Post your own RIDE - Get it [bubble] wrapped

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Post your own RIDE - Get it [bubble] wrapped

KakerMix: Apr 8, 2004; 8.2 M.P.G.

Rhyno posted:

Post wedding I may be interested in what can possibly be brought over here. If this works out for you start a thread, I'd love to see how it goes.

Word, feel free to ask any questions, I plan on selling to the 'have money, don't want to bother' crowd. For AI types we can manage it easily and I can give you all the info and links I have.

# ? Jul 27, 2017 17:58

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# ? Jun 1, 2024 21:12

BlackMK4: Aug 23, 2006; wat.; Megamarm

Yes, we need a thread on this. :woop:

# ? Jul 27, 2017 18:05

Michael Scott: Jan 3, 2010; by zen death robot

chrisgt posted:

My 98 legacy wagon gets around 28 to 30mpg on the highway, and that's obviously AWD. Even my 84 mercedes turbo wagon gets like 25-27mpg (on diesel) on the highway. I can't believe how bad some of these newer cars are.

'13 Audi A4 AWD, 15MPG in the city, 25 on the highway. Right under the EPA numbers of 20/30.

# ? Jul 27, 2017 18:23

Tomarse: Mar 7, 2001; Grr

KakerMix posted:

Got my Hijet delivered last night and spent today going over it and cleaning it.

That is an awesome little truck though I am disappointed that you posted all those pictures but there was no engine bay shots!

# ? Jul 27, 2017 18:23

Rhyno: Mar 22, 2003; Can't post for 10 years!

KakerMix posted:

Word, feel free to ask any questions, I plan on selling to the 'have money, don't want to bother' crowd. For AI types we can manage it easily and I can give you all the info and links I have.

There's a lot of tiny cars I lust after, something super unique might be cooler than an EvoX!

# ? Jul 27, 2017 18:28

Kazinsal: Dec 13, 2011

chrisgt posted:

My 98 legacy wagon gets around 28 to 30mpg on the highway, and that's obviously AWD. Even my 84 mercedes turbo wagon gets like 25-27mpg (on diesel) on the highway. I can't believe how bad some of these newer cars are.

I feel it's because we started factory turbocharging everything all the way down to what are supposed to be the modern equivalent of a grocery getting econobox.

# ? Jul 27, 2017 18:34

Literally Lewis Hamilton: Feb 22, 2005

Michael Scott posted:

'13 Audi A4 AWD, 15MPG in the city, 25 on the highway. Right under the EPA numbers of 20/30.

You consider 25% under "right under"?

# ? Jul 27, 2017 18:45

Michael Scott: Jan 3, 2010; by zen death robot

For MPG figures, yup. You can achieve wildly different numbers depending on what you're doing. I can get 30+ MPG if I'm going 55MPH for 10+ miles, but I was being conservative and realistic. Other cars tend to beat EPA figures even with inefficient driving. I'm curious as to why there are those 2 different categories of vehicles, it makes it hard to use accurate comparisons.

# ? Jul 27, 2017 19:18

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

KakerMix posted:

Word, feel free to ask any questions, I plan on selling to the 'have money, don't want to bother' crowd. For AI types we can manage it easily and I can give you all the info and links I have.

Hell yes, once you get things figured out let us know and I'm guessing you'll have some interest. Time to start seeing what was special made for the Japanese market and what sells for less over there.

# ? Jul 27, 2017 21:12

Lord of Garbagemen: Jan 28, 2014; Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!

KakerMix posted:

Word, feel free to ask any questions, I plan on selling to the 'have money, don't want to bother' crowd. For AI types we can manage it easily and I can give you all the info and links I have.

What auction house did you go through?

# ? Jul 27, 2017 21:21

KakerMix: Apr 8, 2004; 8.2 M.P.G.

Tomarse posted:

That is an awesome little truck though I am disappointed that you posted all those pictures but there was no engine bay shots!

Heh, wives, heh

Three "hoods". That purple thing is the oil filter. It also has zero carpet in it.

Rhyno posted:

There's a lot of tiny cars I lust after, something super unique might be cooler than an EvoX!

For that sort of crowd the turbo-kei hatches would be your best bet. Something like a Suzuki Alto Works RS/R, late 80s or early 90s.

90s

80s

Turbo, intercooler, AWD. The tough part with these is finding ones that haven't been hosed with poorly. Stuff like holes drilled directly into the dash to mount turbo gauges or poorly-integrated stereo doo-dads.

I'm quite partial to the 80s, the RS/X. It's peak 80s, that scoop is functional (on both models) and the interior is stock. This one is an 87 and is for sale at a lot in Miyazaki.

Lord of Garbagemen posted:

What auction house did you go through?

Japan Car Direct, ran by two Americans living in Japan. Their whole deal is acting as English-speaking brokers. It's nice because it's personal, you sign up through their site and you then have access to the various auctions in Japan. You find the one you are after, they translate the sheet for you and give their opinion on what shape it's in, then they send one of their people out to personally inspect the vehicle. Depending on what the inspector says then you get their opinion on if it's worth bidding on and how much you can expect to pay. There was a Beat that looked good, low miles and have a nice rating on the sheet. When the inspector got out there though it turns out that it probably bad a bad headgasket and was running quite rough under throttle. I passed and someone else bought it. Like I said earlier this stuff is easy because other people do the down and dirty work of the papers and exporting and all that, and Matt, Scott and Yoshi are all way cool and very accommodating. The hardest part is watching the auctions like a hawk because things will come up 12 hours before they go to auction giving you a very small window with which to decide if you want to bid or not.

# ? Jul 27, 2017 23:24

GnarlyCharlie4u: Sep 23, 2007; I have an unhealthy obsession with motorcycles.

Proof

KakerMix posted:

Japan Car Direct, ran by two Americans living in Japan. Their whole deal is acting as English-speaking brokers. It's nice because it's personal, you sign up through their site and you then have access to the various auctions in Japan. You find the one you are after, they translate the sheet for you and give their opinion on what shape it's in, then they send one of their people out to personally inspect the vehicle. Depending on what the inspector says then you get their opinion on if it's worth bidding on and how much you can expect to pay. There was a Beat that looked good, low miles and have a nice rating on the sheet. When the inspector got out there though it turns out that it probably bad a bad headgasket and was running quite rough under throttle. I passed and someone else bought it. Like I said earlier this stuff is easy because other people do the down and dirty work of the papers and exporting and all that, and Matt, Scott and Yoshi are all way cool and very accommodating. The hardest part is watching the auctions like a hawk because things will come up 12 hours before they go to auction giving you a very small window with which to decide if you want to bid or not.

Those guys sound legit AF.

Who as the other decent importer that's in Richmond?
oh yeah https://www.japaneseclassics.com/

Edit: oh motherfucker!
https://www.japaneseclassics.com/vehicle/1992-mitsubishi-pajero-super-exceed/

# ? Jul 27, 2017 23:28

KakerMix: Apr 8, 2004; 8.2 M.P.G.

GnarlyCharlie4u posted:

Those guys sound legit AF.

Who as the other decent importer that's in Richmond?
oh yeah https://www.japaneseclassics.com/

Edit: oh motherfucker!
https://www.japaneseclassics.com/vehicle/1992-mitsubishi-pajero-super-exceed/

Right yeah I got my Acty from Japanese Classics. Was an excellent experience but I paid 6200 for it, then another 700 to get it to me in Florida. I then had to replace the tires, brakes and recharge the AC. They have good stuff but the cost premium, especially now that I am starting to understand the whole process, just isn't worth it. They probably paid something like 1200 bucks for my van and they didn't do any maintenance on it, just checks to make sure it wasn't a POS.
Going through a broker like Japan Car Direct means you have to do the leg work of finding the car, deciding to purchase it and then dealing with shipping it to the closest international port and then shipping it from there to wherever you live, then going and getting a US title for it. If you buy it from a dealer like Japanese Classics you just go pick it up since it's already titled.

EDIT
I'll make a thread later if and when this starts to get more content, otherwise it will be me going 'Here is what I found out' with little to no updates for months because of how long it has to go. I'm doing one or maybe two cars at a time because that's all I can realistically handle before I go whole-hog in and become a dealer.

KakerMix fucked around with this message at 23:36 on Jul 27, 2017

# ? Jul 27, 2017 23:31

Lord of Garbagemen: Jan 28, 2014; Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!

KakerMix posted:

Right yeah I got my Acty from Japanese Classics. Was an excellent experience but I paid 6200 for it, then another 700 to get it to me in Florida. I then had to replace the tires, brakes and recharge the AC. They have good stuff but the cost premium, especially now that I am starting to understand the whole process, just isn't worth it. They probably paid something like 1200 bucks for my van and they didn't do any maintenance on it, just checks to make sure it wasn't a POS.
Going through a broker like Japan Car Direct means you have to do the leg work of finding the car, deciding to purchase it and then dealing with shipping it to the closest international port and then shipping it from there to wherever you live, then going and getting a US title for it. If you buy it from a dealer like Japanese Classics you just go pick it up since it's already titled.

EDIT
I'll make a thread later if and when this starts to get more content, otherwise it will be me going 'Here is what I found out' with little to no updates for months because of how long it has to go. I'm doing one or maybe two cars at a time because that's all I can realistically handle before I go whole-hog in and become a dealer.

Are you going to start a thread? I would love to see the steps you had to walk through if you didn't mind sharing. The only thing I have heard from some Dept. of Homeland clients is that you need a broker for the importing but that is about all i know.

# ? Jul 27, 2017 23:44

the spyder: Feb 18, 2011

I see the exact same thing with FD's right now. $1,500-5k cars being marked up to $15-24k. Nothing but a quick check to make sure it will drive away. It's like the used car dealer level of slimness has found a new market. The parts market alone to keep these imports on the road would almost be worth starting a business. It's only a matter of time until people realize how difficult RHD/model specific parts like windshields, body panels, electronics, etc are to find...

# ? Jul 27, 2017 23:56

bird cooch: Jan 19, 2007

They aren't hard to find unless it's a car that never saw this market. And even then, getting spares from Japan isn't a big deal at all. I had a friend bring in a whole load of 510 windshields because they aren't available in the us anymore.

I got this thing ready to go slide later. Pulled it down to wrap, do some suspension rehab and new sways and 370z brakes. Might come back down to to new heads and ITBs next month but I'm trying to push that off if I can going to plumb a 150 direct port this weekend if I don't have to swap the cam first.

# ? Jul 28, 2017 01:54

Shrapnig: Jan 21, 2005

MPG chat I get 20 at best in my STI but I don't care because I didn't buy the car for fuel economy.

# ? Jul 28, 2017 01:58

LongSack: Jan 17, 2003

Hell, my Mustang GT gets around 25 MPG. The V6 Frontier that I replaced only got around 17.

# ? Jul 28, 2017 04:17

Rhyno: Mar 22, 2003; Can't post for 10 years!

KakerMix posted:

Heh, wives, heh

Three "hoods". That purple thing is the oil filter. It also has zero carpet in it.

For that sort of crowd the turbo-kei hatches would be your best bet. Something like a Suzuki Alto Works RS/R, late 80s or early 90s.

90s

80s

Turbo, intercooler, AWD. The tough part with these is finding ones that haven't been hosed with poorly. Stuff like holes drilled directly into the dash to mount turbo gauges or poorly-integrated stereo doo-dads.

I'm quite partial to the 80s, the RS/X. It's peak 80s, that scoop is functional (on both models) and the interior is stock. This one is an 87 and is for sale at a lot in Miyazaki.

Japan Car Direct, ran by two Americans living in Japan. Their whole deal is acting as English-speaking brokers. It's nice because it's personal, you sign up through their site and you then have access to the various auctions in Japan. You find the one you are after, they translate the sheet for you and give their opinion on what shape it's in, then they send one of their people out to personally inspect the vehicle. Depending on what the inspector says then you get their opinion on if it's worth bidding on and how much you can expect to pay. There was a Beat that looked good, low miles and have a nice rating on the sheet. When the inspector got out there though it turns out that it probably bad a bad headgasket and was running quite rough under throttle. I passed and someone else bought it. Like I said earlier this stuff is easy because other people do the down and dirty work of the papers and exporting and all that, and Matt, Scott and Yoshi are all way cool and very accommodating. The hardest part is watching the auctions like a hawk because things will come up 12 hours before they go to auction giving you a very small window with which to decide if you want to bid or not.

All of those are tiny and awesome.

# ? Jul 28, 2017 06:22

spog: Aug 7, 2004; It's your own bloody fault.

KakerMix posted:

Heh, wives, heh

Three "hoods". That purple thing is the oil filter. It also has zero carpet in it.

How is that old, commercial vehicle so clean?

# ? Jul 28, 2017 08:34

Olympic Mathlete: Feb 25, 2011

I want one of these.

Nissan NT100 with camper conversion.

# ? Jul 28, 2017 10:45

KakerMix: Apr 8, 2004; 8.2 M.P.G.

spog posted:

How is that old, commercial vehicle so clean?

I asked the broker guys the same thing. He figured that it must have been the first car a family bought and so was cherished and well-taken care of. It does only have 12500 miles total on it.

# ? Jul 28, 2017 18:52

sadnessboner: Feb 20, 2006

Olympic Mathlete posted:

I want one of these.

Nissan NT100 with camper conversion.

It's the Mira walkthroughs that get me (this is not my car)

sadnessboner fucked around with this message at 05:23 on Jul 31, 2017

# ? Jul 31, 2017 00:05

Olympic Mathlete: Feb 25, 2011

sadnessboner posted:

It's the Mira walkthroughs that get me (this is not my car)

You have no idea how much I love the Mira Walkthrough. I still want one.

# ? Jul 31, 2017 08:58

KakerMix: Apr 8, 2004; 8.2 M.P.G.

Olympic Mathlete posted:

You have no idea how much I love the Mira Walkthrough. I still want one.

You can get one.

# ? Jul 31, 2017 09:03

Olympic Mathlete: Feb 25, 2011

True but life demands I spend money on less awesome poo poo right now.

# ? Jul 31, 2017 11:11

Wamsutta: Sep 9, 2001

Finally passed this mural while my truck was clean and there was nobody else parked there. 2012 V6 Grand Cherokee Altitude that I've blacked out a little more than stock (gently caress chrome). 49.7k miles, love this thing to death.

Wamsutta fucked around with this message at 18:29 on Aug 3, 2017

# ? Aug 3, 2017 17:53

PenisMonkey: Apr 30, 2004; Be gentally.

Works fine when you use the address for the picture and not the album.

# ? Aug 3, 2017 17:58

spookykid: Apr 28, 2006; I am an awkward fellow
after all

You need to put the entire image link into your tags, not just the link to the imgur page.

Like so.

# ? Aug 3, 2017 17:59

Terrible Robot: Jul 2, 2010; FRIED CHICKEN; Slippery Tilde

Also don't use timg just append L or H to the end of the image name before the extension.

# ? Aug 3, 2017 18:16

IOwnCalculus: Apr 2, 2003

for the mural/heep combo.

# ? Aug 3, 2017 18:24

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

Doing truck stuff

this was before three ratchet straps and a bed net

# ? Aug 3, 2017 18:27

Wamsutta: Sep 9, 2001

Thanks for fixing my dumbness, folks.

# ? Aug 3, 2017 18:28

always be closing: Jul 16, 2005

Jealous!

# ? Aug 3, 2017 18:33

DogonCrook: Apr 24, 2016; I think my 20 years as hurricane chaser might be a little relevant ive been through more hurricanws than moat shiitty newscasters

NitroSpazzz posted:

Doing truck stuff

this was before three ratchet straps and a bed net

Is that a ford courier?

# ? Aug 3, 2017 19:58

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

DogonCrook posted:

Is that a ford courier?

Yup 1979 with the Ford 2.3L, 5-speed and long bed. Slow, noisy, unsafe but a great little work truck. I dropped it 2 inches because I hate my spine, the carpet weight improved the ride at the expense of acceleration.

# ? Aug 3, 2017 22:15

DogonCrook: Apr 24, 2016; I think my 20 years as hurricane chaser might be a little relevant ive been through more hurricanws than moat shiitty newscasters

Lol. Yeah i learned how to drive in a baby blue short bed. It was a cool little truck. I miss that thing a lot.

# ? Aug 4, 2017 00:54

MikeyTsi: Jan 11, 2009

KakerMix posted:

Yeah this Hijet is going to be my first attempt. The process is quite easy just involves going without your money and a vehicle for a couple months as you wait for it to make it's way through the process. I spend my free time on the beach during sunsets taking long looks at craigslist and Japanese auction sites anyway and that's the part where the value seems to be so why not give it a shot. Some screaming deals and the best (and worst) part is the 25 year rule means there is new stuff every day that gets metered out. There is also a lack of support for a bunch of neat things. Nobody wanted this Hijet because they all want Skylines and now, Land Cruisiers.
I'm keeping the Acty, it was my first and it's fixed itself firmly in the family.

I kind of want a Legnum VR4 the second they age past the limit.

# ? Aug 4, 2017 01:47

KakerMix: Apr 8, 2004; 8.2 M.P.G.

Alright I did a big-rear end effort post about my experience with importing a car from Japan. I guess it's also sort of a project thread as well.
https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3829078

# ? Aug 4, 2017 07:44

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# ? Jun 1, 2024 21:12

Olympic Mathlete: Feb 25, 2011

MikeyTsi posted:

I kind of want a Legnum VR4 the second they age past the limit.

Mean looking cars those, I reallllllly like them.

# ? Aug 4, 2017 08:25

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