The entire family has fallen in love with some of the cars we see around here. The Toyota "ProBox" is at the top of the list. It is best described as a no-frills Subaru Outback with a bit more head room and cargo space. Talking with cab drivers it sounds like these four-wheel-drive cars go for around $10,000 used, with very low miles, shipped over from Japan. I am particularly enamored of the Toyota HiAce van. It's a five speed with a 3.0 liter turbo-diesel engine and again, four wheel drive. Why can't I have one of these shipped to the USA?
Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors don't want me to.
Apparently the taxes one pays for these cars to enter our country are nearly equal to the price one pays for the car. The big three have powerful lobbies that work to keep these cars out of circulation. I know we need to protect our country's industrial interests, but it feels more like we are protecting ineptitude. The Japanese cars here in Peru are THE BOMB! They are rugged, efficient, nicely designed, and cheap! If they were able to infiltrate the US market I am confident that nobody would be fool enough to buy anything else. Oh well, I guess I will have to enjoy these vehicles while I am here.
I'll try to post a few pictures of our favorites tomorrow.
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