Job Discussion Forums

[nawlinsgurl]

Just a question for all you car owners out there...what would u recommend to someone:

Now I have a small Nissan March, it's good on gas and reliable, but I will have to pony up and get a different car soon. So I'm wondering if the Kei or Mini cars are that bad. I've recently started surfing and want something big enough to where I can put my boards on top of the roof (now I do that with my March and yes, it looks a bit crazy) or either inside the car (like a Kei van). I also go on the highway a bit for travel, but not anywhere REALLY far. For example, I'd pack a weekend of stuff and take the Ferry to Chiba...I know the taxes and shaken are way cheaper on a Kei car, but are they safe? How long do they last? Reliable? Any good recommendations??? I see tons of Kei/mini cars on the roads in my town, so I'm thinking they must be safe???

If I don't go Kei, I would get a Honda CRV or station wagon (300 or 500 plate car). I know they are a bit more expensive with the taxes and shaken, but size is good for lugging stuff around and also safety is not as bad (maybe) with a regular car. I'm basically looking for some advice and info on what it costs all you out there and what you'd recommend. FYI-I'm an English teacher on a fairly decent salary w/no kids....
Thanks in advance for your help!

[G Cthulhu]

[flyer]

safe? of course!!

I have a Daihatsu Move, it is great (its a kei)
you pay so much less taxes, in fact you will save close to 30,000yen every year (or close to it for all the car taxes)
and everything is cheaper including the cost of shaken, driving on the freeway, much cheaper gasoline costs and boat trips (the cost goes by the size of your car) but you prob don't need that! LOL

seriously,
you can't drive fast here in Japan and my kei can do over 100kph no problem.
My wife had to use a van for 1 month for work and we couldn't believe the gasoline cost!!! we were so used to our kei.

all in all, in Japan (their tax system and crowded roads) I swear by them

[Gordon]

Yes, kei cars are safe and some are not too small. There are some larger van types.

I have had about 5 kei cars over the years, but had to upgrade to a larger white plate one as it couldn't fit my family of 5 any longer.

Yes gas is so much cheaper with a kei.

[David W]

You should get a Life.

[ironopolis]

Kei cars are perfectly safe......unless you have a serious accident in one. And, particularly if you don't drive an awful lot (as your post suggested, OP) the chances of you having a serious accident are not all that high. The lesser likelihood of going much over 100km/h perhaps lowers the chances of an accident even further.

It's certainly true that if you get hit by a huge truck, you're gonna be in a bad way whatever car you're in. However, you could use the same argument to justify not needing a helmet when you ride a motorbike. Unlikely though it is to happen, you are going to be at greater risk of serious injury in a collision with another car or stationary object in a kei car than you would be in something more substantial. There again, unless you're buying something fairly new, the safety standards of bigger cars in Japan are not really all that impressive anyway. Remember this is a country where lots of people drive around while watching their car tv and drink-driving has only really been taken seriously since about a year ago.

But if you can put that far enough towards the back of your mind, and want to get the best value out of your car ownership, a kei isn't such a bad idea.

[Glenski]

Here is a tip from a Japanese auto repairman, who is my wife's friend's husband.

Don't ever get a used Kei car. They are just too much trouble, and you will spend more money with the car in the shop than if you buy a new Kei car.

[markle]

[cornishmuppet]

Glenski might have a point. My friend, who is a king skintflint, bought a kei car in order to save money about four months ago. The garage did a fresh shaken on it, but within a month there was a hole in the exhaust, and then the dials and km counter all stopped working. The garage paid 50% of the repairs, but even so that was a little bad. I have a Nissan March myself and haven't had a problem in 18 months (though I don't like saying that because I'm about to go to work!).

Having said that, while I love that my car has a bit of zip, had I known kei cars were so much cheaper at the time I was looking to get a car, I probably would have gone for one instead.

[markle]

I think it is best to avoid a kei if it is old not simply because it is used. Also I think the newer models of keis have been better designed and made simply to cater to a growing market.

[Brooks]

I bought a used kei car and it has been fine.
It is a Mazda Carol.

For long trips a bigger car would be better (i.e, like going to Osaka).
I have two dogs, and I feel crowded when I am with my wife and dogs in the car.
If you are driving in the mountains (like in Nagano), a bigger car is better.
I am 5'9" and the kei car feels small to me when I am driving it.
I don't use it that much since I take the train to work.

[billysmolesworthy]

I drive a yellow plate car. It's ideal for city driving and can crusie on the toll ways at 110 k. It's not a very new model either. Crap on incline though. I would toatally recommend one.

[flyer]

[Glenski]

flyer,
That's not what I wrote. You even have the quote right there, but you misunderstood!

The husband of my wife's friend said: If you want to buy a Kei car, don't buy a used one. A used Kei car will be in the shop more than a new Kei car.

The discussion then and here have nothing to do with comparing Kei cars with "normal size" cars.

[David W]