The Reusable I'm Thinking of Buying a Car Thread....

[Tokyo Tokei]

That really is totally bonkers.

Is it the fear of parts / costs, or the MOT being the harsh / deciding factor? Is that why we get lots of JDM fast cars imported as they are no longer able to pass?

It was on just over 56K miles actually. Highest spec B200, pano roof, aniline leather, new Michelin tyres, new discs and pads. All worked perfectly. I gave it to a friend (who bought me dinner, to be fair) who gave it to his daughter. The meal was worth more.

To answer your question: most urban-dwellers who have a car do low mileage. Houses/apartments are sold or rented based on their price, size and, crucially, how many minutes walk to the nearest station, with 'over 10 minutes' being unusual and hence discounted. Plus you must demonstrate (to the satisfaction of the local police, who will come round and measure it to the millimetre) that you have a car space of adequate size before purchasing a vehicle. And in the city, expect that space to cost you at least £250 a month - on top of your rent or loan, before you even get started on general running costs. The shaken itself takes half a day and is rarely less than £500, assuming no major issues.

Car buying here is cheap, but ownership is expensive.

So comparably, a lot of 'old' cars have little use compared to the UK. But the shaken (MOT) is famously strict, and is based on age not use. Which incidentally explains why all cars in Japan, of any age, look like they just came out of the factory - they are basically required to be back to factory spec every two years. This costs a lot more as the car ages. It's not that they are unlikely to pass, just that it's no longer economical to keep them maintained to this level after 5 to 10 years (depending on budget/model etc)

It's why that BMW with under 30K miles on it, 3 litre 4x4 and full leather is £3K (dealer price). He would have picked it up at auction, unwanted, for £1K from another dealer who would have offered the owner £500 for it in part exchange against a new one...

Great news if you buying one from overseas - you'll get something maintained like new, likely with low mileage, and as the yen is low, priced cheaply too.

Whereas if I buy this car, I do so knowing I will have to either give it away or pay for it to be taken away in a few years.