Importing cars from japan

Thread in 'Other Chat' started by SFTR, Jan 11, 2016.

  1. SFTR

    SFTR New Member

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    Hi im new to this site and im looking in to importing a car from japan for myself.
    Ive never done this before, and id like to know if its worth doing and is there any hidden fees that i should know about?
    If any of you have imported from japan before can you recommend any reliable company's , i am willing to register the vehicle my self and do any leg work, any help would be appreciated thanks.
     
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  2. MaccyD

    MaccyD Active Member

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  3. r3k1355

    r3k1355 Well-Known Member

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    Made some decent money on that paper-round by the looks of it.

    If only this forum had a very reputable import company as one of it's traders.
    They could totally answer all your questions.

    Japaneseusedcars.com
     
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  4. SFTR

    SFTR New Member

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    Paper round? As for japaneseusedcars are they reliable and easy to use.
    They cant be the only company in the uk to import, they seem abit pricy to be honest.
     
  5. initial_j

    initial_j Made guy

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    yes they are very reliable and easy to use. There are countless statements from happy customers to back that up.

    They are not the only company no, there are tons of companies cropping up. A lot of them are cheaper, for a very good reason. They offer nowhere near the level of support/insurance etc if anything goes wrong and im sure as anything a good few people are going to find themselves scammed over the coming months when their cheap cars dont arrive.

    this thread might help: http://www.driftworks.com/forum/other-chat/242721-quick-word-importing-cars.html
     
  6. Rubix_Cube

    Rubix_Cube Member

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    If you think Japaneseusedcars are pricey give up looking as they are a company that provide you the ability to buy a car in Japan. Many other like JM Imports, TorqueGT etc all have a service fee which is around £500-£750 on top of all the cost of buying, transport, registration and prep.

    Its not as easy as buy a car at auction and send it over, there is so much logisitcs to be done. My advice is do some research on the process and then start questioning pricing. One thing to note is take no notice of all the Facebook "Import" companies selling Grade R cars at rock bottom prices, they are Grade R for a reason.

    I've been looking for 6 months and trying to work out who to use, what to buy and what is the going rate for the right car.
     
  7. Swampy442

    Swampy442 Active Member

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    You cant go wrong with JM Imports, I know a few people who've used them with glowing reports. In fact a mate of mine who shares my unit just imported an immaculate RX7 from JM
     
  8. MaccyD

    MaccyD Active Member

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    Its like with anything, you get what you pay for. If you want to save money by doing it yourself, by all means, but i imagine by the time you get to the end of the process (or probably half way through) youll be thinking getting someone else to do it was money well spent.
     
  9. spin-king

    spin-king Active Member

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  10. C35Rob

    C35Rob Member

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    urgh... this again.

    just use japaneseusedcars.com like everyone else does (including the "big name" importers), why allow yourself to get mugged off by paying a middle man when you don't need to.
     
  11. covjdm

    covjdm Member

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    I used Garage Sinster (Approved trader on here) for my JZX100 chaser, really good service and very helpful, i would 100% use them again for my next import
     
  12. Wolfie-V8

    Wolfie-V8 Member

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    Another one for Garage Sinister
    the guys help loads with my JZX90.
     
  13. Rubix_Cube

    Rubix_Cube Member

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    I've ended up moving forward now instead of 6 months, after lots of looking around I've decdied to use JapaneseUsedCars.com. Its a piece of piss.

    Send them Deposit
    Find Car & Place Bid
    If car is Won they Bill you to get it on the Boat
    When it arrives pay your Customs Agent at the docks to deal with all the VAT/Duty BS
    Pick up car on truck
    Go home.

    Its that simple....
     
  14. MaccyD

    MaccyD Active Member

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    ....profit
     
  15. Autospecs

    Autospecs JDM Car Export

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    Really, we have some of the cheapest fees in the business, and using us means you eliminate any middle man, you do not pay a second or third party a fee , we are the actual agent in Japan so all the greasy mitts in the middle are out of the equation. Our fee is way lower than what most other agents charge, how can you think we are too pricey ?

    Maybe you do not understand the reality of buying from Japan, if that is the case please send me a message and we can explain the process and system to you, this may help you understand that if you choose some one based in the UK then you are only paying a middle an unnecessary fee for nothing.
     
  16. MaccyD

    MaccyD Active Member

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    I think its always hard when you see a car for sale in Japan for say £3k and then see that its double that to get it into the UK so i think people assume its the importers taking a massive cut.

    I think best bet is at least to go with a company like JUC where you just pay a flat rate and then the fees on top of that. Rather than a company that imports a car and sells it at a uk price, because you may as well just buy a UK car.
     
  17. Rubix_Cube

    Rubix_Cube Member

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    Hence me going with JUC now... no point in using a company who will charge you £750 on top of what you would pay from JUC anyway.
     
  18. GETitSIDEways

    GETitSIDEways Mutha Funka

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    I dont agree with this statement, unless you are referring to guys sat in their bedroom operating from facebook earning money from clicking buttons on a computer and selling shit car from the docks by adding a bit on top, yep forget them sellers and go straight to the source in Japan or buy from Importers/Garages that purchase their own stock and run them through a process to ensure that they are ready to be used again. Most auction cars are cars that have served their purpose.

    The reality is that the guys in Japan will inspect the car best they can or even pay someone else to do it on your behalf as they are agents themselves that buy from auction and simply ship, in most cases these guys do not drive the cars around prior to going under then hammer, most of them are confined to one auction as they happen simultaneously around Japan. Go to a UK car auction and its no different.

    The information missing from this thread is the info about the other type of sellers like us "Garage Sinister" who actually spend long periods of time and money getting the cars in good mechanical order, making sure they are safe and adding those finishing touches before re-sale, like new geo parts, coilovers, wheels, seats and so on. Its a painful process and sometimes not worth the time and effort, but Garage Sinister get huge satisfaction watching the cars drive away knowing what we have done to it and the journey that we have had.

    No agents in Japan spend time repairing rust, replacing clutches, fitting new brakes and sorting those things that most agents don't even spot, dry fucked rear diffs, shitty wheels bearings and faulty electrics, rattly coilovers and badly repaired wheels, fucked dried up window seals and sun damaged dash boards, so much more. Nearly 99% even grade 4 cars require a certain amount of work before been good enough to sell, I know this as we tear our imports apart before re-sale.


    That's the big difference between agents in the bedroom, agents operating clickers in Japan and guys like us who actually buy the cars, test drive them fix them then sell.

    I will be happy to disclose some of the examples we have bought and sold.....:nod: You will be surprised at the amount of work.
     
    #18 GETitSIDEways, Jan 29, 2016
    Last edited: Jan 29, 2016
  19. Damien

    Damien ~London Folk~

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    This. From experience I've encounted all that above.
    Spend once and don't be disappointed... Otherwise you'll end up with a money pit.

    The auction sheet may show a great shopping list of once expensive branded parts but what good will your arc intercooler be when it's been bent and repaired a host of times... Or your tein coilovers which resemble pogo sticks.

    There really is too many bedroom traders.
     
  20. MaccyD

    MaccyD Active Member

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    My car was grade 4 and didnt mention this abomination in the footwell, just to reinforce your statement. If i could go back id probably go through yourselves. Id also point out that my car had, not just a slight boost leak, but what could be considered to be a missing hose, making the car undrivable and in my eyes, in an unsaleable condition. Which is bullshit in my eyes, but youre stuck with it and just have to carry on.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    - - - Updated - - -

    Incidentally, wehn i asked about the boost leak, i got in reply 'oh, that was probably all the cracked hoses', yeah dude, it was, cheers for the heads up after my 3 hour drive home!
     

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