Every week in the Kansai area
of Japan, several automotive auctions are held. These auctions
feature the best that the Japanese used car and truck market has to
offer. SMS Diesel Spares Japan is a member of several of these
vehicle auctions. On any given week we have the opportunity to
choose from over 8,000 to 10,000 cars and 500
to 700 trucks.
Why
are there so many great used vehicles in Japan?
After a new car is purchased, the
owner has a three-year period before the first inspection. After
that initial inspection, cars must be re-inspected every two years
and after the 11th year the inspection becomes yearly.
Each inspection costs the owner increasing amounts of money starting
from around $700 for the first inspection and increasing to
around $1,500 to $2,000 by the time the car is seven
years old. Because of this strict inspection policy, many car owners
would rather buy a new car instead of going though the expense and
hassle of re-certifying their old one.
This means that
every week, a flood of newly available used vehicles comes on to the
market as owners trade in their old vehicles for the latest model.
What is a burden on Japanese car
owners becomes an opportunity for anyone interested in picking up a
good deal
How can the
vehicles have such low mileage?
Because of the inspection system,
most of the cars up for sale each week are three, five or seven
years old. Many of these vehicles were used primarily on the
weekends and sparingly during the week for shopping at the local
grocery store. It is a rare case for a car to accumulate 1,000
kilometers per month.
But what about
Price?
Of course price is important to
everyone. It always is one of the first questions asked by anyone
looking to buy something. Purchasing a vehicle at an auction is the
ultimate in trading off value vs. price. Later model, low mileage
vehicles are more expensive than older, higher mileage vehicles. Our
job is to help you reach a balance between the price vs. quality
factor that minimizes any compromises that you might have to make.
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