Should you Choose Diesel or Petrol when Buying an Exjap?

The diesel vs petrol question has been around for quite some time. However, when it comes to exjaps, the question becomes even more pertinent. When buying a car from Japan via Be Forward or any of the other popular used Japanese car websites, one of the questions that you are likely to ask yourself is, should I buy a diesel or a petrol? Here are some of the things that you need to consider with regard to the diesel vs petrol car debate when it comes to used Japanese cars.

1. Diesel cars tend to have higher mileages: This is a fact when it comes to used Japanese cars. Not saying, however, that you are not going to find a used Japanese diesel vehicle that has a lower mileage. What seems to happen is that diesel cars in Japan are mainly used by businesses as utility vans. They, therefore, are likely to have gone around quite a bit. We have previously written an article in which we ask how old is too old when it comes to used Japanese cars. You may want to read that before going on.
2. Diesel cars tend to be a bit more expensive: This is the second fact when it comes to importing used Japanese cars to Zimbabwe. In general, diesel cars tend to be expensive when compared to petrol cars. Again, this is not going to be a hard set fact, but, all things being equal, a diesel car on Beforward is going to cost more than a petrol car. Cost, is, in any case, a major consideration when buying use Japanese vehicles.
3. Diesel costs less in Zimbabwe: This, in any case, is a hard fact that you should consider with regard to the diesel vs petrol car debate. The price of diesel is lower in Zimbabwe when compared to that of petrol. This fact is what makes diesel cars so popular in Zimbabwe.
4. There are more petrol than diesel cars in Japan: You will find, when you go to sites such as Be Forward, that a large chunk of the vehicles that are on sale are petrol cars.
5. Most sedans are petrol: In this regard, only a few of the sedans that you will find when importing Japanese vehicles to Zimbabwe come with diesel engines. The most popular type of diesel cars that you will find will be trucks. We have, however, come across a few diesel sedans, including, surprisingly enough Toyota Corollas. However, these appear to be from way back in the 90s, which may be a bit too old.

Diesel vs Petrol: Should I choose a diesel or  petrol car?

When it comes to choosing a petrol or diesel when importing a car from Japan, most Zimbabweans will choose the diesel option. However, this tends to be expensive and, in general, the higher expense is not going to justify the purchase. If, as an example, you end up paying $3000 more for a car just because its a diesel, the purchase is clearly not going to be justified.

Put the $3000 into fuel for a petrol car, and you may be driving for over two years! So, the answer to the above question is, where the prices are the same or near enough to each other, go for the diesel. However, where the diesel costs a lot more, it’s actually better to go for the petrol. All this, of course, considers that the cars are of the same type.