For those that have been on the island for awhile

[DJ Tak]

aka long term residents.

When buying a car do you even look at the places that cater to Americans　（BC, Johnnys, PitStop etc) or do you go directly to the Japanese run lots?

Is it worth it to pay 1500 for a different car every two years or pay the 6-9k up front and "do it right" the first time? Keep in mind the only thing I know about cars is when to change the oil/filter and when to get maintenance done.

ありがとう

[dk]

I let my wife's friend take my wife car shopping. Her friend (woman) is a car freak, and I'm not, and it gives me more peace and quiet at home to take care of work and studies. They go to Japanese lots. I really couldn't care less where they go. I'm choosing the next car though. For this one, I had no choice. We needed a family car as we had a new baby at the time, so something sporty was out of the question. When it's my turn to pick, I'll probably drop by a few of my friends' car lots to see what they can offer me.

[DJ Tak]

When I go to the Japanese lots with my wife I am at her mercy since she acts as the translator. I prefer to buy from them (which i did for her minivan) but she is , or so it seems, hell bent on my buying a car from someone leaving the island or from one of the American places. I really don't want a 1998 Mark II with 100k kilometers.

[P_chan]

If you want a better price, then go far away from base. Buddy of mine got a honda stepwagon for about 1,500 and that thing is in beautiful condition! Seats a ton of people, and it looks sharp too. He's had it for one year and so far no major problems. But keep in mind that if you take care of your car it will last you. Unfortunately a lot of people over here don't take care of their cars which is why you get so many lemons.

Hell my car needed a major repair the month after I bought it. Blew a cam seal and turns out the guy who had it before me used to drive it around like he was fast and furious. But after I fixed that and replaced all my oil soaked belts I didn't have any problems that weren't caused by wear and tear. Sure a bad radiator hose, new brakes, or new tires. But you'll have to deal with those no matter where you get your car from.

[DJ Tak]

The one thing that puts me at ease is the 24 month hosho that the Japanese lots offer. The other places usually cap out at 90 days.

[macker]

Get away from all places that cater to US service members.

Much better deals to be had...

Years ago I got my truck at one.. I did a lot of searching (I do speak a enough japanese). It was 5 years old, PERFECT condition for 450,000. Of course I had to do all Registration myself, no biggie.. 1 day of my life.

[Bones]

As posted by Takeo:

When buying a car do you even look at the places that cater to Americans　（BC, Johnnys, PitStop etc) or do you go directly to the Japanese run lots?

Is it worth it to pay 1500 for a different car every two years or pay the 6-9k up front and "do it right" the first time? Keep in mind the only thing I know about cars is when to change the oil/filter and when to get maintenance done.

Those are pretty good questions. The answer will pretty much depend on how long you plan on staying over here. And there are some other considerations to take into account:

The type of license plate, white, or yellow.

The Class rating of your vehicle, 300, or 500. The 300 number requires you to pay a higher Road Tax, than a vehicle with a 500 number, and yellow plates are even cheaper, as far as taxes are concerned. And it has an effect on how much money you will have to pay for car inspections.

If you are only going to be here for two or three years, a lot of bases here have "Lemon Lots", and you can find some good deals. Off-base, a lot of the car dealers that you've mentioned specialize in selling cars from the main land , that have been involved in accidents. They are refurbished to meet local safety standards, and cost more than any vehicle that you could find on-base. One thing to keep in mind, if you paid a certain amount of money for your vehicle off-base, do not expect to get anywhere near the amount that you have paid for it, if selling it to a fellow G.I.

In either of the above cases, talk with your sponsor, and have him ask around regarding the reliability of the vehicle that he purchased off base, and ask for some feedback about how reliable the dealer is when it comes down to the warranty, and how many times the vehicle had to be taken in for repairs. Were the repairs covered by the warranty, or did someone have to pay out of pocket expenses for the needed repairs.

If you plan on staying over here forever, such as me, we purchased a new vehicle, with Japanese plates. My brother-in-law, was the number 2 man for Honda on the island before he retired. He still has a lot of connections, and he steered us to the right dealer, and even got us a huge discount on the final ticket price.

If you're only going to be here short-term, then the lemon lot should work out well for you. Or you could go to an off base establishment, for extra maintenance security concerns.

Bones

[DJ Tak]

I'm pretty sped up with the license plate, vehicle class, road tax, jci info. This isn't my first time here, although the last time I was here was in 95-96. Last time around I bought a car for abour 400 dollars and I know the way I treated it (no oil changes, no maint at all) and that's what concerns me when buying from another service member.

I am here a minimum of 3 years but I forsee myself being here for 6. I am going to get Y plates for the car because I don't want to go through the hassles of not having one.

I have my father in law and brother in law involved in the hunt, but it looks like it is coming down to convincing the wife that financing a car, in the long run, is better than risking a dropped transmission 3 months down the line.

Stubborn ass Okinawans :)