JDM Import guide/walk through

Yeah, pretty much random but generally they seem to assign similar batches, like "FLS" will be on other imports being registered at the moment

So there must be groups available per year. I had a few imports same year and very similar plates, likewise, I've seen other people about with Reg numbers close to mine
 
Hey there, this is Derek from Pacific Coast Auto.

One of our guys stumbled upon this thread and sent it to me. I had a good read over it and am really happy that our team has provided you with good service.

The Lupo GTI has always been a dream car of mine. We didn't get them in Canada where I come from so they were always the forbidden fruit of the VW world. We bought one several years ago that we used as an endurance race car. It wasn't the cheapest or smartest idea due to the fact that we are in Japan, and all fast-parts needed to be imported from the UK. Sadly the car had the engine blow during one of our races and so now it just sits in our lot until we have the means to throw in a 1.8T engine. It wasn't properly fast, but the car had a whole lot of charm and was incredibly fun to drive.

PS- the Certificate of Origin for the 1.3% import tax is something that we do in house now so if there are any UK importers buying from us then we have you covered in that respect.
 
Pacific Coast Auto said:
Hey there, this is Derek from Pacific Coast Auto.

One of our guys stumbled upon this thread and sent it to me. I had a good read over it and am really happy that our team has provided you with good service.

The Lupo GTI has always been a dream car of mine. We didn't get them in Canada where I come from so they were always the forbidden fruit of the VW world. We bought one several years ago that we used as an endurance race car. It wasn't the cheapest or smartest idea due to the fact that we are in Japan, and all fast-parts needed to be imported from the UK. Sadly the car had the engine blow during one of our races and so now it just sits in our lot until we have the means to throw in a 1.8T engine. It wasn't properly fast, but the car had a whole lot of charm and was incredibly fun to drive.

PS- the Certificate of Origin for the 1.3% import tax is something that we do in house now so if there are any UK importers buying from us then we have you covered in that respect.
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good to know re the 1.3%, I've been thinking about importing a car as my first attempt at it, so been looking at your site etc and was going to contact you soon re the 1.3% and if you guys were able to handle it.
 
I’m actually in the middle of importing a car through pacific coast autos. Woke up today to an email about the certificate of origin but if I’m reading this right as my car is a BMW manufactured in Germany I have to pay the standard 10%? On a side note I can highly recommend pacific coast autos to people looking to import a car!
 
Maybe I missed it but did you do a break down on how much you paid your customs broker? Not talking about the cost of import tax & vat but the cost of there services for customs clearance, nova, Uk shipping line arrival charges etc Had quotes from £150 to £220
 
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Yeah, I use JC Shipping as shipping agent, Nova and clearance etc

Always been solid

There is a breakdown in the thread somewhere
 
Just bringing the thread to some kind of closure, the little Lupo just got a set of rear shocks as they were pretty squeeky. I cant remember if I said, but I got a set of UK GTi clocks for £40 and added them, saving any faff around converters etc, they were plug and play.

Driving nice, still needs a proper wash and polish. I need to get the Odo changed as the UK clocks show more than it had. Otherwise, good to go. Parts are so cheap for this, shocks, discs, pads etc all cheap cheap

I'll start a new thread soon for the next import, this one will probably be sold to a close friend who has always loved them



 
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I'm in a crazy need of an FJ cruiser and I feel uk prices are a bit stupid, I have looked at goonet and auctions - I don't particularly care if it's higher km(japanese cars seem to be low km usually) what I want more is good colour/spec and oddly goonet dealer listings seem to be similar price to auctions, I always thought that auctions would be somewhat cheaper.

I'd probably attempt both, goonet + auctions to find the right car, and use PCA to deal with it in japan, I'm planning to make my decision by January and start the process then..
 
Thought Id post a few pics of the cars I have imported using Pacific Coast. I used other companies prior, but these are from Derek and the team:

Suzuki Carry Turbo - It was so hard to find a manual turbo, it was in poor condition as expected from the sheet. Didnt keep it long as I bought the Lupo, but I had a ton of interest when selling:


Forester Cross Sport Turbo Manual - Great car for the money, think it was a grade 3.5 but in surprisingly good condition. No mods other than a Hayward & Scott exhaust, sounded great.


Nissan Cedric 3.0 Turbo - Lovely car, shouldnt have sold it, it was immaculate and although so boring to look at, the one car I had that attracted attention from other car people. Was a total bargain and these have since increased a little in price but still missed by many


Legacy 2.5 GT Turbo Spec B - Bought for my wife, we had it 3 or 4 years, was a solid all rounder. Gearbox had a fault which many people run from, by cost a few hundred to fix, once done, it was a loyal workhorse with a bit of power.



Lexus GS460 - Lovely to drive and as I had a GS300 before, I knew what I was getting. Cheap.


Toyota Crown Athlete V Estate - Great car, great community too. The 1JZ turbo was great although I personally prefered the 3.0T in the Nissan Cedric


Subaru Impreza STi A-Line - This was low KMs and Grade 3.5, should have been a 4. Just needed new tyres, great car but my next door Neighbour loved it so much I drove it once then he bought it. Great car, no-one really wants the auto, but it works surprisingly well. EJ25 in these with a Prodrive tuned 5eat box


Lupo GTi - Always wanted one, great fun, didnt keep it long as one of my close friends always wanted one and as expected, he bought it pretty quick.


Lexus ISF - Kept this a while, great car, I did a few handling mods with bits from the states, along with new coil overs. Removed the rear cats and it sounded just right. Cracking car and I still keep my eye on them going through


I forgot this one! Impreza STi Spec C - Love this, manual, low KMs, good grade, no aircon and quite light. Had it mapped here along with a few little extras and I just love it. It handles so damn well. I knew I wanted one but it surprised me with how well balanced it is.

 
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How much did you pay if you don't mind me asking?

I'm still looking at Volvos, annoyed a bit I missed out on a deal, although the seller kind of went ghost until I rang him which didn't help the situation or my opinion of him. I was asking a fair few questions and then the last couple of days he didn't answer. So I rang him this morning and the car was sold.

Annoying as I had told him I want to reserve the car
 
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For the Alto? Was just under 400000yen in Japan

Might be £5k once done, Ive not done all the calcs yet, thats just a best guess
 
Axeboy said:
For the Alto? Was just under 400000yen in Japan

Might be £5k once done, Ive not done all the calcs yet, thats just a best guess
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Yes, wow that's pretty good. I've seen one for sale here at £9k

Is there a website or email address for Pacific Coast? Maybe I'll see if they can source a Volvo for me. (They weren't sold here)
 
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They wouldnt source for you, you'd bid through them. Volvos dont go for much in Japan, you should find a good one.

Website is: https://www.pacificcoastjdm.com/

You can browse old prices on their system to get a feel for what you can get.

Yeah, there is a decent markup on the Alto's for sale here already
 
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