Japan In November 2012: Kei Cars Save The Month

Some forecasters expected Japan’s appetite for new cars to drop by more than 20 percent in the last quarter after government incentives expired in September. So far, it is not happening. Sales of new cars, trucks and buses declined a minuscule 0.4 percent in November. Elsewhere you may read that the market was down 3.3 percent, but they are not giving you the whole story. Sales of mini vehicles, or kei cars actually were up in November, pulling the market nearly completely out of minus territory.

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  • FreedMike Cheap, fun car. I like it. For what it's worth, good examples of the first-gen models (based on the original Golf) have become collectible and expensive.
  • Ajla I won't rank them because there are too many permutations but if I was actually shopping them odds are high I'd end up with some flavor of Corolla over some flavor of Civic.
  • SCE to AUX He got sick of the commute, and the hassle of being 4 time zones away. Maybe it was mutual.
  • FreedMike Civic for the win based on looks. But continuing with the "but...Mazda" theme, I take a 3 over either of these.
  • Buickman HI-LOW?