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How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

danwilkerson.com

61–70 of 409 posts

Re: How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

#61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> nobody actually needs or uses them These make me chuckle. Those people have never done home improvement projects or just projects that require picking up 8ft sheets of plywood or 20 bags of mulch.

I put 20 bags of mulch in an SUV last weekend, one that almost certainly could carry less than TFA's mini-truck-thing. What gives?

That's the expensive route if you do it too often. I can buy 2 yards of mulch scooped into the back of my truck for quite a bit less than the cost of 20 bags. And then there's things like gravel, which you really don't want to try and get in bags at all. I could probably get by with a smaller truck if I didn't tow a big trailer with it, but I'd still choose an actual open-bed truck over an SUV or minivan.

Different strokes for different folks. It's going to depend a lot on what you routinely haul.

Re: How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

#62

These HN threads about trucks are amazing. It’s like watching the same movie over and over again * Kei trucks are the coolest. Big gubment is making it so we can’t register them due to protectionism! * Chicken tax chicken tax chicken tax * Big trucks cause more crashes because reasons! * Trucks are just lifestyle vehicles and nobody actually needs or uses them Over and over and over again

> nobody actually needs or uses them These make me chuckle. Those people have never done home improvement projects or just projects that require picking up 8ft sheets of plywood or 20 bags of mulch.

Is the price premium worth occasional use? Every DIY store I've ever been to has truck rental outside, and it's a lot less than a new truck.

Re: How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

#63
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any links or specific models?

Piaggio porter / daihatsu hijet https://www.olx.pl/d/oferta/piaggio-porter-2009r-1-3-16v-pfa...

Interestingly the new generation grew into proper car size, complete with 1.5L engine. Something like Fiat Panda is closer to kei cars

Re: How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

#64

I love the esoteric-ness of owning a Kei truck, but they are in no way a replacement for a regular pickup truck. You really need a separate car for dailying, unless you never drive anywhere other than around your farm.

Yeah, I'm not sure how owning (and maintaining/registering/insuring/inspecting) another barely roadworthy vehicle competes with just having a trailer or renting a vehicle from Home Depot for a few hours now and then.

For just moving stuff around the farm my neighbors have basically electric golf carts.

Re: How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

#65
post #16

When I tried to convince my buddy, a major Toyota truck fan, that really _this_ was the kind of truck evryone actually drives in Japan, he didn't want to believe me 8-) This kind of thing is just obviously not allowed in the US, right? I mean, where's the luxury? What happens to all that social status that comes from needing a small ladder to climb into the cockpit of your rigg? I was also mildly entertained by "damn…

> This kind of thing is just obviously not allowed in the US, right? I mean, where's the luxury? What happens to all that social status that comes from needing a small ladder to climb into the cockpit of your rigg?

You need to remember just how different the Japanese domestic market is when it comes to roads and vehicles. It's a tiny island nation with low speed limits (37 mph everywhere but divided highways, which are 62mph) and a lot of people. The US is 26 times larger with 1/10th the population density, and lots of high-speed highways.

Re: How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

#66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are bigger because they need to house 200HP+ engines, which are, in most cases, unnecessary.

Cars and trucks 25 years ago had 200HP+ engines with much smaller bodies.

Cars nowadays are larger for improved comfort, not because of safety features. Larger cars aren't inherently safer. Modern safety features, such as airbags, crumple zones, etc., have been around for over twenty years now, but cars have gotten larger.

Regardless, the comparison was between Kei trucks and pickup trucks.

Re: How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

#67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

...and, inevitably, someone to make the above comment. Maybe you can be the one to finally break the cycle :-)

Break the cycle how? Every time one of these threads come up I suggest buying a domestic full size 90’s truck instead and nobody gives a shit. The only things that gain traction in these threads is people shitting on their cultural enemies. Because Truck People bad!! Maybe you can help break the cycle by looking at the huge used truck market we already have

> buying a domestic full size 90’s truck instead

90s trucks still had poor mileage and were less safe overall than new vehicles, they aren't gonna be many people's top choice.

My current pet theory is that an equally big problem to the "aggressive bro styling super high front grill" issues is an overall decline in relative income/living standards. Less space + money to have a family car + a utility truck, so your truck ALSO has to have a huge cabin, and do everything else the family car should do too, so it gets huge overall even if the bed is no bigger or more useful.

Re: How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

#68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I put 20 bags of mulch in an SUV last weekend, one that almost certainly could carry less than TFA's mini-truck-thing. What gives?

That's the expensive route if you do it too often. I can buy 2 yards of mulch scooped into the back of my truck for quite a bit less than the cost of 20 bags. And then there's things like gravel, which you really don't want to try and get in bags at all. I could probably get by with a smaller truck if I didn't tow a big trailer with it, but I'd still choose an actual open-bed truck over an SUV or minivan. Different s…

Sure. To your point above: do you think that trucks are the best-selling car in the US because Americans are routinely hauling loose gravel, or could it be something else? I suspect it's something else.

Re: How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

#69

These HN threads about trucks are amazing. It’s like watching the same movie over and over again * Kei trucks are the coolest. Big gubment is making it so we can’t register them due to protectionism! * Chicken tax chicken tax chicken tax * Big trucks cause more crashes because reasons! * Trucks are just lifestyle vehicles and nobody actually needs or uses them Over and over and over again

Usually followed by someone saying "I'd like to see that thing in a crash test against ".

Re: How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

#70

These HN threads about trucks are amazing. It’s like watching the same movie over and over again * Kei trucks are the coolest. Big gubment is making it so we can’t register them due to protectionism! * Chicken tax chicken tax chicken tax * Big trucks cause more crashes because reasons! * Trucks are just lifestyle vehicles and nobody actually needs or uses them Over and over and over again

> nobody actually needs or uses them These make me chuckle. Those people have never done home improvement projects or just projects that require picking up 8ft sheets of plywood or 20 bags of mulch.

To be fair to those people, they also don’t think you need your plywood and mulch because you should live in a nice little apartment with a surely altruistic landlord who takes care of every need that the plywood and mulch could satisfy.
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