The US is a car culture. I get it. As much as I talk about bikes I know that driving, and owning a car is a necessity for most of us. But do they ALL have to be so big, and so expensive?
My Honda Element is easily the best vehicle I’ve ever owned. It’s soon to be 20 years old, and it’s got 225k miles on the clock. At some point I’m going to need a new car. I would like something that has the same functionality, and I wouldn’t mind if it were a little smaller.
During one of my trips to Ft. Lauderdale I saw a small van driving down the street. When I say small what I mean is it was tiny. It was something I had never seen before.
Now, I’m a sucker for all manner of small things, so I had to know what this was. I ran out to the street for a better look. Right hand drive? A Honda badge? A small amount of searching, and I discovered it was what’s called a kei van. A category of vans and trucks sold in Japan. Color me smitten.
From a distance these things look ideal. Small engine, better than average mileage and plenty of storage. I wouldn’t want to drive one cross country, but for running around town I think it would be ideal. They seem to be a very popular vehicle category in Japan and other parts of the world.
So what’s the problem you may be asking. Well, like a lot of things we can’t get them here in the US. Correction. You can as long as you’re willing to buy one that’s at least 25 years old. That’s another story.
American customers allegedly don’t want small vehicles. There were 3 small vans available in the US up until a couple of years ago. Ford, and Nissan quit making theirs. Dodge still makes one, but it’s $30,000.00. You can buy a new kei van in Japan for about half that price.* They lack some of the luxuries of new American cars, but I don’t care about that. My average trip by car is about the same as the national average, approximately 6 miles.** I don’t require luxury for trips like that.
I understand supply and demand. I also believe that I’m not the only person who would want a vehicle like this. In fact, I’ve found many people online that have purchased, and imported the old models. I just don’t really want to trade my 20 year old car for a one that’s 5 years it’s senior.
Do I wish that automobiles weren’t status symbols? Yes. Do I wish fewer people drove humongous vehicles just to go grocery shopping? Sure. But do I begrudge anyone wanting to own an expensive vehicle? I really don’t. I just wish I had the option to buy something small and simple that would carry me, some bikes and/or boats. It follows my philosophy on riding a bicycle. I don’t care if you ride. But don’t make it impossible for me just because it’s not important to you.
*I understand that the dollar is at an all time high against the yen, and I also admit that I have no understanding of what those prices mean in relation to the average Japanese salary.
**I wanted to link to an article that had data, but they were all over the place. Some from websites that had an obvious bias toward EV’s. 6 miles seemed to be the number that came up most, and was also used in a US Transportation Dept. study from 2018.
What I'm Reading
The Power of Myth: Joseph Campbell/Bill Moyers
Basically a transcript of the PBS television special of the same name. Storytelling is in our DNA, and Campbell was not only the preeminent authority, but one heck of a story teller himself. (afflilink)
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