A friend. A gentle pal. A little beep-beep.

A GMod mapmaker's first func_vehicle, and just as hostile to human life.

Taking the opportunity to (again) share our car, which is 2005 Daihatsu Atrai Wagon. It cost us CAD$15k w/ a 5-year warranty and is so economic on fuel that I only refill it once every 2-3 months. A full tank is about CAD$60 despite putting 93 octane in it cuz it's turbocharged and I want it running smoother.

Our neighbor has a 2023 Range Rover Sport, which has an MSRP of minimum USD $80k. A full tank of gas is USD ~$120 on the cheapest octane.

From the spec sheets I've found, our van at maximum stowing capacity (passenger and rear seats down, which create a flat surface because the seats fold into the floor) has about 15-20 cubic feet more storage space than the Range Rover.

I will admit I was being very selective there with my info. There's some obvious downsides to having a kei car/truck, but they can be minor to non-existent for a lot of folks depending on your situation

Cons:

1. It has a max seating capacity of 4, per Japanese regulations.
2. It has worse highway mileage because the engines are designed to burn fuel at low speeds instead of finding a happy medium between city/highway.
3. This might vary depending on the car but I don't think interstate driving (120+ km/h) is much of an option. The engines just aren't meant to go that fast for that long and I worry about the strain it would put on already-worn parts. The speedometer on ours tops out at 140 and last time I drove to Seattle (in a rental car) the fastest I went was 130 and that was flow of traffic speeds.
4. If you live in a windy area (like Vancouver!) the van gets knocked around INSANELY easy. Its short wheelbase, tall height, and lightweight body means it can get shoved easily. You have to be really alert when driving in those conditions.
5. You will have to get a new radio installed if you want to listen to music in your car that isn't CDs (or in my case, mini-discs.) Japanese radio frequencies top out where ours (in NA) start so I was only able to catch like... CBC talk radio. Getting a new Sony radio that has carplay was an additional expense.
6. Similarly, Japanese cars of that era do not have built-in car alarms. If you want one, you will need to get one and have it installed.
7. Any maintenance requires specialized garages which, depending on your area, can be very busy. New parts require overseas shipping and if you get into a major accident you could be without a car for months, and your garage will 99% not have a loaner car for you.
8. This is especially true for tyres, which are much smaller than the normal size tyre range here in North America. Some US manufacturers make them but they were still an import from California so getting spares (which the car does not come with) are an expense. They are, fortunately, all-season.

Pros (Not counting what I listed in the previous post):

1. Everyone fucking loves this thing. I cannot go anywhere without people giving it looks and telling me how nice the car is. If you're vain, it's a great choice.
2. The windows are tall and surround the car at every angle. I have basically complete vision of everything around me because I'm also sitting on top of the engine. Blind spots basically don't exist because there is no B pillar (the strut from the roof that is directly behind your driver seat) in the way on either side.
3. I genuinely think right-hand drive is safer in North America?? If I am turning right off a street, my biggest blind spot is to my right because that's where a pedestrian would be and instead of having to look past a passenger seat and B pillar, I just look out the window and it's there directly in front of me.
4. The smaller size and wheelbase means there's no parking space I can't fit into. Street parking has never been an issue, it fucking rules. People parking like assholes and leaving gaps is just an opportunity for me to squeeze in.
5. Likewise, navigating gridlock is a sinch because I can just squeeze past cars. Not only is the car tiny, but like I said I have so much clearer vision from seeing everything around me and there being basically no hood. I look out the windshield and I see immediately in front of me.
6. Doing maintenance work on it makes you feel like a genius because you need to puzzle things out from either a Japanese manual or poorly explained YouTube video. Changing the battery and swapping out the connectors (Japanese ones are different) made me feel better than every puzzle game I've ever played.

otherwise AMA i love talking about our little guy