After 10 years and owning 3.75* shitmobiles (1 Mazda, 3 Toyotas) here in Japan (nevermind the shitmobiles I owned in the States...), I have finally acquired my 'Dream Car'.
[You hear that, New Car...? I am kissing your ass already, so you better not fucking: blow a piston, then a radiator (my Okinawa-bought Mazda Cosmo); throw the drive belt, have a hole in your muffler, then blow a head gasket(?? or a $imilar expen$ive problem, my Toyota Soarer); suddenly decide not allow the heat/AC fan to blow on the High setting, then blow a head ga$ket (Supra); never have a working AC, or tread on the tires, or a back seat that any one other than Mini-Me...
...could possibly be comfortable in, then have your CV joint boot$ $tart to $plit(my soon to be ex-Cynos.]
The New Bushido Devidog-mobile seems to pretty much have everything I want/need in a car. Age, maturity, common sense, and skiing has steered me away from psuedo-sports cars (my Soarer and turbo-charged Supra). I want a ride that I can load up my friends and their gear and take road trips to hit the awesome slopes and onsens of Japan, and not get stuck in the snow. Also, the rear cargo area will allow me to haul my barbecue to cook outs, gear for camping, etc., or even use it for some cash on the side. People (especially us damn 'feriners') that sell or want to buy used TV's, refrigerators, etc. (half sized reefers are popular here due to the matchbox-sized apartments), often can't move then (no car), so perfectly good stuff gets thrown in the garbage, a damn waste, and a possible source of easy cash for a gaijin with a SUV.
Other selling points for me were:
- Low Kilos for its age. My limit was 60,000 Kms. It looks like it has barely done 5,000 Kms. The interior is damn near in new condition. Your average Japanese car owner takes WAY better care of their rides than your typical American. I didn't notice any cigarette burns in the seats, McDonald's milkshake stains in the carpet, etc. I probably should have checked the upholstery more thoroughly, but the driver's seat(=the most used seat) was immaculate, so I doubt I will find any major flaws elsewhere.
- One owner. See above.
- Still has Shaken. This would have been an additional 100,000+ yen to add to the price. >:-O
- ABS/airbag(s) My face is a testament as to why airbags are a nice thing to have.
- Comes with a navigation system. Not a deal breaker, because as a heterosexual male, I have the god-like ability to *read a map*, but it is a nice Buck Rodgers kind of toy to have.
- It's a Honda. = Keep's its resale value.
- Comes with a ski rack!! --> This, plus the...
- Rear tinted windows ...were signs from The Baby Jesus saying, "YO! Dickhead!! This be yo' ride, playah!! You bes' be buyin' dat' shizznit wit' da' quickness fo' some othah' G come along and gank yo' shit! The Baby Jesus has spoken....BIIIIAA-AAATTCCHH!"
So now, I have to track down my landlord, get them to certify that I have a parking space, get/take that to the police, get a copy of my hanko(personal seal) registration, transfer the money, and get the completed paperwork back to the car dealer, and then I may finally be able to roll around da' hood in a car I am not embarrased to be seen in... Should take about a week for all the paperwork to be completed before I will be able to drive it off the lot... I SOOOoooo look forward to being able listen to *my* music, not whatever happens to be on the radio at the time, which, in the Tokyo area, is 98% brain-cell/will-to-live killing inane drivel. All of my previous cars in Japan had shitty tape decks that weren't worth replacing, given the car's other issues.
I can picture it now...cruising down the road in the fast approaching summertime with some Led Zeppelin jamming in the CD player and the AC blasting, keeping me as cool as Vanilla Ice! >;-P
It's gonna be sweet!!
*(The Supra was a decent ride for awhile, I just didn't feel like paying the ￥60,000-70,000 to fix the head gasket, plus another ￥100,000 for the Shaken, it was better to get another car. It is the same situation with my Cynos now: fix AC ￥80,000-100,000 + CV joint boots ￥60,000 + Shaken due in July ￥100,000~120,000 = Buy another car, you fool!!)
