Driving Licence in Japan

Swapping over you driving licence or getting a Japanese driving licence......

Here are a cople links to organisations and companies that can assist with this issue;

JAF
http://www.jaf.or.jp/e/switch.htm
http://www.jaf.or.jp/e/

Koyama Driving School in English
http://www.koyama.co.jp/english.htm

You'll have to show proof of the issue date of your home licence. If it is not printed on the licence a letter from the issueing authorities stating the date when it was issued will be required. The se docs and your home licence will need to be translated - JAF (see the link above) does these translations for about 3,000 yen or so. Once you have these you will need to head to your local registration office to sit the tests to get the licence. Depending on what country you are from you may or may not need to do the actual road test. Koyama driving school should be able to assist in this area.

The following link lists those countries )although it is all in Japanese;
http://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.jp/menkyo/menkyo/kokugai/kokugai05.htm
There is a link to an English PDF file for this page at the bottom right of the link above...I could not get it to open on my computer...... though you may be able to?

If you have any other questions ask me......

Regards,

Mick Lay cars@micklay.com
Used and New Car Sales and Leasing in Tokyo Japan.
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General car advice

2009 New Audi A5 Convertible - Cash or Lease in Tokyo

2009 New Audi A5 Convertible -
Apply now or wait! Cash Purchase or Lease to Buy Now!

Be quick...this car is to be launched next month (August 2009). There will be limited numbers available for immediate delivery. If you have to order it could take 3-4 months for delivery.

Order you Audi A5 Convertible now via Mick Lay. Cash or Lease to buy deals possible. Leases are subject to application and approval of application. Audis ordered are supplied direct to you from Audi. Mick Lay assists in the purchasing and order phase. You pay no more for this service in English.

Contact Mick Lay now on 03-3468-0804 or 090-3805-7141 cars@micklay.com http://www.micklay.com/

Nissan Murano 4WD

Nissan Murano 4WD.........
Looking for a great value 4WD (also comes in 2WD) SUV?

The Nissan Murano is a real good value SUV! The 3.5 ltr comes with leather and navigation! You can go and buy a foreign make SUV and pay three times the price and not really get much more except a "name brand label".

My suggestion is that if you are looking for a good value SUV - take a look at a Nissan Murano. Call me Mick Lay for details on new and second hand pricing or lease deals for Tokyo. My direct tel is 090-3805-7141 Email: cars@micklay.com I usually have one or two in stock.....call today.

Nissan Murano 4WD Lease or Sale in Tokyo Japan

2006 Nissan Murano 4WD leather seats, original navigation, English Navigation, about 17,000 km's..... Cash Price - all in with delivery about 2.25 million yen.

Lease from under 50,000 yen per month. Zero deposit, Zero bonus payments, option to buy at the end of the contract (based on a 36 month lease). Lease approval subject to application and approval of application. Contact Mick Lay on 03-3468-0804 or 090-3805-7141 cars@micklay.com

The Nissan Murano - a very very comfortable driver! Comes in a 3.5 ltr or 2.4 ltr version. The 3.5 ltr comes with leather and navigation (unless other wise arranged with the new Nissan dealership). It only comes with 5 seats. 4WD and 2WD versions are available.

You get great value for money here...compared to the foreign makes e.g. Cayenne etc the drive is as good (but hey yes the Porsche does go a bit better - but where you going that fast in Tokyo anyway)? The price tag is also great compared to the foreign competition. Nissan released a new version of the Murano...but the look has not changed much...some prefer the original look.

The only set back may be that for those who are not too confident negotiating the Tokyo small streets then this is not the car for you......go smaller! Apart from that the drive is very comfortable, the power is good (3.5ltr version) and the leather and navi give you the total package. I'd drive a Murano any time! Mick Lay.

Toyota Mark X Zio

This is a 2008 Toyota Mark X Zio. The Zio is a station wagon with an exta seat or two.....that's about it.

You can have a 6 seater or 7 seater. The rear two seats that is normally the trunk floor of a station wagon are very small...so if you are looking for a 7 seater with 1/2 decent size rear seats this is not your car. But if you occaisional may have to transport the neighbour's (small) kids then it may be a good trade off. There is a 2wd and a 4wd model. For more info contact myself Mick Lay at cars@micklay.com or call on 03-3468-0804 or 090-3805-7141 Cash deals and or lease deals for your car in Tokyo Japan.

End of Lease - giving the car back. What happens here?

You've come to the end of your lease and you have decided to return the vehicle. (Note: Closed end leases will require you to return the car unless other wise arranged).

Giving the car back at the end of the lease - unless you have a guaranteed residual figure on your open end lease you may still be required by the dealer to pay extra when returning the vehicle subject to the market (car market) prices/values at that time. Be sure to get a guaranteed residual or else you may find yourself paying extra at the end of the lease when you thought you did not have to. To get a lease with a guaranteed residual figure contact Mick Lay about your car lease in Tokyo, Japan. Call direct on 03-3468-0804 or 090-3805-7141 cars@micklay.com

Other instances where you may be asked to pay out at the end of a lease.
1. Excess km's driven.
The lease was calculated based on an allowance of 10,000 km's per year or so. Any km's driven over that amount may be charged at a rate per km driven over that allowance. Contact your lease company for the amount payable per km driven over the allowance.
2. Accident Repair Damage.
If during the lease you have had an accident and consequently repaired the vehilce the vehicle's value will decline by a certain amount (subject to the level/type of accident repair). Subject to this accident repair you will be asked to pay the value that this accident has caused the car's value to drop. E.g. If you had bought a car for cash and two years later (with zero no accident history) the wholesale value was 1,000,000 yen. If you had had an accident in the time you owned it and then got a wholesale value - subject to the type of accident history the value would be judged less than the non accident case. In the case of returning a car at the end of a lease this difference in value due to the accident history is the amount that you will be asked to pay. In this case you are not being asked to pay for depreciation of the vehicle on a normal market condition basis but you are paying for the loss in value due to an accident you have had during the rem of the lease.

Car repair in Tokyo Japan

Do you need to have your car repaired in Tokyo? Contact Mick Lay on 03-3468-0804 or 090-3805-7141 or email to cars@micklay.com We have a full time service system that is door to door. We come to you and drive your car away and return it when the work is done.

Timing to do the work;
- Simple service and clean..pick up in the am and return in the pm - same day service.
- Shaken (car registration) extension pick up in the am and return the next day in the pm (Monday to Thursday, Friday pick up would mean a return on Monday). Note subject to repairs aor parts required to complete and pass the shaken test the return of the car may be delayed. In 98% of all cases the car is retyrned the next day as scheduled.
- Body repairs...we have our own spray booths (two). We do the panel work and paointing ourselves so we can save you money on body work as well! If you have an accident - small or large call us to get the best value and repair done that you can find in Tokyo.
- Free Loan Cars - for the body repair service we provide a free loan car...call us to book one now. For the other services a loan car can be arranged but a fee may be applicable. Talk to Mick Lay.... Tel: 03-3468-0804 or 090-3805-7141 Email: cars@micklay.com
- Car Cleaning Service - when a car is serviced and or repaired it is given a clean. If your car doesn't need a service or repair but you need / want to get your car cleaned in Tokyo. Call us to arrange a pick up and return (door to door) service for cleaning aswell. Can arrange a door to door pick up cleaning service from about 9,000 yen. (Special price to August end 2009).

Car Trip to Dougashima in Nishi Izu

I took a drive to Dougashima in Nishi Izu and stayed one night at the Hotel New Ginsui. See pics and details of the Hotel at the following link;

http://www.dougashima-newginsui.jp/room.html

The trip from Shibuya to Douga Shima to about three hours...with a stop off at a rest area in between and and also a convenience store. Access was gained from exiting the Numazu exit on the Tomei highway and heading towards Mishima...then taking a couple other smaller toll roads (200 yen each) to get to Dougashima...basically look for route 136 and head for Nishi Izu beach line and Dougashima. Any decent nav system will have the hotel's tel number in the system....if you have an old navi - be prepared for it to take you via the normal roads and not toll roads...this could take an extra hour or two..... Once you get there it's all worth it - weather permitting.

The Hotel was in very good condition and the service was fine. Hard to believe but they actually had free internet access (with computer in the lobby area) and mobile phone charge booth. There where English instructions for the use of the hotel, menu and how to put on a yukata.

If you are looking for a good Japanese experience hotel this is it. I went there with my wife and kid....we had dinner in our 13 mat tatami room and they then laid out the futons for us. Breakfast was supplied in the restaurant area from 7am to 9.30 am. We chose the late check out time option of 11am. Cost was just on 40,000 yen including a couple bottles of beer. Could have saved about 10,000 yen or so by having dinner in the restaurant and checking out at 10am......

The view from the room was great - see pics at the top...pics show the view from the hotel room and the lobby. There are three pool ares...one inside, two outside. The two out side include a large round pool that is about 50cm deep for toddlers and normal long pool as well see pic....

There's loads to do in the region apart from stay at the hotel....there is a set of three little islands called sanshirojima islands. At a certain time of the day when the tide goes out you can walk between the main land and the islands. There is about a 1.5 to 2hr time where you can walk across and back.....see pic above showing the stretch of land between at low tide.

The area has a load of other things to do as well......so if you are visiting Shimoda and have some time to vear to the west try it out you won't be disappointed.

I drove down an old trusty 1999 Nissan Laurel 2.5 ltr. Was a good comfortable drive. Can supply cars like this for about 200-300,000 yen depending on the car and length of shaken. Call me if you need assistance with arranging your transport, car or family vehicle. I can arrange new or used cars for cash and or finance lease. Email me at cars@micklay.com or see my website at www.micklay.com My direct tel is 090-3805-7141. Happy safe driving!

New Skyline Crossover 3.7 V6

New Nissan Skyline Crossover 3.7ltr V6

Went to see the Crossover today at the Nissan Taiyou headquarters (July 11 2009). The vehicle is to be released to the public next week.

I took a few pics of my own but the lighting (and cameraman) was not the best so hence the pic at the top left taken from Nissan's page...for more details on the Crossover (in Japanese) go to http://www.nissan.co.jp/SKYLINE/CROSSOVER/ there are more pics and details here.

It is a good feeling car...was not able to drive it...will do so later but the drivers seat comfort level was good. The P model comes with leather...that is what I sat in today. The car is really set up for the driver. It has a compact feel whilst not being cramped. The dash and display with loads of buttons is great if you are into all the controls....enough stuff there to keep you busy for quite a while. The rear seat area was ok but on the not so large side of things. Leg space between the front seat and rear was a bit tight. Anyone over 6ft would definitely feel cramped.

The car is as it says...a crossover between sedan and SUV. It is higher off the ground than that of its sister the Skyline sedan but it feels like a sedan inside....a true Crossover.

It comes in a 2WD and 4WD version, stylish body kits are available at a reasonable price and the extra safety options the crossover has looks interesting...will get into this later.

Price - a bit on the high side for me but hey.......you might think different. Will list prices later as well.

Leasing a Car in Tokyo Japan

What is leasing?

There are two basic forms of a lease available in Tokyo.


1. Closed End type and


2. Open End type.

A closed end type lease essentially means that you must return the car back to the lease company at the end of the lease contract. Subject to the condition of the car you may be asked to pay for needed repair work on the car. Generally speaking closed end leases are usually a bit more expensive per month than that of open end lease type contracts.

The open end type enables you to buy the car at the end of the contract at a predetermined residual figure plus any fees and taxes payable to transfer the car into your name once the lease has finished.....for information on these costs contact me at cars@micklay.com


Re-Lease
Subject to your relationship with the lease company you may be able to arrange a re-lease of the car for an extended time after the end of the lease contract.

Lease Buyouts
Lease buyouts......be aware that the residual is not the payout figure for the ed of a lease. Subject to the contract a lease company can still reserve the right to charge the client an increased amount over and above the residual figure. E.g. If the residual is 500,000 yen and the lease company feels that the value of the vehicle in the market is 900,000 yen then they reserve the right to charge this higher amount. There is a way to avoid this with leasing in Tokyo. Contact myself Mick Lay to consult on your next lease.





Breaking a Lease in Tokyo
Payouts/Early Exit from a lease contract - how is this calculated? The calculation can differ from lease company to lease company. If you have a lease and are looking to exit it before the contract due date contact myself Mick Lay to discuss this issue and how to possibly best reduce your downside.


What is in a Lease?
A lease will always include the yearly road tax (unless other wise arranged). Insurance, maintenance, registration extensions etc are extra and can be calculated into the lease either all together or just one or two of these items E.g....insurance can be included but maintenance can be left out. In this case the lessee pays for any maintenance requirements apart from and on top of the monthly lease cost.


To Finance or Lease?


Subject to your circumstance leasing or finance may be best for you. Consult with your accountant for tax related issues and which form of funding best suits you.

• Leasing includes the yearly road tax (with financing road tax is paid separately from the monthly payments).



• With finance you are generally required to pay the initial registration fees and taxes where as in leasing these costs are built into the lease and no upfront cash payment is required to pay for these costs. (Note; subject to application you may be required to pay a deposit or up front cash figure in order to receive lease approval).



• At the end of the lease contract (open end type) you have a choice - you can buy the car, re-lease it or give it back. With finance you have no choice. You must payout the final figure and own the car.



• Leasing is tax deductible where finance uses depreciation schedules. Talk with your accountant to which type of contract best suits you and or your company.

In my personal opinion they are both similar as you pay a monthly figure and a residual figure plus costs at the end to own the car. Leasing in my opinion gives the best flexibility.

Warning! A cheap monthly lease figure means nothing if the lease company can charge what they feel is appropriate at the end f the lease. Be sure that the residual is guaranteed! Note the residual will not be the payout figure. The payout figure will be the residual plus costs and taxes due in order to change the lease into your name. I can guarantee the residual on your lease. Talk to Mick lay about your next lease or current lease extension/lease buy back etc.

Residual Price - make sure the residual is guaranteed! Note though the residual is not the final price you will pay. On top of the residual there will be transfer of ownership fees, (may include acquisition tax), remaining road tax value, recycle certificate cost, consumption tax, fees particular to the lease company providing the lease.

Company Leases - Fleet Leasing

We do company fleet leases as well. Contact us to discuss how we can save you money of your next company car leasing program or programs.

Questions on leases.....if you have any questions call myself Mick Lay on

tel: 090-3805-7141.

New Merceds Benz E350 Avantgarde AMG Sports Package (Tokyo)

New Mercedes Benz E350 Avantgarde AMG Sports Package (Tokyo)

I took the new Mercedes Benz E350 Avantgarde with AMG Sports pack for a drive on Wednesday July 1 2009. It wasn't really a test drive as such but a mere drive around the block....but it was enough to get a reasonable feel for the car. A good long run on the highway to try out the handling and speed a bit more would be good....maybe next time.


The car is a classy looking vehicles and the comfort level is high. Up until now I have not been a big Benz fan but the new look and feel is great. I think Benz will do well with this one...although the economic times at present are likely to be a restraint on sales. However for the market that is looking to spend and get a great car it would be hard to pass the new Benz.


The right hand drive model is due out in August 09 and together with the ability to turn the navi into English I would recommend this vehicle to and new or existing expat in Tokyo.

iPod - for the iPod users all you need to do is plug in and select. It also charges the iPod...cool!


Test Drive?
For a test drive of your own contact me Mick Lay on tel: 03-3468-0804 or 090-3805-7141.


Pricing;
All in the price of the E350 Avantgarde with the AMG Sports pack is about 9.5 million yen.....contact me to confirm pricing. Lease to return or buy over three years is possible at about 180,000 yen. Again for confirmed quotes on leasing contact Mick Lay. Tel: 03-3468-0804 or 090-3805-7141 Email: cars@micklay.com

Car Lease and Sales Japan

Welcome to the "Car Lease and Sales Japan" blog.......