My Personal Experience Of Buying A Car From Japans Auto Auctions
I have to work hard to earn whatever money I make and I try to be as thrifty as possible. Cars are costly affairs and I do not see much point in getting a brand new one, hence I decided go for a used car, one that fits my limited budget of $ 5000. While searching online for used cars, I came across Japanese car auction . Since I admire the quality and workmanship of Japanese cars, the idea of buying an used Japanese car, direct from Japan through Japanese car auctions was very appealing.
As I researched, I found that only registered citizens and firms can participate in these Japan car auction . Buyers such as me, would have to go through intermediaries – export houses – to indirectly take part in these auctions. These export firms have websites where they list the available cars and you can bid on these after you register.
You can choose and bid on any car you like.
You have to know as much as you can about the car you intend to get though and to do this, you have to request for the auction inspector’s report. When the auction is open, the exporter will bid on your behalf. The highest bid will be determined by the maximum limit set by you.
If you are the highest bidder, you win the auction and have to make full payment in a week. Once the payment is made, the exporter will ship your car to your address. Since, I was a newbie to these type of auctions, I ran a few checks. I checked whether the exporter was legitimate, the business agreement, the paperwork associated with buying imported cars etc.
If you are wondering why I had to go to the trouble of getting a car from Japanese car auctions? What interested me most about Japan’s car auctions is that the cars listed in them generally have lower mileage because the Japanese rarely take their cars for long distances, preferring instead to walk or ride a bike for local errands, and the metro for travelling out of town. Even the engines are better maintained because of stringent emission norms in Japan. Another advantage to buying from Japan’s car auctions is their extensive selection. It is quite common to have 40,000 used vehicles on the market each week.
