Best Japanese Cars for sale in Zimbabwe Under $2,000

Why are Japanese second-hand cars cheap?

Used Japanese cars come in different grades, categories, and price bands to suit each and every would-be buyer’s taste and budget. Most of the time, the price of a used car is related to its condition. Factors determining a car’s price include year of manufacture, paint and body condition, mileage, and brand. But Japanese cars are incredibly known for their robust and resilient nature except for a few, and this has been proven by even the cheap and not in very good condition used cars that some customers opted for, ending up surviving on harsh and tough roads for many years even when not taken good care of.
Here, we take a look at some of these cars that are available on the cheap but end up being worth even more.

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Toyota Vitz

Toyota Vitz (Yaris) is a five-seat three/five-door subcompact hatchback built by Toyota from 1999 to the present. There are three generations of the Vitz with model codes XP10, XP90, and XP130.
The Vitz is loved for its compact body, spacious cabin, and efficiency. Its efficiency was further boosted by introducing a hybrid model in 2012.

Recommended Audience

The Vitz was built for urban environments, where parking is limited, and the streets are narrow, but it has also found its use in periurban and rural areas where it maneuvers the rough terrains at ease.
The Vitz is a car suitable for young couples, retired couples, and juveniles.

• Unlike its size, the Vitz interior is surprisingly spacious.
• It has five seats covered in cloth upholstery as standard.
• Available storage options include a glove box, jacket pockets, cupholders, and door pockets with bottle holders.
• A basic built-in double din radio is standard on earlier models, later models featured an upgrade with a rearview camera.
• Earlier models featured an instrument cluster placed at the center while it was restored above the steering wheel in later models.

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Exterior

The exterior of the Vitz is stubby and perky, available in a three-door or five-door configuration. Other exterior features include a large front and rear bumper, large headlights, alloy or steel wheels, a short hood, a spoiler, and body-colored mirrors and door handles.

Engine and Fuel Consumption

Interior

• Engine

The Vitz comes with an engine within this range; a 1.0-, 1.3-, 1.5-(hybrid and non-hybrid), or 1.8-liter petrol.

• Engine Capacity

977 cc I4 with 70 hp, 998 cc I3 with 70 hp, 1298 cc I4 with 86 hp, 1329 cc I4 with 104 hp, 1497 cc I4 with 110 hp, and 1798 cc I4 with 138 hp.

• Fuel Consumption

The fuel consumption rating of these engines ranges between 12 km/L and 34 km/L (hybrid).

• Transmission oil

The Vitz is available in manual, automatic, CVT, and e-CVT transmission. The transmission oil used is SAE 90, ATF, and CVT fluid respectively.

Toyota Passo

Toyota Passo (Daihatsu Boon) is a subcompact car built by the Toyota subsidiary Daihatsu from 2004 to 2023. There are three generations of the Passo with model codes AC10, AC30, and M700.
The Passo is loved for its compact nature, making it suitable for use in areas with narrow roads, but it’s also so efficient and loved for that.

Recommended Audience

The Toyota Passo is a small car with a low ground clearance. Due to that, it is commendable to use the Passo in urban areas where roads are paved. If you reside in ancient cities with narrow streets and limited parking, then the Passo is the car for you due to its small footprint.
If you are a bachelor, have a small family, or are a retired citizen, then the Passo is the car for you.

Interior

• The Passo is a five-seat car. Regardless of its size, it’s surprisingly spacious inside.
• Standard features include power windows, a double din audio system, a large analog speedometer with a small digital information display, and air conditioning.
• Storage options include door pockets, a glove box, a center tray, and jacket seat pockets.

Exterior

• The dimensions of the Passo are 3650 mm in length, 1665 mm in width, 1535 mm in height, and a wheelbase of 2440 mm.
• It’s a five-door car with medium-sized window glasses and a windscreen.
• The wing mirrors and door handles are the same color as the body.
• It comes with 14” steel wheels as standard with alloy wheels available.

Engine and Fuel Consumption

• Engine:

The Passo comes with an engine within this range; a 1.0-, 1.3-, or 1.5-liter petrol.

• Engine Capacity:

A turbocharged 936 cc I4 with 130 hp, 996 I3 with 70 hp, 1298 cc I4 with 90 hp, 1329 cc I4 with 94 hp, and 1495 cc I4 with 107 hp.

• Fuel Consumption:

The fuel consumption rate of these engines ranges between 13 km/L and 17 km/L.

• Transmission Oil

The Passo is available in manual, automatic, CVT, and e-CVT transmission. The transmission oil used is SAE 90, ATF, and CVT fluid, respectively

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Nissan Note

The Nissan Note is a subcompact car manufactured by Nissan from 2004 to the present. There are three generations of the Note with model codes E11 (2004 – 2013), E12 (2012 – 2020), and E13 (2020 – present).
The Nissan Note is revered for its practicality, comfortability, and efficiency. 

Recommended Audience

The Nissan Note is Versatile and sits between a hatchback and a mini MPV. It is a car built for urban use, where roads are paved, but it has also been tried and tested on unpaved roads and didn’t struggle much.
The Note is practical, versatile, and suitable for young couples, small and large families, and even pensioners.

Interior

• The Note is a five-seat car with enough head, leg, knee, and shoulder room, only the central rear seat occupant is denied comfortable foot room by the transmission tunnel.
• The instrument cluster features a tachometer, speedometer, and a digital information display. A single DIN radio, power windows, and air conditioning are standard.
• Storage options include dual glove boxes, door pockets with bottle holders, jacket seats, bottle holders, and a central tray.

Exterior

• Its facial features large headlights, a large windscreen, and a V-motion grille (E12 & E13).
• The door handles and wing mirrors are body-colored, and the wheels are steel with plastic caps or alloys. 
• Its dimensions (E11) are; 4,083mm in length, 1,690 mm in width, 1,550 mm in height, and a wheelbase of 2,600 mm.

Engine and Fuel Consumption

• Engine:

The Note comes with an engine within this range; 1.2-(hybrid and non-hybrid), 1.4-, 1.5-, and 1.6-liter petrol engines.

• Engine Capacity:

A 1,200 cc I3 with 78 hp, 97 hp (supercharger), and 110 hp (hybrid), 1,400 cc I4 with 88 hp, 1,500 cc I4 with 100 hp, and 1,600 cc I4 with 110 hp.

• Fuel Consumption:

The fuel consumption rate of these engines ranges between 18 km/L and 24.4 km/L.

• Transmission Oil

The Note is available in manual, automatic, CVT, and e-CVT transmission. The transmission oil used is SAE 90, ATF, and CVT fluid, respectively

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Mazda Verisa

The Mazda Verisa is a subcompact hatchback built by the Japanese company Mazda.
Only one generation of the Verisa is available, which was built between 2004 and 2015.
The Verisa has a superior ground clearance and a tall stance that qualifies it as a mini MPV in other markets.

Recommended Audience

The Verisa is a car suitable for urban or rural use with its tall stance an advantage in unpaved roads and models with the e4WD useful when that extra traction is needed.

Due to its efficiency, size, and spacious interior, the Verisa suits people from all walks of life, young and old, and small and large families.

Interior

• The Verisa is a five-seat car with comfortable and supportive seats.
• Its spacious interior offers enough head, leg, shoulder, knee, and foot room.
• Interior storage options include a glove box, cupholders, jacket seat pockets, and a large cargo area.
• The driver’s high seating positions and the large window glasses offer the driver clear visibility of the car’s surrounding environments and the car’s on-road manners add some comfort and peace of mind.

Exterior

The exterior of the Verisa is nice and catchy.

Its face features large halogen headlights, a small grille with a touch of chrome, FOG lights with chrome surroundings, and a chrome strip between them.

Body-colored wing mirrors and chrome door handles are visible from the sides.

14” steel wheels with caps are standard with alloy wheels available.

Engine and Fuel Consumption

• Engine:

The Verisa has a 1.5-liter petrol engine as the sole engine.

• Engine capacity:

The 1500 cc I4 with 110 hp

• Fuel Consumption:

Its fuel consumption is 18 km/L (2WD) and 17 km/L (e4WD).

• Transmission oil

The Verisa is only available with an automatic transmission that uses ATF oil.

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Toyota Mark X

The Toyota Mark X is a car built by the Japanese company Toyota from 2004 to 2019.
There are two generations of the Mark X with model code X120 (2004 – 2009) and X130 (2009 – 2019). A couple of upgrades and special editions were released within these two iterations.

Recommended Audience

The Mark X is a mid-size sedan suitable for urban, periurban, and rural use. In areas where the roads and parking spaces are limited its use might be difficult due to its size.
The Mark X is suitable for young and middle-aged adults.

Interior

• The Mark X is a five-seat car, but four people will be more comfortable on long journeys due to the transmission tunnel intrusion.
• The interior is spacious with ample leg, head, knee, and shoulder room
• It has a touch of wood grain color and some premium finishing
• Storage options include a glove box, cupholders, door pockets with bottle holders, a deep center bin, jacket seat pockets, and a large boot.

Exterior

• Sporty styling with a large footprint
• Chrome door handle and body-colored wing mirrors with turn signal
• Large window glasses with rear privacy glass
• Its dimensions are 4770 mm in length, 1795 mm in width, and 1435 mm in height
• Standard 18” steel wheels with a plastic cap and alloy wheels are available.

Engine and Fuel Consumption

Engine:

The Mark X has engines within this range: a 2.5-, 3.0-, or 3.5-liter V6 petrol.

• Engine Capacity:

A 2499 cc V6 with 210 hp, a 2994 cc V6 with 252 hp (naturally aspirated) and 316 hp (supercharger), and a 3456 cc V6 with 314 hp.

• Fuel Consumption:

The fuel consumption rate of these engines ranges between 10 km/L and 12 km/L.

• Transmission Oil

The Mark X is available with a manual or automatic transmission that use SAE 90 or ATF oil, respectively.

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Writer’s Perspective

The Japanese have proven for years their prowess in car manufacturing, and have a readily available local market for their cars, which they use and after a while decide to put them on sale. Since new cars are expensive, these used cars come at affordable price and in good condition.
Here we have covered a few cars that can be had at less than US$ 2,000 to enlighten you of the availability of these cars and more at a great price.

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Final Verdict

There are plenty of used Japanese cars for you to choose from, and these cars come in different styling and designs, within a wide price range. You can always get a car that falls within your budget, and you’ll never regret it as it will eventually be a good return on investment.

The vehicles covered here are all great cars in their own right, but they are just a small representation of what there is in the market.