What is involved in shaken?

[Rezz]

for those who asked about yankee plates. normal plates have the one hiragana character next to the big numbers where as a yankee plate has a * Y *. i think these are for on base residents maybe. i live near a base in kanagawa and see the yanks driving around all the time.

Thanks so much for that drift007, finally my original question has been answered...

[Duncan]

Interesting...and in Aus they have the same thing, people working at American bases can import a LHD car and have special rego....

[DaiOni]

Well, let them enjoy the cars in japan - it's not like they send them back home (well... not like we can)

[yukz2daizzo]

Motorex imports skylines to the states now, you have pay loads of money to get it converted (all the glass parts, reinforce the sides, crash test, etc). but i heard that theyre gonna set new rules on exporting cars back to the states, 15 yrs or older doesnt have to get the emissions tested and converted because its too old, thats still rumors though.

[Lukas]

Found this -

Shaken -- The Mandatory Vehicle Inspection

Many people come to Japan and are very surprised that all the cars are clean, well-maintained, and always running well. The sensitive Japan "experts" will tell you that it's because Japanese take such pride in their work, have such dignity to drive cars that only look like new, etc. All of which are true. But the real reason is different -- and you'll pay dearly for it. Cars more than 3 years old have to have a mandatory maintenance check (shaken) every other year, broken or not. The costs again vary according to the size of the car and area, but you may be paying 120,000-160,000 yen or so for a smaller car, and more for a larger one or if there is anything the grease-monkeys can possibly fix. Also, when the car is very old, it has an official value of ZERO and you may actually have to PAY someone to take it off your hands! After that it'll be either scrapped or sold to dealers in Asia.

To buy a car, you can always check the local dealers,or buy it from another individual (a little more complicated -- either you or the other person will have to go to the Kensa Toroku Jimusho, or Inspection Registration Office to submit the Re-registration (meigi henkou) and Massho toroku (owners cancellation registration) papers). A change in registration fee also exists and may be around 25,000 yen. You can also find several magazines on people selling cars in your area.

Probably covered... :uhh: