Our new cars...

Rodney and I went car shopping yesterday evening and will soon own these two beauties:

We've named this car "Snowflake."

The vehicle above is a 1996 Diahatsu Move, and is considered a compact car, even here in Japan. The mandatory Japanese insurance, called JCI, is cheaper on cars like this and they sport a yellow license plate. JCI covers bodily injury only, up to about $30,000 and has to be renewed every two years. To get the JCI renewed, cars must pass a mechanical inspection that makes sure the car is in good shape. So, hopefully, because of that, we won't get a lemon. :) The Move will be the car that takes Rodney just to and from work here on base. Because of the location of his "office," he cannot walk, ride a bike or take the bus to it - he has to drive or be driven. We will pay $1,500 for this vehicle, with full two years of JCI on it. Prices for cars in Japan may have been cheaper for Americans in the past, but the dollar is not doing well against the Yen right now, so prices have gone up.

The vehicle below, a 1999 Nissan Presage Pacifique, will be the family car. It can seat six and looks like a stylized station wagon. We will pay $3,300 for this car, with a full two years JCI.

We haven't named this car yet. Any suggestions?

As military personnel, we are also required to carry secondary insurance. This covers everything the JCI doesn't cover. So, that is an additional expense each year. But at least we won't have a car payment! It will take about a week to process all of the paperwork with the Japanese government and the military police on base. Once it is all said and done, we should be driving by next weekend!