shiobe.com

What It Is

塩部自動車（shiobe.com） is a local automotive service company based in Kai City, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. 株式会社塩部自動車 was founded in 1969 and mainly handles new and used car sales, vehicle purchase appraisals, repairs and maintenance, vehicle inspections and checkups, bodywork and painting, and auto insurance. The site places particular emphasis on “finding a used HiAce in Yamanashi,” positioning the business more as a trusted local dealership and repair shop than a nationwide online car marketplace.

Core Features

Its services cover the full vehicle lifecycle. For purchasing, it offers new cars, order-based sales, and used car sales, and says it can handle all manufacturers. Used vehicles are serviced at its own certified workshop before delivery. For after-sales support, it provides general repairs, scheduled inspections, shaken vehicle inspections, bodywork and painting, and can use used or remanufactured parts depending on the customer’s budget to reduce repair costs. The company also lists related services such as insurance, tow truck recovery, various loans, and car leasing.

Pricing

The website does not publicly list vehicle prices, repair labor rates, shaken inspection packages, or loan terms; pricing needs to be confirmed by phone or via the inquiry form. For users who want to compare prices quickly, this is not very transparent. However, for an offline dealership and workshop, quoting individually based on vehicle condition, service scope, and customer needs is also fairly common.

Pros and Cons

Its strengths are its long operating history and the fact that it publishes details such as its secondhand dealer license, registrations related to the Automobile Recycling Law, workshop certification number, and affiliated organizations, which adds credibility. It also has its own certified workshop, computerized diagnostic equipment, and nationally qualified mechanics, making the transition from pre-sale servicing to after-sales maintenance relatively smooth. The drawbacks are that the website is only moderately digitized, many FAQ items are still marked as “coming soon,” and information on inventory, quotations, payment methods, and remote purchase procedures is limited. There is also no visible Chinese or English support.

Who It’s For

It is suitable for general car owners and small commercial vehicle users in and around Yamanashi who want to buy a used HiAce, a new car, or a used car, or who need long-term maintenance, shaken inspections, repairs, or bodywork and painting. It is less suitable for users who want to complete vehicle selection, price comparison, cross-border purchasing, or Chinese-language service entirely online.

Access from China

Judging by the site format, this is a standard Japanese corporate website and does not involve sensitive content or login-required services, so it should generally be directly accessible from mainland China. However, services such as car purchasing and repairs rely heavily on local offline communication and in-store procedures in Japan.