Is it cheaper to buy your car online from a Japanese dealer or is it better to stick with a traditional auto dealership in your own country? This may be a difficult question, as good deals can be found either way, but they come with trade-offs based on the type of vehicle you want and your willingness to negotiate a cheaper price. Here’s a look at your options.
Please understand we discuss these options based on the assumption that you are based out of Japan but want to buy a great quality used or almost brand new Japanese vehicle.
Traditional car dealership vs. online sites
While the share of vehicles sold online is small (just 10-15%, according to Bloomberg) online vehicle marketplaces like tc-v.com, cars from japan, and automobiles.jp have become more viable, “no-touch” car-buying options during the pandemic. However, traditional dealerships in various countries have scrambled to do the same, somewhat blurring the line between the two. Now, both can deliver a vehicle to your nearby port or even to your door. Local dealers may even handle paperwork easily, provide financing, offer competitive pricing or other perks. But, should you prefer them overused Japanese car dealers in Japan?
Why you’d buy a car online
Online marketplaces such as ours are great if you don’t like dealing with salespeople, want to easily compare prices, or have a specific car model in mind that’s not available in a local dealership, especially if it’s a rare model. It’s also a good option if you’re familiar with the vehicle already and has driven it before, either as a rental or from a test drive at a dealership. (To mitigate the uncertainty of buying a big-ticket item sight-unseen, some online auto merchants offer videos or 360-degree digital images of their cars to help you decide).
Pricing is competitive, too, as there are a lot of companies in the online car selling space—however, the prices you’ll see are pretty much fixed and you likely won’t be able to haggle on the price, unlike at a car dealership.
For even greater savings found online, you have to go beyond established marketplaces and look for deals on secondary reseller markets, like Craigslist or Facebook. With peer-to-peer transactions like these, you get rid of the middleman and deal directly with the seller, which will save you on commission costs and other markups. The only catch is that you need to know what you’re doing, as a peer-to-peer sale requires market research, background checks on the vehicle’s history, and paperwork that includes title transfers or a bill of sale (the site Value Penguin has a good overview on buying from a private seller). It’s not as scary as it sounds, but you’ll need to do your research to avoid getting ripped off by a used Japanese car dealer.
Why you’d buy at a dealership
If you’re looking for a new car, you’ll likely need to go through a traditional brick-and-mortar car dealership in your area, as most countries have dealers who can handle everything for you for buying the car of your dreams. Most of the time, these dealers exclusively sell new car models only. That said, these dealers work closely with manufacturers and are therefore able to offer discounts well below the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, or MSRP, especially if a given model isn’t selling (there’s always a crop of new models to sell, which keeps things moving).
Depending on your timing and knowledge of the market, you can negotiate on things like the car price, add-ons, and financing to get a really good deal from a local dealer. But buying a used Japanese car instead of a new one might be more convenient for you if you choose any of the dealers listed on our website or elsewhere.
