So my area is countryside, my JTE said many people in my prefecture of Ibaraki use car. He said if I can afford it I can look into it once I start my life in ibaraki. So my question to you fine people is, if you bought a car, how did you and how much did it cost? What other fees are there associated with buy a car? Any tips for those that had to get a car to get around their prefecture?
5 comments
If you are not sure how long you wanna be on JET or only plan on being her a short time, RENT. If you are plannning on long term BUY.
I rent so I can only speak for that. I pay 26,000yen (260 dollars) a month. I pay nothing else towards my car. This includes shaken (inspection), tire changes, oil changes, and any problems that occur naturally with a car. If i get into an accident I would have to pay for some repairs but it is all dependent on the situation and such.
First, used car prices have been skyrocketing recently, so take any prices anyone gives you here with a grain a salt. Even recent price increases aside, there can be huge regional variations in car prices. I remember when I was an incoming JET I heard online that you could get a car for about 100,000 yen. Fast forward to now and I don’t know a single person in my area who’s found a car for less than 250,000.
In terms of finding a car, before you start trying to do things yourself, wait to talk to your BOE / other JETs in your area. My boe handled all of the car searching for me.
There are two big costs that come with car ownership (outside of the obvious, like gas and oil changes): Shaken and car tax. Shaken is a big inspection that has to be done every two years. It’s quite expensive. The exact cost depends on your actual car, but I would budget at least 100,000 to be safe. Usually white plates are more expensive than kei cars and old cars are more expensive than new cars. Car tax is a yearly tax you pay in the spring to your city/town. Cost will depend on they type of car you have and your town. It’s usually 7,000 yen for my kei car.
The big question to ask when buying a car is when the shaken is. If a car just had it’s shaken, the price will likely be a bit higher. If the shaken is due soon, the car should either be heavily discounted, or you have quite a bit of room to negotiate.
Does Ibaraki get snow? If it does make sure you have snow tires and snow wipers.
During my time on JET, I bought a used car for ¥300,000 (about $3,000 at the time) and paid it off in monthly installments. I finished paying it off in 6 months. After that I only paid for my car insurance, oil changes and tire change (winter tires). I did pay for shaken (Motor-vehicle inspection) once which was about ¥100,000. I had my car for about 4 years, and sold it back to the dealer to avoid paying to get rid of it since my car was a quite an older model. My placement also had the option of renting a car which included maintenance and you didn’t need to pay for shaken.
Are there any other JETs in your city/town? If so, they can definitely share what your options will be for a car.
I “inherited” my car from my predecessor. I bought the car and all of the stuff in their apartment for $1,000 USD (great deal). It’s an older car but it’s served me well for about 3 years. If you have to buy one from a dealer/mechanic, your CO should help you find a spot and you can shop around for one (I think the cheapest I’ve seen was about 200,000 for a used kei car).
Expenses listed in yen:
* gas (1x- 2x a month)- about 5,000 (1x)- 10,000 (2x) yen
* car insurance (1x a month)- 12,500ish
* car tax (1x a year)- 20,000ish (definitely less than 30,000 but I don’t remember the exact number)
* shakken (car inspection, this will be included in the price you pay for the car and then re-upped every 2 years)- I always end up paying around 100,000 because my car is old and needs repairs but for a kei car (yellow plate) the normal range is about 60,000-80,000. You CAN do a self-inspection for 30,000-40,000 (never tried this and I don’t have much info about it)
* changing tires from winter to summer (2x a year)- 4,000 each time
* oil changes- around 4,000 (I think)
I used to be an ibaraki JET! PM me if you have any questions – especially if you’re gonna be Mito based!
As for cars, one alternative is a long-term lease. I leased a car with Alternativa. They’re Kansai-based, but they serve all of Honshu and they’ll deliver the car to you. It’s more expensive than buying – especially if you’re in Japan more than two years. But there were a ton of advantages:
– The lease, while substantial (¥33000/mo), included everything – the car, all maintenance, roadside assistance, JAF membership and even car insurance.
– The company has English speaking support staff – even if your Japanese is pretty good, explaining something wrong with your car, especially in an emergency, was a lot easier in English
– The support staff will tell your local garage or repair shop everything they need to know, so you don’t have to explain the issue to them.
– No need to worry about how to sell or dispose of it when you leave Japan, or move somewhere that you don’t need it any more.
– Peace of mind that you’re getting a car in good condition, and that any issues will be sorted inclusive in your lease fee.
– No surprise expenses. The monthly charge is high, but predictable for your monthly budget. If you have a maintenance failure you won’t need to find money from somewhere else to pay for it. Also you don’t need to worry about being overcharged at the repair shop – it’s included in your fee, the company will negotiate and cover the charge on your behalf.