MostlyYank

I'd expect some of the grey market cars to be pretty cool.

I did get some papers, lets see,

(unreadable) 'Oola changa, twee fuosand keeelameeta'?

Goes one from there Yes I'm burning in h#ll lol.

Pete

S Folinsky

I understand that late model domestic Japanese cars are exported to New Zealand and Australia.

Pulaski

Like the UK, they're RHD countries. I suspect that increasingly Japanese cars are ending up in India too, especially the smaller and cheaper ones.

dakota44

Me likey.

Pulaski

Me too, but what is it?

dakota44

It's a Siata Torino. Only one I have ever seen and had no idea what it was when I was standing next to it.

S Folinsky

Precisely on the RHD issue. On India, I know they have had quite protectionist provisions on car imports. I notice that the Wikipedia article does not mention India.

Vimto

Having lived in the UAE with so many expats from the Indian sub-continent (50%+ of the population) as well as the UK, there was a large market for second hand Japanese imports, however there were cases of stolen vehicles making onto this 'grey market',
I knew personally some one who purchased a nice 1 year old Toyota Landcruiser and shipped it to the UK only to be told by his UK shipping agent who was also going to handle the registration on his behalf that based on its VIN # that it had been stolen in Tokyo and as Japanese Police and the UK DMV share data it would be impounded/confiscated upon arrival in Southampton. He made arrangements for the SUV in its container to be returned to Dubai without going through British Customs.
I had the pleasurable experience of visiting the local seller in Sharjah and watching my friend "extract" not only the full cost of the vehicle and its shipping (both ways) under threat of calling in the local cops for him handling stolen goods. We dont know what happened to the Toyota but most probably it ended up in India or Pakistan

USMC

What car would you recommend for a family of four in coastal NC? We are moving there next month. Kids are 6 and 2. I think I have narrowed it down to a 2014 Ford Explorer Sport or Grand Cherokee Overland. I don't intend on towing anything. I have read reviews on each of them but would appreciate any personal views or even other suggestions. Thanks

Pulaski

I think they're both good choices, and if we go the SUV route, one of those two will be the next vehicle we buy. I have a couple of Fords already, and would tend to lean that way, but if we want a V8, it would have to be the Grand Cherokee. From the reviews I have read, your two choices are fairly closely matched, though the the Explorer is lighter, and, I hear, more "car like" to drive. Mrs P is keen to try the Grand Cherokee (she doesn't like "the look" of the Explorer ), I think she might prefer the Explorer when she test drives them. So I think we may go with the Ford, unless we can find the extra $20k for a Grand Cherokee SRT8, which is very appealing.

One other alternative: the Dodge Durango, which shares most of its engineering with the Grand Cherokee.

PS All credit to you for looking at domestic brands. It is pretty sickening to find so many people dismissing everything from "the big three" as junk, and plumping automatically for something from the Japanese or Korean manufacturers.

USMC

Thanks for the reply. I think we will just have have to test drive them both. My Wife is of the same opinion as MRS P and isn't to keen on the look of the Explorer.

Hiro11

I tend to agree. I have only purchased Japanese cars my entire life but I'm increasingly thinking my next car will be domestic. Just in the last five years, domestic cars have become much better. Take for example the formerly moribund Cadillac brand. They are making some compelling stuff lately. The ATS is a terrific small luxury car and most publications say the new 2014 CTS is much more of a drivers car than the current 5 Series (which has admittedly fallen a bit off the pace in the past few years). The new ATS coupe is a very sharp car as well. Would I actually buy a Cadillac today? Unlikely. Is it still light years better than the DeVille/Seville blue hair-mobiles they were producing a decade ago? Absolutely.

More close to home, I own a Honda Pilot but almost always rent an Explorer on (frequent) business trips. I don't know how reliable the Explorer is but I can say that it's a categorically nicer car than the Pilot. More powerful, much nicer interior, far quieter, superior sound system, more comfortable ride etc. These two cars are about the same price. If the Explorer is rated as reliable (I'm not certain), it's a good choice.

RoadWarriorFromLP

Japan has a rigorous inspection system that is designed to spur new car sales. As a result, there isn't much of a used car market, and a lot of used cars get exported.

A lot of those cars end up in NZ, which has no car industry of its own and can use some affordable RHD wheels. New cars cost a fortune there, but used Japanese-market cars are a bargain, and they get some interesting high performance models that you'd never find in the US.

Australia is a different situation. Australia has had a car industry (although it won't for much longer), and spent decades making imports costly.

Samoa switched from driving on the right to the left, in order to get NZ's leftovers. Before the switch, a lot of cars in Samoa were shipped in used from California, sent by family members who had emigrated.

Bink

To add to what Pulaski has written.

We looked at the Explorer and the Grand Cherokee when buying my SUV (we ultimately ended up with a GMC Acadia which I love). I like them both but to me they're a little different. The Jeep is a bit more luxurious and the Explorer has an awful lot of practicality about it (7 seats). I found the ride on the Jeep to be a little on the firm side but other than that don't really have anything negative to say about either vehicle - it's all personal preference. They're both unibody designs (rather than body on frame) and are both fairly easy to drive though as Pulaski mentioned - I found the Explorer the easier of the two to drive.

USMC

Hi, thanks for the info. To be honest it does not sound like there is much between them. Can I ask what made you go for the Acadia?