🚙 Toyota Century

I’m not really a car guy.

But you know what? The Toyota Century is different.

This car has been around since 1967, a true “imperial and prime ministerial” level sedan that’s only made in Japan. Not many people outside of Japan know about this legendary Toyota that “sits above even the Lexus.” The philosophy behind it is understated, quiet luxury. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary black sedan, but inside, it carries the only production V12 engine to come out of Japan. Every bit of engineering was poured into achieving the ultimate ride comfort. An obsessive focus on eliminating noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH). Reliability and durability are top priorities. That’s why the second-generation models (1997–2017) are rumoured to easily reach 1 million miles (about 1.6 million km) if well-maintained.

A few years ago, when I first learned about this car, I completely fell in love with it. I’ve probably watched nearly every Toyota Century video on YouTube. It looks plain on the outside, but it’s utterly different on the inside—maximising silence and smoothness with that 5,000cc V12 engine, and the incredible durability…

There are even Century enthusiasts like me emerging in the UK now. Around 50 have been directly imported, and there’s even a owners’ club. But for me, it always remained just a dream.

This year in August, as we were looking to move to a new house that was much farther away, I realised we needed a second car. I was looking at used cars, and every electric vehicle was easily over £20,000–£30,000… Then, by chance, I spotted a 2008 Toyota Century for sale. Price: £13,000, color: Royal Blue Metallic. My heart started pounding…

I immediately prayed to God.

“Father, I really want this car. If it’s Your will for me to buy it, please keep it from being sold until the day we finish moving into our new house.”

(At that time, nothing was set—not the moving date, not the exchange date, nothing.)

But I had to think realistically. Even if it’s in good condition now, what about parts if it breaks down? They’d have to be shipped from Japan… And it’s a car that needs to be driven regularly… I had a lot of concerns.

But isn’t there a saying like this?

“Reasonableness is the thief of joy.”

(And isn’t it God who plants desires in our hearts and brings them to pass? I was also reminded of Judges 14:4.)

Safety was actually a plus, and I figured I could handle the risk of minor issues.

Then I remembered my Cambridge days, when I desperately needed a bicycle. During early morning prayer, I prayed very specifically—I even wrote down the colour, model, make, and price on paper. That afternoon, I went to a bike shop, and there it was: exactly the bike I’d prayed for that morning. But the price was £45, not £35. I showed the shop owner my paper and said, “I prayed for this exact bike at dawn today—this is my destiny bike. Could you knock £10 off?” And he actually did, so I bought it for £35. I rode that bike every day for four years, and every time I did, I thanked God.

That gave me faith: “Maybe this Century could become that kind of vehicle in my life.”

Fast forward to December. About a week before the move, I prayed again and called the owner for the first time.

Thankfully, it still hadn’t sold, and in fact, he’d just finished a major front suspension repair a few days earlier—parts directly imported from Japan. I realised that if I’d called a few weeks earlier, the repair wouldn’t have happened… God’s timing was perfect. He even kindly explained the process of importing parts from Japan.

I sought advice from people around me, but in the end, the Monday after the move, I went to buy the car. I visited the garage where the owner had the repairs done and got an objective evaluation from the mechanic. Everyone agreed the condition was top-notch. Without hesitation, I negotiated £100 off and signed for £12,900!

Driving it home… Wow, it was truly the best car I’d ever driven. On the highway, I passed by a Lamborghini, and honestly, I thought, “My car is way better.” I thanked God over and over…

One more thing: As parents, the next few years of taking the kids to school are really a season of serving as their “personal chauffeur.” Our parents did the same for us, and that grace hits me deeper now. So I wanted to give my children the ultimate chauffeur experience in this supreme “chauffeur car” while instilling a sense of self-esteem in them.

This morning, I loaded all three kids into the Century and drove them to school. The ride was like floating on clouds, and the kids kept exclaiming, “Wooow~!” in amazement. I said to them:

“Kids, this car was built with Japan’s national pride on the line, designed only for the highest VIPs. But you are children of God, who created the universe and all things by His word. You are far more precious and valuable than that. That’s why Daddy bought this car. From now on, go to school with the confident self-esteem that says, ‘I am a child of God!’”

Their eyes sparkled as they said, “Thank you so much, Daddy!!” They were completely touched. I got teary-eyed too.

Lord, thank You! Help me maintain this car safely and without issues, so we can build wonderful family memories for many years to come. Let me ride it every day, remembering Your grace and giving thanks! 🙏🏻💙