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Bolivia is awash with contraband cars from Japan

economist.com

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Re: Bolivia is awash with contraband cars from Japan

#61

Post by sokoloff »

kragen wrote: post #53
dontlaugh wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s just like an MOT in the UK, or the periodic checks in most countries for that matter. The car is exempt for the first few years, then gets checked yearly. Most cars pass with few, if any, repairs.

Thanks to ehnto providing the keyword, I found https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor-vehicle_inspection_(Japa... . It says: ... the system effectively represents an additional tax on used car ownership. Even owners of a perfectly maintained vehicle can expect to pay 100,000 yen (US $899) for a two-year inspection, and requirements are even stricter for vehicles over 10 years old leading to an extremely high effective t…

> I don't think paying US$70 per year is "just like" paying US$600 per year.

See the point #3 that you posted in your comment. Repairs/maintenance required to pass MOT (or equivalent inspection here) are in addition to the inspection fee.

Re: Bolivia is awash with contraband cars from Japan

#62

Post by netsharc »

pseingatl wrote: post #59
el-salvador wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are some places where the wheel and driving side don't match what's usually expected. Like Vladivostok, Russia, where cars drive right but due to its proximity to Japan some cars have the wheel on the right. Or the U.S. Virgin Islands, which drives left, but most cars are U.S. imports and have the wheel on the left.

Or Myanmar, but things there are changing. Previously they drove on the left as in the UK. Then a fortune teller told the dictator to change to drive on the right, but the imported cars still had the steering wheels on the right. With the penultimate government, this was starting to change. There's a new government now, so who knows? I've driven in a Bolivian chuto. The steering wheel and pedals are moved, but everyt…

Top Gear covered the dictatorial madness in Myanmar: https://youtu.be/9MDzTw7rHhE?list=PLWpVvJ8o7wzzTMdDpFCbxClHe...

Re: Bolivia is awash with contraband cars from Japan

#63

Post by bombcar »

pseingatl wrote: post #60
bombcar wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Moving a steering wheel seems like it would be more trouble than it’s worth, but I’ve not actually taken apart a Japanese car to see if the holes and mounting spots are all there.

The chutos I've been in have had only the steering wheels and pedals moved, the rest of the dash stayed where it was originally manufactured.

It sounds like moving the controls is more about making it not obviously a chuto and less about drivability though the dash may be less needed than thought.

Re: Bolivia is awash with contraband cars from Japan

#64

Post by bojan »

sandworm101 wrote: post #6

The irony is that Bolivia is a hotspot for lithium production. I love the diconnect. A country to poor to effectively control the import of illegal used cars, where cops can be bought off for 100$, is producting lithium for electric vehicles sold in the richest.

It's not that odd. Producing lithium is horrible for the environment, and places like Bolivia don't care very much if you don't (fully) adhere to environmental laws.

Re: Bolivia is awash with contraband cars from Japan

#65

Post by onlyrealcuzzo »

mrtksn wrote: post #37
IG_Semmelweiss wrote: post #27

Countries like bolivia, and other countries that slap very large (>50%) import duties on foreign-made cars, have a very funny side-effect. Every 4 years it seems there is a model or brand that is cool, and that every elite seems to be driving. Is that the cool new car? The "in" brand. No. The cause is simple. Its 101 economics: Import duties are usually managed on a country-by-country basis. Politicians will manage c…

That's interesting but Turkey has found a solution to the problem. Having one of the highest tax rates in the World[0], the country had to be creative, thus invented the "Special Consumption tax" or SCT , which is determined by the size of the engine and price bracket of the car. When you buy a car in Turkey, on top of the import duties(if any) a SCT is added(anywhere from %45 to %150), on top of that a VAT is added(…

If the taxes are THAT high - wouldn't it make sense to just buy cars in Greece and ship/drive them to Turkey?

When the 2 year period is up - what happens? Can you sell the car?

Re: Bolivia is awash with contraband cars from Japan

#67

Post by AdrianB1 »

scythe wrote: post #9

This is a good example where import controls are obviously silly. Is Bolivia (pop 11M) going to have a domestic car industry? Does it make any sense to ship the raw materials for building a car 4000 meters up in the Andes instead of just shipping the car?

Since the very old times custom taxes and transit fees made a significant portion of income for countries and kings. The "tax the rich" is not new, it was the way it worked: if someone has something, tax it as much as possible. If some people afford to pay for a car and the taxes, then what stops the government to set huge taxes? It looks more humane than confiscating their money.

Re: Bolivia is awash with contraband cars from Japan

#68

Post by AdrianB1 »

ComputerGuru wrote: post #22
el-salvador wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are some places where the wheel and driving side don't match what's usually expected. Like Vladivostok, Russia, where cars drive right but due to its proximity to Japan some cars have the wheel on the right. Or the U.S. Virgin Islands, which drives left, but most cars are U.S. imports and have the wheel on the left.

Or USPS vehicles in mainland USA which have the steering column on the right!

Most of the road cleaning vehicles in Europe have the driver on the right side of the car, but that is a clear exception.

Re: Bolivia is awash with contraband cars from Japan

#70

Post by CapricornNoble »

kragen wrote: post #47
ehnto wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not that bad, every year you must take all cars through the Shaken ( 車検 ) process. It's exhaustive but they also help you resolve some issues at the Shaken workshop so it's not like they are antagonists unlike in some other country's roadworthiness processes. The rules aren't outrageous, and modified cars can make it through. It's certainly less strict than where I live in Australia. There is also no requirement…

Thank you! Is there some carveout that makes sha-ken less rigorous or expensive the first couple of years, or was I just totally wrong about that? How much does it cost later on?

Shaken costs about ~$300-$500 for most cars, if the car is well-maintained and you take the car through the inspection line yourself. I daily drive a 15-year old sports sedan and will never pay a shop to get this car inspected ever again. If you pay a mechanic to do the inspection, it could be $600-$800. If the car is poorly maintained, of course expect to get gouged on parts & labor.

If you drive a car with terrible resale value AND it has major deficiencies shortly before a new shaken inspection is due, it might be more cost-effective to junk the car rather than return it to passable condition.

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