Taking Delivery of a New Car - Japan Style

So what's it like to take delivery of a brand new car at a Nissan dealership here in Japan? Probably the same as in most other countries, but let me walk you through my experience.

Granted, I had placed the initial order on this car back in August 2023 (when the order books opened - the car almost immediately sold out) and there were a couple of hiccups along the way which slowed things down, but in the end the dealership, another dealership (details later) and my friends at Nismo took good care of me.

Anyway, a few months ago the dealer (the Higashi Kanagawa branch of Nissan Prince Kanagawa) called me and told me that the car was now about to be built at Nissan's Tochigi factory, with an anticipated line-off date in late July.  Then, the car would be delivered to the dealership (Nissan Prince Kanagawa)'s central processing center, where all the dealer options would be installed (although in my case, the only options I got were the floor mats, the wheel locks and the anti-theft license plate bolts).  This is also when the car is registered - and since I had requested a personalized plate, it would take a bit longer.  All in, I arranged to pick up the car on Friday, September 13 as usually Fridays are when I have the fewest meetings at work (and I wanted to avoid the craziness of the weekend).

So Friday morning, I took the train to the nearest station, and in the heat, walked a bit onto the overpass until I finally saw the Nissan logo。

Can you see the Nissan logo?

I finished crossing over and then when I passed the Gulliver and the Sushi-Ro, I suddenly got close!

Turning into the entrance, I immediately spotted my car.

Not the typical sedan, even at this distance!

But just in case, I took a look at the rear to verify the license plate I wanted was on the car - the same number as on my Elgrand and my Lexus IS-F!

Looks way better in person - it has a presence that photos don't convey 

As I was admiring the car, the salesman (Muraki-san), his boss the store manager (Yuri-san), and the president of Nissan Prince Kanagawa came running out to greet me.  I was immediately ushered inside and while it's a far cry from the Lexus dealership I sometimes go to for my IS-F, it was still very hospitable. 

I don't need large signs, and at least they got my name right!

After signing a few pieces of paper to indicate receipt of the vehicle and to sign up for connected services (so the majority of the paperwork I had completed earlier.  First when I ordered the car, I provided my wish list of options, how I was going to pay for it, the color, etc. The second set of paperwork I did when the car was going to get built - this is when I provided the dealership with a power of attorney to ask my local police to verify I had a parking spot for the car, where I gave instructions on the personalized plate I wanted, insurance details, etc.), Muraki-san gave me the keys and then we walked around the car, checking for any imperfections. I think I might have found a small one, but let me get back to you on it in a future post. I then sat down in the driver's seat and Muraki-san ran me through the car's features.

28kms at delivery!  

I eagerly started the engine and was immediately struck by how smooth and quiet it is. Not the Hot Rod I expected. Oh well, I am sure I will figure something out later. So long as it drives well...

Ok this center stack is very old, style wise. But who cares? This car is meant to be driven!

So first thing I noticed was how cold the A/C was! And because I had insisted the dealer leave all the protective plastic on the car, I had no worries about my sweat getting onto the Recaro seats.  And by the way, even though the Skyline Nismo is a limited edition car capped at only 1000 units, those with the Recaro seat factory option are a minority of them! (I am going to try to get exact numbers, but likely less than 40%)

The Recaro Sportster-based Nismo sport seats

So the center of the dash area is this piano black material, which of course makes me nervous - how do I protect against scratching?  At least the car-specific plaque mounted there tells me my car is number 958 of 1000!

Check out all that dust! Will have to carefully detail...

Here is some Japlish. I swear Nissan's legal department had nothing to do with this (at least no one on my team)...

Finally done with showing me all the important interior details and how to use the Navi, etc. we went back out to take a photo of me and the car.

Ignore the hand gesture if it offends you.... note that on social media I posted the one with me flashing the V sign instead...

So after this, I jumped in, said good-bye, and drove the 6 kms to Nismo Omori Factory, as you saw in my opening post. All in I was at the dealer for about 70 minutes this time. And yes my car sat at Omori Factory looking pretty for a few days, until I could arrange for a special transport for some special work... which I will talk about in my next post!

Check back soon!