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Rural Americans are importing tiny Japanese pickup trucks

economist.com

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Re: Rural Americans are importing tiny Japanese pickup trucks

#171

Post by nyx »

inferiorhuman wrote: post #147
nyx wrote: post #29

The 25-year import rule here, which bans Americans from importing vehicles from other countries unless they're 25+ years old, is just awful for those of us who would be interested in driving small, efficient foreign cars. It would be great to live completely car-free, but absent major changes to how we plan our cities, it's just a sad reality that cars are a necessary ingredient to life in the vast majority of Americ…

The 25-year import rule here, which bans Americans from importing vehicles from other countries unless they're 25+ years old That's not what the rule is. That's the end result because nobody wants to spend money to get a foreign market car to meet the relevant safety and emissions standards.

Yeah, that's completely right, but as you said in another comment, there's some real bullshit in the FMVSS that to me, a complete layperson, seems like it has the sole effect of blocking the certification of perfectly safe and clean modern vehicles from other advanced nations.

Of course we shouldn't be allowing people to import some pollution-spewing deathtrap that doesn't have seatbelts--the FMVSS regulations do exist for a reason--but I think we should be taking a more critical look at our regulations, especially as compared to other places at the same socioeconomic level.

Re: Rural Americans are importing tiny Japanese pickup trucks

#172

Post by dsfyu404ed »

autophagian wrote: post #163
nilespotter wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would much, much rather have a new $70k Ford F150 Raptor than a tiny Japanese truck . Honestly a redditor - perhaps the most odious group on the Iternet - recommending the tiny Japanese truck over the F150 is a good enough reason to prefer the opposite; a redditor on "fuckcars" is a GREAT reason to prefer the opposite.

Why?

Because people who hate a thing are generally not the most knowledgeable about it and even if they know their judgement is clouded by hate. They only like the alternative to be contrarian.

I'm not gonna ask PETA for tips on raising beef steers, I'm not gonna ask Joe Biden what gun I should buy and I'm not gonna ask /r/fuckcars what car I should buy. And this is on top of the usual Reddit circle jerks and groupthink that make asking for advice there for anything of meaningful stakes questionable in general.

Re: Rural Americans are importing tiny Japanese pickup trucks

#173

Post by sircastor »

My wife was really interested in doing this the last time we were talking about a new vehicle. We looked at a lot of trucks and micro vans. There are plenty of people who have done it. My biggest hang ups were related to the variability of laws about microtrucks across states. Some places I can drive it like any other vehicle. Others it’s limited to non-highway travel and locality.

Also not being able to see the vehicle firsthand before purchasing.

They’re inexpensive though. That’s nice.

Re: Rural Americans are importing tiny Japanese pickup trucks

#174

Post by RoyGBivCap »

tgtweak wrote: post #162
camhenlin wrote: post #13

I’ve looked into one of these and they’re completely illegal in my state, no way to register them without gaming different dmv stations and getting a clueless dmv rep who doesn’t know what they’re looking at, to register it. This is Oregon. Really unfortunate situation as these fit a lot of use cases that would previously require something as big as a gas guzzling Ford F150 otherwise.

I think most people register them out of state for this reason - Minnesota and Arkansas being the two go-to (also for bypassing vehicle road-readiness inspections...).

I wish I'd known this. Oregon's bi-annual "emissions test" where they hook up the inspection machine to the ODB port and let the car lie to it is absurd. When I first heard about it I assumed they'd put some device on the exhaust. They do not.

Re: Rural Americans are importing tiny Japanese pickup trucks

#175

Post by throitallaway »

autophagian wrote: post #163
nilespotter wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would much, much rather have a new $70k Ford F150 Raptor than a tiny Japanese truck . Honestly a redditor - perhaps the most odious group on the Iternet - recommending the tiny Japanese truck over the F150 is a good enough reason to prefer the opposite; a redditor on "fuckcars" is a GREAT reason to prefer the opposite.

Why?

"Own the libs" is a mantra for some people.

Re: Rural Americans are importing tiny Japanese pickup trucks

#176

Post by asveikau »

__MatrixMan__ wrote: post #120
deelowe wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That rule ain't changing unfortunately. Regulatory capture is STRONG with automotive and the US sees it as a matter of national security (car makers would be pivoted to other ares in times of war).

How easily could they retool for an event like that? I think I've just hatched a conspiracy theory for why all our vehicles are absurdly sized...

I thought the standard conspiracy theory was that they started making them larger to avoid environmental regulation (which is pretty ironic).

Here's the first google result for "large cars regulation loophole", looks like an interesting read: https://www.wired.com/story/the-us-wants-to-close-the-suv-lo... Edit: prior HN discussion here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35609521

Re: Rural Americans are importing tiny Japanese pickup trucks

#177

Post by laweijfmvo »

iancmceachern wrote: post #144
asciimov wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I seriously miss compact trucks, like the Mazda B-series, Ford Courier, Ford Ranger (before it became a mid-size in 2019). These kinds of trucks might more to your liking. Sure they aren't as small and cute as the imports, but your local auto store can still get you parts for them. They are fun to drive, fairly fuel efficient, and are capable of hauling material from the home center. I learned to drive stick, and how…

You can get the Ford Maverick

At 199.7 inches, the Maverick is a barely an inch shorter than the shortest Ranger (201.2).

Re: Rural Americans are importing tiny Japanese pickup trucks

#178

Post by dsfyu404ed »

ztetranz wrote: post #115

My neighbor has one. He drives around with his big dog in the (lefthand) passenger seat. It looks like the dog is driving.

You really wanna F with people get a spare steering wheel and have the passenger hold it and act confused.

Re: Rural Americans are importing tiny Japanese pickup trucks

#179

Post by fredgrott »

asciimov wrote: post #128
LinuxBender wrote: post #4

I've seriously contemplated getting one of these. Street legal, fuel efficient, simple, but when I started researching them I started to see a pattern. It's hard to find anyone in rural areas willing to work on them and not all mini trucks are equal. Some are not shipped correctly and have frame rust issues. There are YouTuber's that cover some of the models and the gotchas and things to inspect. I would never buy on…

I seriously miss compact trucks, like the Mazda B-series, Ford Courier, Ford Ranger (before it became a mid-size in 2019). These kinds of trucks might more to your liking. Sure they aren't as small and cute as the imports, but your local auto store can still get you parts for them. They are fun to drive, fairly fuel efficient, and are capable of hauling material from the home center. I learned to drive stick, and how…

The funny thing is the Ford Courier had the Mazda Body but a Toyota engine as I had one in high school.

Re: Rural Americans are importing tiny Japanese pickup trucks

#180

Post by swalling »

It's not just rural Americans. Japanese 4WD vans, SUVs, and trucks are super hot among Portland hipsters looking for city-friendly vehicles for cargo or road tripping. There are some importers here locally that this is all they do now, like https://www.javan-imports.com/ The other highly desirable vehicle among this crowd are the J60 series Land Cruisers from the 80s, for fashion reasons more than functional ones though.
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