
#JDM ENGINE ZONE DRIVERS#
Because drivers do not want to bear the high cost of inspection or the repairs needed to pass an inspection, they often will trade the cars in to save money. Typically after the third inspection, the car starts to fail these tests and is stripped the engines and transmissions are shipped across the world.Īs you might imagine, the hassle of these tests can keep some people from having a car for more than three years if they decide even to get a car. The car’s interior is tested with scrutiny to make sure it is in accordance with Japanese transportation law.The inspection tests the speedometer of the car by running it on a dynamometer.Every light on the vehicle will be tested to confirm they function properly and aim at the correct angle.The strictness goes beyond exterior dents and scratches emissions aren’t even allowed to be 1% above the normal value.The whole undercarriage of the car is inspected, and the durability of the suspension system is tested.Any exterior body damage requires immediate repair before it goes back on the road.There’s a reason the cost is so high the inspection process is quite rigorous, and usually involves making sure a vehicle meets these requirements: The price is also likely to increase as the car ages. Since it is mandatory, it can cost drivers hundreds to thousands of dollars to do this every few years, and the cost can quickly add up. The combination of Japan’s JCI (Japan Compulsory Insurance), and gas emission rules from Shaken requires a new car to be inspected every two years. The easier option is to walk, bike, or use mass transit. Additionally, expensive inspections to check gas emissions are an ongoing requirement. Inevitably, this means many cars and trucks are just off-limits, and the pool of vehicles civilians can use and drive becomes smaller. The gas emission rules are much stricter in Japan, set by an organization known as Shaken. Even if you aren’t driving a gas guzzler, the gas still costs nearly twice as much as it does in America. It is more expensive to drive around in Japan. (For context, American cars, on average, are 11 years old and are driven 15,000 miles a year.)īut why is there this big of a gap in mileage? Below, we’ll explore the reasons. In contrast, used Japanese cars typically have an average of 37,000 miles. Used American cars, on average, have 165,000 miles on their engines. In general, used Japanese cars have much lower mileage than other cars. Low Mileage on used JDM Engines: Explained However, a purchase can go wrong if the buyer makes the wrong choice of JDM vehicle or doesn’t know which factors to consider. This explains the low mileage on so many used Japanese domestic vehicles and engines. It makes more sense for most Japanese drivers to simply trade their vehicle in after 2-4 years instead of paying the hefty fee of inspection. Because this inspection costs thousands of dollars, JDM cars are commonly traded in after a few years so drivers can save money. A thorough inspection system is used to assess JDM vehicles. The mileage on a JDM car can usually be trusted if purchased from a reliable seller. Many think that these values can’t possibly be so low, but there are lots of reasons why this is. Many used JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) cars have very low mileage, which may seem too good to be true. There is a lot of variation within the car world, and many factors could lead to different results in a vehicle’s mileage.
