Turning "Reused Cars" Into Money
The so-called "reused car" export business continues to grow every year in Japan due to a large demand among many overseas buyers. "Reused cars" are older cars with higher mileage than the average used car. A few years ago, they would have been disposed of as scrap cars. However, nowadays, there is an expanding market for these "reused cars" where they are being repaired and auctioned off. Currently, the number of "reused cars" sold at used car auctions held throughout Japan are increasing and is said to reach 8 hundred thousand this year.
The benefits of the "reused car" business are that the parts are easy to find and the cars are easy to repair. What also attracts buyers to this business is the amount of money that can be made. The price of a car at an auction can start as low as 3000 yen (30 US dollars). Most cars are said to last for another 3 hundred thousand kilometers (around 187 miles) if repaired and some can be sold for well above the purchase price in countries in such places as South America and Africa.
B.A. in International Affairs from the University of Puget Sound in Washington.