I'm considering trying to buy a new car in Japan. Has anyone got any stories to tell?

Particularly, I'm concerned about the financial side of things. Has it turned out to cost you more than you had originally thought?

Words of advice or caution appreciated.

I bought a car in March/April time *cue photo*



*grins*

Anyways. I found my car on the internet (I just tried to find the website I used, but failed. Was like Auto Trader though, could search by prefecture, car type etc). I had to use a lady from my company to liase between the garage and me, which was the only way it was possible, especially as the garage was in 横浜 - よこはまand I'm several hours away in 古河 - こが...

The basic process went:
Transfer a deposit.
Sign lots of forms.
Transfer the remainder of the funds.
Sign more forms.
Get landlord to sign car park space forms.
Take forms to Police station for car parking space.
Wait for Police to check space (approx three days...)
Send Police approved forms to garage.
Garage delivered car.

I think things were complicated by the fact I was buying from a garage in a different prefecture from where I'm living. That's why I had to deal with the police, instead of the garage. The garage people did deal with all the other registration etc.

I know your Japanese is miles ahead of mine, so perhaps you'll be alright, but even my helper lady completed some of the forms incorrectly the first time [a re-occuring theme in Japan. Forms that even natives can't understand!].

It seemed to take a long time to actually get the car, but I complicated issues by moving apartment (and prefecture) and going home for a holiday all at the same time...

Finally you just have the issue of 車検 - しゃけん which is the Japanese MOT, but more expensive! It lasts for two years though. I also had to get it done not long after getting the car, which was another ￥１1万

Well that's all I can think of. I have kanji reviews to get back to, but just ask if you want to know anything else

EDIT: Just saw that you're think of buying a *new* car. I didn't see that the first time. Mine was second hand. I'm sure most of the process is the same though (parking space etc).

The police verification of the parking space can be skipped if you buy a yellow plate. Here is a good read on what you need. The price of petrol/gas is a bit out of date though.

dilandau23 Wrote:The police verification of the parking space can be skipped if you buy a yellow plate. Here is a good read on what you need. The price of petrol/gas is a bit out of date though.

That's great, apart from having to buy a yellow plate!!

Whoa!! I knew it was complicated but not that it was THAT complicated!!! Here it's only registering the car to your name and getting an insurance! And usually the garage does all the paper work!

What happens if you move? Do you need to prove that you have a new space for the car before you can take it with you?

What's wrong with the yellow plate? You don't need any big engine in Japan anyway! The speed limits are ridiculously low and there is always so much traffic that there are no chances to show off!

Ps: Cool car by the way!

Thanks for the info.

Mighty_Matt I don't know all that much about cars, but is that a Mazda (マツダ) Roadster of some sort?

Assuming I can get a hefty loan, I'm planning on a マツダ myself.

Mighty_Matt Wrote:Take forms to Police station for car parking space.

I've got a space out the front of my apartment but I wasn't aware about the police approval part. Presumably that's something to do with insurance?

The teachers at school don't seem to have any doubt about me getting finance but not being a permanent resident can't do wonders for one's credit rating. And gaijin (gaikokujin for yorkii ) are a dodgy crowd anyway.

That said, the Mazda dealership up the road is owned by a nice guy who's son used to go to the school I'm at. So there might be a deal we can strike.

Cheers,

Are you planning on taking the car with you to your home country later on? Or are you just gonna be a non-permanent resident for n years to come?

A friend of mine lives in Japan for another year or so and he's planning on taking their car with them. I think you have to own it in Japan for a year before you can take it to Finland without the Finnish authorities charging you for it. I assume there are similar rules for other countries too..

synewave Wrote:Mighty_Matt I don't know all that much about cars, but is that a Mazda (マツダ) Roadster of some sort?

It is indeed a MKII Roadster/MX5/Eunos/Miata [delete as appropriate for your country of residence!] 1.8 6-speed special edition with tan roof, cream leather and wooden steering wheel, gear knob and handbrake handle. Oh and the Bose stereo which I don't think does much for Japan-Anglo relations *blush*

synewave Wrote:

Mighty_Matt Wrote:Take forms to Police station for car parking space.

I've got a space out the front of my apartment but I wasn't aware about the police approval part. Presumably that's something to do with insurance?

I just thought it was because of the general lack of space rather than insurance. But you don't need to bother with the police for a yellow plate, so it's all a bit confusing. My apartment comes with a parking space (well I pay extra...) but you still need to register it with the police. The form you submit has the exact volume dimensions of your car (W, L and H) and a policeman comes and measures your space to check the car will fit.

To be honest, you could probably just park it outside your apartment and put the hazzard lights on and no-one would bother you about it. Well, it seems to work for people stopping and drinks machines, convenience stores, banks etc etc... [/rant]

Mighty_Matt Wrote:But you don't need to bother with the police for a yellow plate

Now we all know that 軽自動車 are better for the environment but do you fink I want yellow plates? Come off it!



For the last few years, cars have been bad for the environment, but now that I "need" one my hypocrisy knows no bounds!

By the way, that's the Demio Sport 1.5, for the boy racer inside me

Perhaps we'll need to get together for some RTK drifting!

Mighty_Matt!

Is it with manual transmission?

I had a rental car last year, which was this (for my sins)

alantin Wrote:Mighty_Matt!

Is it with manual transmission?

Yes, 6 speed means Manual with six gears

Mighty_Matt Wrote:I had a rental car last year, which was this (for my sins)

God that was funny, nice way to start the morning thanks :-)

Mighty_Matt Wrote:Yes, 6 speed means Manual with six gears

Ok. Didn't know that before.. Thanks.

Six gears, eh? I have driven a car with six gears only once. According to the driving-computer, using the sixth gear, it used about two or three liters of diesel per 100 km on highway in 120 km/h. That was cheap driving! (the prize of fuel is preposterous here!)

Manual transmission is quite rare in Japan isn't it? Well I guess a sports car with automatic would be an abomination no matter where it is..

Quite the opposite, manual transmissions are far more common in Japan than in North America. In fact I've only been in one automatic car in my time here.

I'd say the reason is fuel efficiency. Since afaik all Japanese drivers must qualify on a manual transmission to get their license, there is no barrier to it.

Jarvik7 Wrote:Quite the opposite, manual transmissions are far more common in Japan than in North America.

I don't have any reason to doubt you. But...

Jarvik7 Wrote:In fact I've only been in one automatic car in my time here.

That's pretty surprising! With regard to the teachers at my school, I think only one of them (out of about 30) has a MT car. But perhaps that says more about Japanese teachers than Japanese cars

I've had scooters, bikes and currently a Honda HRV. My 2 yen. The biggest distinction with the yellow plates is that you do not have hefty inspection/shaken, only 7 or 8,000 yen, a bonus for saving the planet with your small engine. I hope you won't drive in the mountains though.

A new car will not require an inspection for 3 years, 2 thereafter. So, if you buy used, check the shaken to see how soon you have to shell it out again. That's the reason you can find used cars fairly cheap, the balance between paying through the nose for an old car and putting the money towards a new one. How strange, it reminds me of my current electronic dictionary dilemma.

I would say that most people drive automatic because you must get a special license to drive manual. Most drivers here can barely look out the window and drive let alone operate a stick. And it's against the law for me to drive a stick shift. Go figure.

As for bikes, 250cc is the cut-off for the shaken AND the ability to ride on the highway, I think. I've only had 400cc and up so it's a little fuzzy.BTW, no riding tandem on the highway for bikes. Used to have a bike back home with overdrive, extra gear. A little weird.

Categories for everything. Apparently anyone can ride a 50cc scooter if you have a car license. Since they're so much alike, of course. Otherwise, you need a bike license. I used to have a 100cc scooter which allowed me to ride tandem. I think that was a pink plate.

A friend said that anyone can take their car to get inspected. Might save hundreds of dollars. Garages make a killing. I believe the last time they changed my oil for me and it only cost me 90,000 yen. What a deal.

synewave Wrote:

Jarvik7 Wrote:Quite the opposite, manual transmissions are far more common in Japan than in North America.

I don't have any reason to doubt you. But...

Jarvik7 Wrote:In fact I've only been in one automatic car in my time here.

That's pretty surprising! With regard to the teachers at my school, I think only one of them (out of about 30) has a MT car. But perhaps that says more about Japanese teachers than Japanese cars

I find that surprising too!

During my time there, in Kansai area, I only saw AT!
Only the ミニトラック seemed to have MT!I

Maybe it has something to do with perspective then.. Here very few people are rebellious enough to drive AT cars. I have traveled in only one in Finland in my entire life! (Because of long distances and generally poor public transportation, most people use personal car's daily for all transportation).
I tried one in Japan!
I think that generally people feel that they are unreliable because it doesn't really feel that *your* driving (at least I do! Extremely unnatural! ), and that's why I used to wonder the large amount of AT cars in Japan..

I also think that there are many more AT than MT in Japan. The lady who helped me by my car was telling me that most women in Japan cannot drive MT. It's a mind-set thing where they think it's too difficult for female brains to cope with and so don't try to learn (I'd imagine driving instructors probably try and put them off as well...).
She also said that women really like having a partner who can drive MT. I guess because women don't tend to learn it, it has a 'manly' quality about it.

I'm trying to think of all the cars I've been in while in Japan, and apart from my current one and one friend's, they've all been AT.

Aikiboy Wrote:Most drivers here can barely look out the window and drive let alone operate a stick.

This is so true!! I always find it strange how the Japanese love their 'boxy' cars/people carriers, but yet most of the time have their seats so low they can barely see over the steering wheel. This leaves a comical amount of space between their heads and the roof :|

You need to take a separate test to get a MT license. Most people only have an AT license. If you are constantly in traffic jams, the last thing you want is an MT.

brose Wrote:You need to take a separate test to get a MT license.

Not if you're from the UK (or Oz, I think) coz you can just get your license converted to a Japanese one. Nice bit of 国際関係

Mighty_Matt Wrote:

Aikiboy Wrote:Most drivers here can barely look out the window and drive let alone operate a stick.

This is so true!! I always find it strange how the Japanese love their 'boxy' cars/people carriers, but yet most of the time have their seats so low they can barely see over the steering wheel. This leaves a comical amount of space between their heads and the roof :|

Actually, I was refering to the fact that, generally speaking, Japanese are very poor drivers. It is not exaggeration when I say that a Japanese driver almost hits me everyday.(At least in Fukuoka) And they managed to do so on 4 separate occasions. It boggles my mind how they nonchalantly pull out in front of a car doing 60kph and how they use turn signals AS THEY TURN if at all. But that's another rant.

I laugh at the bit of hair atop steering wheels(for that's all you can make out) and a couple times I could have sworn NO ONE was driving, but that's just silly. I understand that many people are short. But with so many options in cars today, including seats that raise up, why would you choose to buy a car you can barely see out of? A poor man's low rider? Heck, I even put a cushion under my seat cover because it bothers me when I can't see the front of the car. But I suppose they can justify it by putting little poles on their fenders like a blind man's cane.

I think MT are about as common in Japan as they are in the US, but far more common in the UK. The first vehicle I had here (Suzuki Escudo) was a stick, and the first one I'd ever driven. Kei trucks are almost invariably manual transmission.

synewave Wrote:

brose Wrote:You need to take a separate test to get a MT license.

Not if you're from the UK (or Oz, I think) coz you can just get your license converted to a Japanese one. Nice bit of 国際関係

Oh, Synewave, :O don't get me started on that. I'm from the U.S. so no such relationship. I've never heard of such blatant discrimination against foreigners(actually, I have, but...)in all my life. My advice to anyone arriving in Japan is to get your Japanese license ASAP before anything expires.

Damn I'm glad it's Friday! :mad:

Aikiboy Wrote:Oh, Synewave, :O don't get me started on that. I'm from the U.S. so no such relationship. I've never heard of such blatant discrimination against foreigners(actually, I have, but...)in all my life. My advice to anyone arriving in Japan is to get your Japanese license ASAP before anything expires.

Damn I'm glad it's Friday! :mad:

For risk of outraging anyone (which I don't want to do), there may be some reasons for the positive discrimination towards the UK and Oz. This doesn't mean that it's justified though.

I lived in the US for a while, and whilst I'm sure that standards vary from state to state, from what I heard, the driving test in California sounds a lot easier than the one in the UK. Especially now, the UK test has gotten a lot more involved with tougher written tests, a computer based hazard spotting exercise and new tougher standards for the practical part. It's probably got more expensive too, further discouraging people from getting cars.

Driving in the US was close to joyous for me. The roads are so much wider, and constructed and arranged in a logical way. It was such a pleasure. In the UK, we're still using routes that the romans made, streets are much narrower, there are these very tricky obstacles called 'roundabouts' and there are frequent jams, like Japan. Plus, we drive on the left.

I was under the impression the discrimination against US licenses was to do with Japanese people hopping over to the West Coast to take their tests there. Have a holiday and learn to drive at the same time.

I heard this from a Japanese woman in her 40s who said that's what she did. But apparently the numbers of Japanese people doing it was getting ridiculous. Allegedly.