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INTEREST: 2 Girls & Panzer Itasha Cars Get 180 Prospective Buyers


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dan9999



Joined: 25 Oct 2011
Posts: 648
PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2013 10:32 pm Reply with quote
Trains, metro and Shinkansen are super efficient, super clean, super fast, who needs a car? Unlike the western lands, people of all classes use them (there is no "for poor" people "stigma"), people don't smell bad even when its like sardines in a can, only negative aspect you can find is the chikan activity Laughing The whole of Japan is connected with mind-blowing public transportation system (this is one aspect foreigners fear the most whats seems like a giant complex interconnected network of trains/metro/shinakansen ... . Theres little parking available to boot, its obvious why young people don't want them.

Last edited by dan9999 on Mon May 06, 2013 10:47 pm; edited 2 times in total
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domino



Joined: 25 Nov 2004
Posts: 373
PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2013 10:40 pm Reply with quote
If I lived somewhere with a public transportation system as nice as Japan's, I wouldn't want a car either! Unless you live in the middle of nowhere, having a car in Japan is annoying.
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Chagen46



Joined: 27 Jun 2010
Posts: 4377
PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2013 11:07 pm Reply with quote
Public transportation can go eff itself. I'd buy these in a heartbeat.

Too bad they're not FT-86's, tho
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walw6pK4Alo



Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 9322
PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2013 11:10 pm Reply with quote
Public transit isn't absolutely everywhere. You'll do fine in a big city, but once you get out to the suburban and semi-rural, you're gonna need a car. Japan's trains are great for intercity travel, but to do your ordinary everyday tasks like groceries and going to the post office, you get a car. Well, first you get a space that you inform your local constabulary about, and then you get a car. You can't have a vehicle without a designated spot in which to park it.
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mdo7



Joined: 23 May 2007
Posts: 6397
Location: Katy, Texas, USA
PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2013 11:19 pm Reply with quote
I might have seen that car (picture 1) on NHK World on Sunday. Shocked

Thanks for bringing it up for me again, ANN.
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firedragon54738



Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 3113
Location: wisconsin
PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2013 11:39 pm Reply with quote
Now that a car its just to bad you can just buy one in the US
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dan9999



Joined: 25 Oct 2011
Posts: 648
PostPosted: Tue May 07, 2013 12:12 am Reply with quote
walw6pK4Alo wrote:
Public transit isn't absolutely everywhere. You'll do fine in a big city, but once you get out to the suburban and semi-rural, you're gonna need a car. Japan's trains are great for intercity travel, but to do your ordinary everyday tasks like groceries and going to the post office, you get a car. Well, first you get a space that you inform your local constabulary about, and then you get a car. You can't have a vehicle without a designated spot in which to park it.


Its not absolutely everywhere, right, but all the country for the most part is extremely well connected, it stands out more if you compare to other countries.

For groceries, its not like in western lands, you do not really need a car for them, in the west many go do the shopping once a week and buy a lot but in Japan for the most part its not like that, groceries are usually bought on a daily basis, you do not need to go to the big supermarket at all.

You add a nice touch of the annoyance to have a car and the parking trouble, having a garage in the apartment or house is not as common as other countries, paying for parking its not nice either, you usually wont rent a parking slot next you your house or apt, its adds to the annoyance.

So yea, its no wonder young people don't buy them as they used to.

Chagen46 wrote:
Public transportation can go eff itself. I'd buy these in a heartbeat.

Too bad they're not FT-86's, tho


Well, like walw6pK4Alo said, even if you want it, you need to prove you have where to park it, if you don't have a garage in your house or apartment then you will need to rent a slot somewhere, it may not be next to your house so the annoyance to go to retrieve it whenever you need it and take off form there every time you wish to use will built over time.

All of this matter to see why YOUNG people don't buy them. Its an annoyance more than anything else.
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Polycell



Joined: 16 Jan 2012
Posts: 4623
PostPosted: Tue May 07, 2013 12:51 am Reply with quote
Even American youth are less interested in car ownership than in ages past - cars in general and new cars especially have gotten a lot more expensive as 'safety' and fuel efficiency mandates have risen along with the price of gas(though I believe that Japan's mandates are lower than the ridiculous American ones).
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configspace



Joined: 16 Aug 2008
Posts: 3717
PostPosted: Tue May 07, 2013 12:58 am Reply with quote
It's true that public transportation is widely available in the city, but not so much rural, suburbs, outside-of-metro, areas, and provides a "good enough" system, but it is actually not that efficient nor convenient. For one thing, the trains stop at midnight. When I was in Japan, taking trains, busses, walking and waiting was a pain in the ass and HUGE time waster. It was the same vacationing anywhere else. Busses and trains are fine.. if you're not in a hurry and don't have things to carry.

It reminded me of my school days taking and waiting for busses and walking. When I finally drove, it was such a huge time saver and boost in freedom of mobility.

Danny Choo wrote about why he bought a car, going through two now, when he initially didn't need one in Japan.

That said, I'm not sure Itasha is really effective in boosting sales. I like the otaku subculture and cars, but combining the two, not so much personally. There's already a good aftermarket with competition for Itasha so I'm not sure what advantage there is from having manufacturers provide them. In general boosting the economy everywhere, particularly outside of Tokyo metro where the utility of cars is also higher, would lead to higher sales. And Japan needs to get rid of their displacement tax. And the high 2 year inspection/smog fee. And the parking fees or permanent parking license, and other regulations, etc
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potatochobit



Joined: 26 Aug 2009
Posts: 1373
Location: TEXAS
PostPosted: Tue May 07, 2013 2:15 am Reply with quote
why only two.... *ugh*

two cars - which will probably be trailer queen'd in a garage is not advertising at all. They need to start an itasha program or at least get 500 of them out. In order to qualify as an official production car in most racing circuits there must have been 500 cars produced anyway.

this reminds me of how two years ago mazda was using kuroneko from oreimo to advertise for the mazda car sales. it ended up being nothing but if they actually did it seriously I think they could have sold alot.

seeing someone else with a panzer car does not make me want to go out and buy a new plain version of the car, it just makes me jealous and mad at the car company.
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Mohawk52



Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 8202
Location: England, UK
PostPosted: Tue May 07, 2013 8:33 am Reply with quote
It's cute and I like it, but to drive one in the UK is like driving a billboard that says, "Yes I'm a peado perv and here's why." I'd be stopped by every cop that sees it near a school, even if I was only just driving by to go to work, which in my daily commute I actually have to pass several. Sadly the world has become this Fanatical Puritanical Politically Correct society where even looking at a female more than a glance can get you labeled a perv of some description. Rolling Eyes
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Happiness for Subaru
Subscriber



Joined: 24 Feb 2011
Posts: 242
PostPosted: Tue May 07, 2013 10:46 am Reply with quote
A question: How do owners (that were not involved in the creation of) itasha use them? Drive them daily, special occasion, keep them as a showpiece and never drive them, buy then sell it off to make a profit?
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enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14889
PostPosted: Tue May 07, 2013 5:41 pm Reply with quote
Mohawk52 wrote:

Sadly the world has become this Fanatical Puritanical Politically Correct society where even looking at a female more than a glance can get you labeled a perv of some description. Rolling Eyes


Yeah, gals need thicker skin. Laughing
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Mohawk52



Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 8202
Location: England, UK
PostPosted: Wed May 08, 2013 10:00 am Reply with quote
Happiness for Subaru wrote:
A question: How do owners (that were not involved in the creation of) itasha use them? Drive them daily, special occasion, keep them as a showpiece and never drive them, buy then sell it off to make a profit?
Either, and all, but not necessarily in that order. The way I've seen it on NHK World, owners collaborate and hold impromptu shows in empty car parks during weekends and get judged with prizes, also show off their paint jobs, though some are actually large stickers, to the public. Some that are MPV's also have displays of figures and one even had a 42" flat screen tele with an episode of the anime that was the theme of the itasha, playing on it. They do it at airports, trains, or bus stations. Anywhere that has tourists who take lots of photos.
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Chagen46



Joined: 27 Jun 2010
Posts: 4377
PostPosted: Wed May 08, 2013 10:04 am Reply with quote
Happiness for Subaru wrote:
A question: How do owners (that were not involved in the creation of) itasha use them? Drive them daily, special occasion, keep them as a showpiece and never drive them, buy then sell it off to make a profit?


Most of the art on Itaha is vinyl stickers. Said stickers can be kept off until you want to show off the car, at which you can put them on.
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