How Do Japanese Used Cars Feel?

Being used and then discarded after doing your best can make anyone feel bad, but not if you’re a car in Japan.

Japan has a bustling automotive industry, giving birth every few years to new and advanced car models that become the new darlings of the driving public. The country also has strict policies that make vehicles older than five years difficult to maintain, even if a car is still in perfect running condition. So, Japanese used cars are cast off in favor of newer, more tech-savvy ones.

Elsewhere in the world, discarded vehicles go directly to the scrap yard, because that is the only place where they are welcome. Not in Japan.

Japanese used cars
Image Credit: Jaguar Enterprises

Because the used cars are in exceedingly good condition, they are bundled off and sent to used-car dealers or sold directly by private sellers. In the company of used-car marketers, they become the stars, and given the VIP treatment: a thorough inspection much like an executive medical examination but a lot less embarrassing, a good scrubbing, a gentle polishing, and a photoshoot. Some new cars don’t even get that kind of attention.

Japanese cars are, in the first place, already well-maintained. The rigorous motor vehicle inspection program in Japan makes sure that all cars are fit to be on the road, and this requires checking a car’s sixty or so parts and functions and doing the necessary repairs, if any—Japanese cars are solidly built, after all. In addition, Japanese road rules not only make the roads safe for both passengers and pedestrians but for the cars as well—they are properly driven, are seldom pushed to their limit, and are rarely in accidents.

It is in this unspoiled condition that Japanese used cars are found online in sites such as tradecarview. While Japan is busy making more four-wheeled babies, citizens of the rest of the world are eagerly anticipating the older, more experienced autos to roll off cargo boats and cruise into their driveways. Used cars are a lot cheaper than their new counterparts, and if the previous owners are Japanese, they are sure to be good as new. It’s a win-win situation—used car buyers get more than their money’s worth and for the pre-owned car, feeling desired again is enough motivation to rev up its engine and explore the rest of the world.