Die Hot Sue: 1990 Daihatsu Hijet

The asking price for this next pile of parts seems a bit high, but I still like it.  Does that make me insane? Is the sun really yellow?  Find this 1990 Daihatsu Hijet offered for $6,900 in Houston, TX via craigslist.  Tip from Jeff.

Polished Stone: 1991 Daihatsu Rocky SE

Dreary commutes in mundane vehicles got you down?  Tired of coal rollers filling your disrespected Civic with particulate?  Don't mind spending endless time explaining that your SUV isn't named after an immortalized Hollywood prize fighter?  Find this 1991 Daihatsu Rocky SE for sale in Columbia, SC for $6,500 via craigslist.

Follow the Liter: 1989 Daihatsu Charade

By Matt -- One of the undervalued thrills in life is trying to wring the last bit of speed out of something designed with a completely intent in mind. Daily tasks like passing or merging, taken for granted by those who drive supercars in excess of one-hundred-forty horsepower, are life events requiring significant planning ahead, followed by the feeling of heroic accomplishment in the face of adversity. Go flat-to-the flo' everywhere you go in this 1989 Daihatsu Charade on San Francisco craigslist for $2,500 or trade.

Tuk Tuk 'n' Roll: 1959 Daihatsu Midget Tri-Mobile

The Daihatsu Midget might have not been the first motorscooter based three-wheeler (that honor belongs probably the the Piaggio Ape), but the Midget was synonymous with the name Tuk-Tuk all over Southeast Asia starting in the late 1950s.  For whatever reason, they never caught on over here in North America (aside from large companies like Boeing and Lockheed using them for inner plant transport), but that shouldn't stop you from having one in your garage for an inner city commuter.  Find this 1959 Daihatsu Midget Tri-Mobile offered for $2,500 in Hawthorne, CA via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.

Finally 25: 1990 Daihatsu Mira Turbo Tr-XX Limited

Each year, there are tiny cars you may never knew existed becoming legal for import to the US as their 25 year import ban expires.  Kei cars, limited in power, displacement and size, are afforded special tax breaks in Japan to promote space, fuel consumption, and emissions economy.  To compete in this category, manufacturers had to get creative and the result is a lot of cool in some little cars.   Find this 1990 Daihatsu Mira Turbo Tr-XX Limited for sale in Marion, IA for $6,499 via craigslist.

GoldWing Power: 1989 Daihatsu HiJet Van

The Daihatsu HiJet is Japanese built micro van that has been a solid entry to the Kei-truck scene since its introduction in 1960.  Daihatsu was on their 7th generation by the time this Van was released into the wild, but they were still designed with city transportation requirements in mind and a top speed that won't make you happy on any modern highway....unless you find a HiJet that is powered by a Honda GoldWing motorcycle engine.  Find this 1989 Daihatsu HiJet Van offered for $4,500 in Port St. Lucie, FL via craigslist.  Tip from dascpcu.

Go The Distance: 1991 Daihatsu Rocky

The Daihatsu Motor Company was originally founded in 1907 as the Hatsudoki Seizo Co., and it is Japan's oldest automaker, but it certainly isn't the most famous or successful here in the United States.  For a few years Daihatsu tried to tap into the North American auto game, but they were unsuccessful, no doubt partly due to the fact that buyers/sellers couldn't spell their name (notice the seller of today's car is a dealer who can't spell Daihatsu).  Find this 1991 Daihatsu Rocky here on eBay offered for $7,890 buy-it-now, located in Canton, GA.

Marve's Do-Over Drive: The $1,000 Challenge

This next feature comes from Marve Harwell, who raised his hand when we recently asked for contributors.  Take it away Marve!

What if your life suddenly became a country song; you lost your job and your dog drove away with your wife and pick-up truck, leaving you with nothing but bad credit. You have to start over in a new town with just a bag full of bitter memories and thousand bucks to secure transportation.  I have assembled for your consideration four examples of what one G can buy in various parts of this land of opportunity. I'll offer my own observations but which one of these wagons of woe would you choose if you were starting over?

3k: BikeTruck: 1990 Daihatsu HiJet, GSX600r-powered

The Daihatsu HiJet is a truck of many virtues. It's mostly at home hauling small loads around small obstacles while consuming small amounts of fuel. They're cheap. They're illegal on highways in most states, which is a moot point given their low top speeds. Now, a methed-out MacGyver has spliced the rear half of a "Gixxer" with a HiJet, at the expense of a few of those virtues (payload and 4WD) while adding a new one: 100 mph and beyond. Find this Half 1990 Daihatsu HiJet, half 1994 Suzuki GSX600r for sale in St. Cloud, MN for $2,500 via craigslist.

10k: Micro-Van: 1998 Daihatsu HiJet

The Daihatsu HiJet is Japanese built micro van that has been a solid entry to the Kei-truck scene since 1960.  The little vans might not be able to reach highway speeds, but they are known for being great city transportation and are almost cool enough to be collectible.  Find this 1998 Daihatsu HiJet Van offered for $11,500 in Eastern Montana via craigslist.

1k: Total Concentwation: 1987 Daihatsu Charade Low Miles

A Fistful of Yen was a subplot in the epic 1977 John Landis (Animal House, Blues Brothers, Coming To America, Spies Like Us, Three Amigos!) directed Kentucky Fried Movie.  For some reason I can't even look at a Daihatsu Charade without thinking of the classic line from Loo (who is a Bruce Lee look-alike with an Elmer Fudd speech style) "What was that? Dis is not a chawade, we need total concentwation!"  See this 1987 Daihatsu Charade with 40k miles on the odometer offered for $1200 in Redwood City, CA.  Tip from Kaibeezy.

2k: Elf Sized Truck: 1990 Daihatsu Hi-Jet Mini Truck

Picture this:  You've just chopped down a tree on your palatial estate using nothing but an axe and your bare hands.  Even the log splitting was done by hand because your Harbor Freight log splitter broke the first time you used it.  Now you need to transport the timber a few miles away and you cringe at the thought of denting the pristine painted bed of your $50k turbo diesel Duramaxstroke powered F3500 SuperDuty.  Plus you'd need a ladder to get stuff into the bed after that lift kit and 33 inch super swamper tires...so...you look for another alternative.  The Polaris Rzr you bought last summer?  Nah, still too nice and expensive.  Hey, what about that JDM mini-truck you bought on a lark a few years back?  Find this 1990 Diahatsu Hi-Jet Mini Truck for sale in Bigfork, MT for $2,500 via craigslist.

10k Flash: Turbo Scat: 1980s Toyota Blizzard Diesel

The Toyota Blizzard was a small off-roader built for Toyota by Daihatsu and powered by turbocharged diesel engines.  This undisclosed model year Blizzard is for sale on the MiniTruckDealer.com website and looks awesome with the "turbo turbo turbo" graphics on the side. It is an LD20 model, so it was built some time between 1984 and 1990 and bears a striking resemblance to its 70-series Land Cruiser big brother. With 2L-T turbodiesel power it should be thrifty and fun to drive, in a Suzuki Samurai sized package. It's already outfitted with a bull bar, winch and roof rack for mini expedition duty. Current asking price is $8,999 and the truck is located in Los Angeles, CA.