The ‘kei’ cars and trucks are growing in popularity in the U.S. But many states have explicitly banned them in recent years. A bill at the statehouse would allow them on Colorado roads.
I understand they make absolutely terrific farm vehicles that are only meant to see minimal road use. Local access only, so American highways and stroads would be right out. Something to pick up the mail in.
In WA we can get them licensed for road use you’re just not allowed on the highway, which you would be silly to try. Mine gets up to 50 mph fine, have pushed it to ~60 but the engine’s basically flat out at that point.
If most of your driving is under ~40 they’re perfectly usable. Not super fast on the acceleration but personally think it’s fun to have 30 mph be 4th gear. 30-40 mpg in and around town. Have had friends that borrowed it talk about how it’s kind of zen to have people blow past you when you’re doing the speed limit and then you both sit side-by-side at a stoplight for a while. And the next light and the next.
My knowledge doesn’t extend much past driving a manual. There are automatics I believe but they’re rarer. (And not as much fun!) So far my biggest challenge was getting an oil change because the standard lifts don’t go narrow enough. I was able to get it into a place with a pit, it had about an inch to spare between the tires. Turns out it just takes a Toyota oil filter and the other ‘consumables’ like belts/bulbs are likewise fairly standard.
I’m vaguely hoping something will break so I can use it to slowly become more knowledgeable about cars. In theory it should be a great project vehicle, the only electronics are the lights / A/C / radio. There’s a few others around town and I think it’s funny they’re all vaguely different in what people have done to them. Extra lights, hand painted, etc. They’re cheap enough (11k freshly imported, licensed, and delivered to my door) and all metal so that’s at least a bit of the draw it seems like.
I understand they make absolutely terrific farm vehicles that are only meant to see minimal road use. Local access only, so American highways and stroads would be right out. Something to pick up the mail in.
In WA we can get them licensed for road use you’re just not allowed on the highway, which you would be silly to try. Mine gets up to 50 mph fine, have pushed it to ~60 but the engine’s basically flat out at that point.
If most of your driving is under ~40 they’re perfectly usable. Not super fast on the acceleration but personally think it’s fun to have 30 mph be 4th gear. 30-40 mpg in and around town. Have had friends that borrowed it talk about how it’s kind of zen to have people blow past you when you’re doing the speed limit and then you both sit side-by-side at a stoplight for a while. And the next light and the next.
Do you have to be knowledgeable about cars to own one?
My knowledge doesn’t extend much past driving a manual. There are automatics I believe but they’re rarer. (And not as much fun!) So far my biggest challenge was getting an oil change because the standard lifts don’t go narrow enough. I was able to get it into a place with a pit, it had about an inch to spare between the tires. Turns out it just takes a Toyota oil filter and the other ‘consumables’ like belts/bulbs are likewise fairly standard.
I’m vaguely hoping something will break so I can use it to slowly become more knowledgeable about cars. In theory it should be a great project vehicle, the only electronics are the lights / A/C / radio. There’s a few others around town and I think it’s funny they’re all vaguely different in what people have done to them. Extra lights, hand painted, etc. They’re cheap enough (11k freshly imported, licensed, and delivered to my door) and all metal so that’s at least a bit of the draw it seems like.