Choosing a Used Car

  1. It is important to be aware that depending on the country there may be restrictions or bans on the importation of used vehicles as well as pre-export inspection obligations.

    Because regulations vary,it is best to check with your local authorities for details.

  2. Model-year restriction: within 10 years of the used vehicle's date of manufacture.

    In Japan, only the year that a car was initially registered is noted on its official paperwork;its year of manufacture is not recorded. This makes it difficult to know the precise year of manufacture.

    Caution must be taken if choosing a car that is almost ten years old. Be aware that if the registration month is January or February, the vehicle may have been manufactured in December of the previous year or earlier.

    Export inspection: JAAI inspections are required.

    Model-year restriction: none.

    Export inspection: JEVIC inspections performed in Japan are required.

    Importing a vehicle without a JEVIC inspection carries a penalty of USD 20. However,in practice this penalty is cheaper than the price of having the inspection done in Japan.

    For that reason, some people intentionally forgo the Japanese inspection and pay the penalty when they import the vehicle.

  3. Model-year restriction: none.

    Export inspection: INTERTEK inspections are required.

  4. The price of a used car varies according to model, body color, accessories/grade, fuel, and mileage.

    Buyers who would like to purchase a used car cheaply can use the tips below as a reference while choosing their car.

    In particular, the popularity of a given body color differs according to country.

    In Africa, light colors are overwhelmingly popular, with white, silver, and gray included among the highest ranked.

    White is the top-ranked color at 43% and is separated from the number-two color by a large margin.

    Among non-neutral paint colors, red is the most popular (6%) followed by blue (4%).

    This means that in some cases the price of white used cars is higher than those of other colors.

    If you do not care much about the body color and just want to buy an inexpensive used car,you may be able to do so by considering vehicles with colors other than white.

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