Why am I suddenly seeing kei trucks everywhere?
Posted by keithrc@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 36 comments
Maybe it's just Baader-Meinhof [wiki] (frequency illusion), but I 6 months ago I didn't know what a kei truck was (thanks r/Askcarguys!) and now it seems like I see one every day.
Is it because import restrictions have eased, or something like that? Maybe they've recently gone mainstream for American enthusiasts?
B5_S4@reddit
There is a rolling 25 year import ban. Kei trucks and Kei cars have been around for ages, but the 90s was when the world got really good at car manufacturing. So the wave of importable vehicles tends to be in good condition with modern features (AC) for a decent price makes them more appealing. Especially since America is trending towards bigger and more expensive cars at dealers.
elementarydeardata@reddit
Specifically, in 2024, vehicles from 1999 became eligible for import. This was the year there were major updates to kei trucks across most manufacturers. They received some updates like airbags and fuel injection. They also have more legroom/headroom which is good for Americans because of reasons. It's worth mentioning that AC is still super rare even on 1999+ trucks, it robs what little horsepower they have.
I personally have a 1998, before the update because I'm shallow and I think the new ones are fugly.
Jmauld@reddit
Because people, for the most part, are dumb.
External-Talk8838@reddit
It’s because they’re fucking awesome. I have no use for one but for some reason I want one so bad. If I didn’t already have a bunch of toys I would get one.
63crabby@reddit
For farm or light utility work? Sure. Daily driver in a city? No thanks! As others have noted, not safe by today’s crash standards.
External-Talk8838@reddit
I’m big into bikes so the safety aspect is not even something that crossed my mind. It’s the cool factor more than anything. I can only imagine one with a turbo busa swap.
fprintf@reddit
I have a couple of buddies that use them for hauling dirt bikes between home and riding ground less than an hour away via back roads. Street legal, absolutely, but not really great on the highway.
For anyone with any kinds of bikes they make an excellent hauler, on short trips anyway. The beds on many are larger than the beds on full size trucks with the big passenger compartments.
External-Talk8838@reddit
I believe in Ohio you are not legally allowed to take them on the highways anyways. But having that large of bed would come in handy from time to time. I definitely wish my truck had more than 5.5’
keithrc@reddit (OP)
I'd probably use one for some kind of art car project.
alphawolf29@reddit
they are extremely handy for around town work and dont take up much space. Ive been considering getting one as well.
witty_phoenix@reddit
I've never once seen one in person, ever. Where do you live, what state?
keithrc@reddit (OP)
Austin, TX. There are a couple parked just around my neighborhood, and I see them on the road and sitting in front of businesses regularly.
witty_phoenix@reddit
I thought it'd be CA but yeah TX might make sense too. I'm in Midwest and have only seen them on YouTube for some reason.
tnsipla@reddit
They would get insta-gibbed by our potholes and salt damaged roads
Competitive-Bar-9300@reddit
That's the 25-year import restriction more than it is anything to do with the vehicles themselves. Newer ones have much better suspensions, way less rigid, they can take a pothole and keep going better. It's just that we're getting kei trucks with 2001 budget fleet truck suspensions and 2 and a half decades of use. You could practically eject yourself out of the car going over a speed bump in any of them. They would be good, cheap little farm trucks for lighter livestock if the prices weren't so damn inflated for imports.
I don't really see them up there now, but I used to see quite a few in the UP of Michigan growing up. Like a hipster 4-wheeler alternative.
PlatinumElement@reddit
Believe it or not, you don’t see as many JDM cars in California because it’s really hard/expensive to register them here. I live in LA and own an R34 Skyline coupe (not a GTR) but keep it stored 1200 miles away until I can retire and move somewhere else where I can actually register the car (I refuse to do the whole Montana registration thing.)
mikewilson2020@reddit
Cos they're mint
Automatic_Mulberry@reddit
I'd guess it's mainly that you have noticed they exist, or maybe there's a dealer or a community near you that is more active lately. Or possibly people are bringing them out of winter storage.
Import restrictions haven't eased - they still have to be 25+ years old - but maybe local laws about road registration have eased where you are?
Longjumping_Lynx_972@reddit
Its because that rolling 25 yr rule now encompasses all of the 90's era vehicles and a lot more of them survived and are still in great condition than the 80's versions.
Carrera_996@reddit
Oh ya, 80's Japanese cars all died from cancer.
RandomGuyDroppingIn@reddit
Where I live they have always been around. They're typically used on farm land or as hunting rigs and, historically, were much cheaper than side-by-sides. As long as you didn't drive them on the road you could keep them on your land.
Nowadays as we are well past the 1990s and the 25 year old rule applies to vehicles now made in 2001 and previous, importers effectively have the entire 1990s kei market available. Some states notably Georgia do not allow Keis to be registered but many states have no real limits.
The only thing that gets me about the kei truck market is it is grossly inflated in price. I see people trying to sell Honda Actys for like $9K-$11K. These are $2K-$3K trucks on a GOOD day.
Wolf_Ape@reddit
They’ve been popular for a long time. A lot of people use them more like a utv, and don’t street them as much. That may have a changed a bit with gas prices.
Miliean@reddit
In the United States, you can't import anything that's not at least 25 years old. While Kei trucks have been around for a long time, it was only the models in the late 90s that started to be still good 25 years later. That's why you see so many more in the US now vs 10 years ago. 10 years ago anything that was importable was next best thing to trash, so no one bothered. Today the 2001 kei trucks are actually not so bad, so a lot of people seek to import them.
Chockfullofnutmeg@reddit
Some states banned them, so they have been sold into neighboring states where they are still legal. So overnight the number likely quadrupled.
SailingSpark@reddit
NJ banned them. I was recently parked next to one in my 500 Abarth. Aside from being wider, my little car was not much different in size to little honda.
There is an Autozam AZ1 running around here. It makes my Abarth look huge.
Chockfullofnutmeg@reddit
Would still rather have your arbaths crumble zones in a crash.
SailingSpark@reddit
oh, without a doubt. That little kei truck was the definition of being first to an accident. The only thing between you and another car was the steering wheel and glass.
SirLoinsALot03@reddit
Around here, they're great farm vehicles. Buying a kei truck for farm use is way better idea than buying a large, overpriced pick up like an F150 or Tundra. Even used pick-up prices are kind of insane these days.
RagingAnus69@reddit
Yeah they're really perfect as farm vehicles. And they're less money than a new side by side. Most of the ones I see are around $5k while a cheap SBS is 10 or more.
dirtyforker@reddit
You can get one here https://www.duncanimports.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw2K3rBRDiARIsAOFSW_56E0_K2YRbCv4nk9KycMb54t7OcqnmVGAoIpQzQk2kRbwsHRfjxvUaAuf2EALw_wcB
GorbatcshoW@reddit
I'm starting to have a Baader-Meinhof about the Baader-Meinhof.
Captkarate42@reddit
So part of it is that they are legal for import now as many of the models that people consider "good" are within a handful of model years past the 25 year limitation on importing vehicles with different emissions and safety standards than we have in the US, and part of it is a rise in popularity.
The rise in popularity is because it's fairly difficult to have more reliable fun in a car/truck for like $5,000 than you can in a kei truck, and the economy is exceptionally bad right now for the majority of people. Car people are gonna car people though, and when rent/groceries are this high, the market shifts to focus on what people can afford to do.
AwarenessGreat282@reddit
Popularity has grown and restrictions have eased. They actually make a great urban transit tool for work. In NYC, instead of taking space double parking, they could fit on the sidewalk....lol
silvermoonhowler@reddit
It's because once a vehicle that is domestic to another country has reached 25 years old, it can then legally be imported
nixiebunny@reddit
It’s a trend that’s becoming more popular every month. The number of kei trucks you see is proportional to the total number that have been imported, which number is steadily increasing. This will eventually level off and then decrease as the trend stops being trendy and the trucks break down in an unrepairable fashion, which is how all car trends end.
Bubbly-Pirate-3311@reddit
Import restrictions yeah