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Question # 31. Are cars expensive in Japan when teaching ESL?

by BBelew57 on June 12th, 2007

Japanese cars are the best in the world, hands down. They have the best of the best and the car buyer can pay as much as they want to for a car.

They can even buy a 'gaisha' - a foreign car if they like and drive with the handle on the wrong side and think they are cool, though I don't know why anybody would want to do that.

Japanese cars can be bought in mini-versions as well. Think 800,000 - 8,000,000 for a car.

What else must be thought about, however, are the car inspections.

New Japanese cars must run through a mandatory car inspection after three years for a cost of about 100,000 or more…and then every other year after that for a cost of 100,000-200,000 or more, depending on what needs to be repaired.

In this way, the Japanese can keep their cars in good repair and keep new buyers coming.

Not a few people buy new cars every three years so as to not have to pay the inspection…and almost certainly every five years. Who wants to pay the inspection costs twice?

When buying a used car in Japan, the car buyer will first ask, when is the 'shaken' car inspection due?

The second question - is the shaken included in the price? Cars look pretty cheap until the inspection costs are added on.

We, me, our instructors, bought many three year old cars, paid the inspection two times and drove the cars for four years. It was very reasonable and we never worried about repairing the cars…just changing the oil and buying gas.

Oh…and gasoline…120-130 yen a liter. $4ish/gallon. We are paying close to that in Silicon Valley now.

Cars are as expensive as you want them to be.

How much do you pay for your car?

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POSTED IN: ESL