Recond car dealers say Japan car owners drive less, true or false?

Many a time, when you are shopping for a reconditioned Japanese car, your recond dealer will invariably mention that these cars are well-taken care of, due to the culture and habits of Japanese people. Furthermore, many recond dealers will repeat this mantra: these cars are sought-after because Japanese people drive less, and thus their cars clock lower mileages.

Due to this reason, most Japanese reconditioned cars that arrive in Malaysia are claimed to have low mileage. We have since debunked this claim, as some reconditioned Japanese cars have had their mileage tampered with to appear more attractive to prospective buyers (more on this later). 

Regardless, the general impression remains that, the Japanese population drive less, but is that really true? Well, that's what we are here to find out. 

Consumption habits in Japan

To get an insight to the vehicle ownership and usage habits of the Japanese population, a study found that privately-owned passenger cars in Japan clock an average distance of 10,575 km annually. In comparison, a study conducted by MIROS indicated that in a year, drivers in Peninsula Malaysia can rack up to around 28,000 km in mileage. That's almost triple the distance!

This supports the notion of Japanese drivers not clocking a lot of miles in their cars, and driving less in general. But then again, why would they drive all that often? You see, it can be a hassle and quite costly to get around using a car, why? 

It's really expensive to drive in Japan 

For starters, fuel prices in Japan aren't what you'd call pocket-friendly. The average petrol price in Japan in 2021 hovers around USD 1.37/litre (RM 5.70), compared to the Malaysian average of USD 0.49/litre (RM 2.04). That's before you factor in car park rates, which are a common sight across Japan. 

Average car park rates can cost anywhere from JPY 100 (RM 3.80) every 15 minutes, and up to a whopping JPY 1,000 (RM 38) per hour in urban areas, where space is more scarce. Given the exhorbitant fuel and parking charges, is it any wonder that the Japanese population doesn't drive much?

Furthermore, when it comes to personal mobility, Japan is home to a pretty excellent public transport system, be it the rail or bus networks, unlike the fragmented, shambolic example we have here in Malaysia. If you've ever been to Japan and experienced its public transport, you'd marvel at the timely precision in the manner that it operates. 

Because of that, people in Japan have the luxury of choice. When the occasions do not necessitate it, public transport is an excellent, fuss-free way to get around. It dents their wallets less, too. 

Guaranteed low mileage, really?

So, we've established that yes, Japanese owners drive their cars less when compared to us Malaysians. But does it mean that all reconditioned Japanese cars that arrive in Malaysia have low mileages by default? Not necessarily. How does one look out for mileage tampering then?

The most basic one would be simple math. For example, if you're looking at a car that is 5 years-old, and it only has around 10,000 km on the odometer, something doesn't add up. Going on the 10,000 km/year average, a 5 year-old unit should have around 50,000 km in mileage. 

That's not to say that finding genuine low-mileage cars is impossible, but conventional wisdom dictates that, if it's too good to be true, it probably is.

Auction report

More than just using your gut feeling, a shopper now has other tools available to help reduce the chances of mileage tampering. The most common one would be to pay for a Japanese auction report.

Often times, the recond dealer will offer to give you a copy of such a report, but who's to say that he/she hasn't tampered with it? An auction report doesn't cost a lot (around RM 50), best to pay for it yourself.

Auction report not foolproof, tampering still possible

Even then, mileage tampering can happen before a car goes for said auction. This is where obtaining a Japanese Registration Certificate would help greatly. You see, before a car can be exported from Japan, it needs to be de-registered first with the Japanese Transport Authority (MLIT).

All relevant details will be listed in the de-registration document, including the 'shaken' history. A 'shaken' is a mandatory vehicle safety inspection carried out once every two years. As you can see in the Japanese Registration Certificate above, there is a two year gap between the odometer readings, indicating that 'shaken' was conducted in the regular period.

A red flag in this case would be, that the Japanese Registration Certificate shows a 'shaken' gap of two inspections within a period of six months. This could be that the seller is trying to 'clear' the previous original records from appearing in the certificate. 

So, if the 'shaken' dates have less than a two year gap (and glaringly so) in the Japanese Registration Certificate, walk away. Do note that a Japanese Registration Certificate does cost more to obtain (around RM 500) from service providers such as this one. 

Conclusion

While the general perception that Japanese drivers use their cars less is indeed quite true, that doesn't mean you should not be careful when it comes to shopping for a reconditioned unit. Do your homework, know what to look out for, and don't be taken in by the sweet promises of salespeople. They're there to do their jobs, you need to do yours too. 

Without wanting to tar everyone with the same brush, there are dealers that operate in a honest and transparent manner, as well as unscrupulous ones. There's absolutely nothing wrong in going out of your way to protect yourself from dodgy dealers and end up with a dodgy car.