Japanese cat owner has to sell sports car to pay for medical bills, finds best buyer in the world
A touching tale of a cat, a car, and compassion.
Pets and cars are both things that people form strong attachments to, but when he had to make a choice between them, a Yahoo! Japan Auction user who goes by the screenname Leiz sided with his pet cat. Named Silk, the poor cat was recently diagnosed with a potentially deadly viral gastrointestinal condition called feline infectious peritonitis which requires costly medical treatment.
With veterinary bills adding up, Leiz decided to raise money for his cat’s care by auctioning off his 1989 Toyota Supra, which he’s owned since at least 1993. No one owns the same car for 28-plus years unless they really, really like it, and Leiz’s Supra is even a left-hand-drive model that he brought back to Japan with him after a stint studying abroad in the U.S., despite the fact that domestic right-hand-drive versions were sold in Japan, because he doesn’t just love Supras, his loves his Supra.
▼ Leiz’s Supra
— Yuto (@Steinmetz_129) May 10, 2021
“I didn’t have any intention of selling the car,” explained Leiz on the car’s auction page, “but my cat has been diagnosed with FIP.” Word then started spreading on social media about the circumstances behind the sale, and a few bids came in, until someone who lives near Leiz in Osaka Prefecture contacted him to ask if he could come take a look at the car, and said that as long as it was in good condition, he’d like to purchase it right away for its listed “buy it now” price.
It should be noted that at 2.7 million yen (US$26,090), Leiz’s buy-it-now price for the car had a lot of sentimental value built into it, since it’s a pretty high figure for a Supra of that age with 168,914 kilometers (104,958 miles) on it, even accounting for its various cosmetic and performance modifications. For comparison, a similar model currently for sale on Yahoo! Japan auctions has a buy-it-now price of 1.35 million yen, and no bids with just two days left. But after a quick visual inspection, the buyer, who runs a construction company, agreed to pay the full price, because just like Leiz, he loves both cars and cats. “I have a cat of my own,” said the buyer, “and it must be so hard for you right now.”
▼ Is it possible to be allergic to cat stories? Because our eyes are watering right now.
Leiz offered to knock a bit off the price due to some cosmetic damage, but the buyer politely declined the discount, saying he plans to pay for various restoration costs out of his own pocket. He’s even going to build a garage for it on his office property, in order to keep the paint nice and protected form the elements.
If he’s planning to do all that, the buyer must be planning to get plenty of use out of the Supra, right? Not really. He already has a number of other cars to drive, and ideally, he doesn’t even want to keep Leiz’s car for very long. The buyer is hoping to sell the Supra as soon as possible…but he’s hoping to sell it right back to Leiz, and without making a single yen of profit.
“I’ll clean your Supra up, and store it like a decoration,” the buyer told Leiz. “Once Silk-chan’s treatments are done, come buy it back from me for the same price you sold it to me.” And remember how the two men live close to each other? “Think of me s a friend who likes the same car that you do,” the buyer told him, “and when you miss it, come by to visit, and take it out for a spin.”
In other words, the transaction is rally more of a loan than a sale. Actually, it’s even better than that, because in addition to the cost of the car, the buyer tossed in an additional 100,000 yen to help pay for the cat’s medical expenses. Because really, when one car lover is helping out another, it’s always nice to go the extra mile.
Sources: Withnews via Livedoor News via Hachima Kiko, Yahoo! Japan Auctions (1, 2)
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