Cars We Drive!

[impolyt_one]

I think some of the crazier aspects about car culture in Tokyo is that since it's a large city with some personal money and Japan has an excruciatingly fast car turnover due to laws, you see people driving around cars right after they're released and whoever has ordered one on the first days ends up with it first, driving it around Tokyo. Sometimes if you don't keep up with a particular brand, even if you're a car enthusiast, you get surprised to see something on the road that you didn't know existed or thought was merely concept, it happens very often. I see BMW Japan's website selling the M6 gran coupe already, so maybe I'll see one of those when I go to Japan the day after tomorrow.
That, and car tastes in Japan are more Euro-centric and they get things that America doesn't, so Alfa Romeos are perennially popular even though they have resale like dog poo, and wagons are popular that you see the wagon versions of things you didn't know had a wagon version, like the C63T or RS4 Avants. Wagons everywhere. It's a status thing to mark the middle class in Japan.

 

[Huntsman]

Quote:
Wait, do all the plates have the model numbers, or is that like a vanity plate? I had not noticed this.

I was only in Tokyo on one weekend day, mainly in Shinjuku (spent a lot of time in the park, which was lovely), but I should have used it to more efficiently see things only seeable on the weekend. I took some pictures of a beautiful mid-80's Daimler DoubleSix in Ginza Thursday night, and the owner came over apparently a little concerned. I love old Jags so we struck up a nice conversation since his english was flawless (though he thought I was English, but that was probably from the Jag-love). Apparently his father gave it to him as a gift. Nice gift. I think he was a little surprised that someone would like his kindof cheap old Daimler.

~ H

 

[GreenFrog]

I still don't understand how so many people in Tokyo can afford such expensive cars. They seem far more common than normal.

Edit: and by expensive, I'm not referring to the M3s, or RS4s, or M6s.. I'm talking about the exotics and beyond. Granted, even the M3s and whatnot probably cost the equivalent of $130K USD due to customs and whatnot.

 

[mike1445]



We drove the Q5 a couple years ago. It was a bit underpowered but otherwise a fine vehicle. I understand now they have an optional engine which is good. The problem last time was their residuals were atrocious, I think 44%, so the lease payment was outlandishly big.

As to the Toureg neither one of us wants to spend service time at the same place all those idiots with the Bugs and douches with the Jettas get service at.

I resemble that remark (passat), its a nice SUV and worth a drive but I won't argue that the loaners or service would be anywhere near par with MB

 

[Huntsman]

I still don't understand how so many people in Tokyo can afford such expensive cars. They seem far more common than normal.

Edit: and by expensive, I'm not referring to the M3s, or RS4s, or M6s.. I'm talking about the exotics and beyond. Granted, even the M3s and whatnot probably cost the equivalent of $130K USD due to customs and whatnot.

Tokyo is like NYC, Boca, Boston, DC and Orange County combined, so with the high-end car populations of those cities combined, I was not particularly surprised. However, in Ginza on a weekday, there are huge numbers of people who clearly do not work. That was surprising, and I don't know enough about Japanese society for that.
~ H

 

[impolyt_one]



Wait, do all the plates have the model numbers, or is that like a vanity plate? I had not noticed this.

I was only in Tokyo on one weekend day, mainly in Shinjuku (spent a lot of time in the park, which was lovely), but I should have used it to more efficiently see things only seeable on the weekend. I took some pictures of a beautiful mid-80's Daimler DoubleSix in Ginza Thursday night, and the owner came over apparently a little concerned. I love old Jags so we struck up a nice conversation since his english was flawless (though he thought I was English, but that was probably from the Jag-love). Apparently his father gave it to him as a gift. Nice gift. I think he was a little surprised that someone would like his kindof cheap old Daimler.

~ H

It's a vanity plate, many people in Japan get them for Euro cars, i.e. 3*55, 3*60, 4*30, 5*99, __*55 (for AMG 55 series) or __*63, etc, etc. My neighbor has one of those 80's Daimler doublesixes as well. Another neighbor is an apparent V12 lover and has about 10 RR's and Bentleys from the 80's and 90's, plus a Toyota Century, a 760Li and an M5, a Testarossa, and a few random Porsches and other odd bits but only has 3 parking spaces in house home building so switches them out. Most of his cars are plated __*12 (for the V12 cars at least)

I still don't understand how so many people in Tokyo can afford such expensive cars. They seem far more common than normal.

Edit: and by expensive, I'm not referring to the M3s, or RS4s, or M6s.. I'm talking about the exotics and beyond. Granted, even the M3s and whatnot probably cost the equivalent of $130K USD due to customs and whatnot.

big loans and massive home equity lines for some of the flashier types or car enthusiasts who live without other life luxuries in order to afford like, a Ferrari. Some people just genuinely make money on their own or have had since the days when people were grabbing money from the sky in Japan in the 80's.

 

[Find Finn]



I think some of the crazier aspects about car culture in Tokyo is that since it's a large city with some personal money and Japan has an excruciatingly fast car turnover due to laws, you see people driving around cars right after they're released and whoever has ordered one on the first days ends up with it first, driving it around Tokyo. Sometimes if you don't keep up with a particular brand, even if you're a car enthusiast, you get surprised to see something on the road that you didn't know existed or thought was merely concept, it happens very often. I see BMW Japan's website selling the M6 gran coupe already, so maybe I'll see one of those when I go to Japan the day after tomorrow.
That, and car tastes in Japan are more Euro-centric and they get things that America doesn't, so Alfa Romeos are perennially popular even though they have resale like dog poo, and wagons are popular that you see the wagon versions of things you didn't know had a wagon version, like the C63T or RS4 Avants. Wagons everywhere. It's a status thing to mark the middle class in Japan.

M6 GC has been online in europe for months, so the first ones should be out and about.

B8 RS4 only comes in Avant, the same did the B5 aka. the original, it was only B7 that came in sedan as well as cab.

C63T only C amg I would buy.

 

[impolyt_one]

Saw a CLS shooting brake today, first one I've seen. I have been bouncing between Korea and Japan, thought I'd see one earlier. It's very nice. Would definitely get one if I had the coin for the AMG 63 version.

 

[Find Finn]

I have only seen one (in august), but have seen it a couple times now, I'm pretty sure it's someone at MB who owns it, as I saw it before the official pricing was out.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

I don't know if it's really pointless.I mean, if you see a -63 or -65 AMG that is going to be a significant bump in performance from the base model, right? In some cases the -600 may be more powerful, I suppose, but a little softer than the equivalent AMG. Likewise with the ///Ms -- an M3 is a pretty impressive car. A guy I know accidentally saw me out in my little M Coupe and he thought it was an M3, later he showed me the note he wrote to a friend at BMW to ask if my car could beat his supercharged 500HP Shelby Mustang. I was staggered that the M3 actually would.

If you mean that the Ms, AMGs, and S-Lines are common, well, they are. I lost count of the number of M3s I saw in DC when I lived there for a summer -- I was over a hundred in the first few weeks. It seems hard to fault them for not meeting demand; I might fault them for releasing a special limited edition just to create a price bubble for not other reason than manufactured rarity.

I don't know what the F30 is, as I don't really follow car makers, I usually just buy something I like, which seems rather old folks, but is how I roll.

~ H

You can't swing a dead cat without hitting 5 Ms in the DC area

 

[idfnl]



You can't swing a dead cat without hitting 5 Ms in the DC area

True this. M3's too. There are so many BMW's in this area it makes driving one like being in a herd of sheep. Green Frog would be in a wet dream here. There were 2 M5s on my street until one of them moved last year.

 

[GreenFrog]



Tokyo is like NYC, Boca, Boston, DC and Orange County combined, so with the high-end car populations of those cities combined, I was not particularly surprised. However, in Ginza on a weekday, there are huge numbers of people who clearly do not work. That was surprising, and I don't know enough about Japanese society for that.
~ H

I dunno.. I would think that the income distribution of Tokyo would resemble that of NYC and you don't see many exotic cars in NYC. Obviously, it's a huge PITA to have a car in NYC, which explains probably 90% of the reason why you don't see so many, but if having a car in NYC wasn't such a *****, I bet you still wouldn't see as many cars of the caliber that you see in Tokyo.

My initial hunch was that a lot of people probably go into a lot of debt to afford these cars.

big loans and massive home equity lines for some of the flashier types or car enthusiasts who live without other life luxuries in order to afford like, a Ferrari. Some people just genuinely make money on their own or have had since the days when people were grabbing money from the sky in Japan in the 80's.

Makes sense.

 

[GreenFrog]



True this. M3's too. There are so many BMW's in this area it makes driving one like being in a herd of sheep. Green Frog would be in a wet dream here. There were 2 M5s on my street until one of them moved last year.

Sounds like DC drivers have some damn good taste in cars.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]



True this. M3's too. There are so many BMW's in this area it makes driving one like being in a herd of sheep. Green Frog would be in a wet dream here. There were 2 M5s on my street until one of them moved last year.

true story: my g/f's much maligned VW Beetle was stolen in early February (why? I don't know why). Previously owned e90s are priced pretty good right now so I talked her into getting an 07 328i.No sport package and it has a slushbox but she already loves it.

 

[horndog]



Sounds like DC drivers have some damn good taste in cars.

Nope, it's just the least creative city in the US.