𝚕𝚒𝚕𝚛𝚊𝚠𝚔

(Specifically for a subaru sambar van, ~1990)

Pros:

• smoll. Park anywhere. Park inside the cart Stall. Bing your car theough the front doors of walmart and park it in there. It'll fit.
• efficient. You live in america, gas is blood. Blood is expensive. Kei cars are, by design, extremely efficient. 40mpg. Goddamn, thats a Sensible amount of blood.
• cute as fuck. Every old man in a 300' radius of your car will want a photo, will be so happy, endeared by ur car. You made his day. Hes your friend now.
• so much interior. If you're this far into this post, you're most likely a queer millennial, and have reasonably dreaded/entertained your future having to live in a vehicle for reasons. Campers are stupid amd expensive. Ugly. Eww. A toyota colorolla is a Car. Whatever!! A minivan... legroom, but where do i Shit? A Van? Now we're talking, but you better be prepared to pretend it's a company van, or accept the tasteless-but-inevitable child predator jokes. Sambar? You just bought the most adorable moving tent of your life. Put down those back seats, theres a mattress full of room.
• no, seriously. You could put so much stuff in there. Fill it up with Bread. You can. Ive put washing machines in the back of mine.
• simple design. No bluetooth, no power windows, no power locks. Elon mush cannot take your car away from u.

CONS:

• you are driving a tissue box with no crumple zones except your face. If it's even mildly fucky weather, good luck. You will feel every breeze, you'll get caught in the wake of passing suvs. Ice, snow? You're gonna want to pack some weight in the back there.
• you are driving a tissue box with no crumple zones except your face. many older models of these just don't have airbags or crumple zones. They weren't built to go fast. They weren't made to crash fast.
• hope u like talking to strangers. Especially up north, these cars are really uncommon and every 50 something is gonna gape at yours. They will want photos, they will want to chat. It's sweet, but absolutely not for everyone.
• distractingly cute. People are gonna stare. They might be driving. My car has caused an accident by being the distraction while parked. Seriously. Somebody stared so hard that they jumped the curb and popped a tire.
• you live in america. Im so sorry.
• legality/plating/insuring. Depending on the state, kei cars might not even be legal. Some states, like PA, have banned specific body types of keis. Sambar van is legal for plating here, but a sambar flat is not. Why? Fuck you, thats why. Insurance companies hill dodge you like their life depends on it. It's a foregin antique they've never even heard of, and the specs on it are preposterous. American car manufacturers use a 17 digit VIN. trying to insure a car in america with less digits is like pulling teeth.
• It cannot be new. These cars have to legally be antiques to be imported, so at least 25yo.
• Might need alterations done, and while you can have them done before importing, customs will interfere. Headlights are directionally positioned differently for cars that drive on left versus right.
• it was made for small humans. Japanese people tend to run smaller than Americans. Anyone taller than 6' is gonna have to fight the dashboard for knee room. Tons of headroom tho.
• it's in metric. You'll get used to it eventually, but trying to figure out kph>mph in your head is A Lot. For me, anyway.
• weird little problems: You're gonna need a plate conversion kit or drill new holes to put the plate on. The manual is not in English. Good luck on finding A translation. Most internet available data regarding importing these little cars is also not in English. Your car battery is the size of a Walnut, an hour of the headlights on with the engine off is a dead battery. The stock radio will not work, it's tuned for Japanese standard radio, which is different For Some Reason. Older mechanics might be befuddled. Where the Fuck is the Radiator. What do even mean by supercharger. The brake fluid goes in where?? Small tires, but you can convert this. Usually a Manual rather than an automatic. LOUD. Parts are cheap but can be hard to find or have awesome shipping fees and times. No cupholders. Not fast, they cap Out Screaming at 80mph. Not strong, hauling limit of 750lbs, is Honorable, but limited. Good luck on hills.