Bring a car or......

I am being reassigned to Okinawa and was wonder if I should have a car shipped, A Caddilac, small 6 cyl, nice car, or should I store it and purchase one in Japan? Also with the way things are going I was wondering if NEV's are big in Japan or can you purchase electric cars there yet?

If you want to drive off-base in Japan, your car needs to go through the Japanese vehicle inspection; the requirements for vehicle inspection differ from one country to another, so it could be expensive to have your car modified here to ensure compliance locally. Also... shipping cost would be quite high.

No, electric vehicles are not available here yet.

just buy a car here. you'll pay through the roof for a large displacement cadillac. car taxes here go by engine size among other things. if you have a 4 or 5 litre v6 or inline 6 it's going to cost a pretty penny.

buy a kei car if you just need to put around, or buy an old skyline gts-t if you want something sporty, or a gtr if you want to really tear the place up.

There is a wealth of information out there about bringing your car to Japan if you are military; here's one site:
http://www.usarpac.army.mil/516thSigBde/58th_signal_battalio...

First, Japan prohibits import of any U.S. made automobile that is year 1976 or newer.

Japan's streets are narrow and parking spaces small; though Okinawa is far more spacious in general and roads seem much more large-car friendly, I'd stick to a small car.

The one site I gave you says that rust is a big problem in Okinawa, too.

Put your car in storage and buy a used car off the lemon lot at Kadena. You can pick up a fairly decent car for less than $5,000. My son bought some nice cars for less than $3,000. They aren't your Cadillac, but for the short time (relatively) you will be on Okinawa, they will suffice.

Also, the streets on Okinawa can be just as narrow as those on the mainland.

Your caddy will depreciate quickly in storage especially with GM in trouble. Sell now, if u can. Come here and get a Lexus.