This 1998 Daihatsu Hijet DeckVan is a mini JDM crew-cab truck. It’s built to kei regs, meaning engine and dimensions are restricted. 660 cc engine sends 44 hp to all four wheels via a 5-spd manual. Some vehicles fit neatly into a category. Sports car, pickup, SUV, hatchback. But this Daihatsu Hijet DeckVan appears to have wandered into a design meeting halfway through, left before anyone made a decision and somehow ended up as both a van and a truck. Currently listed for sale in the US, this JDM Hijet must be the smallest crew cab truck we’ve ever seen. From the front, it looks like a perfectly ordinary eighth-generation Hijet van. There’s seating for four, side windows behind the front doors, and all the visual excitement of a household appliance. Related: This Manual Honda Kei Truck Makes Less Power Than Some Ride-On Mowers But shift around to the rear and everything changes. Instead of continuing into a conventional enclosed cargo area, the body abruptly ends and transforms into a tiny pickup bed. And we mean really tiny. We don’t have bed dimensions for this 1998 eighth-generation truck, but the 2010s equivalent has only 2 ft 10 inches (860 mm / 34 inches) of bed length, and we’re willing to bet the oldie is just as bonsai. Traditional kei trucks are incredibly useful for their size, but most only seat two people. The 130-inch-long (3,300 mm) DeckVan sacrifices some cargo capacity to add a second row of seats with what looks like a ton of legroom. The rear bench’s backrest can fold down, too. But it seems Daihatsu missed a trick by not creating a pass-thru flap in the rear bulkhead for longer loads. You know, like huge 3 ft (910 mm) ones. This being a kei-class vehicle, the three-cylinder engine stashed under the front seats displaces just 660cc, the maximum allowed. Power output was around 44 hp (44 PS) when new, which is sent through a five-speed manual transmission to all four wheels. Wouldn’t want to run into traction issues with all that power, would you? Low Miles, Tidy Body Japan Direct Motors This example shows around 69,000 miles (111,000 km) and appears to be in remarkably tidy condition for a commercial vehicle approaching its 30th birthday. The seller, Japan Direct Motors, claims the interior supposedly remains free from major wear, though we can see some a tear in the squab under the bolstered aftermarket seat covers. But the really good news is there’s reportedly no significant rust, dents, or dings and the paint looks solid. At $12,950, this Hijet DeckVan isn’t the cheapest kei import you’ll find, and it certainly offers less bed per buck than other used trucks on sale in America right now. But how often do you get the chance to buy a vehicle that can carry four adults, haul a (small) load of mulch, squeeze through impossibly tight spaces, and spark conversations everywhere it goes? Sometimes the most interesting vehicles are the ones that refuse to pick a lane.