1983 Daihatsu Hijet Van Super Deluxe

Kei trucks and vans are common enough if you've been shopping for a JDM vehicle, but early 80s examples are another thing entirely. Doubly so for such clean and well-preserved examples like this 1983 Daihatsu Hijet Super Deluxe.

Powering this classic kei van is a 550cc two cylinder, 4 stroke engine, running through a 4 speed manual transmission, driving the rear wheels. Exterior is all original down to the OEM Daihatsu wheel caps centered in the steel wheels. Sliding rear doors on either side with a standard rear liftgate for access to the cargo area.

Inside is awash in vinyl, with no fabric whatsoever to be found. Both driver and passenger seats are covered in light and dark beige stripes and are in perfect shape. Most plastics are a beige with some details in black. Behind the flawless steering wheel you will find a speedometer, temperature and fuel gauge along with a few warning lights. No readout of the engine’s current RPM, you instead get shift indicators laid out on your speedometer to help determine when you should be throwing that 4 speed along. The center stack holds the OEM AM radio, with a single speaker in the top center of the dashboard. There is an ashtray along with a never-used lighter as this has always been a non-smoker’s vehicle. You do get an excellent heater with wonderful pass-through vents for the driver and passenger that open directly to intakes mounted behind the headlights for unparalleled fresh air while on the move. By the emergency brake is your manual choke. The rear bench seat wears the same snazzy pattern as the front seats and can be folded forward for a quite spacious cargo area. The stated carry capacity for this Hijet is 350 kg, or about 770 pounds.

This little gem is ready to get to work.