Used Toyota Century: Absurdly cheap 12-cylinder insider tip

The Toyota Century luxury sedan is surprisingly affordable used. A model with a hand-built 12-cylinder engine costs €15,000 in Europe, while prices in the US range from $10,000 to $15,000 (currently equivalent to approximately €8,889 to €13,333).

Toyota has been building the Century since 1967. The second generation of this state and corporate executive limousine (GZG50 series), built from 1997 to 2017, is considered particularly interesting. Toyota had the model manufactured by its subsidiary Kanto Auto Works, which merged with the Toyota subsidiaries Central Motors and Toyota Motors Tohoku in 2012 to form Toyota Motor East Japan. The second generation of the Century is, to date, the only Japanese production car available with a 12-cylinder engine (1GZ-FE engine series). And the 5.0-liter V12 with 280 hp was the only engine with which Toyota delivered the Century at that time.

The Century has a clearly defined customer base: the Japanese imperial family drives them – these models are then called Toyota Century Royal. The Prime Minister sits in one, as do other ministers, high-ranking government officials, and company CEOs. In terms of image, the Century in Japan is comparable to a Rolls-Royce in the Western world – and it is similarly luxurious and individually equipped.

Visually, the Century is understated – after all, it's considered a status symbol of conservative success. Most models are painted black, and the interior materials used make it clear that Toyota produces the Century primarily for its home market. The seats are often upholstered not in leather, but in high-quality wool – wool is considered a much more comfortable seating material in Japan than leather. And the model isn't recognizable by a Toyota logo; it bears its own in the form of a stylized golden chicken – the symbol of the Japanese imperial family. There are also plaques bearing the letter C on the C-pillars.

Electrically operated curtains for the rear side and rear windows are standard equipment, and a digital television has also been standard since 2008. As is typical with luxury sedans, the rear compartment of the Century is also extremely important. For example, the rear seat is adjustable, heated, and has a massage function. The front passenger seat folds so that the rear left passenger can stretch out their legs. When it comes to interior colors, Toyota fulfills every customer wish. As expected, most customers order muted tones such as medium brown, burgundy, or royal blue.

The 12-cylinder engine, like the rest of the sedan, isn't designed for sporty driving. Driving in this model is intended to be smooth and rather restrained—the standard air suspension is also tuned for this.

The Century is significantly more expensive than Lexus models – and therefore more expensive. In 2009, a model with the lavish base trim cost the equivalent of €85,000 – a Lexus LS 460 started at €74,000. The Century was and still is imported into other countries primarily via Japanese embassy employees, who don't want to forgo their usual, unobtrusive luxury even when abroad. Such vehicles occasionally end up on the used car market – at very low prices.

For example, mobile.de currently lists a Century that's owned by a dealer in the Hungarian capital, Budapest. The car is from July 2000, has only 92,500 kilometers on the clock, and costs €14,900 . A Century from February 2004 is apparently owned by a dealer in Vechta – but in top condition, it's said to cost € 38,000 .

The selection is significantly larger in the USA – and anyone looking for a Toyota Century on the used car portal cars&bids will be amazed. Some of the luxury sedans even sell for under $10,000 (€8,889), and hardly any are more expensive than the aforementioned $15,000 (€13,333). And this despite the Century being considered a JDM icon in the USA. JDM stands for Japanese domestic market, meaning the term applies to vehicles not intended for export. There is an established fan community there for driving such models in the USA. But these fans seem to be more interested in rare Subaru WRX STI models and other sports cars than in understated luxury sedans.

For comparison: A Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph from September 1999 with 165,000 kilometers on the clock costs just 30,000 euros on mobile.de – making it by far the cheapest Rolls-Royce built after 1998. The next most expensive one, again a Silver Seraph, costs 49,500 euros.