You’ll probably buy your car from a private party, normally another American preparing to leave, or one of the many car dealerships surrounding the U.S. military bases in Okinawa.

There are two “big” websites to check online:

1. Facebook: This is a pretty active Buy/Sell/Trade group for Okinawa that frequently has cars for sale. You’ve got the advantage of real profiles, a messenger app that you actually use, an active community, and it’s open on Sundays! Dealers generally won’t post their cars here so you will likely see private party sellers only.
2. Bookoo: Bookoo is very popular in Okinawa. Car dealers and private party sellers will both list here. Private party sellers are generally less responsive on Bookoo, and the site shuts down on Sunday, which is weird, but you’ll have far better selection and better search options than the facebook group.

While several of the dealers post on Bookoo, you can check their websites as well if there is a specific dealer that you’re comfortable shopping at. Most people end up buying a car wherever their sponsor recommends which generally happens to be the same place where the sponsor bought their car.

1. Car Man: I bought one of my cars here and had  great experience. Car Man is a smaller dealer that sells mostly Kei cars. Their Kei cars have a shorter warranty than some of the other dealers.
2. BC Used Cars: Most people that buy a car from a dealer will buy from BC Motors. They sell a lot of cars. Some people have horror stories. Most people don’t.
3. U.S. Auto Sales: As you might have guessed from the name, this dealer also caters to Americans. Lot’s of people also buy their cars here.
4. Johhy’s Cars: The prices are very high. The cars are on sale for huge discounts. After the huge discount, they’re still more expensive than Car Man. Maybe the premium is worth it.
5. Payless Motors: They have a lot of cars in the $3,000 to $4,500 range.
6. Ride Over: Their english website is  limited. They sell more expensive cars. If you’re not looking for a practical car, this might be an okay place to start. I’d go through their main web page using google translate.
7. Pit Stop: Several comments on OkinawaHai suggest not buying a car here. These comments are from 2011. I haven’t heard anything positive or negative about this dealer that is more recent.
8. Auto Shop Z: This dealer is active on Facebook and Bookoo. Their location is further north that the other dealers but they do have a shuttle service. They are the lowest priced dealer, but they sell their cars without a warranty.