MaichBlack wrote:@Money Whisperer - Car prices for used vehicles are higher even in Japan for some reason. not quite sure what it is.
@nakujua - The best time to source a car from Japan is towards the end of the year. Why? Because the cars are almost past their "sell by date". For example, you can import a 2004 car this year but not next year (As per the KS 1515:2000 quality standard by the Kenya Bureau of Standards which puts the limit of the age of vehicles imported into Kenya at 8 years). 2004 cars will therefore be cheaper between October and December [but give allowance for the shipment]. The car has to be in Kenya 31st December.
Usually true regarding time to import - unless of course the source market has had a Tsunami...
The prices last year were high primarily due to the depreciation of the KSH vs international currencies. Horrible time to do any imports. The Japan Tsunami compounded this, as many would be buyers of new cars probably rescheduled their purchases, and many used car lots incurred lots of damage...
The UK market - recession in Europe means that the cars at reasonable prices are probably high mileage with heavier fuel consumption.
These are just my theories.. since I don't import cars for biashara