plans are now basically finalized as to our relocation back to tokyo for january.
only outstanding item - whether to bring the roadster or not.

while out looking for help in identifying costs/issues etc today stumbled upon this small shop in ebisu (RSC racing sports classics)...i managed to communicate in my bad japanese - his weak english! in any event .......pictures/small story follows.

tiny shop, with 2 very nice cars (they have a yard elsewhere)......92 RS clubsports & late model GT3 RS.




highlight of the evening - walk back to our serviced apt. guy had pulled over to talk on his cel phone....absolutely pristine speedster.

 

Really nice speedster.

Isn't Japan a RHD market though?

 

"Yes, Hiroki - Thanks! That phone book idea works like a charm! Steering wheel's no longer blocking the view..."

 

Yes, but foreign "prestige" cars are always LHD there.

 

correct, virtually every porsche i have seen here (for the greater part of last 14yrs) are left wingers.
whats interesting in p-car market here (to me) is that tips may dominate all editions.

 

A porsche repair shop in Tokyo with a hard wood floor ?
How much for an oil change ?

 

Look at how close the cage follows the A-pillar. Wow, nice work!

 

raspberryroadster - you should definitely ship your Porsche over...the Japanese would really appreciate the uniqueness of your car!

I've spent some time in Tokyo before and as you already know, it's a great place to enjoy nice cars. Great roads, access to tracks, almost zero vandalism...people there just respect other's properties. I could honestly leave any car parked in the middle of Tokyo and not have to worry about so much as someone even touching it.

 

would love a drive thru the japanese mountains. saw a documentary on kawasaki and their remote mountain-top track in kyushu.

wife and i always puzzled by the warped snobbishness of getting european luxury cars in lhd in a rhd country. even rolls royces and jags, from rhd u.k. are significantly in lhd. japan in a nutshell

964 rollcage: they make things really well. a tradition of 'making things'(really well), called 'mono zukuri'. from apprenticeship for sushi-chefs, to making 964 roll cages , that's japanese manufacturing for ya.

 

So we can expect the raspberry roadster to be in Fast & Furious III: More Tokyo Driftin

 

haha, Agree, yes the widebody does get attention in conversations so we are considering it. at morning iced coffee in Hiro-o few days ago saw a rubystone turbo, but no camera & not fast enough for pic with cel pho....plus other jellybean colors around.

issues of taking the car:
-mileage is relatively low for N.Amer/Euroland at 106,000km - 65,000 miles but unusually high for this market (where mileage is on average 2500 km per yr.)
-we had a solid opinion from 964 pro shop that tips are popular here and that majority of p-cars are in fact tips. The japanese have a dual licensing sytem (D/L for manual trans which allows you to drive an automatic and D/L for auto only) and according to this guy about 70% of Jpnese have auto licenses.
Am trying to source other opinions, but requires co-ordination with my wife's schedule as my Jpnese language skills are not sufficient
so in summary car may prove problematic for resale (our car is a manual trans)

In the past here I have always owned newer Alfas (just fine) and BMW's (so-so) therefore maintenance costs were minimal. Older Porsche will be different animal considering rigid inspection system & forced requirement for repair (including any leaks/seeps etc.). Only comment I can get from anyone I have managed to speak to with older porsche about maintenance (including the Speedster owner in the photo is " segoi takei " very expensive (with emphasis on very).

Parking-unless we luck out a find a small house with parking space....a parking stall will add between (USD equivalent) $300-500 per month onto housing costs...for underground parking.

Summary....we are increasingly leaning towards selling it into Cdn. marketplace.

 

Well, that really too bad...speaking of course from the perspective of someone who's not footing the bills...

During my brief stay there, I didn’t own a car and have always looked longingly towards my colleagues’ vintage toys. Nevertheless, it is very expensive to own an old Porsche there.

I do agree with you as well that your car’s mileage is cause for concerns in that market.

Either way, best of luck in which ever route you choose.