The Reusable I'm Thinking of Buying a Car Thread....

[Tokyo Tokei]

I’m sure I heard that Domestic Japanese cars are built to lower spec for this reason. Thinner body panels etc

Would need a good source for that, otherwise it feels like something a UK dealer might have said when trying to sell domestic models :D

(Japan climate is sub-tropical, summers tropically humid, winters very wet, typhoons so numerous they only have numbers not names, cars are parked outside... thinner body panels would not be a great idea...)

[Suds]

Would need a good source for that, otherwise it feels like something a UK dealer might have said when trying to sell domestic models :D

(Japan climate is sub-tropical, summers tropically humid, winters very wet, typhoons so numerous they only have numbers not names, cars are parked outside... thinner body panels would not be a great idea...)

Hi Tokyo, I have always been wary of imports to UK- can you confirm if the cars for the Japanese home market share the same mechanical/electrical maintenance parts with the Japanese cars for the UK market? Specifically for maintenance and repair ( i understand that the media information systems are in Japanese so changing settings might be a problem)?

[RossC]

Bored and taking a day off, so naturally my mind reverts to pointless spending.

This bucket hoves into view...

...it's a 2011 X1 xDrive 25i M Sport

Something that is always overlooked on this generation of X-Drive is the tyres.

If it has a staggered fitment and wider rear tyres, they need to be the size stated by BMW, and in most cases, 'star' rated tyres.

The star rating ensures accurate measurements as approved by BMW to avoid transmission wind up with transfer and/or gearbox failure.

As these cars get older, cheaper tyres start to get fitted with less than perfect measurements, or worse, unmatched tyres. Tyre measurements, tread depth and even a mismatch on air pressure being out by only a few percent will start with clunky gear changes, and tightening of the diff on corners and roundabouts followed by eventual failure if not tackled.

BMW X-Drives with a square setup rarely suffer the same fate as equal tyre sizes front to back reduce the risk significantly.

[Tokyo Tokei]

Hi Tokyo, I have always been wary of imports to UK- can you confirm if the cars for the Japanese home market share the same mechanical/electrical maintenance parts with the Japanese cars for the UK market? Specifically for maintenance and repair ( i understand that the media information systems are in Japanese so changing settings might be a problem)?

A lot of Japanese cars here have all their interior buttons in Japanese, but on the more general case of 'confirming' they have the same underlying mechanics or electrics, I have no solid information on that. Cars are not my area of expertise (to put it mildly...) but I suspect mechanically they must be similar.

Fitting (for example) "thinner body panels" on a production line for certain markets seems a lot of bother and cost, and for what purpose it would be hard to imagine, not to mention the time and cost of inventory, stock control, re-certifying and re-testing (crash, performance, durability, regulatory) all those alternate parts.

As far as I can tell, most car manufacturers want their cars to be as cookie-cutter as possible in manufacture, with the only differences being trim or local spec requirements like miles/kilometres on instruments or whatever, and language of course.

On that last point, it seems the days of having a speedo swapped for miles and replacing a DIN unit are over. From what I can tell, most modern cars have integrated electronic dashes and 'infotainment'. So while I suspect they too must be configurable for all territories, whether the manufacturer makes that easy or even possible after purchase is up to them. Probably safest to check the particular car in question.

[Tokyo Tokei]

Something that is always overlooked on this generation of X-Drive is the tyres.

If it has a staggered fitment and wider rear tyres, they need to be the size stated by BMW, and in most cases, 'star' rated tyres.

The star rating ensures accurate measurements as approved by BMW to avoid transmission wind up with transfer and/or gearbox failure.

As these cars get older, cheaper tyres start to get fitted with less than perfect measurements, or worse, unmatched tyres. Tyre measurements, tread depth and even a mismatch on air pressure being out by only a few percent will start with clunky gear changes, and tightening of the diff on corners and roundabouts followed by eventual failure if not tackled.

BMW X-Drives with a square setup rarely suffer the same fate as equal tyre sizes front to back reduce the risk significantly.

Very useful, thank you! No one really does home maintenance here (an enclosed garage is something of a rarity) so most repairs/maintenance are done by professionals, but that wouldn't stop someone cheaping out on the tyres.


edit: It has Goodyears all round. They are labelled 255 40R18 95V and 225 45R18 91V.

[wileeeeeey]

I always avoid the Japanese import adverts on auto trader but after the last few posts I don’t think I would.

[magpie215]

I always avoid the Japanese import adverts on auto trader but after the last few posts I don’t think I would.

I've now owned 4 Japanese imports...no big issues encountered so far.

[Mj2k]

It was on just over 56K miles actually. Highest spec B200, pano roof, aniline leather, new Michelin tyres, new discs and pads. All worked perfectly. I gave it to a friend (who bought me dinner, to be fair) who gave it to his daughter. The meal was worth more.

To answer your question: most urban-dwellers who have a car do low mileage. Houses/apartments are sold or rented based on their price, size and, crucially, how many minutes walk to the nearest station, with 'over 10 minutes' being unusual and hence discounted. Plus you must demonstrate (to the satisfaction of the local police, who will come round and measure it to the millimetre) that you have a car space of adequate size before purchasing a vehicle. And in the city, expect that space to cost you at least £250 a month - on top of your rent or loan, before you even get started on general running costs. The shaken itself takes half a day and is rarely less than £500, assuming no major issues.

Car buying here is cheap, but ownership is expensive.

So comparably, a lot of 'old' cars have little use compared to the UK. But the shaken (MOT) is famously strict, and is based on age not use. Which incidentally explains why all cars in Japan, of any age, look like they just came out of the factory - they are basically required to be back to factory spec every two years. This costs a lot more as the car ages. It's not that they are unlikely to pass, just that it's no longer economical to keep them maintained to this level after 5 to 10 years (depending on budget/model etc)

It's why that BMW with under 30K miles on it, 3 litre 4x4 and full leather is £3K (dealer price). He would have picked it up at auction, unwanted, for £1K from another dealer who would have offered the owner £500 for it in part exchange against a new one...

Great news if you buying one from overseas - you'll get something maintained like new, likely with low mileage, and as the yen is low, priced cheaply too.

Whereas if I buy this car, I do so knowing I will have to either give it away or pay for it to be taken away in a few years.

Thank you for such a detailed reply. Certainly does explain why the older cars all look so good condition wise.

I had read about the measuring of car space previously. Does make sense vs what you see here with multiple occupancy houses with everyone having a car but no space to park it.

[Tokyo Tokei]

Latest object to fall into view...









Audi A5 cabrio, 3.2 V6 Quattro. This one from 2009 with under 30K miles.

Hits many important objectives: needlessly 4WD, probably thirsty, impractical. What's not to like?

[Saint-Just]

That looks nice. Not that impractical either, 4 decent seats for a convertible.

[Tokyo Tokei]

Enabler! Well I might go and see it this weekend. I was too slow on the X1 earlier in the thread, it sold before I had a chance to kick its tires.

[Saint-Just]

How good/bad are the roads you're likely to use? Convertible are quite stiff (we have a 1-series BMW) and with this stupid trend to put big wheels and skinny tyres, potholes and other road imperfections can make the ride quite harsh.