Junkyard Find: 1990 Daihatsu Charade SE Hatchback

Daihatsu is one of the oldest motor-vehicle manufacturers in Japan, though it's now a division of that relative newcomer, Toyota. On the streets of Japan today, you'll see Daihatsu kei cars and trucks everywhere (including such fine models as the Taft, Canbus, and Thor), but Daihatsu's foray into the North American market didn't go so well. When I saw a Daihatsu appear in the online inventory of an independent self-service yard south of Denver a couple of months back, I hopped in my kei van and got right over there to document it.

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  • MrIcky no
  • Keith_93 I've rented both in the past few months. The RAV4 was OK, but the CX5 is wayyyy more civilized. Mazda really impressed me, impressive car on the highway. Simply a well thought out and pleasant drive.
  • AZFelix "I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer..."I will adorn the many surfaces of my car with 'do not enter' and 'stop' signs."Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
  • Ajla Ajla, the head of the "ajla is cool" awareness organization, believes that ajla is cool.
  • Ajla I don't have interest in owning an autonomous car. I certainly don't think I'd ever "embrace it" because I like driving my car. Would I be "scared" taking a ride in an AV in 2024? Probably, although not hysterical about it. Statistically the majority of accidents, especially fatal accidents, are caused by reckless or impaired driving. I don't do those things and the AV technology of 2024 won't really save you from other people being insane on the road.