Value of used cars in Japan
Those of you who live in Japan are most probably aware of how low the value of used cars are here. In fact there is a thriving business of used car export from Japan to other countries. Recently I have sold my old car since it's already due for it's Shaken (mandatory 2 yearly inspection for cars older than 3 years).
The Shaken for my Subaru Pleo which is a Kei car (small cars with displacement of less than 660cc) for my area would have been around ¥50,000 for government related taxes and about ¥30,000 charged by the garage for maintenance stuff like changing brake pads, changing the rubber grease cover for the front wheel drive joint. This can cost much more depending on your car condition, the garage you go to etc. More details can be found here.
Since we have bought another car from a friend, we decided to sell the old Subaru. In Japan, the vast majority of used car sales are conducted by private individuals and specialist used car companies who then offload them to used car sales shops via an auction system. these auctions are where used car exporters get their stock from. Private sales between individuals are quite rare for convenience and privacy reasons.
Anyway, on to the Subaru Pleo, it's the greenish car on the left. It's 11 y.o. with a slight ding on the right side passenger door where a motor scooter hit it. 60,000 Km on the clock and in good running condition overall. Supercharged engine, CVT transmission & as a side note a nifty 7 speed semi-manual mode where you change gears from the steering wheel. Hey F1!
...and how much do you think the used car dealer offered?
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¥5,000 which is about US$60. I mean like WTF Japan! 