Field guide

The bed decides what a kei truck is good at. A dump tips its load, a flatbed loads from three sides, a Jumbo trades a little bed for a longer cab, a box keeps things dry and a van carries people and cargo under one roof.

• Mini Dump. A tipping bed with gates that open three ways. Gravel, mulch, feed and fence posts, unloaded where you stop.
• Flatbed. The classic kei truck. A two seat cab and a flat bed with three drop sides.
• Jumbo. A longer cab with room behind the seats and a seat that reclines. The same footprint, a little more comfort.
• Box. A closed box on the bed. Dry, lockable and square to load.
• Van. A kei van with sliding doors, a rear hatch and a bench that folds flat for cargo.

Before a truck is bought, the photographs should tie that exact truck to its record. These are the ones to ask a seller for.

• The whole truck from the front, the rear and both sides, with its chassis plate legible in a wider shot.
• The manufacture date on its label or its papers, with unrelated personal details covered.
• The bed floor, the gates or doors and any rust, damage or repair, close and from a step back.
• The cab, the dashboard and the odometer with its units.
• Underneath, captured safely by the person inspecting it, never by crawling under an unsupported truck.

Your state decides the title and the roads. Keep every stamped paper from the port, the entry, the two federal declarations, the bill of lading and the bill of sale with the Japanese registration, because that is what a title office asks to see.