1996 Subaru Sambar Special II#BUC46923

Here is a 1996 Subaru Sambar, finished in White, imported from Japan and offered by Bucks Mini Trucks. We have it on file as stock number heHe4p, chassis KS3-126715. The chassis code on this one is KS3, and drive is rear-wheel drive. We have 27 pictures of this Sambar here, all of the actual vehicle.

Powertrain on this Sambar

It runs a 4-cylinder engine. The KS3 runs a manual gearbox.

1996 Subaru Sambar: the background

Putting the engine behind the rear axle loads the driven wheels, and that is a large part of why Sambars have the traction reputation they do. Every Subaru-built Sambar is a full cab-over, which is precisely how Subaru got a longer cargo bed than its rivals onto the same overall length. Enthusiasts nicknamed the rear-engined Sambar the "agricultural Porsche", and the joke does real work: rear engine, rear drive, four cylinders, independent suspension all round. Putting the engine under the bed was a deliberate load-carrying decision: on a kei truck the difference between empty and laden is enormous, and the engine acts as ballast over the driven axle when the bed is empty.

Odometer and specification — Sambar

The White bodywork sits over an odometer reading of 49,100 mi, with a condition of used recorded. Interior colour is recorded as Grey. Fuel type on file is Gasoline.

Import and ownership — 1996 Subaru Sambar

Plenty of buyers keep a Sambar looking exactly as it arrived; this one is White and presented as we received it. A 1996 build date puts this one well past the 25-year federal import threshold. It is listed at $4,914. Japan's kei category exists because small vehicles are taxed and registered differently there, and the Sambar was built specifically to qualify.