8 ms·

I wish I had a good source, but from what I've seen firsthand (well, by following the Japanese car community and having friends in it) there's a pretty large ex

I wish I had a good source, but from what I've seen firsthand (well, by following the Japanese car community and having friends in it) there's a pretty large export market for stolen cars. Either the full car is exported or people literally chop off things like front bumpers for popular cars, remove special limited parts, etc. There's probably some Japanese car website with actual numbers, but it can be unnerving when some of these are caught, and more so when I see new ones being reported. one relevant news article: https://jalopnik.com/facebook-group-catches-american-shop-that-sure-seems-to-1843862325 https://jalopnik.com/facebook-group-catches-american-shop-th...

kragen 5y ago
Doesn't Japan also require you to junk your car after two years or pay an arm and a leg for a yearly pollution inspection? If that's true, that's probably a much bigger stream of profitably exportable cars than theft.
- ehnto 5y ago
  It's not that bad, every year you must take all cars through the Shaken ( 車検 ) process. It's exhaustive but they also help you resolve some issues at the Shaken workshop so it's not like they are antagonists unlike in some other country's roadworthiness processes. The rules aren't outrageous, and modified cars can make it through. It's certainly less strict than where I live in Australia. There is also no requirement to junk your car, if you can't be bothered with getting a particular car through Shaken anymore, you can still sell it to someone who will.
  - kragen 5y ago
    Thank you! Is there some carveout that makes sha-ken less rigorous or expensive the first couple of years, or was I just totally wrong about that? How much does it cost later on?
    - ehnto 5y ago
      A new car only needs shaken after the first three years, which gives you a brief respite from cost and time it takes to go through the process, last I checked it was close to $500USD (which includes vehicle weight tax/insurance). In practice it also get's more expensive the longer a vehicle is on the road, because mechanic work is expensive in Japan and to continue meeting the requirements you'd end up spending money on maintenance. I think those are the two key factors that encourage people to keep buying new vehicles, but I might be missing something!
    - CapricornNoble 5y ago
      Shaken costs about ~$300-$500 for most cars, if the car is well-maintained and you take the car through the inspection line yourself. I daily drive a 15-year old sports sedan and will never pay a shop to get this car inspected ever again. If you pay a mechanic to do the inspection, it could be $600-$800. If the car is poorly maintained, of course expect to get gouged on parts & labor. If you drive a car with terrible resale value AND it has major deficiencies shortly before a new shaken inspection is due, it might be more cost-effective to junk the car rather than return it to passable condition.
      - kragen 5y ago
        I see, thanks! Though still much costlier than other countries, that's not nearly as extreme as I had inferred from other reports.
- dontlaugh 5y ago
  It’s just like an MOT in the UK, or the periodic checks in most countries for that matter. The car is exempt for the first few years, then gets checked yearly. Most cars pass with few, if any, repairs.
  - kragen 5y ago
    Thanks to ehnto providing the keyword, I found https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor-vehicle_inspection_(Japan) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor-vehicle_inspection_(Japa.... It says: ... the system effectively represents an additional tax on used car ownership. Even owners of a perfectly maintained vehicle can expect to pay 100,000 yen (US $899) for a two-year inspection, and requirements are even stricter for vehicles over 10 years old leading to an extremely high effective tax rate. This is in contrast to vehicle tax regimes in other developed countries, where the tax or registration fee is based on the current market value of the vehicle, meaning older vehicles have a lower tax burden. ... A typical third-party shaken for a small or normal sized passenger vehicle costs between ¥100,000 (US$806) and ¥200,000 (US$1,612). [3] However, these prices often include large service fees so the cost of a self-performed "user" shaken is much lower, although exact prices are dependent on the size, weight and age of the vehicle.[4] ... Many Japanese used vehicles are exported once it is no longer cost-effective to keep them in service in Japan. Wikipedia also has a page about the MOT in the UK. which I hadn't heard of; it says it costs £54.85 per year for cars and light vans. I don't think paying US$70 per year is "just like" paying US$600 per year. Anyway, it confirms my inference that Japan exports a lot of used cars without them getting stolen first.
    - sokoloff 5y ago
      > I don't think paying US$70 per year is "just like" paying US$600 per year. See the point #3 that you posted in your comment. Repairs/maintenance required to pass MOT (or equivalent inspection here) are in addition to the inspection fee.
      - kragen 5y ago
        Sure, agreed.

kragen 5y ago

Doesn't Japan also require you to junk your car after two years or pay an arm and a leg for a yearly pollution inspection? If that's true, that's probably a much bigger stream of profitably exportable cars than theft.

ehnto 5y ago
It's not that bad, every year you must take all cars through the Shaken ( 車検 ) process. It's exhaustive but they also help you resolve some issues at the Shaken workshop so it's not like they are antagonists unlike in some other country's roadworthiness processes. The rules aren't outrageous, and modified cars can make it through. It's certainly less strict than where I live in Australia. There is also no requirement to junk your car, if you can't be bothered with getting a particular car through Shaken anymore, you can still sell it to someone who will.
- kragen 5y ago
  Thank you! Is there some carveout that makes sha-ken less rigorous or expensive the first couple of years, or was I just totally wrong about that? How much does it cost later on?
  - ehnto 5y ago
    A new car only needs shaken after the first three years, which gives you a brief respite from cost and time it takes to go through the process, last I checked it was close to $500USD (which includes vehicle weight tax/insurance). In practice it also get's more expensive the longer a vehicle is on the road, because mechanic work is expensive in Japan and to continue meeting the requirements you'd end up spending money on maintenance. I think those are the two key factors that encourage people to keep buying new vehicles, but I might be missing something!
  - CapricornNoble 5y ago
    Shaken costs about ~$300-$500 for most cars, if the car is well-maintained and you take the car through the inspection line yourself. I daily drive a 15-year old sports sedan and will never pay a shop to get this car inspected ever again. If you pay a mechanic to do the inspection, it could be $600-$800. If the car is poorly maintained, of course expect to get gouged on parts & labor. If you drive a car with terrible resale value AND it has major deficiencies shortly before a new shaken inspection is due, it might be more cost-effective to junk the car rather than return it to passable condition.
    - kragen 5y ago
      I see, thanks! Though still much costlier than other countries, that's not nearly as extreme as I had inferred from other reports.
dontlaugh 5y ago
It’s just like an MOT in the UK, or the periodic checks in most countries for that matter. The car is exempt for the first few years, then gets checked yearly. Most cars pass with few, if any, repairs.
- kragen 5y ago
  Thanks to ehnto providing the keyword, I found https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor-vehicle_inspection_(Japan) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor-vehicle_inspection_(Japa.... It says: ... the system effectively represents an additional tax on used car ownership. Even owners of a perfectly maintained vehicle can expect to pay 100,000 yen (US $899) for a two-year inspection, and requirements are even stricter for vehicles over 10 years old leading to an extremely high effective tax rate. This is in contrast to vehicle tax regimes in other developed countries, where the tax or registration fee is based on the current market value of the vehicle, meaning older vehicles have a lower tax burden. ... A typical third-party shaken for a small or normal sized passenger vehicle costs between ¥100,000 (US$806) and ¥200,000 (US$1,612). [3] However, these prices often include large service fees so the cost of a self-performed "user" shaken is much lower, although exact prices are dependent on the size, weight and age of the vehicle.[4] ... Many Japanese used vehicles are exported once it is no longer cost-effective to keep them in service in Japan. Wikipedia also has a page about the MOT in the UK. which I hadn't heard of; it says it costs £54.85 per year for cars and light vans. I don't think paying US$70 per year is "just like" paying US$600 per year. Anyway, it confirms my inference that Japan exports a lot of used cars without them getting stolen first.
  - sokoloff 5y ago
    > I don't think paying US$70 per year is "just like" paying US$600 per year. See the point #3 that you posted in your comment. Repairs/maintenance required to pass MOT (or equivalent inspection here) are in addition to the inspection fee.
    - kragen 5y ago
      Sure, agreed.