Minneapolis Street Sighting: Daihatsu Rocky

If one happens to be a child of the 2000s, the above vehicle won't ring any bells if said reader grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, the vehicle above might be memorable. Well, okay, maybe "memorable" is too strong of a word; Daihatsu's car, at least in the US, weren't really memorable for anything, save for being unheard of, even to this day. But Daihatsu did do one thing right apparently-- rustproofing. Despite being extremely rare due to not a whole lot of time in the US market, I have never once seen a Daihatsu in horrible condition.
Daihatsu sold vehicles in the United States between 1987 and 1992, during what some would call the boom of the Japanese auto industry, as far as getting surefooted in the USA is concerned. One could choose from Isuzu, Daihatsu, Toyota, Subaru, Honda, Nissan, Suzuki, and to an extent Geo (though these were billed as American, they were all captive imports from some other Japanese manufacturer.)
This period marked the rise of what would be considered the first true compact SUVs; when it made its debut in the late 1980s, it was one of a select few compact Asian SUVs offered, alongside the Suzuki Samurai (and later Sidekick), as well as the Isuzu Amigo and Geo Tracker. Like the long-forgotten Rocky (and Daihatsu brand) neither the Isuzu, Suzuki nor Geo are with us today. While many many people would brush this off simply as an "oh well" statement, I am quite sad. I used to like this crop of smaller-than-necessary SUVs, and still do.
As I said up top, the thing Daihatsu got right is rust prevention. Fitted with its chunky flares, and rather kitschy graphics, one one venture to think that all this cladding would lead to rust. Apparently not, as this Minnesota example shows. While it definitely doesn't have curbside appeal to most car guys, I kind of like these things. Their diminutive size, and funky arches take me back to a time when I played with BuddyL trucks that had much of the same proportions; for that reason alone, I adore it.
In my fantasy garage, I'm not sure why, but I do kind of want one of these; I've always liked this class of vehicle, and like its other orphan makes, this little Rocky is about as common as a needle in a haystack, ensuring that no one else would be likely have one. That alone probably would make it a conversation piece to those "in the know". While I'm not quite saying that all species should be saved-- or maybe I subtly am-- this one looks to be in great condition, and should be left that way. Just fix the top, and it should be good to go.