I have to go out on the road.
     
  11. bmwr71

    bmwr71 Member

    Even though the state license idiots think of the mini trucks as agricultural equipment only, I am pretty sure most of the police and government types are clueless to what they are and fear that will mean lots of getting pulled over. When speaking with the sheriff deputy inspection guy, he never had heard of a Japanese mini truck nor knew of the state law on them. Except for the assistant director of the stare licensing agency, nobody I have spoken with has known about them until I told them about them.

    Perhaps I would carry some cheap fence boards in the bed. The straw might get moldy and sprout in the spring.
     
  12. lowranger

    lowranger Member

    They know what farm/ranch equipment is. A few old fence posts, a couple small rolls of wire and you should be good!
     
  13. Jigs-n-fixtures

    Jigs-n-fixtures Well-Known Member

    If y0u check into it, most states laws regarding minitrucks were written in the eighties, when they were being imported new for off-road use, and had the speed limiters, and gutted transmissions installed, so they wouldn’t get over 25-mph, unless you drove them down a cliff.

    It is 35-years later, and those of us who are trying to license them now, are running head on, into a set of antiquated laws.

    Idaho, will license 25-year old JDM vans, but not trucks.
     
    lowranger likes this.
  14. lowranger

    lowranger Member

    Is it a deal breaker for you if you can't get the truck licensed for the road?
     
  15. lowranger

    lowranger Member

    Hey Jigs....I like the scissor lift on your truck. Has that been pretty handy for you?
     
  16. lowranger

    lowranger Member

    I like Idaho, been hunting there several times. Did a nice side by side fishing trip to Mackay.
     
  17. Jigs-n-fixtures

    Jigs-n-fixtures Well-Known Member

    Lowranger, the scissors dump was one of the critical features I looked for when I was getting the truck. I considered myself very lucky to find it when the longshoreman strike on the west coast ended. I’d been looking for a truck for about six months, but due to the strike, it was impossible to get trucks on the west coast.
     
    Jamison Lure & Fly likes this.
  18. lowranger

    lowranger Member

    Glad you found one. I was looking for a low milage dump with high and low range and rear diff lock and I found one. Had to drive a ways to get it, but I got it. Have had it about 4 weeks now. Going to come in handy hauling rock on the ranch when the roads are soft. Have the UTV tires mounted up on new rims. Will start on the 2" lift tomorrow. What do you use your's for?
     
    Jamison Lure & Fly likes this.
  19. I know that I am late to the party. I bought a '93 Suzuki Carry for $3,000. It runs well, drives straight, has locking differential, axle lock, heat, A/C. I fixed a few rust spots and freshened up with a new coat of paint. It current has 13" alloy wheels that I want to replace with 12" steel wheels for more aggressive off-road tire options. I am also looking for a snow plow.

    Here in MN we can only register the trucks as off-road vehicles with the Department of Natural Resources. Each jurisdiction can decide if they allow the trucks on road. I bought mine because I wanted to drive around my neighborhood, out onto the lake for some ice fishing, into the woods to hunt, and move snow off of my 500 ft driveway. I also wanted a vehicle that I could get out, get back, stay warm and not cost $12,000.
     
    Ohkei Dohkei likes this.
  20. lowranger

    lowranger Member

    Sounds like you got a pretty good deal for a fun vehicle. I put 12" x 7" ITP steel wheels on mine with 23" x 8"x 12" UTV 6 ply tires on mine. Using mine for hunting and hauling rock and firewood on the ranch.
     
  21. Did you have to lift the vehicle at all? I have not had good luck when changing vehicle geometry. I don't think that I am smart enough to outdo the Japanese engineers who built these things.
     
  22. Did you have to lift the vehicle at all? I have not had good luck when changing vehicle geometry. I don't think that I am smart enough to outdo the Japanese engineers who built these things.

     
  23. lowranger

    lowranger Member

    Yes, I put a 2" lift on it.
     

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