Wise buying choices.

Lovert Mafukure

Mistakes are common, some are intentional and some are unconscious. Some can be easily reversed while some are costly and irreversible. In motoring, the biggest mistake one can make is buying the wrong car!

A lot of people have been asking me the same question. They all want to know the best car they could buy or import from Japan.
There’s no one-size-fit-all kind of answer for this question, which is why there’s a profusion of different types of cars meant to serve different purposes. When choosing a car, one’s needs, wants, durability, practicality and cost of running the car all come into play . . . but sometimes we just buy because it’s what’s within our reach.

We have grown to love the Japanese cars. They bring a new sense of motoring that we hadn’t known and a new level of luxury we can all learn to appreciate. The most appealing aspect of cars coming out of Japan is cost. They are relatively cheap to buy.

However, buying cheap does not always mean that they are also cheap to maintain. The first thing you will need to do is to buy a car that is cheap to maintain. A Mercedes Benz may be cheap to buy in Japan but it won’t be cheap to maintain.

Japanese sites have thousands of used cars to choose from, it’s good to remember that these are cars meant for a different market and as such you may find it difficult to get spares for such cars. However, there are cars that are manufactured in Japan under a certain name then elsewhere under a different name but essentially the same car.

Some parts are interchangeable and others are not. In a sense you can buy a car from Japan called a Toyota Belta and find that its available in South Africa as Toyota Yaris. Some parts can be interchangeable but some are not.

They look similar but they also have slight differences. Getting a car of that nature is one way of securing a better supply chain of parts that is closer to home than Japan. Usually differences on these cars are on lights, fenders and the exterior outlook.

There are plenty other Toyotas, Mazdas, Nissans etcetera with South African or local variants. That makes it easier for one to get spares for them. But if it so happens that one fancies themselves an iconic car from Japan that’s not so popular in Africa, one of the days they might have to pack bags and fly to Japan in search of simple things like an air filter. So choose a car with local variants, some parts may then be easier to get.

Running costs will eventually determine whether you bought the correct or wrong car. I could think of all the strategies on vehicle selection and if I do not mention fuel consumption I would have failed. There are cars from Japan that make big men stare at the fuel gauge instead of the road they are driving on.

These are cars that are so thirsty they need you to have an oil rig somewhere in your backyard.
Cars are meant to be enjoyed and improve mobility.

They do not serve their purpose if all you are going to do is park them because of fuel. With some of these cars you will get instant BP and die prematurely, be warned. Big cars generally have big engines and the opposite is true for smaller cars.

There are some cars that are now well known to eat into your monthly fuel allowance in a week’s time or less. It’s no joke, with every momentary glance at the fuel gauge you are probably aging by a percentage due to high stress levels, so buy wisely.

Practicality is fundamental when making your choice. Essentially, as a buyer you would need to buy a car that suits your needs, having looked at those few factors, it’s good to know in which segment you will likely fall under.

You do not want to buy a Vitz if you have 8 family members. If you have a big family you need a mini-van but perhaps not a Nissan Elgrand because it comes packing 3 300 cubic centimetres of madness, you are not an Arab prince or princess.

If you are young and getting your life together, perhaps a small hatch back. Finally, if you are a handyman you need a truck. It’s all about being practical and putting your needs before everything else because all cars serve different purposes.

That said, one will do justice to an automobile if they use it for its intended purpose. Think of how you want your car to serve you.

Think of your needs and wants. Think of your family, friendship circles, what you may need to carry and how often you would want to be pumping money into your fuel tank and parts. That is incentive enough to buy the correct car that will serve you to the best of its abilities and as the master — you will enjoy the course of your relationship with your car.
@lovert116

Automart Used Spares Centre — Quality Used Japanese Spares. +263772339938 —[email protected]
Facebook: @automartusc