tzakiel

I am planning to accept a job in Japan (probably kyoto or nagoya) in the next year or two.

Is there any sense to having a car shipped to japan and registered there, or is it just too much hassle and cost? I have heard it can be difficult to get registration on imported cars.

Maybe it's silly, and the best thing would be to just sell the TL and purchase a car there, if I ever got used to right side driving that is. I'd certainly not get a manual... shifting with a left hand, what a disaster that could be for me.

SaNJoSeTLRydEr

yeha that would really suck...

blufox

Naw if u have a TL in japan it b like havin a kosinegg in the fact tha they have never heard of the company. Plus TL such a hot car

zeezz

Please learn proper english and stop embarrasing our age group

tzakiel

not even sure if you are saying to ship it or to not ship it... heh

invincible569

Figure out where your going to live first. I heard space is very limited over there and who knows if a car is worth taking. Its like living in NY.

mickey3c

I wouldn't... I know someone who was over seas for a relo package. They stored theirs and bought something to drive over there. Roads and driving is much different over there. I am not sure how much more difficult (if at all ) to get service. Anything can happen in the shipping the car. If it get damaged it is one more thing to worry about. Might be better off driving whatever hardware they have over there. Maybe the TL will not fair too well on the roads over there...

JPTL-S

J, trust me they have much nicer cars in Japan, I lived there for a while. But, on the other hand, if you do decide to ship your car there you may be only one of the very few that have a 3G tl over there unless Honda has decided to start shipping the current bodystyle over in the next two years. We actually did the reverse, when we moved back to the states, we had cars shipped from Japan back to the States. But my I say sell it and buy a car there

Just check out the Honda Website for Japan

Example of What you might consider purchasing over in Japan: Euro-R

tzakiel

Yeah, I've spent time in Japan before... some places are more crowded than others though. I don't want to live in shibuya Tokyo, hehe.

Anyway yeah, if I do end up going I'd probably sell the TL and get a honda over there.

nfnsquared

Don't worry about shifting left handed. You'll get used to it pretty quick. Only took me a couple of days. Took me longer to remember to get in on the right side of the car rather than the left!!

rifleman-cl

Aren't the roads in Japan tighter than the States, just like in Europe. Sell the car and get a clear out Legend like the one from Mugen.....

Scribesoft

If you think you'll be going in a couple of years, you may be just in time to get a newly redesigned Skyline GT-R!

Here's the plan: Sell the TL, buy GT-R in Japan, bring GT-R back to states with you when you move back (if you're moving back)..

That's if the GT-R is still not available in the US by then..

Oh, and send lots of pics to us @ A-Zine!

EDIT: Actually, it looks like it'll be around 80K/US... well, it seemed like a good idea

TampaMike

Why not drive over?

Try this link as part of your research....

http://www.dasautoshippers.com/?refe...to+shipping-br

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

I've seen some bad spelling of Koenigsegg, but this one takes the cake. Thanks for the laugh.

Oh, and the TL is hardly Koenigsegg status. I wouldn't give my left nut for a TL, but I would give both for a CCR.

gt1

I've seen a number of left side drive cars in Japan, so I think, you will be able to register a TL over there. But I would buy a local car- you are sbjecting yourself to a lot of hazards with a left side car. For example, the headlights are assymetrical, so in Japan the left shoulder will be left dark, but oncoming drivers on the right will be blinded.

z06girl

A Japanese friend of mine moved back to Japan about 2 years ago...
there are some things you might want to consider before you ship the vehicle to Japan

A) Shipping cost and taxes that Japanese gov't will imply additionally is pretty steep.
B) They drive on the right side as we drive on the left (I am not sure if your car will be illegal there in terms of inspection.
C) Trouble with customs if you do plan to ship it

It's best just to sell the car and get something new there.

Scribesoft

I realize this thread is about where the TL was designed, BUT I have a scanned copy of an article from the Summer 2005 copy of Acura Style on "The Making of the TL". It's a great read. I scanned in and linked through imageshack and KeepMyFile (because imageshack thought the car pics were porn and wouldn't upload!!)

I hope this hasn't been posted here before. If you want a copy, you may want to save it because I think the KeepMyFile pics will only be there for 60 days or so. Happy Reading.

Page 1) Imageshack
Page 2) KeepMyFile (imageshack thought this was p*rn)
Page 3) ImageShack
Page 4) ImageShack
Page 5) Imageshack
Page 6) KeepMyFile (imageshack thought this was p*rn too!)

If these links don't work, let me know and I'll repost. They're big pics, so I thought links would be better here than the actual pics.

According to ImageShack, we have a very sexy car!

jcl_cls01

When I was in Japan, I've seen American cars (Escalades, Cherokee's, muscle cars) in Japan with the steering wheel on the left side, rather than the right side which is popular in Japan. So I don't think your TL will be illegal. Cost of living is pretty steep, and good luck in finding a parking garage. Those are pretty scarce, compared to NYC. Mass transit is the way to go, if you're in the city. But in the burbs, makes sense to have a car.

Scribesoft

SORRY - Wrong "Japan" thread. MODS - Please remove this post ^ if possible. I re-posted it in the correct thread..

TampaMike

Scribe,

Could you toss over what you are drinking?

I think you got your threads crossed.

Oh, and please post porn....

CCColtsicehockey

I say dont ship it and buy a Accord Euro R while you over there and then bring me back the steering wheel and airbag for my conversoin.

SebringSilver

Depending on how long your contract is, and also on the actual terms of the contract, it may well be that your best option is to not buy a car at all while you're over there. Public transit is excellent in Tokyo, and parking is at a premium. You'll often end up parking a long way from where you actually want to go. If you're only going for a couple of years, then I'd definitely not recommend buying a car over there. Remember, the same economic factors that affect cars in North America also apply to Japan. The minute your car leaves the showroom floor, you're taking a pretty big hit.

Just my two cents...oh, and have a great time in Asia!

PG2G

I didn't see anything cool in Japan that we don't have here, aside from things like the GTR.

pettydw

I highly recommend selling your car and buying or leasing one in Japan. You will have more than your share of hassles moving overseas, so why add to them. Most companies lease you a car when you are relocated overseas anyway. Japans taxes and inspection laws for autos do not favor importing you own car, along with all the other negatives mentioned above. I lived and worked overseas for several years, so I know some of what you will be going through.

datplayaz

call around and find out how much it is to import a car into japan... and if it's not that bad, I would definatly do it... they don't have TL in japan, so it would definatly be rare.