Well, I wouldn't call it an era, because that would be really far-fetched. I'm simply talking about my car, which I will soon have to say goodbye to. And there's no “maybe” or “probably” about it anymore, the matter is clear. At least if you approach it rationally and logically.
In April, my car is due for its two-year inspection and since it has accumulated a lot of rust over the years, it will be difficult to pass this inspection this time. At least if I want to avoid major repairs and thus higher costs. And since we're not talking about a newer model here, such expenses would simply not be worth it.
I've been driving my current car for almost 10 years now, and it was already 5 years old when I bought it. Even though 15 years doesn't necessarily mean the end of all (car) days, in my case it does. The region I drive in gets a lot of rain and snow throughout the year, and the constantly high humidity is not really good for the chassis or the underbody. And after 15 years, it unfortunately doesn't look too good in terms of rust.
So now it's time to say goodbye and look for a new set of wheels, even though I really don't want to. I would have liked to get my current car through the car inspection again and drive it for another year or two. I'm sure many of us feel the same way!
On top of that, I really didn't feel like looking for a replacement. If I knew for sure that I would be staying here in the Land of the Rising Sun for a few more years, it would probably be a different story. With a longer time frame to plan, I could approach the matter quite differently and look for a car that I like and maybe even have a little fun with.
But in my case, I'm currently only planning from year to year and therefore simply don't know whether I'll still be around in Japan next spring. That's precisely the main reason why I'd prefer to drive my current car a little longer. Until it wears out, so to speak, like so many other things I use in my daily life. At the moment, it doesn't really bother me if what I have, wear, and use isn't the latest and greatest.
Nevertheless, when it comes to my car, I simply can't avoid looking for a new one. Although “the new one” will, of course, be “an old one” again. This is due to the circumstances I just explained and because I want to keep my finances in check in the current situation.
After looking around a bit on the relevant websites and then taking a closer look at a few offers, I had a few candidates on my shortlist. I checked them out in person at some car dealers, but there I realized that here in Japan, you usually can't test drive used cars. The vehicles are deregistered and the dealers seem too inflexible to let you drive a few meters on their own lot. Sure that I don't like that, but there was nothing I could do about it.
Nevertheless, eventually I had two cars to choose between. And as usual, choosing was very difficult for me again. In the end, the choice was made for me, and only one car remained.
And since no other candidates have come forward so far, it looks like my decision is set for now. Even if it ends up being a little more than I actually want to pay for an older used car. My next car will ultimately just be a car, that gets me from point A to point B. No more, no less, without any special features or gadgets. That's just the way things are right now.
Nothing is set in stone yet and there are still a few formalities to take care of. But if everything goes well, I might have the whole thing sorted out in a week or so and then hopefully have peace of mind for the next two years. With an older car, you never know what might happen next, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
We'll see. And who knows, maybe I'll drive the new one longer than planned and stay here in the Far East for a few more years. That decision is a whole other story, which is giving me additional sleepless nights. But we'll talk about that another time....
