Official Lemon Lot, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan

The lemon lot on Kadena Air Base has been moved around quite a bit. This is at least the third location I've seen it moved to in my time here. It used to be located in far more visible sites (at it's current location, it's pretty much concealed by a berm).

Here's some tips to make the most of this spot:

First, before you patronize the off base car dealers you might want to know that most of them buy their cars from mainland wholesalers (so, no, you're not re-buy another service member's vehicle if you use them). If you're going to buy from an off base dealer, visit the lemon lots first. Take a digital camera. Then go visit the sharks off base. At least you'll have a little leverage and credability. Some other things you might want to keep in mind are:

1 - you're only here for a little while. The car you own doesn't really say anything particular about you. No, you probably will not be able to ship your car back to the states.

2 - if you live off base, the parking will, in all probability, be very, very tight. Even if you're careful, you neighbors won't be. If you buy a huge van, remember your spouse will have to park it at some point in time as well.

3 - gas off base is expensive (about two to three times the on-base cost). On base gas stations are not open 24/7 and close for holidays (very, very rare, but very random too.. seems to happen when there's both a US and Japanese holiday). If you're forced to fill your tank two or three times off base, you probably just shelled out for a years worth of insurance.

4 - while automotive safety standards are more lax in Japan, the speeds are much lower as well. Yellow plate cars are limited to a 660cc engine (a medium to large motorcycle engine). These cars have to make compromises to keep their weight down. You will occasionally find a yellow plate car that has a white plate version as well. If you're going to buy a yellow plate car, go with one that has a white plate analogue if you are at all concerned about safety. On the other hand, the lighter the vehicle, the lower the Road Tax (which can run as high as $250 per year for the heavier vehicles).

The Lemon lot can be a good place to get a good bargain if you are willing to perform the due diligence required. A couple of suggestion for buying off of the lemon lot:

1 - know what you want before you go there; selection can range from good to slim and you might not have the widest choice that you want, but if you know what you're looking for before you go, you're ahead of the game if the selection is good.

2 - take your spouse, but if you're meeting the seller, have them on a seperate part of the lot and then, while you're talking with the seller, have your spouse join up as though they're an independent buyer (that way your spouse can ask questions and you can exit the negotiation with "I have to check with my spouse first" if you need to.

3 - call the seller and have them meet you at the lot (immediately if possible); cell phone = buyer's tool of advantage. If the seller schedules a meet time, show early to make sure they haven't started the engine or preformed last minute maintenance. Check to make sure the car hasn't been warmed up (hand on hood) and ask to start the car the first time (watch for abnormal exhaust).

4 - look for the usual signs of neglect/problems (cracked/under inflated tires, rusted disk rotors, spider webs in the wheel wells, dusty windshields, oil/coolant/transmission/break fluid pools under the car, etc.) If the car sat on the lot long enough to accumulate these tell-tales, then why should you buy what others have passed by.

5 - look for a flexible seller. Ask for a 15% to 20% cash-in-hand discount. Use time left on JCI and a point of contention. Less than a year left? Ask for an additional 10% off. Remember, at the end of the day, it's a buyer's market. They're leaving and that's final; you've got two or three years! Remind them that the sooner the sell their car, the bigger their insurance refund will be. Point out that they probably haven't paid the recycle fee that you might be required to pay (if you choose to junk the car when you leave). Go armed with quotes from dealers and have a copy of Japan Update handy (you can look through it for similar cars while you wait for the seller to show up).

6 - manual transmissions are rare... if you're looking for a stick shift, you're going to have to make repeated visits before you find what you want.

7 - don't forget to check the TLF parking lot; it is a defacto, unofficial secondary lemon lot and at least you know the "original" owner is still on-island.