Here I come!!!!!

[Antoine]

Wow Madbiker, Thanks for all the info...It's cool to meet someone who knows the "lowdown" in Japan and even the "gaijin" havens like Costco's in Amagasaki

Yeah...My contract ends around July '06...If I stay in Japan longer I might relocate to Osaka but I recently visited the "Tango" area...which is a coastal area of small country towns and I loved it...If I stay a while and move to a beach town somewhere...I'll definitely get a ride...everybody has and needs a car in the countryside...plus that's perfect country for driving...it's beautiful!

I'm a car guy at heart so leading a car-less lifestyle for the time being is getting to me...but it allows me to save and setup my future so I can enjoy driving something sweet in the later on

Speaking of something sweet...Is the engine tax on the RX-8 high? Isn't the rotary quite small? I've heard of those turbo K cars...like the cappuccino...which one is the best in terms of performance/potential/quality?

If you're ever in the Kansai area let me know...we should meet up!

 

[Killer]

No kidding...great info.!!! So much dinero!!!!

 

[Brian MP5T]

luck guy

 

[RallyeRedSi]

car is nice

 

[MadBiker]

Antoine, I'm actually a Japanese/American dual citizen so I'm not completely a "gaijin" here in Japan, but many of the ridiculosities here do get to me.

I know what it feels like to not have a car, I've been through it when I was in Tokyo 10 yrs ago.

If you really want an inexpensive car solution I would look for a used automatic transmission car - those are cheap and usually in very good condition. Or if you know anybody that is looking to unload a car, since it costs $$ to junk a car, they might consider it a favor if you can take it off their hands. But to do so you'd need to take a day off to get all the paper work done for change of ownership and registration and what not, including creating a "hanko" or chop, that you need to register at the city hall. That's why dealers charge so much for doing registration and title - it's a huge pain here in Japan.

Why don't you visit a Mazda dealership and have them work up an estimate for you (and test drive an RX-8 if they have one)? I don't know what the Engine Displacement tax is for the RX-8. Is there someone that can help you with translation on your visit to the dealership? Also do you have a license here? If you want to drive a manual transmission car here, you'll also have to take the driver test that will allow you to drive a manual transmissin. That's a pain, and for that I would actually go to a driving school so they can point out what the driving test will entail. A 1 hour lesson for an experienced driver will probably be about like 6,000 yen. I went 2x and then took the test and passed on my first attempt. Many people don't pass on their first attempt.

As for Kei cars, I'm kinda biased toward the Suzuki Alto, Works version. But there are plenty others, like turbocharged Subaru kei cars that I hear are very reliable and fun. I haven't followed that market, so for that I would gather information and research. The Demio would be a nice car but it is not a Kei car. Sorry i can't help you much in that respect.

But if you're a car lover, then you should definitely take some time on your weekends and just visit dealerships, used and new, and just find out what's out there! That's the fun part for me, at least, and it would be educational for you as well.

p.s. what line of work are you in? Is your company hiring? I'm kinda disapointed in the company I work for now and am starting a job search anew....

 

[MadBiker]

thnx!

car is nice

Thanks man. I like your car too!! What year protege is your car and what mods have you done to it? I don't see that info in your sig....

 

[MadBiker]

luck guy

Brian, did you mean good luck to Antoine, or are you calling me a lucky guy? whatever, thanks for browsing this thread!