Car/Vehicle Shipping Cost from Yokohama to Jacksonville, Florida

Budget: The shorter the distance, the more cost-effective it is to drive instead of ship your car. Regardless of the total distance, look at your total moving budget and how much you can afford to spend on car shipping services compared to a cross-country drive.

Shipping a car from Japan to the USA typically takes 8 to 10 weeks in total, but the actual sea voyage is shorter (2.5 weeks to West Coast, longer to East Coast), with the overall timeline including prep, waiting for vessels, paperwork, customs, and delivery. Expect delays from weather, vessel availability, and customs, making 2-3 months a realistic timeframe from purchase to arrival.

Cars, especially used ones, are cheap in Japan due to a strong preference for new cars, high quality and frequent upgrades, a robust domestic auto industry (economies of scale), efficient local markets with minimal transport costs, and the high cost/rigidity of mandatory inspections (Shaken) making older cars less desirable, though a recent weak yen has increased export demand and prices.