1. I’ve been looking for a right hand drive vehicle for delivering mail, and came across Dalton Pike Motors in Cleveland, TN. I’m from Nashville, AR and would consider getting one, but would appreciate your advice on these because they seem older.
they seem older.
most consumer RHD vehicles would be imported, usually from Japan. There is an embargo on vehicle imports below a certain age. 20 years I think
I would advise against this route. You don't want to deal with importers, and old cars with foreign systems. Not worth it.
You might be able to find an old Grumman mail truck or something, but it'll be completely worn out.
Not to mention poor visibility. I would just take the few extra steps.
25 years in the U.S. to import non-federalized foreign vehicles. There have been some U.S. vehicles built in right-hand drive configuration but I'm not aware of any recent ones not purpose-built for the post office.
I agree completely with @imperator. A JDM import is not the way to go. On paper you’d think that a low mile Toyota SUV would be a great option. But there are a lot of parts that are just slightly different from what’s available in North America. They’re great hobby cars, but you don’t want to depend on them.
The Grumman LLV is actually a better choice. You can get one cheap, and they are extremely durable. The engine is the famous Pontiac “Iron Duke” in line 4 cylinder; not fast but very solid, cheap to fix and maintain, and easy to get parts.
You could also consider an old “postal Jeep”. They’re ancient and will probably require extensive restoration, but you can get one for practically free.
What is your timeframe for purchase? Scotty is currently in Rhode Island but has said he will be heading back to Clarksville the end of July. If you can wait that long and can make an appointment he may be able to assist you directly. See the FAQ for instructions on contacting Scotty directly.
If you want to go old school... (Of course there were only about 3700 built for the post office 56 years ago, so the odds of finding a survivor are somewhere between slim and none.)
Couldn't extra training in driving backwards help you?
You can work on it using cardboard boxes on a Walmart parking lot on sundaymornings.
BTW: do postmen/women have to buy their own cars for work??
