Time for the fun part–choosing your mini truck!

If you’ve read our other blog articles on mini trucks, and done a bit of web searching, you ought to have a pretty good handle on the ins-and-outs of mini trucks . . .

• Durability
• Versatility
• Low Operating Costs
• Utility Functions
• All-Terrain Capabilities
• Options & Customizing
• Recreational Uses
• Comparison to other ATVs and UTVs
• Licensing & Regulations
• Makes & Models

So, which mini truck is right for you . . . ?

Here are a few questions to consider . . .

• Do you buy a new mini truck, or go the used route?
• Japanese or Chinese?
• If a used mini truck is on your docket, which make, model, and year?
• What’s your price range?
• What about options, such as a hitch, lift package, snowplow, or bed liner?

These questions, and others, will impact your decision, as well as the final price of your mini truck. Whether you buy a mini truck on the east coast, in the heartland, or the west coast, you’ll find that prices for mini trucks are about the same. You’ll also find that there’s usually not much wiggle room off the list price! As for delivery, most importer-dealers will ship your mini truck directly to you for a reasonable fee.

Let’s quickly go over the questions of new or used, and Chinese or Japanese . . .

1. General Price Range.

New Japanese Mini Truck Pricing:

The main Japanese automaker offering new mini trucks (Kei trucks) for the US market is Daihatsu (Toyota). This is due to several factors, such as import laws and restrictions, costs, distribution logistics, etc.

But the good news is that Daihatsu mini trucks are superbly built.

2018 models are about $17,000 to $19,000 depending on the specific model and its options, shipping costs, etc.

Duncan Imports in Virginia and Cape Portable Buildings in Missouri are dealer/importers that sell new Daihatsu mini trucks. They will walk you through the steps of getting a new mini truck. (There are other dealer/importers as well, which you can check out on the Internet).

Here’s one new mini truck from Duncan Imports, late September 2018:

2018 Daihatsu, 4 WD, 4-speed automatic transmission, air, heater, and all the basics. Asking price is $17,900.

So you know, there aren’t many new mini trucks in the US at any one time, and it takes 6 weeks or more to import them to the states.

Used Japanese Mini Truck Pricing

As you might expect, the price for a used mini truck is based on year, model, condition, mileage, and related factors.

Most used Japanese mini trucks for sale have between 5,000 and 40,000 miles, even mini trucks that are 25-30 years old. Once in a while, you’ll find one with over 50,000 miles on it. But you won’t often find a mini truck with more than 70,000 miles.

Which is good news for you, because Japanese mini trucks are built to last – designed to go over 200,000 miles.

In general, you’ll find older Japanese mini trucks priced as shown in this table:

Years                          Price Range

1990-1995                 $5,000 – $8,000

1995-2000                 $6,500 – $10,000

2000-2010                $8,000 – $12,000

2010-2017                 $10,000 – $15,000

This is of course only a rough gauge. It’s a good idea to visit the importer/dealer websites listed in our blog article and compare the various models offered for sale. Keep in mind that availability changes all the time, and what’s available today may not be in a week.

Here are some examples from dealer/importer websites in late September 2018:

1992 Daihatsu HiJet 4WD 4-speed manual transmission, 39,707 miles $6,400 offered by Duncan Imports.

1992 Honda ACTY 4-speed manual transmission, 14,346 miles $6,990 offered by Duncan Imports.

1996 Daihatsu HiJet 4WD H/L 5-speed manual transmission, 657 cc 3-cylinder engine, 31,536 miles, camo-paint, 4-inch lift, 26-inch all-terrain tires, tinted windows, $7,650 offered by Cape Portable Buildings.

New Chinese Mini Truck Pricing

The other option for a new mini truck is to buy a Chinese model.  The two primary Chinese mini truck manufacturers are Tiger Truck International and Vantage Vehicle International.

With Chinese mini trucks, you can choose a wide range of models and options in both mini trucks and vans (also called “micro-vans” to distinguish them from the US-made mini-vans).

Vantage offers both gasoline and electric models. Both Vantage and Tiger Truck will help you through every part of the purchase process. It’s worth your time to check out their websites and become familiar with the various models and styles.

Expect to pay $13,000 to $20,000 depending on model and options for a gas-powered mini truck (or van), and up to $26,000 for an electric mini truck from Vantage.

For example, a 2018 Vantage V7X with 998 cc gas engine, 40 HP fuel-injected, power steering & brakes is priced around $14,000 – $15,000 base.

The 2017 Tiger Truck Standard Cab comes with a 1.2 liter engine, 60 HP, 5-speed manual transmission, power steering & brakes, plus all the standard equipment, and sells for around $13,000 – $14,000 base.

The 2017 Tiger Truck Passenger Van (doors open) has 1.2 liter engine, 60 HP, power steering & brakes, lots of standard equipment, and is around $15,000 base.

Used Chinese Mini Truck Pricing

Because Japanese mini trucks have been in the US market longer than the Chinese-made models, there are far more used Japanese mini trucks available for purchase than there are Chinese. The oldest Chinese model you will find for sale in the States is 1999, but most are 2002 or newer.

Used Chinese mini trucks are offered for sale mostly by individual owners through the Internet (sites such as Craigslist). For this reason, nailing down a price range for them can be tough to do. Basically, you’ll have to do your homework, talk to the Vantage or Tiger dealers to get their input, and then give it your best shot.

2. Japanese or Chinese Mini Truck?

There is little argument among mini truck owners that the Japanese models are the more durable and reliable. But getting parts for repairs is often easier with Chinese mini trucks, mostly because Vantage and Tiger have fully-stocked inventories, so you won’t have to wait for parts to be shipped from Japan. That said, several Japanese mini truck importers/dealers advertise a solid inventory of parts in stock as well.

Another consideration is left-hand steering wheel (Chinese) vs. right-hand steering wheel (Japanese models). Most mini-truck owners I talked to said that right-hand driving takes a little getting used to, but that it’s no biggie in the long run.

Now that we’ve covered pricing and makes of mini trucks, there’s a prickly issue that applies to all mini trucks, new or used (under 25 years), Japanese or Chinese, that you need to be fully aware of when buying a mini truck . . .

 The speed-limiter.

DOT and EPA standards require that all mini trucks less than 25 years old be sold with “speed limiters” (governors), which set the top-end speed at 25 mph. However, if you’re more concerned about having a mini truck that can go 60 mph than you are about complying with federal standards, then removing the governor is fairly simple to do. Not only can you find reliable info about this on the Internet, but importers can also key you in to the process (though they won’t make the change for you, due to compliance with regulations).  

Chinese-made mini trucks are a bit trickier to “fix” the speed limiter, but it can be done. Just keep in mind that it is technically illegal to drive in the United States with a mini truck that does not have a functioning governor on it.

That said, police officers are mostly concerned about local laws, and are less picky on compliance with federal standards. You may find that they’re willing to overlook it, or are unaware of the regulations.

In summary, finding the right mini truck takes patience and is a learning process.