Daihatsu Cars | Used Cars, Motorbikes, Vans & Other Vehicles

Buying a Daihatsu
You can buy a Daihatsu from a number of places such as a car dealership or classified adverts. You can also buy from a range of models for different purposes. In this article I will outline the history of the Daihatsu company, the types of car offered and the type of prices you can expect to pay for a second hand Daihatsu model of car.

Company History
Daihatsu is a Japanese manufacturer, which is best known for making smaller and off road vehicles (also known as kei cars in Japan). The company was formed in 1951 as a successor to Hatsudolin and by the 1960s they had grown and begun to import to Europe. In 1967 it formed a partnership with Toyota Motor Corporation, who, on a global scale were a far more well known brand. This enabled Daihatsu to break into the American market and it launched the Charade (a super-mini) and the Rocky (a mini SUV/small 4 x 4) models. There was also some success in Europe by introducing the Japanese kei car in the form of the Mira. However in 1992 the Daihatsu company ceased trading in the US as it was difficult to launch independently of Toyota with whom the brand was always associated. Toyota began to increasingly dominate Daihatsu and in 1999 gained 51% of the market share and held the controlling interest in the company as a result. However under the control of Toyota, Daihatsu cars still continued to be produced, perhaps most memorably the Daihatsu Applause.

Daihatsu are perhaps associated or now more well known for their small cars rather than the SUVs, but there are four distinctive types of car produced by Daihatsu which are worth discussing to get a sense of design and progress made by this company and what they offered Europe.

The Daihatsu Charade is perhaps the oldest model that can still be bought second hand. While it is not necessarily as popular as the Rocky or Mira it was still a landmark car for this particular company. The Charade was designed to be a super-mini and the original designs produced a 3 or 5 door hatchback with 'square' or 'cat-eye' head-lights. Later designs continued with this type of design in the 1980s but the power of 993cc was increased to a 1.0 litre engine, with a 5 speed manual transmission and an upgraded engine called the cb60. In 1987 further technological improvements were made to the Charade and the G100 was produced. It was also more stylish as it had air conditioning, power windows and steering. It was the G200 produced in 1994 that made real impact in the market as the G100 was considered over-priced. The hatchback and sedan bodies remained but in Europe the car was given a 1.5 litre engine, and a turbo charged GTi version with a 16 valve 1.6 litre engine was engineered by Italian ex-racing driver De Tomaso, which raised the profile of this car. Its high profile created even continued until 2000 when it was replaced by the Sirion. A variant of the Charade is the Daihatsu Mira which is also a 3 or 5 door hatchback in body style but classed as a kei car. It is particularly notable for its lightness as it weighs just 580kg making it one of the lightest cars in the world.

The Daihatsu Rocky or Daihatsu Sportrak or even Daihatsu Feroza as it is also known in the UK and Europe, is still a very popular mini SUV today. There are many websites, spare part shops and even fan clubs sustaining interest in this model. To avoid confusion when buying either the car itself or parts for your own Daihatsu Rocky it is best to refer to the factory model number. The Rocky is known as F-300 and also a variant model is known as F-310 (sometimes known as MK 11 Sportrak) where the main changes were applied to the front of the vehicle including the grille and headlight surround. It included a four wheel, two wheel low and high four wheel drive as the Daihatsu 1600cc DOHC or SOHC engine linked through a gearbox, prop shaft and differential to the front wheels allowing the driver to select the type of drive, depending upon their requirements. Inside there is tendency towards comfort and additional fittings such as a voltmeter. It is a less expensive car than other similar models in its range, insurance for this car is reasonable and it performs on around 34-6 miles per gallon. Buying a Daihatsu Rocky is a good idea if you are prepared to spend a little time on maintenance. Some aspects of the car are now outdated such as the air filtration system which is easily fixed by replacing it with a newer free flowing air filter. The car is also prone to rust as well in the Chassis rails so you would need to keep an eye on this. Buying a Rocky means it may be needing some updates and general repairs but parts are available from numerous places and the overall cost in purchase, insurance and running of the car are comparatively less to similar models by other brands.

The later Daihatsu Applause is known for its unusual body style as it appears to be a four door sedan but is actually a 5 door lift-back with a notch-back shaped 412 litre trunk and tailgate. The Applause was produced at a time when Toyota were establishing Daihatsu as their small car specialist brand and it was intended to capitalise on the preference for sedans whilst offering all the benefits of a 5 door body. It was given several improvements over the next few years but was discontinued in 2000 as it appeared dated in looks and was smaller than newer compact cars. However you can still buy a good second hand Applause as it still retains its original marketed appeal of combining sedan looks with 5 door convenience.

Buying a Daihatsu
This Daihatsu Guide should demonstrate that there are no Daihatsu cars considered classic or collectible therefore you should not be prepared to pay high prices for second hand models. Most of the models, particularly smaller models, should be priced around �500-�3,000 depending on the condition, mileage and year it was made. Obviously the price increases depending on how new the car is. However, for the Rocky model, which is perhaps the favourite, the price is higher and you could expect to pay up to around �4,000.