Importing from Japan - advice needed please

SiHH · 8 May 2008 at 14:03

I posted a thread a while back about me and the 'Mrs' searching for an MX5 for her.. We have seen a few but none have quite lived up to our expectations so we are still looking.

We visited 'Dandycars' 2 days ago and were very impressed with them and their workmanship on the cars they sell but we are trying to keep costs down if at all possible so a private sale is still a priority I think.

I am starting to wonder if we would get a better deal importing the car ourself from Japan. I have never done this before and would welcome any information or advice from anyone who has done this..!

I understand Tau and Bonsaicars are highly regarded but am I right in saying you need to part with a big 'wodge' of cash to be able to view all their auctions ? Also do they have English speaking representatives ?

Clarkey · 8 May 2008 at 14:17

can't speak for bonsaicars, but you wont have much luck finding a mint condition car at TAU they are just a salvage yard and sell cars which are mostly in poor condition. They do have an auction agent service though and most if not all of their staff speak english. Auctions are always a bit of a gamble though, cars often look great in the small photos provided but altogether more dissapointing when you go to collect it from the docks. For the most part the auction agents bid on cars remotely too so they never actually see them in the flesh to give you a better idea of the condition, all they can really do is translate the auction sheet for you.
If you are looking for a good condition car then you are deffo better off buying from a dealer who can provide lots of detail and photos, a lot of the time they aren't that much more expensive than a car from auction after all of the expenses. Lots of exporters advertise cars on tradecarview so have a look there. However be aware that lots of places advertise cars which aren't theirs at an elevated price so try and find the actual owner and you will usually get a better deal, cars often have dealer reg plates on which makes things easy.

SiHH · 8 May 2008 at 14:20

Clarkey said:
so try and find the actual owner and you will usually get a better deal, cars often have dealer reg plates on which makes things easy.

How would I do this ?

Simmz · 8 May 2008 at 17:26

Bonsai are usually crap, if it goes well then it's very good but they're mainly useless and slap a fair bit on, not to mention they take ages.

I would personally go with http://www.jm-imports.co.uk/

I know plenty of people who have used them and never had any coplaints.

They even let you use their own paid for auction accounts if you ask them. This is very useful as it allows you to browse all the Japanese auctions and find the exact spec you want, then they will do the rest.

They are very fair on the price and will help you out in every way.

Axeboy · 8 May 2008 at 18:01

Ive imported a few now..

I like autoadvan to be honest, seem down the line.

It could work out good, but to be honest its cheaper to buy a 2nd hand one here.

Mimimum costs would be around £3k if i remember correctly after taxes/conversions/transport etc etc. So depending on the value of the car you want, if its 3/4k or more then importing could be good...

its usually a £500 deposit before you can buy, but most will set up a viewing account for you to test first. They will have a UK rep who you deal with day to day.