It looks like some states are refusing to title and register Kei cars and trucks for road use and may even be revoking titles of previously titled cars. The 25 year rule may allow you to bring them in the country, but state laws may not allow you to use them except offroad.
The real horsesh!t part of the law here in PA says that if a side by side vehicle is titled and plated in our neighboring state of Ohio then it is legal to drive on the road. A guy a few streets away is using an Ohio address to register his side by side and he drives it all the time in Pennsylvania. Our local police tell me that their hands are tied from stopping him.
You cannot possibly argue that a side by side is safer than a Kei car or truck.
22track said:It looks like some states are refusing to title and register Kei cars and trucks for road use and may even be revoking titles of previously titled cars. ...
Some states are better places to live than others. ...and that's all I'll say about it on this forum.
I imported. licensed and drove a Cappuccino in PA. I've seen lots of trucks here.
Stuff like this always kills my dream/idea of importing a japanese car here. Not necessarily a kei car, but you never know.
In reply to RyanGreener (Forum Supporter) :
The bigger concern is passing the emissions tests more than anything. My 96 JDM doesn't have egr, a lot of the charcoal canisters, ODB2 and a few other things makes it extremely hard to pass. Good thing Nebraska could give 2 cares less about emissions.
I have seen old Subaru Kei trucks on the road in Ohio over ten years ago.
Local motorcycle importer has a little turbo Daihatsu that keeps calling to me...
jimbob_racing said:
You cannot possibly argue that a side by side is safer than a Kei car or truck.
Side by sides are literally larger than three of the five cars I own.
I have not seen a "modern" kei truck, but in the Subaru I saw up close (there are gaggles of them here!), the headlights were footrests on the inside, and the "grille" blew air up your pants. YOU were the crumple zone to protect the valuable cargo you were transporting.
We have a few running around here in PA. I've often wondered how they got them titled. Farmers can get a road use 'exemption' sticker that doesn't require it to be licensed, but that doesn't explain some of the other ones I've seen.
Also have to question how they are getting insured as those VINs sure ain't showing up in the usual databases.
ddavidv said:... Also have to question how they are getting insured as those VINs sure ain't showing up in the usual databases.
For my Honda ACTY and early 1970s motorcycles with a non-standard VIN the insurance company (Shelter) just required a couple pictures of the vehicle to be submitted when I started the policy.
Here in NC previously Off Road Use Only vehicles are now being allowed on the road. They must meet a certain size requirement and have lights. One guy in my town has a very large go-kart with plates and lights. I hope this trend continues.
Considering a side-by-side is just as safe (or safer) as some of the street legal cars from a bygone era (VW Bugs, CJ5s and CJ7s, little British cars), as long as they have lights and other safety items I don't really see a concern with side-by-sides or other ORVs on the roads.
I saw Kei truck hauling hay down US-287 2 weeks ago here in Colorado!
I don't understand why Georgia is being a nanny state. Are these any less safe than an MG Midget or a Honda CVCC or Toyota Starlet from the 1970s? I think the people buying these are willing to accept the risk that if Bubba in his brodozer creams you in an intersection you ain't gonna make it.
jimbob_racing said:You cannot possibly argue that a side by side is safer than a Kei car or truck.
I would much rather crash my Polaris Ranger than my Suzuki Samurai. A kei truck isn't even on the same page.
In reply to rogue_ryder :
The difference is those cars you mentioned were actually sold here and met the required Federal safety standards at that time. The Kei cars weren't sold here so they were never tested on safety standards.
Many states—Florida included—allow their registration and use as "Low speed vehicles." in Florida that means you get a tag, you have to have lights, and insurance, and you get to operate them on roads with speed limits at or below 35mph. The problem is there's ZERO enforcement of this. Around Daytona I routinely see multiple vehicles operating on 35+ limit roads, and it's not unusual to see them on I-95. There's at least three local businesses that operate Kei trucks on all major roadways and the interstate.
I don't know if the case in Florida is that no one (including law enforcement) knows the law, or no one cares to enforce it, but it seems like a huge problem waiting to happen. I'm not sure I'd be willing to take an $8000 gamble on a vehicle that could be rendered functionally obsolete by one enforcement mandate. Which is a bummer, because I'm a perfect candidate for a Kei truck.
So I guess the takeaway message here is check your state laws, because they vary wildly, and what you see on the street is not always an indication of the reality of the regulations.
Take for example this vehicle.
https://classifieds.race-dezert.com/FOR-SALE:Genright-Ultra-4-4400-195011
Don't states have to respect license plate reciprocity? I get it for things like the infamous MotoRex cars that were here illegally, but this vehicle was (assumingly) road-legal-enough in Arizona to get a title.
If I am driving it through Wisconsin with Arizona plates, I may get stopped, but other than that is there much Officer Squarenuts can do about it?
93gsxturbo said:Take for example this vehicle.
https://classifieds.race-dezert.com/FOR-SALE:Genright-Ultra-4-4400-195011
Don't states have to respect license plate reciprocity? I get it for things like the infamous MotoRex cars that were here illegally, but this vehicle was (assumingly) road-legal-enough in Arizona to get a title.
If I am driving it through Wisconsin with Arizona plates, I may get stopped, but other than that is there much Officer Squarenuts can do about it?
It would still have to meet some regulations. Lights, turn signals, etc. If I have a MD plated car and drive into VA with no headlights, they can stop me and not let me continue.
Anything is legal if you Florida hard enough.
We have a Nissan Pao, not quite a Kei class car as it has a whopping 1L 4 cylinder engine. It's titled and registered here in FL with no issues. I have several acquaintances who have the Kei trucks titled and registered here as well. I've never heard of the "low speed" thing JG mentions above. Looking it up, I think it's clearly aimed at golf carts and the like with this requirement: “any four-wheeled vehicle whose top speed is greater than 20 miles per hour, but not greater than 25 miles per hour.”
All of the Kei trucks will go ~50-60, and if you're smart enough to stay off of the freeways with them, they make a great city or countryside hauler. Having said that, one guy I know ran his out of gas on I-10 this week. Would not recommend.
Steve_Jones said:93gsxturbo said:Take for example this vehicle.
https://classifieds.race-dezert.com/FOR-SALE:Genright-Ultra-4-4400-195011
Don't states have to respect license plate reciprocity? I get it for things like the infamous MotoRex cars that were here illegally, but this vehicle was (assumingly) road-legal-enough in Arizona to get a title.
If I am driving it through Wisconsin with Arizona plates, I may get stopped, but other than that is there much Officer Squarenuts can do about it?
It would still have to meet some regulations. Lights, turn signals, etc. If I have a MD plated car and drive into VA with no headlights, they can stop me and not let me continue.
Well yeah - i am sure it needs lights, mirrors, maybe a windscreen, and a horn. But really what can the local constable do to you if you have an out of state plated vehicle and it complies with the state laws from where its registered?
In reply to 93gsxturbo:
Nothing. But they can hassle the E36 M3 out of you and start looking into why you're driving an out of state truck.
Appleseed said:In reply to 93gsxturbo:
Nothing. But they can hassle the E36 M3 out of you and start looking into why you're driving an out of state truck.
"You can beat the rap but you can't beat the ride"
ddavidv said:We have a few running around here in PA. I've often wondered how they got them titled. Farmers can get a road use 'exemption' sticker that doesn't require it to be licensed, but that doesn't explain some of the other ones I've seen.
Also have to question how they are getting insured as those VINs sure ain't showing up in the usual databases.
I titled and registered one in PA. What do you need to know?
81cpcamaro said:In reply to rogue_ryder :
The difference is those cars you mentioned were actually sold here and met the required Federal safety standards at that time. The Kei cars weren't sold here so they were never tested on safety standards.
Anyone know if Japan has crash test standards for Kei cars ?
it cannot be just build what you want !
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