Buying a Car Atsugi
So when you first get to
NAF Atsugi you will be walking everywhere. Although the base is small and most
things are centrally located to the lodge you will see that things will take a
lot longer to accomplish due to walking (especially if you have more than one
child). Food shopping will seem like an impossible task and you might find
yourself going to the commissary multiple times a week or even a day. However
you will get a good workout in. I have a Fitbit and in a single day I went from
the lodge to the CDC, to Fleet and Family for our AOB/ICR, to the school (near
the CDC) back to fleet and family, back to CDC, to the commissary and then back
to the lodge and I had over my 10,000 steps for the day and that was with me
sitting in a class all day. I personally do not mind the walking but if
you do this might be a bit difficult for you so you might want to take people
who offer you a ride up on their offer.
So if what I stated
above dose scare you then you are in luck this scenario will not last long.
People are always selling cars here due to PCSing so there is a plethora of
availability for affordable cars. We just bought a 2006 Toyota Sienta with less
than 50,000 miles on it for $1700. Now if you want new, sporty, or all the
upgrades then you might have a harder time or spend more but cars
generally do not go for more than $2,500. It will probably be about 2 weeks
before you will get a car due to when you get your license but you can handle
walking for a bit.
While looking for a car
look for a few things:
·
How long does the Japanese
Compulsory Insurance (JCI) have left (it is renewed every 2 years
o Normally
the seller will advertise the JCI expiration date if not be weary because it
may be expired or about to expire and that can cause a bunch of problems you do
not need
·
Is a runner included in the price
o When
you purchase a vehicle you are required to go to the Land and Transportation
office (LTO) in town to transfer the title into your name. This procedure can
be tricky if you do not speak Japanese so the VRO has a list of runners that
can be paid to do it for you.
o Most
of the time this is included in the sale price of the vehicle
So you have decided on a
car what's next? Well if you need to get a loan head over to Navy Federal and
do so, if not then you and the owner will arrange a time to meet at the Vehicle Registration Office (VRO). VRO is where
the whole deal will take place. However before heading to the VRO you have to
have the vehicle insured. To ensure the vehicle you need to have either the
original title or have a very good photo of the title and be prepared to pay a
year to 6 months in advance for the insurance which can vary depending on the
vehicle (ours was only $300 for the whole year). Insurance can be purchased on
base at the Wiltech Insurance Office located behind the commissary in BLDG 34
2F. Once you have everything you need (refer to the Procedure for Transferring
Registration link below you can head to VRO with the seller. If the sale of
your vehicle does not include the runner (most do) you will have to make sure
you either pay one to go to LTO or go to LTO yourself before you can get base
decals for the vehicle. The day you go to VRO as long as you and the seller
have what is required you will get temporary tags and the car will be yours,
the permanent tags will come once you or the runner return form the LTO with
the required paperwork which is normally the next day.
*****If you are looking to purchase from a dealer rather than someone one base it has been recommended to use Welcham Auto which is located right outside the main gate (I did not do this so I unfortunately have no experience just word of mouth)******
WILTECH
INSURANCE OFFICE
Phone: 0467-63-6544
Hours:
M-F
10am-5pm (closed for lunch 2-2:30)
Closed Sat-Sun & Holidays
Thanks for sharing such an important post. Very interesting and helpful. Thanks a lot!
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