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Recently, I’ve noticed that there are more and more imported used cars from Japan on Canadian roads. How do I know that these cars are used vehicles from Japan? Well the steering wheel being on the opposite side of the car is a good clue. Another clue is that many used imports from Japan will still have their ’shaken’ stickers on them. These stickers are always located right on the windshield just below the rear view mirror. Unfortunately the car featured above had it’s sticker removed.

The down-low on ‘Shaken’

‘Shaken’ is the Japanese word for vehicle inspection test. Most new vehicles are required to have an inspection after 3 years and then another one every two years. Inspections aren’t cheap either, typically costing around US$ 1000, plus whatever ‘repairs’ are necessary. The purpose of ’shaken’ is not to make sure that vehicles are safe, but to protect the Japanese auto industry and encourage Japanese consumers to purchase new vehicles. The bad part of this policy is that Japanese consumers take a big hit when they try to resell their vehicles, however this also makes it cheaper to import and sell these vehicles abroad.

Another reason for importing used Japanese cars is that there are certain models that are only sold in Japan. An example of this is the Nissan Skyline. The Skyline is a sports car and probably the most famous car that Nissan makes, at least within Japan. However many car fanboys know about the Skyline and are desperate to have one. Importing a used one from Japan is the only way to get one. I suppose you could import a new one, but that would cost a fortune!

The main used Japanese imports that I see are sports cars such as the Nissan Skyline or Toyota Soarer. That’s probably due to the fact that the people who buy them here see them as a status symbol. They also dig the fact that they are left hand drive vehicles making them more unique and likely to turn heads. Let’s face it, when you buy a sports car you probably like to have some attention and driving one of these vehicles around will certainly get you that. Having said that I’ve also seen a few Mitsubishi Delica’s. Delica’s are large passenger vans and I believe they all have diesel engines. I’m not too sure why they are popular but I have a feeling that they are really cheap.

Anyway I don’t think I’d ever buy one of these vehicles. It would be a hassle to feel like you are always driving on the wrong side of the road. Plus what if you need replacement parts? I’m pretty sure it’s gonna take longer to find them and be more expensive. Of course I don’t even have a car so I’m not even sure why I’m even writing this post…