Toyota TownAce trucks and dump trucks imported from Japan, one size up from a kei truck. Every TownAce here is either in Houston now or on its way from Japan and available to reserve.
The TownAce truck is Toyota's compact cab-over work truck, one size up from a kei truck: still only 1.69 m (66 in) wide and 4.1–4.5 m (13.4–14.7 ft) long, but with a 1.8-liter four-cylinder, a 750 kg (1,650 lb) payload and, on the 4WD versions, a real transfer case. Toyota sold it through Corolla dealers from 1978, and from 1982 the LiteAce truck sold through Netz dealers was the same truck with a different badge. The generation we import launched in October 1986 and ran to June 1999, when a facelift brought fuel injection across the range and full-time 4WD. It was never sold in North America; the "Toyota Van" of 1984–1989 was the TownAce passenger van, not the truck. TownAce and LiteAce trucks built through December 2001 are old enough to import today.
What makes the TownAce different
Kei-truck footprint, twice the payload. A standard-deck 4WD is 4,090 mm (161 in) long on a 2,085 mm (82 in) wheelbase, turns in 4.5 m (15 ft), seats three and carries 750 kg (1,650 lb), against a kei truck's 350 kg.
The 2Y engine. A 1,812cc overhead-valve four with a single carburetor (fuel injection from October 1997), 79–82 PS and 140 N·m, running on regular unleaded. It's the 1.8-liter sibling of the Y-series engines Toyota used in the U.S.-market Van and in its forklifts.
Part-time 4WD with a floor lever. The 1991–1999 4WD trucks (YM60, YM65, CM60, CM65) are driver-selected 4x4s with 175R14 tires all round and 180 mm (7 in) of clearance (details below).
Dump and "Just Low" bodies. Factory and body-builder tipping beds, and the Just Low 2WD trucks with their low 12.5-inch twin rear tires and a 660–735 mm deck height.
Which TownAces can be imported
U.S. rules let a vehicle that was never sold here be imported once it's at least 25 years old, counted from its month and year of manufacture. In 2026 that means TownAce and LiteAce trucks built in 2001 or earlier:
Code
Years
Body / drivetrain
Engine
Transmissions
YM60 / YM65
Oct 1991 – Jun 1999
Part-time 4WD, standard deck (2,085 mm wheelbase) / long deck
1.8-liter 2Y gasoline 4-cylinder, 79 PS, 140 N·m; EFI, 82 PS from Oct 1997
5-speed manual
YM55
1986–1999
2WD long deck, Super Single Just Low (2,300 mm wheelbase)
1.8-liter 2Y, 79 PS
5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic with overdrive
KM51
1986 – May 2001
2WD standard deck, Just Low
1.5-liter 5K gasoline 4-cylinder, 70 PS
5-speed manual or 3-speed automatic
CM51 / CM55; CM60 / CM65 / CM61
1986–1999 (4WD from 1991)
2WD standard / long; 4WD standard / long / four-wheel steer
2.0-liter 2C-III indirect-injection diesel, 73 PS
5-speed manual; 4-speed automatic on 2WD
June 1999 – Dec 2001 builds (KM7x / KM8x, CM7x / CM8x)
1999–2007
2WD or full-time 4WD; column shift
1.8-liter 7K-E EFI gasoline, 82 PS, or 2.2-liter 3C-E diesel
5-speed manual; 4-speed automatic
Reading the code: the first letter is the engine (Y = 2Y 1.8, K = 5K 1.5, C = 2C diesel), M is this truck body, and the digits give the deck and drive (x1 = 2WD standard deck, x5 = long deck, x0 = 4WD standard deck). The prefixes before the hyphen (T-, S-, L-, GA-, KB-, GK-, KF-) are Japanese emissions codes. LiteAce trucks carry identical codes. Trucks built from January 2002 aren't eligible until 2027 or later.
2WD or 4x4?
For farm, ranch and hunting-lease use, buy the 4WD. The 1991–1999 YM60/YM65 and diesel CM60/CM65 use part-time four-wheel drive selected with a lever, 5-speed manual only, with a Hilux-style transfer case and, on the trucks we've handled, manual locking front hubs; drive in rear-wheel drive on pavement and shift into 4WD on dirt, mud, grass and gravel. The June 1999 facelift switched 4WD trucks to a full-time system. The 2WD trucks, especially the Just Low versions with their low deck on 12.5-inch twin rear tires, are the delivery and job-site choice: lighter (1,060–1,180 kg against 1,230–1,330 kg for a 4WD), lower to load, and available with an automatic. Suspension on all is torsion-bar double-wishbone in front and a leaf-sprung rear axle, with ventilated front discs and power rack-and-pinion steering.
Versions you'll see
DX: the base work-truck grade, three seats, with fog lamps standard by 1995.
Super X: the better-equipped grade with a low deck, sliding rear window, car-like seats and power windows.
Standard deck and long deck: 2,085 mm or 2,300 mm wheelbase, with low-deck (one-way tailgate) or high-deck three-way beds, in steel or wood.
Just Low and Super Single Just Low: the low-floor 2WD trucks on 12.5-inch twin rear tires.
Dump: electric and hydraulic tipping beds from Toyota's TECS program and body builders such as Kyokuto, on 2WD and 4WD chassis.
Galtop, refrigerated and 4WS: the FRP canopy, TECS refrigerated bodies and the rare four-wheel-steer CM61.
Any TownAce that's in Houston can be inspected and test driven at our lot.
Questions buyers ask
Can I title and register a TownAce in Texas? Yes. Imported vehicles 25 years or older are titled with their import paperwork, a law enforcement VIN inspection (Form VTR-68-A) and Form 130-U at your county tax office. A TownAce truck isn't a kei vehicle, so it's titled like any other 25-year-old import rather than as a "miniature vehicle." Our Texas title and registration guide covers the paperwork; other states have their own rules, so check with yours before you buy.
Do I need a CDL? No. At roughly 2.1–2.3 tonnes (4,700–5,000 lb) gross, a TownAce is far below the 26,001 lb federal commercial license threshold; a regular Texas Class C license covers it.
Will it keep up on the highway? Yes, within reason. With the overdrive fifth gear, a 4WD 2Y turns about 3,200 rpm at 60 mph, and 60–65 mph is a realistic cruise, which a 660cc kei truck can't say. Toyota's Japanese test-cycle figure for the 4WD was 9.6 km/L (23 mpg), 11.0 km/L (26 mpg) for the fuel-injected version, from a 48-liter (12.7 gal) tank of regular unleaded.
How does it compare with a kei truck? Wider by about 20 cm (8 in), longer by 70 cm (28 in), with 2.7 times the engine and twice the payload, but still small enough for the same jobs. See our kei truck buyer's guide for the kei side of the comparison.
Is the odometer in miles? No. Japanese vehicles read in kilometers, and our listings show the odometer in km. 1 km is about 0.62 miles.
Is it right-hand drive? Yes, like every Japanese-market vehicle.
Can I buy one that's still on its way from Japan? Yes. Reserve an In Transit TownAce with a $1,000 deposit. See how buying works.
Written by Farhad Musazada, Skyline Kei Trucks. Published October 19, 2026.
