Shakken? What do you know?

[AussieBird]

I wanna buy a K car or a VW Golf and need more info on the shakken before I go ahead with it. Heard about "self-shakken" but find it a little confusing. Heard you can buy a car then take to a mechanic at a gas station have it checked out, then take it to the Ministry of bla bla bla, in doing so, saving loads of money and avoiding getting ripped-off buy the car dealer. Is this possible and straight forward-ish or should I get find a good car dealer who will sell me a good car with a low-ish shakken? How much more will it cost me to run the Golf as opposed to the K? Any good car dealers in the Nagoya/Aichi area?

[nice gaijin]

Everything I hear about owning a car in Japan makes me hope that I'll never need one. I'm afraid I don't know the specifics of the shaken, but Mike Cash makes his living behind the wheel, so I'm sure he knows the rules quite well.

[Mikawa Ossan]

Shaken for a kei car is cheaper than this, but this is what I had to pay last time I did shaken for my sedan. Sorry, but I have no idea what the English equivalants are to these, so I'll just do my best...

Mandatory Fees (by law)
Tax 37,800
Liability Insurance: 31,880
Stamp Fee: 1,100

Shaken Fees (by the place that I went to)
Basic Fee: 4,800
Office Fee: 3,500
Inspection Fee: 10,000

If my car was in good enough condition to pass the inspection, that is all I would have to pay. As it was, I got another 44,650 worth of work done on the car. Not all of it was necessary to pass the inspection, but I figured what better time to get it done?

Hope this helps at least a little.

[AussieBird]

Cheers for that Mikawa Ossan. Do you have any further advice on this as well as on how I should go about buying a car i.e. should I only buy from a reputable dealer or could I take my chances on yahooauctions? What do I need to know when buying a used car? Any advice on what sort of place I should take it to to get it checked out before I take it for the self-shakken?

[Mikawa Ossan]

The first thing to ask you is, how good is your Japanese?

If it's not good enough that you feel comfortable doing all this yourself, you should bring a Japanese friend with you.

Otherwise I know a bloke up in Seto, I think, who sells cars for a living. He's from Australia or America or someplace like that, so I know he speaks perfect English. I'm sure he could help you better than I ever could! I can send you his information if you want.

[Glenski]

Have not heard of "self-shaken". May have to investigate.

Cost of shaken depends on the make and age of the car. Newer ones have the safety inspections less often. Once every 2 or 3 years.

[Mikawa Ossan]

I think it's just a matter of filing the paperwork yourself.