Kei cars - why not?
Discussion
Thesprucegoose said:
mudnomad said:
There's one on ebay at the moment. 2995
looks in good nick and cheap enough to buy.Welding
Banging
Dents
And then it's £3k for an 84bhp car with the added complication of 4WD and Turbo
A Suzuki Ignis / Swift is just better in every way and costs 3x less
Thesprucegoose said:
mudnomad said:
There's one on ebay at the moment. 2995
looks in good nick and cheap enough to buy.https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Daihatsu-Cuore-Avanzato...
Some red flags in that advert for me I'm afraid. Looks to be a bit of a rotter really - if the visible bodywork is that bad, the bits you cant see are likely to be a bit scary! The phrase 'All structural welding done to pass mot' suggests to me that the rest hasn't that long left to go before being a pile of orange dust unfortunately.
it's a 20 odd years old, it would never be immaculate and is 3k. The structural rust has been fixed, what would you expect from a 20 year old car for 3k??
the bodywork has a few superficial rust patches which look mangeable, wouldnt call it bad.
the bodywork has a few superficial rust patches which look mangeable, wouldnt call it bad.
Edited by Thesprucegoose on Saturday 25th January 16:11
irocfan said:
given the (near) demise of the Jimney and the potential issues for larger 'interesting' cars in the next few years (ie the immediate future) is there any reason why we don't either import (or even start making) kei cars over here?
Strikes me that it'd certainly help London and other large cities not to mention add a splash of interest to the roads....
Small, lightweight, low emission, low tyre dust, low brake dust, affordable, ultra economical cars that don’t knacker the roads, fit outside people’s houses and just seem to be the only sane solution to pretty much every issue caused by our need for convenient transport? fStrikes me that it'd certainly help London and other large cities not to mention add a splash of interest to the roads....
k off you spanner. £100k, 2 tonne electric bohemoths are the solution. 
If we want to keep our motoring freedoms and be able to continue to hop in private cars and move around then gently taxing consumers into small, light weight, economical and environmental ICE, hybrid and EV cars is the only workable solution. As such it won’t happen until we have the tangible crunch of reality that we cannot build enough EVs, they don’t store energy efficiently, are too expensive and too compromised to be a standalone solution to transport.
In short, yes they are a great idea but no one is going to buy something small and risk looking poor when then can borrow to be seen in something massive.
InitialDave said:
Baldchap said:
I still want a Daihatsu Cuore Avanzato TR-XX R4. Can't find nice ones for love nor money because they were cheap new. 
Well, if you specifically want a UK market Cuore one rather than a Mira, yeah, there were only 80 of them in the first place, and they weren't big on rust protection. Plus the gearboxes are known to let go.You can probably get one at a reasonable price if you keep your ear to the ground at the Kei Cars In The Park forum, but the last time they've come up at "sensible" money, someone's bought the car and then relisted at the more consistent £3k mark they seem to turn up at, even though they are always in some way not quite perfect (possibly tending toward rough).
I think looking at importing a good Mira from Japan might be your best option if that's 100% what you want, but also consider other similar kei cars, or indeed non-kei cars. The Panda 100HP has a lot of the same fun factor, but is a more usable and better-supported package in terms of servicing and spares etc.
It was getting rough round the edges but was still mot'd..
Kei cars would make a lot of sense these days. Small, they don't take up much road space, light weight with small engines and could be very energy efficient. But it's too late for them now as the motor industry have convinced us that we all need huge SUVs.
How about an Autozam AZ-1? 650cc turbo RWD from the mid '90's:
Probably as much fun if not more than a Supercar 20 times the price. Only 2 seater, but how often do you really need 4/5/6 seats. Take a look at all the SUV's on the road ... rarely will you see more than one person (the driver) inside!
How about an Autozam AZ-1? 650cc turbo RWD from the mid '90's:
Probably as much fun if not more than a Supercar 20 times the price. Only 2 seater, but how often do you really need 4/5/6 seats. Take a look at all the SUV's on the road ... rarely will you see more than one person (the driver) inside!
as the market in 'Merka has recently opened up to 25yr old imports, prices to import from japan will only go one way...
anything remotely 'exotic' are landing quickly now...AZ-1's from either Autozam or Suzuki, Beats and cappo's ie convertibles.
tin boxes will be slower but the knock on will take hold
anything remotely 'exotic' are landing quickly now...AZ-1's from either Autozam or Suzuki, Beats and cappo's ie convertibles.
tin boxes will be slower but the knock on will take hold
I think as this country has an image problem they'd never sell. They'll remain niche because people are obsessed with badges.
I plan to get a Cube as my next car though.. one of the 4WD ones too.
Something like this, https://alljapanesemotors.co.uk/listings/2008-niss...
Would be perfect for running around town, driving to work and so on.
I plan to get a Cube as my next car though.. one of the 4WD ones too.
Something like this, https://alljapanesemotors.co.uk/listings/2008-niss...
Would be perfect for running around town, driving to work and so on.
austinsmirk said:
The English nation is far too obese to start squeezing into such cars. I'm totally convinced the popularity of SUV's directly correlates with how portly everyone is- eg easier to get in/out of, you don't sit down into a car etc- you can just transfer into it.
Agreed.On this topic, I believe that the NHS should mandate that all vehicles in the UK are fitted with very tight bucket seats. Thin people can drive but fatties will have to walk/cycle, thereby reducing the strain on the already stretched NHS, reducing congestion on our roads, an improvement in the overall health of the population, and more food available for homeless/3rd world/otherwise 'needy' people.
Mandatory buckets in all ICE for the health of the nation.
Olas said:
austinsmirk said:
The English nation is far too obese to start squeezing into such cars. I'm totally convinced the popularity of SUV's directly correlates with how portly everyone is- eg easier to get in/out of, you don't sit down into a car etc- you can just transfer into it.
Agreed.On this topic, I believe that the NHS should mandate that all vehicles in the UK are fitted with very tight bucket seats. Thin people can drive but fatties will have to walk/cycle, thereby reducing the strain on the already stretched NHS, reducing congestion on our roads, an improvement in the overall health of the population, and more food available for homeless/3rd world/otherwise 'needy' people.
Mandatory buckets in all ICE for the health of the nation.
Good ole PH - politically incorrect.
It's not the takeaway every night, it's my genes innit.
vikingaero said:
Good ole PH - politically incorrect.
It's not the takeaway every night, it's my genes innit.
If a politician seriously suggested a policy like this they would take *all* of the votes.
And it's not your genes either, its the very simple ratio of "Calories In:Calories Out"
Olas said:
CanAm said:
The (now defunct?) Caterham 160 qualified as a kei car.
No - Kei cars are 660cc maximum.Edited by Olas on Saturday 14th March 11:39
https://www.evo.co.uk/caterham/7/7297/caterham-sev...
Olas said:
vikingaero said:
Good ole PH - politically incorrect.
It's not the takeaway every night, it's my genes innit.
If a politician seriously suggested a policy like this they would take *all* of the votes.
And it's not your genes either, its the very simple ratio of "Calories In:Calories Out"
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