Anyone have any experience with importing from Japan? Been looking to import a Skyline 370GT.
I've been reading up on forums and so far I'm thinking about giving J Spec import a go. I'll appreciate your input and if you can link me to more forums and reviews about importing and who to go with.
Thanks!
it is in the automotive section……
Probably saw it in the new thread section on the front page although it still has the automotive tag haha.
I too thought of anime merch…
if you are going to buy an import already here or even if its for sale at a dealer in japan you can get a odo and history check on it.
http://www.japaneseodometercheck.com/
my friend brought a 2004 nissan cube that claimed it had 50,XXXkm on the odo, he order a report after he brought the car and the report gave him a shock the car was deregistered in japan with 145,XXXkm on the odo.
might be a piece of mind if your going to invest in an import
if you buy a IMPORT IN AUSTRALIA you need to ask the dealers/sellers for a "DEREG CERTIFICATE" OR "export certificate". This important document is the one that proves the KM's are genuine or not. If they don't provide - either do the check as you said or WALK FAR FAR AWAY
There used to be a company called IMG (International Motor Group) located in some dingy warehouse on Parramatta Rd and they were great.
From what I can tell they're now called "Roadandtrack" (because www.internationalmotorgroup.com.au/ redirects there) and if so, they're a good bunch.
Edward Lee's has a rep for winding back odos so I'd probably stay away unless they've changed their game significantly for the better in the past few years.
I've been around the importing industry for quite a while and one thing I will tell you they are car salesmen so they are all dodgy in a sense.
I imported a car from a car yard in Japan so pm if you have questions or want links. Keep in mind that the cars available at auctions tend to be lower grade and condition then compared to cars sold at car yards in Japan, however they do cost a bit more. Buying from a car yard as opposed to a auction, you know that the car will be in a better condition and the paper work is true (kms, service history, condition etc..)
Iron chef is so so, nothing special, jspec fanboys worship him.
Kamikazie motors - I purchased a car off them, I had no problems with the car at all, but they are/were a dodgy operation.
Jspec & edward lee - I would not recommend them at all.
I've used Geoff Risbey to import twice. He is not a car salesman but a broker, you pay him a fee he sorts out the rest. You have to do some of the paperwork and some of the import process is more hands on but you know exactly what you are getting.
Geoff's one of the more decent importers/ brokers I have come across, he uses Irevs to do the compliance, who complied my car too.
i used prestige for one of my imports and the one and only thing i asked to be checked was that the electric convertible roof worked as there was only ever 1000 of my cars made so parts are next to impossible to get…. after waiting almost 8 months for arrival in aus, many months after it was "due" guess what the one and only thing that didnt work was? and it had never worked because when it was converted from auto to manual in japan they never wired the park switch back in properly and the roof is designed to only work when the car was in park…. luckily for me it was only a case of needing to ground one wire and the roof then worked. if it was a pump or even switch issue it could have cost many thousands to fix and months/years trying to get parts.
tl;dr f#@k prestige, they are dodgy as hell and flat out lie to customers
Mate that's the whole industry, not one of them will give a flying f*** about you when they have your $$$. I imported my car myself, so I didn't use Geoff, however on first few contacts he was very helpful. I paid a person in Japan to thoroughly check the car, he took 85 pictures of the car for me and went through my 3 page checklist. Car came and I was happy as I made an informed decision based on my perception of the car. The only thing that took a while was shipping and compliance/rego time, asides from that everything was smooth sailing.
btw 1000 made that were convertible roof, is it a 80's model Soarer by any chance?
not one of them will give a flying f*** about you when they have your $$$.
i wasnt talking about after i bought the car, my initial and only question about hte car was about the roof/electrics working correctly which he assured me it was… and it obviously wasnt so it wasnt even checked which means he straight out lied to me when he said he had his guy in japan specifically check that for me….. if that isnt dodgy i dont know what is?
I imported my car myself,
so did i, more than one car too… including the car prestige found for me. but when your chasing a 1 in 1000 car you dont get to be overly picky as to who finds for you. apart from the roof not working the car was in pristine condition as it left the factory. genuine low k's but that was simply down to luck not him being able to fund something that "special"
I paid a person in Japan to thoroughly check the car, he took 85 pictures of the car for me and went through my 3 page checklist.
depending on who it was how could you even know that the person actually checked any of the things from your 3 page check list? just because they say they have does not mean they actually did. ive aldo had large stacks of pics taken of every orifice of the cars ive imported taken from every imaginable angle, these were usually taken by the seller not the buyers. i also dont see how a photo can prove that electrics are working? none of that actually makes any sense in the real world…..
The only thing that took a while was shipping and compliance/rego time
i complied mine myself :)
btw 1000 made that were convertible roof, is it a 80's model Soarer by any chance?
/me shudders at the very thought of owning a toyota "newer" than 73
only toyota ever worth owning is the original TA22, the 71 to 73 model which ive also owned a stack of over the years. those aero soarer look (profanity) horrid. think more autech ;)
fwiw ive worked in and around the import industry since the early 90's, i know exactly how dodgy most of it is
OP you know when you go through any of these companys YOU are the importer? they are simply the agent (the person who "introduces" you to the seller)
if the car hits aus and its rusted out (as often happens if the cars from a region that snows and they salt the roads) or fails to pass customs and gets destroyed or fails to pass compliance (previous serious accident damage etc) it all falls on your shoulders? have you considered the gamble between importing yourself versus buying something thats already here? personally unless your chasing something rare/unique which needs to be imported i would just buy something thats already in the country/already registered.
OP, I have just imported myself a cube, you dont need the help of an agent and will save yourself 1-2 thousand in the process. I got my car from an Auction in Japan, the auctions sheets are accurate in my experience, infact they are very harsh markers on any imperfections. If there is any rust it will be on the auction sheet.
My next import in the next 3-6 months is going to be a V35 however am starting to reconsider that and look at a V36, it all depends on if im patient enough to save up the extra cash.
If you want a V35/V36 manual they are pretty rare and you will pay a premium for them, sometimes close to double that of the auto. Also the cars V35 premium and V36 that come with a bose sound system and navigation getting them converted to english in the case of the V36 may not be available, it is for the V35. The navigation unit in both cant be localised. The buttons are in Japanese however english replacements are available in the US.
For a low km (40-60 thou km) auto V36 at auction (I have access to some auction houses systems/listings, I know a member who supplied me their access) if you a re lucky you will get one for about 1 million JPY, it will be an earlier model (2007/2008) on the japan side you should expect an additional 50,000-100,000 JPY for auction fees, recycle fees, gst, delivery to the port (it depends on the they auction house who sold it, the location of the auction house, if the car is still registered etc)
Once it arrives here you will be up for port charges, GST, customs duty, potential cleanning fee, import broker charges etc, if the car was 1 mil JPY, i would imagine all this would add up to at a guess 4K AUD (ballpark)
Then you will need compliance ballpark 2K (V35 is usually about 2K AUD, not sure on V36) you will need tyres as well, I would budget another 3K for compliance/tyres etc.
Good news is JPY is dropping as the government over there has just started printing money (Quantative easing) so the exchange rate now is as good as its been for a while.
send me a private message if you want more info, I can put you in touch with an auction agent over there who can buy you a car and get it on the ship (Free on Board) the process isnt that hard to be honest.
I can't message you but it would be great to hear your experience and thoughts. Please pm me
Tried to PM you, yet appears you've turned off receiving PM's.
Could you kindly PM me?
Hey Raheen, could you please PM how do to this? Thanks
Raheen, I would also appreciate hearing the ins and outs of it all
Get a customs broker. Unless you're going to be doing this ongoing, there's little to no value in learning the ropes of lodging a N10 or getting a final directive from AQIS. Plus any delays in obtaining the clearance will start costing you wharfage anyway.
why 370GT.. there plenty around in Australia that worth nth,, import something that WORTH importing Like ,S13,S14,S15, S2000, R32, R33 R34…
probably put "idea of importing CAR from japan" on the title …
i thought you want to import some anime figures!