1997 Daihatsu Hijet IS Twin Cam · 4WD · 55,840 mi

A Japanese import you can buy now — this 1997 Daihatsu Hijet, recorded as Light Violet. The specification is 4WD and a manual box. It is logged under stock reference BUC79022.

The Hijet explained

Daihatsu has built the Hijet continuously since 1960, and the 1990s trucks use the 659cc EF three-cylinder beneath a cab-over body. What sets the Hijet apart from its rivals is the sheer number of factory configurations: flat bed, panel van, deck van, hydraulic tipper, scissor lift, power-take-off and more all came down the same line. Work specifications were offered with a low-range transfer case and a locking rear differential.

Odometer at 55,840 miles, call it 89,900 km. Daihatsu kei vehicles of this period arrive across a wide band of readings, and this one falls in the middle of it.

On paper

• Year: 1997
• Make: Daihatsu
• Model: Hijet
• Drivetrain: 4WD
• Transmission: Manual
• Odometer: 55,840
• Engine: 660cc
• Colour: Light Violet
• Body type: Kei Truck / Mini Truck
• Stock reference: BUC79022

Reading the specification

A four-wheel-drive Hijet is the configuration Daihatsu sold to Japanese farms and construction trades, and the body options reflect it — this is the chassis that got the tippers, the lifts and the power-take-off drives. Drive runs rearward from the under-cab engine with a selectable front axle, so the truck behaves as a rear-driver on tarmac and brings the front wheels in only when asked.

Between $8,000 and $12,000 the market moves from ordinary trucks to better ones: later chassis, lower readings, fuel injection, air conditioning, or a factory option that is hard to find. The step up from the mid band is usually specification rather than condition.

Paperwork and shipping

At 1997 it is past the 25-year mark, which is the line that decides whether a Japanese-market vehicle can be imported at all. Customs entry, import documentation and title work are all done here, and we arrange transport to any state. Listed at $8,127 — tell us it is the one and we will take it off the market.