Ordering RHD vs LHD in Japan

I am in the same boat! I came to Tokyo four years ago and wasn't sure how long I would stay thus wanted a RHD 360 but could not be bothered with the wait and ordered a RHD 996. I then got married and decided to stay and managed to sell my 996 for a great price! THEN I needed a car quickly and bought a 997 LHD! NOW, I am considering a 430. Apparently there is no difference in the wait. I think its best to order a RHD.

I have a few friends at Cornes - happy to introduce you to them if you have not met with them yet.

 

Hey Buffy,

I think this might be a hard one. Everyone here likes left hand drive due to the fact that it is different from the norm. By talking to Bayside Zoo, Bingo Sports or other smaller car resellers would may be a tad bit better. Meeting Tokyo430s friends at Cornes would be a very wise thing to do though. You want to make friends with these guys. I can introduce you to the boys at Kreissieg who can do the same thing but cheaper in terms of repairs.

 

I moved over here from a totally RHD country and after some basic research, decided to buy a LHD 430 despite much preferring a RHD one. I'm still new to the car market here but I believe a RHD ferrari would be a lot more difficult to sell than a LHD one. I've been driving the car for about 6 months now and am finally getting used to it. I have no qualms about driving a LHD car in a LHD country but a LHD car in a RHD country just doesn't feel that safe/right. As you pointed out, visibilty is impaired by the inability to peek into the middle of a 2-way road. On the highway doing very high speeds, I feel a lot safer/assured if I am able to sit on the side of the car which is close to the barrier (on the right-most, fastest lane). Having said all this, I think it's something that one gets used to after a while. My bottom line $0.02 worth... if you don't care much about re-sale value, Just Do It and make the sensible choice of ordering a RHD ! If $$$s matter, get a LHD and just take some time to "get into the groove" of driving it.

 

Buffy

I would go RHD for many reasons. I have actually found from my friends in different dealerships that there is an increasing demand for RHD and they are actually selling for higher prices than LHD. M-Auto in Hiroshima has a RHD 360 (2004) with low mileage for 18,500,000 on the road. A 2004 spide can be had for the same price in Tokyo in LHD!!!

I ordered a 996 in RHD and sold it at the drop of a hat for minimal loss I would have gotten a RHD again but I didn't want to wait six or seven months and got a 997 in LHD (manual). I am completely comfortable driving in a lefty here in Japan but would get a RHD next time for sure.

 

I dont like RHD. I know it is very convenient for ticket booths but ETC takes care of that for me. McDonalds... and a few other this I guess. I will always stick with LHD. To each his own I guess.

 

I have RHD in Hong Kong, but chose LHD for Tokyo. For me using RHD or LHD on either side of the road has never been a problem. If anything it actually makes me more keenly aware of any abnormal tendency to drive less than centered within the lane. After one week I never think about it anymore when I switch from one to the other.

If it's going to be a manual shift car then LHD for sure if you are right handed, and vice versa. Good luck in your search for a car. IMHO Cornes is a very good distributor. Not the cheapest but they treated me well.

 

I have, a bunch of crooks, they had a nice 2004 Black / Beige 360 F1.

Unfortunately, they messed around and messed around until they sold it for 16,000,000 to another shop!
I offered them 17,000,000 for it. The other shop - in Tokyo, then sold it for a wee bit more.

If you are in Hiroshima, they might be OK but from Tokyo, a real pain in the bum and they don't
take you seriously.

 

Language wasn't the issue - my family name is actually a very common word in Japan and believe it or not, they couldn't tell I was Japanese from talking to them on the phone. I spoke to a guy called Aoi - guess he was just doing his job - trying to squeeze another dollar out of a deal.

If you want a Ferrari 430 let me know, I know of a few that are available.