Relocating to Japan...Store or Sell the NSX???

So, I will very likely be relocating from Cincinnati to Tokyo for at least 2 years. I am super excited for this opportunity but am not sure what to do with my NSX. It's a 1994 Brooklands Green manual NSX with tan interior, a color combo that I have grown to love. I have only had the car for <1.5 years and was planning to keep it much longer when I bought it. I feel that my options are as follows:

1. Sell the car
   • Pros: Don't have to worry about the car, no insurance or storage fees to pay, I could maybe get a >25 year old car in Japan and import it to the US when I return.
   • Cons: I would be selling my dream car
2. Store the car at a friend's house April-Nov and store it at an indoor car storage facility during the winter.
   • Pros: I get to keep the NSX!
   • Cons: I would be paying probably around ~$1500 a year for storage, insurance, etc. on a car that I cannot drive.

For option 2, I have a co-worker/friend who I would trust to take good care of the car. He would park it in his garage during the nice months and drive it once in a while and store it during the cold months. Although I trust he would try to take good care of the car (he is a big car guy), I know things can always happen...

Lastly, where do you guys thing NSX prices are going? If prices keep going up, I can more easily convince my wife that keeping the car is a good option .

Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

Keep it. Buy a Battery Tender. Pay for storage & pay your friend. Nice treat to come back to when you're done.

If your car is well sorted out at this point, I would keep it. You did mention that you would be away at least two years. If your stay may run 3 or 4 years, I'd probably sell it. Prices should be stable going forward, unless the whole economy goes for a dump. As far as bringing one back with you, having a right hand drive for a for a street car would get old quick for me. Best of luck making the right decision.

Keep it for now. You can always change your mind and sell it. The reverse is not as easy.

robert

Robert, good point...

Thanks for the input. As for bringing a car back from Japan, it would not be a NSX. I have experienced the pains of having the steering wheel on the wrong side and totally agree. I think importing a wrong hand drive car is only worth it if the car was never sold in the US. Cars that I would be interested in would be R33 GTR, early Evo. etc. I did see a Subaru STI 22B on sale on Yahoo Japan, but at ~$70k, it is out of my price range.

TyraNSX said:

Keep it. Buy a Battery Tender. Pay for storage & pay your friend. Nice treat to come back to when you're done.

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This. If the cost of storage is not a huge issue and you can budget for it, just keep it and store it. Good luck!

Keep it if you like the car. If you sell it, you will likely pay more for its replacement.
It's somewhat like a house, location is everything.

Ok so I'm in the correct thread.....let me be the contrarian ...please understand the risks involved in a 2 year car sitting endeavor.Make sure insurance would cover any mishaps, A written contract between the two parties may also be helpful

I would have to agree with Robertcope on your dilemma. Keeping it for now would be a very plausible option considering the amount of time and cost it would be for you to search for another NSX. It's true once you make it here to Japan you will have a variety of vehicles that you will be able to take back with you within your given time frame of two years.
It's important to note that many JDM cars being sold here have jumped in price quite tremendously. Even now the GTR 33 is starting to fetch prices of almost $18,000 USD. Before the 25 year rule, purchasing a GTR 32 would run you at best $4,000 USD, but now that price has quadrupled and many of those cars have departed Japan and have gone to another country. The older hachi-roku (AE86) has hit prices around $8,000 - $11,000.
One last thing to note is that Japan has much smaller roads and parking spaces are fairly tight. Also, japan has JCI (Japanese Compulsory Insurance) which is an inspection every 2 years for legality and by the SERVICE MANUAL maintenance (roughly $1200) and road tax due every year MAY based on your engine size, which is annotated by your plate number (300, 500..etc).
Best of luck on whatever you decide to do!

why do you even want to come here?

SpeedyPartsJapan said:

why do you even want to come here?

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The beautiful women? Seriously, that's kind of a weird question and could easily be taken rudely. Do ya'll not like foreigners coming to work? (Totally serious question, I don't know anything about Japanese attitudes towards foreigners)

robert

Thanks for the input everyone. Insurance and such could be a huge hurdle, and I am looking into that now. Keeping it insured in my name, but letting someone keep possession and drive it (~500 miles a year?) might be a challenge.

Kamenosuke, I remember seeing R32s as a teenager and how cheap they were (in the late 90's). It's crazy how prices have climbed. Buying a ~25 year old car and bringing it back will definitely have its challenges, but we'll see what happens.

SpeedyPartsJapan, there are many, many reasons why I (or anyone else) would want to live in Tokyo. Personally, it has been a dream of mine for a long time, and I received a great job opportunity in Tokyo. I am actually a Japanese citizen although I've lived in Canada and US for 30+ years. I have family and many friends in Tokyo, so I am also excited to be close to them.

Robert, the reason is not the women...I am happily married to a Puerto Rican girl who is also super excited to move to Japan. She really wants to learn the language and culture. Also, my new boss's name is Robert...you aren't in Japan are you :biggrin:

Lol it's not that. It's just it's hard to live here unless you have the gaijin package

But best of luck!
If you do have Japanese residency then best on ya. Would like to have a drink with you if you decide to come down to Tokyo.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

uku said:

Robert, the reason is not the women...I am happily married to a Puerto Rican girl who is also super excited to move to Japan. She really wants to learn the language and culture. Also, my new boss's name is Robert...you aren't in Japan are you :biggrin:

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I am not in Japan, rest easy And I was joking about the women, too. Not that they aren't beautiful, but I don't think that motivates many people to move to Tokyo for years! Glad to hear your wife is excited about the move, that certainly makes it more fun.

robert

I didn't get a gainjin package because I am Japanese, and honestly, that is probably part of the reason why I got this job. However, they still offered a good relocation package and a salary that is a bit more than I make in the US and definitely more than what a typical Japanese person in my position would make. And, since it is a UK company, one of the best parts is that my offer specifies 7 hr work days. It's a small office (~4 people) and everyone else including the manager is from UK, and he was adamant that I would not work long hrs like most Japanese salary-men.

Anyways, would love to meet up when in Japan!

I was faced with a similar same decision as you a year and half ago. I had a job/life opportunity overseas and it meant that I would have to leave all of my material belongings behind.

I looked at the current market situation and asked myself:
1) Will I be able to find a car as good as mine or better in a few years when I return?
2) If I sell it, do I have good use for the money?
3) If I sell it, will I be able to move on and buy something else?

I said no to all three of those questions and thus, I have kept the car. I don't regret any of it. I haven't seen any car pop up for sale that would replace mine and anything that even interests me, cost much much more.

In conclusion, it is worth it to me to continue paying costs for the car even though I'm not using it. Because I know that at least I have it and will continue to be able to enjoy it later.

I'd say it really depends on your nsx. If it is your ideal year, color, etc and it's hard to replace, then keep it. Otherwise buy another one if you still have the itch when you return. If I was in Japan, I would be trying to get some fun cars that we don't have access to here in the states.

Just wanted to add that I moved to Hong Kong for 3 years, and left my NSX in my parents garage in Florida. Since my father never drove it after the first 6 months or so, I just let the insurance lapse, saving me a little money. Luckily they never got hit by any hurricanes. :smile: However, I had more problems within the first few months of getting it back on the road than in the previous 9 years and 75k miles of ownership before storing it. So I would definitely recommend leaving it with someone who will drive it on occasion. Cars are meant to be driven, they don't like to sit for years..

Have fun in Japan.

Keep it, but have someone taking care of it.

I sent my GT-R back from Japan a year early and realized that no one was going to be there to keep it in decent condition. BNR32s aren't exactly the most reliable cars in the world, but like mentioned above any car that sits will be much worse off than when it's getting driven, including the NSX.

There's not too many cars in that age range that you could bring back from Japan that would be as good as an NSX, and you would probably lose out by selling your car and trying to find a decent Japanese NSX. GTRs are fun and all until you own it for awhile, and they don't make Japanese people turn their heads quite like an NSX.

Thanks for the input everyone. I think everyone is biased

I am kinda afraid of something happening to the car while I am away. I am toying with the idea of selling the car, maybe on BaT...Anyone have experience there? I am thinking about BaT because NSX's prices seem fair and the process wouldn't take too long (I start work in Japan next month).

I'd ask yourself if you would want to live without an NSX if/when you return.

If the answer is no, you need to find a way to keep it.

If you are looking forward to something different, I'd sell it as it will be a major PITA to keep it and you will likely run into some gremlins when you return.

Who knows when you'll return and that car wouldn't be a good choice to bring to Japan.

If it were me, and I'm a practical person who would have a tough time wrapping my head around keeping a car in a different country for at least two years, I'd sell it. But that's a brain decision not one made with your heart, and you gotta follow your heart when it comes to cars.