Fraud and dishonesty in the mini truck business
The ever growing problem of 5 digit odometer fraud is running rampant in the mini truck industry. Houston Minitrucks tries to keep em honest.
www.USMiniTrucks.com
Facebook
/ minitruckhouston
The ever growing problem of 5 digit odometer fraud is running rampant in the mini truck industry. Houston Minitrucks tries to keep em honest.
www.USMiniTrucks.com
Facebook
/ minitruckhouston
Пікірлер: 362
Fraud and dishonesty in the used car business??? What's the world coming to?
@grzyruth9205
2 жыл бұрын
@@wraithsol8874 Capitalize this, capitalize that... How about you capitalize on some bitches?
Always look for excessive wear on anything the driver touches: steering wheel, shifter knob, pedals, seat. If it has low mileage, but collapsed seat bolsters, worn off pedal pads, and half textured half polished steering wheel, you can bet it wasn't from 15-25 years of being parked and fondled.
@turkey0165
Жыл бұрын
Before you buy one online make sure they show you the trans axle boots, if they're split or not! If there split and dirt gets into the wheel bearings you got a major expensive job replacing the wheel bearings and it isn't a easy fix! You'll hear the cracking! when turning $$$$$
@nunyabusiness896
Жыл бұрын
This is why I don't even bother looking at mileage unless it has like 500k miles or something insane like that. You look at the car and judge the car: does it look taken care of? Does it look worn to sht? Is it rusty? Does the engine sound healthy? Does the transmission feel tight and shift well? Do the shocks feel blown? etc. etc. There are many high mileage vehicles that were just driven miles and miles down smooth roads puttering along in top gear and other cars that were slammed around every side street pothole and bouncy field all day long with the same miles that everything is about to fail. Furthermore, sometimes people still stay on top of maintenance even at higher mileage and will replace even expensive parts. No need to run from a car with 200k+ miles if the previous owner really took care of it. On the flip side, I've seen cars with fairly low mileage that are just one problem after the other because they sat too long or were driven too hard.
Thanks for posting this! I always see some with “low miles” and had no idea it only had a 5 digit odometer. That’s shady as hell.
@Do-UR-Research2749
2 жыл бұрын
I dont recall what year, but they switched to six digits sometime in the 2000s.
Glad I came across your channel thank you for bringing this up I was searching your competitors stock and they are advertising 2017 vehicles with 10 kilometers thank you and I will be by to see you when I can afford one
Wow! An honest man, few and far between!
World needs more individuals like yourself sir. Outstanding!
Thank u , I dabble in old hiaces and the likes. But not only have u been honest which is a very hard ting to get here but u educated me and if I ever lived in your country I’d have one and you’d be the man I’d go to 🤝 👍🏻 from Ireland 🇮🇪
when I am going to get my mini truck you are the man TRUTH BE TOLD !!!! Good Man & Good Show
Honesty is the best policy, thank you for this, what comes around goes around.
Purchased my 93 Honda ACTY from Houston Mini Trucks in the summer of 2017. Ben is the real deal ! No surprises with my truck... I'm a first time Mini Truck owner and couldn't be happier. Live on a ranch in Tomball Texas and drive it every day. Love my MT !!
@poppyneese1811
Жыл бұрын
Paul I live in West Virginia mostly rural miles, we do have moutains and a ton of hills, is staying with traffic on rural roads a problem?
If i would have lived over there i would have bought a minitruck from you , and if your competition doesn't like that you are honest and tell it like it is it's their problem but i like honesty and greetings from northern Sweden 😎
Thank you for making this video. Will be looking at one tomorrow. 1992, seller say it has 37K, but it's beat to hell. Now I know why
im in the market for a mini truck thank you so much for this video!!! i had no idea!
This is partially true... But there's also the fact that these mini trucks are used for industrial purposes so they aren't driven long distances. Sometimes just a few hundred yards from warehouse to warehouse.. they're used like we in America would use forklift or something similar
@USMiniTrucks
3 жыл бұрын
Yes You are correct, there are plenty of low mile minitrucks out there.
The JA mark is Japan Agriculture, so used at farm and mostly used in off road condition with heavy load. Also used by fishermen at shore to gather clams, sea weed etc. 2WD ones are used in cities.
@markrishyt3659
3 жыл бұрын
On point
Another tell tell sign is the bottom righthand corner of the brake pedal pad will have a worn spot once a vehicle gets 100k on them. and even the clutch pedal pad will show wear.
@davidkastin4240
5 жыл бұрын
Those can be changed with new rubber tho
@Ipodman9
4 жыл бұрын
My friend burned threw a oem Miata peddle pad in less than a year
Thanks for the tip Ben, great info on your videos. I'm in Wales looking for a mini truck that will fit my husky mower on the back.
I like you're honesty !
Very true I have one with 160000 km, imported myself.when you’re importing from Japan you can ask for the odometer certificate only cost 2500 yen.
What's a fair price to pay for one of those
Don’t change for anyone stay humble and honest and God will bless your hands don’t worry about what men think or say God bless
@USMiniTrucks
4 жыл бұрын
Thank you Robert. God Bless.
I'm out in Japan right now and in the process of getting one of these trucks to use on our farm. All the used kei trucks I've looked at here that are 10-15 years old have more than 70,000 km on them. There is no way that an older truck is going to have such low mileage. The mentality in Japan is to use these and break em down, sell them overseas and buy brand new ones.
@myMotoring
3 жыл бұрын
no. japanese car owner cant afford to break them. they r maybe high millage but i can assure u the condition is in good shape. in japan cars older than 3 yrs are required to hv yearly vigorous inspection to be road legal.
@TheBeardedBlueberryFarmer
3 жыл бұрын
@@myMotoring The only thing vigorous about their required "inspections" is how fast the money is taken out of your pocket to pay for it.
Thanks for being honest and for showing us what to look out for.
@USMiniTrucks
3 жыл бұрын
Always! Thanks For watching.
Can you order newer trucks if a customer ordered? Our mini truck retailers in Ontario, Canada are pretty terrible. But they bring in trucks at the 15year mark which is nice since that’s the minimum age here to use a RHD vehicle on the road. If you had the truck payed for in advance of the shipment from Japan are you allowed to import?
Many of the trucks are used as dock trucks and stuff and really don't have that much on them, but you can tell by looking. My '92 Carry had 27k on it when I got it from the importer, and I got all the paperwork and auction sheet to back that up. I looked at a '96 that had 12k on it and it was mint. It was some kind of seafood truck and had a fiberglass bed insert. Inside of the truck smelled fresh and new. Was supposed to be a '92 but had fudged paperwork so no good to me.
A few facts - in the Japanese title they list the "mileage" for each of the 2 years inspection and a couple of previous one so you can get an idea of the actual mileage if you can the original title or copy. Also, the 2 year inspection for kei cars is somewhat stricter than for regular cars. But its also easy to rewind or alter the odometer in those cheaper/older kei cars so that's why cars are sold with the mileage tracking system as guarantee, in Japan In addition, even cars with high mileage, typically 150,000km or up are sold for 2000 usd or more because in Japan kei cars have very low yearly road tax rate, and high fuel efficiency, which is important as fuel is heavily taxed in Japan, so the low ownership cost translates into higher used cars prices
Hey Ben, thank you for the inside tips (and tricks) when looking for a mini-truck. Thought I had heard or read of the 5 brands there are 1-2 that are often requested?
@USMiniTrucks
4 жыл бұрын
We only sell Honda and Subaru. There are other brands.
@averagerider92
2 жыл бұрын
@@USMiniTrucks what are your thoughts on mitsubishi minicabs?
You're a good man.
Great tips. I’m in the market for a mini truck and this was the most useful video I’ve seen. Thanks
what daihatsu engine swaps are available for this mini van?
Thanks for bringing this up. How does someone know for sure if they mileage is 70k or 170k? Since these kei trucks are not traditional designed for everyday commuting and long distance like American vehicles. Seems like they are mostly ranch work, golf course, UTV/recreational, snow plow, etc. It seems like it is possible to have such low mileage. Right? I have a 2001 f-150 with only 80k on it and to some people that may be a reg flag. But it was bought brand new by my grandfather and he only occasionally drove it to Home Depot and the VFW hall. (Short distance, hauling materials.) Now that it is mine, It’s my primary work truck truck and I put 200 miles on it every 48 hrs. That’s a big difference. So it doesn’t seem too far fetched to me that the smaller kei truck could have less miles because of how they are traditionally use. Is there a way to find out if sure? Thx I guess my #1
HONESTY best policy mate good for you
Good advice. I recently acquired a 1990 Suzuki Every JoyPop van with 71,600 km that seems to be accurate, based on everything you advised to check for. Good interior, good door panels, good rubber on the clutch and brake pedals and the cargo mat shows no signs of wear. Could you advise what filters this little van might use? Thank you.
@USMiniTrucks
4 жыл бұрын
Sorry, We only specialize in Honda and Subaru trucks.
Good tip. Seeing sellers with newer models though. I just discovered mini trucks and wish my state allowed them to be licensed and road legal. Are these getting a whole lot more popular now and therefore sellers are doing better at getting newer models?
Great posting . I never knew that they only have 5 digits. I am very interested in getting one of these trucks very soon and never knew that. Thanks for the help. What price range do you sell your trucks fro? Tia.
A friend of mine is looking for one in indochina....thank you for the heads up information! I will share it 👍
You can't fix stupid. People are going to believe what they want despite logic and common sense.
thanks dude I wasn't even thinking about that I'm going Saturday to look at 1
The only trucks I have seen that are actually under 20,000 km is usually fire trucks. Thanks for making a video about this! there are plenty of trucks with 6 digit odometers, but 5 digit ones I always assume it is rolled over at least once.
So what’s the best way too tell the true mileage ? What to ask for I’m in the market right now ?
Thanks for your honesty. Good to know .
Do these have a yellow wipe when it rolls over like older odometers? Any internal OBDII tracking of mileage?
@USMiniTrucks
5 жыл бұрын
No. Pre-OBDII
At least 2 of our competitors don't like this video.
@foxzonenredstudio7501
6 жыл бұрын
oh man you look bad ass ben form Houston Mini Trucks
@0xsergy
5 жыл бұрын
You're the best dude, keep it up.
@calvinh.8882
5 жыл бұрын
I thought once the 5 digit OD rolls over the numbers become jagged? All the older American and even Toyota's vehicles that have the 5 digit OD's become jagged after they roll over 100k.
@calvinh.8882
5 жыл бұрын
There's one thing someone can be doing, and it may be the people overseas, They can take a drill and turn the OD's back..
@synapsesuicide4372
5 жыл бұрын
How much would a good mini truck go for? I'd love to have one. Get rid of my Ford Ranger for one since they are 4x4 and my ford is 2x4
Which mini truck do you recommend and are the parts easy to locate
Are you still selling mini dumps ACTY Hondas? Was considering buying one but need to know if I can get in it to drive it. Have long legs and couldn’t even drive a standard Ford Ranger we fixed up and gifted. Thanks for the videos.
Hey sorry but I think I’m four years late on your video but thank you for your honesty also wanted to let you know I bought one of those recently just now truck only less driving good for a month and my timing belt was shredded when I took it to the shop they looked at it and decided to change the timing belt crankshaft seals water pump the whole nine distributor cap wires and spark plugs then he just now decided to do a compression test and he’s telling me that the compression test is reading zeros he told me the cylinder head might be bad or the engine might not be no good if anything do you know anything about that what could be the issue on my truck please let me know ASAP
Looking to fetch over a Carry 4x4 pick up from Japan. Been doing my homework on them as many rust buckets out there.
God bless you brother! I wish everyone was like you!
@scootersonlyrepair6773
2 жыл бұрын
#thereisnogod
I set out to buy a mini dump truck but I soon came to the conclusion the majority of them have rolled over speedometer. I decided to buy a low mileage mini fire truck instead knowing the odd to finding a genuine low mileage one is more likely. The one I bought has rubber floor mat that looks brand new as is the red paint finish under it. The 6 digit (one is 1/10 km) speedometer indicates 12,500 km. All the wear surfaces in the interior are consistent with a vehicle with this low mileage in that they should look new except with sun fade. I believe it has never rolled over as these fire trucks travel very little, and mainly within their responsible neighborhoods. In fact I think most of the miles were piled on to/from the drilling events. Mine came with the added on water pump as well as the intake hose.
@USMiniTrucks
4 жыл бұрын
Yes, it is very hard to find clean dump trucks.
My speedometer needle is bouncing around a few kl an hour (1995 Honda acty HA4 SDX ) a little bit at low 40 kl or less! Can you advise how to lube or fix? Thanks for the videos! 👍
Hi. Do you know anything about the 25% chicken tax? I'm asking because does the 25% tax apply to only the vehicle price or the overall price after shipping. I'm planning to import a sambar and the vehicle itself is $980, but the total after shipping is $2200. 25% of 980 vs 2200 is pretty different.
Shows the importance of a person core values, great to see 👍
I’m a little perplexed the odometer on your acty has a six digit zero in front of the 40k so are you saying they rolled it back to make it like it was low miles?. I have a 95 hijet. It’s an amazing truck 51K km but it has the six digit zero also. So I was curious. Thanks
How do u tell the age of a mini truck I just bought one don't know much about them
As a "Daily Driver", do you recommend a HONDA ACCTY, or a MAZDA SCRUM?
In my country it is ILLEGAL to falsify the odometer display on ALL vehicles. The fines are pretty hefty too, to discourage this practice. When vehicles are sold on the secondhand market, their odometer readings are usually placed on the disposal notice of the vehicle, thus when the new buyer goes to change the ownership of the vehicle the document will show the readings when the seller sold the vehicle. Thus they can fiddle with it. This has not stopped some unscrupulous people from winding back the odometer and claim lower mileage when in fact it's higher one, if the buyer was to scrutinise the disposal notice on change of ownership, they'd see the difference and could return the vehicle or sue the seller and the industry watchdog would charge them with an offence.
hi saw your channel on the honda acly mini truck, my uncle recently bought a 96 ha3 acty he drove it home fine from the dealer he bought it from, well he parked it for about a month and ordered a air filter, oil filter and a coolant resevoir which was cracked, parts came in and did all the service it howevever when he tried starting it it would'nt start so we thought it was the fuel solenoid but we did more checking we discovered one of the 15 amp fuses was blown so we replaced it truck started idle fine but when we were going to road test it truck died on reverse as well as first gear checked fuses again 15 amp was blow so we thoght it might be the fuel pump we replaced it and problem is still the same and still blowing fuses. can you help? Thanks
@USMiniTrucks
2 жыл бұрын
Your going to need to find out why that fuse is blowing. one of the wires is shorting somewhere, don't want to catch on fire.
Just curious, are the acty trucks pretty much the same from year to year or is there a better year to look for?
@USMiniTrucks
5 жыл бұрын
I try to get the newest ones possible. Small improvements over time. The 80's circle lights are cool looking but I don't buy them anymore. Thanks for commenting.
There's a lot of dishonesty in the used vehicle business your being honest
Oh yes .... my '91 Escort wagon reads 11,761 miles .... AND I know it's turned over 3 times since I bought it new in November, 1990 and I drove every one of those 311,761 miles! And what a time Chrysler had with their 5 year/50,000 mile warranty back in the 1970's. They'd see a car that was 1 year old with 30k, next time it was a dealer's service department it was 4 years old and read 40k and was wornout. But unless it had been to a Chrysler dealer they couldn't prove it. I knew several people who took advantage of the 5 digit odometers. And besides, they could be rolled back or removed and the reading changed in 20 minutes.
Good on you bud. Thanks.
Thought I agree with everything you said, and maybe I missed which years had only 5 digit odometer, but my 97 has 6.
I was thinking of buying one. So thank you very much for the great information.
Defiantly scumbags in all kinds of business, you are a good man for being forth right with your knowledge and experience.
Hey..i'have 85 daihatsu hijet and its still on road,still can load 1 ton on the back ...no problem with me
@USMiniTrucks
5 жыл бұрын
Good to hear. Thanks for the report.
Do y'all still sell them? I clicked on your link in the video description and don't see any inventory, just parts?
@USMiniTrucks
2 жыл бұрын
Just selling parts for now. Thanks.
Extremely helpful thank you
It’s good to hear the truth
Only in Canada. You folks are good people, this side of the border lying is the norm.
You have any good deals for sale right now?
sounds like you are the guy I want to buy from, I checked your website for a used truck, when do you forsee new stock? looking for a Honda 4x4
Whats the truck look like, decent, or is it trashy. Just by the condition its In. Body all dented. Just a thought.
I had to look these up and sure enough first one I found was a 1989 and “only has 9k” lol some numbers are missing there.
i live in philippines and own a suxuki scrum mini truck from japan. it has 214k kilometers plus and still runs great. and looks good after paint and reupholster. nut it has a six digit odometer.
What price does your trucks start at
What States are they road legal in
Website says you no longer sell complete trucks, why is that?
With our landscape trucks that worked tight runs and only ran a km or less between the next service stop we would put maybe 20km if that on the residential trucks. The ones running larger distances between stops like on commercial and industrial would be similar since they would spend half the day at a large site. But even at these very low KM usages our trucks would hit 60k km by the 10 year mark. No way a 25 year old truck running 5 days a week would not have rolled over unless they consistently drive under 15km per day but they would be closer to 99999km then they would to zero.
You import these and you've never seen one with less then 30k kilometers? Only asking because im importing one myself that has a supposed confirmed 26k kilometers via the auction sheets.
@USMiniTrucks
4 жыл бұрын
Yes, there are low mile trucks out there. Both of my firetrucks had under 8000km.
I'm wondering if kei cars are Legal in Texas? I've read that they're illegal, but I've seen a few in the state. I've always wanted one, but not clear on the laws.
@USMiniTrucks
3 жыл бұрын
Unfortunately, they are Not Legal in Texas. There are many of them driving around, I myself had some street legal trucks, but that doesn't make them legal. Check out "Texas Title Policy Handbook" section 14.11 for clarity.
@danieldelapena8369
3 жыл бұрын
@@USMiniTrucks that's a real shame, thank you for the information though.
Thank you sir.
I hear what your saying and I appreciate your honesty. However, I lived in CA and would put 40,000 miles on in an average year just getting to and from work.
How much for a new motor
Thank you for this info
So what about all the trucks on Mayberry Mini-Trucks? I was going to buy from them? They have 5.0 rating from every customer and all their trucks are these low-km ones. What's the deal? Legit?
@USMiniTrucks
Жыл бұрын
Legit, highly recommended.
@FUBBA
Жыл бұрын
@@USMiniTrucks Sweet and I subscribed earlier just because of my universal love for Mini trucks and hope I can maybe get one I love to be part of the community. Eyeing Acty and Sambars and there are a few in NC where I live.
Good warning for newbies. The seats, floorboard, pedals and shift knob are good places to detect high mileage. There's a tag for a timing belt replacement on Japanese kei trucks so if you see a vehicle with 48,000 km and there's a little tag with 81,633 on it, the odometer has rolled over. You twice stated that all kei trucks have 5 digit odometers. Not true. Even some of the 25+ year old Daihatsu trucks we can import in the US have six digit odometers, and I think some of the newer Honda Acty trucks do as well. I notice you showed a six digit odometer later in the video. 1:25 - 28,000 km is 17,360 miles, not 19,000 or 20,000. 4:00 - The good news is these are short haul work trucks in Japan so they don't typically have as many miles per year as American vehicles, but the bad news is the engine wear is more a function of the number of cold starts rather than miles. Those two mile trips where the engine doesn't even warm up enough to drive out the moisture from combustion add up.
We’re is a good place to get these trucks at?
How much are they going for No prices on you site
Are these ok for highway speeds? I'm looking into getting something like this, but I need it to travel city to city.
@johnnygunz2300
4 жыл бұрын
The models I've seen do 59 mph max speed... And struggle to get there. Maybe other models have different gearing or bigger motors but allot of info pointed to that max speed @ 59 mph.
@itchyvet
3 жыл бұрын
They were not designed for highways.
Thank you for the post!
@USMiniTrucks
4 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching.
Thank you for this
Got mine straight from Japan they are very picky the original color was white and a little rough on outside an they emailed me numerous times making sure I wanted it because of the paint an only had 34000 km automatic an air shipping was $740 for the van and had a windshield shipped same place $1200
i love mini trucks, i would love to have one one day
@codychickadee5095
5 жыл бұрын
I just got my Suziki Carry on the road. Such a fun ride.
If you live in a state that do not give titles for mini trucks and only for off road or farm truck only what can a person do to get the state to allow these on the road?
@davidd8435
5 жыл бұрын
I live in Georgia and wanted to buy one and inquired about it DMV told me off road only.
@springerlawfirm4599
5 жыл бұрын
Illinois will not license the @@davidd8435
@mrj-charles6383
5 жыл бұрын
PA Also is a offroad only title
Yeah not true my 1996 Daihatsu has a 6 digit odometer. The newer ones have a 6 digit odo.
@USMiniTrucks
5 жыл бұрын
We are talking about street legal trucks. Your 1996 doesn't qualify. Most all the newer trucks have 6 digit odometers. thanks for subscribing.
I have a st20 truntung and its awesome i put motorcycle exhaust can
I live 50/50 in Japan. I love these trucks but I can't find a classic one in Japan that I can actually register there. I spoken with some of the big players who sell the trucks to Americans. Hate to say it but almost all the trucks were sitting in junkyards for 15-20 years until they hit 25 years old and became a popular thing to export. In Japan, outside a small group of enthusiasts nobody is driving a truck less than 10 years old. Businesses definetely don't have old trucks, normally replacing every 3 years for tax reasons. I've noticed other channels selling the trucks and saying it came from a farm but it's not possible. Out of anyone farmers always have to getthe latest newest equipment. Because they are getting more rare, I have heard of biohazard, and flooded trucks being sold. There was recently a bust of Americans trying to export different cars that were disposed due to the Fukushima disaster. Thanks for being honest with your customers, it makes me a bit sad that the business has so much scamming. It affects Japan's car community as well. I would recommend to change all belts, and fluids at minimum before driving.
dishonesty in used vehicles is rampant. Buyer beware.
thank's
Well, this is really good to know. I was just starting to get interested in these. Thanks for the heads up!