Is the Mileage on Used Japanese Cars Genuine?

This is a question that you, no doubt, are going to be confronted with when you set out to buy that dream used car of yours from Japan. We have previously produced an article in which we talked about the best mileage that you can get on an exjap. The verdict, then, was that you should always go for a used vehicle that has low mileage. However, there are plenty of circumstances where a higher mileage car is going to be the best option. So, is the mileage on used Japanese cars genuine?

Why people are worried

The reason why many people tend to get worried about whether or not the mileages that are on exjaps are real has to do with the fact that there are stories out there of people who specialize in dialing back the number of kilometers that a vehicle has traveled. This is reportedly done to give the car better value on the market.

Another reason why you may be worried may be because of the fact that its possible to get a car on Be Forward that is ten years old but still has 50000km on the clock. Indeed, my own beloved Toyota Corolla had 27000km on the clock when I bought it in 2015. That was despite the fact the car had been on the road since the year 2000. So, can a car that is nearly 15 years old have only 27000km on the clock?

Is the mileage on used Japanese cars genuine?

So, is the mileage on used Japanese cars genuine? It is my firm belief that whatever shenanigans happen to the mileages that are on the cars that we buy from Japan, they do not occur in Japan itself.

The mileages on used Japanese cars are real

The reason why I say the mileages that are on the used Japanese cars that we import from Japan to Zimbabwe or other African countries is genuine has to do with motivation. Go to beforward today, and you will find cars that are priced at less than a $50. If you are lucky, you may even find a car that costs only $1.

Now, would it really be worth going to the trouble of rewinding the mileage on the used Japanese cars, only to sell them at $50.

Even on the cars that are reasonably priced, one does not really see the motivation. There is also the fact that most of the cars that are on Be Forward actually have the mileages on the clock that one would expect for their ages.

Was the mileage on my car genuine?

I believe the mileage that was on my car’s odometer when I bought it was genuine. There are several reasons why I believe this;

• The car’s interior was clean
• The car ran and still runs like new
• The car appears to have been sitting around somewhere for a couple of years, from what I could see.

So, back to the question; is the mileage on used Japanese cars genuine, the answer is, you don’t have to be worried. If any rewinding of the clock happens on used Japanese cars, it does not happen in Japan itself. Perhaps some cars have low mileages because their owners have second and third vehicles. Or perhaps they suddenly went green and, instead of driving their cars around, they decided to start taking the train, leaving the cars in the garage.