Tag Archives: Registration

So I put the navigation DVD in the drive and…

When I bought the bus the Navigation DVD was in the drive and it was just a bit annoying the way Navigation automatically started when the key was turned. Not only is the disc from 2003 but it only covers Japan. Everything is in Japanese and only of any use if you’re driving in Japan, which I’m not. The disc has been in the glove box for the last six months.

I just fancied popping the disc in today and have a bit of a play.

A red triangle appeared just off the coast of somewhere in Japan but I haven’t got a clue which part of the country it was thanks to the Japanese labels. It did rotate as I drove though. So that’s not very interesting.

Wait…I just saw a route finish marker across the map, and further in the distance another marker that could be Home or Start. Could these be set for the last trip the bus made before leaving Japan? Maybe it’s when it travelled to Nagoya to the auction?

When I got home I loaded up Google Maps on my phone and worked out how to move the map around on the Navigation screen. Rotating the map to North I realised that both Start and Finish were in Toyama Prefecture. I knew from the bus’s Japanese registration plates that it was registered in Toyama. I wondered then if this was the owner’s last trip in it, maybe to go and pick up a nice new motor the Elgrand would be taken in part exchange for? So many questions!

Zooming in on the Finish marker showed that the destination was a car dealership called ‘Gulliver’, just off the Etchu-Higashi Highway.

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gulliver

You can have a look around the place here.

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What about the other markers? I guess that ‘S’ is the start of the route and not far away is the ‘Home’ marker. home

The map from 2003 doesn’t show a row of houses adjacent to the markers.

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Google Maps shows that the end house is closest to the marker that looks like a building. I’d think this is most likely to be the previous owner’s house.home3

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Google map’s imagery for this area is from 2014 at the time of writing this and it’s a shame the Elgrand can’t been seen in the surrounding area.

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Almost here!

Today the garage contacted me to say that apart from the reg document not coming through from the DVLA yet the bus is ready for me. They also want me to have it as they need the space for more stock arriving this week. Hey, not really my problem but I’m happy to be getting it sooner than I thought, and delivered too (for the cost of the fuel, of course, which will save me the cost of a couple of train tickets and taxi fares).

The plan then is for them to drop it off at my house tomorrow evening. I’ll have a good look around it to make sure it’s as I was promised and pay the balance. Once I get the registration I can insure it and get plates made up and It’ll be on the road.

This is a very different way to buy a car from what I’m used to, and I’m not sure I want to do it like this again as right now I’m as apprehensive as I am excited. It’s been with them since around 19th April and it’s getting a couple of bodywork issues sorted tomorrow morning..? It may be a total lemon dumped on my yard but I’m trying not to think like that.

The garage specialise in this kind of vehicle and the Internet gives dissatisfied buyers an opportunity to make other potential buyers aware of any shenanigans, so it’s not in their best interest to try and pull a fast one. However this story plays out I’ll let people know over at the Elgrand OC.

Tomorrow does bring an amount of comfort though that I won’t have to stress about getting it insured to collect it and also there’s no travel to sort either. It can sit on my yard until I’ve got everything in place.

My finger nails are even shorter than usual.

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