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 While my wife and I still import at a vastly slower pace, we no longer own nor operate Limerence Motor Company. We sold our dealership but this thread remains giving a sort of diary about our experiences. Limerence Motor Company This post is a compilation of lots of things that we've figured out and learned. Japan and Exporting Vehicles: Shaken https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor-vehicle_inspection_(Japan) There is a lot of weird misinformation and legends surrounding Japanese used cars. Here is the facts: In Japan when you buy a car you have 3 years from your first inspection before you have to have another inspection done. Your first inspection is done when your vehicle is first registered meaning you have to have an initial inspection done on a brand-new vehicle. After this, every two years regardless of age you must have another inspection done. Because of this (and other cultural quirks) people in Japan tend to give up on their cars earlier than most people in the world which probably gave rise to the incorrect rumors about older cars in Japan. They have strict inspections and they don't give any leniency to older cars so that naturally culls older vehicles from the roads. People in Japan do still appreciate classics though, and while you can snag some good deals just be aware that Japan knows exactly what they have. If you think you’re going to snag a perfect condition R32 Skyline or 60 series Land Cruiser for little money you are going to be disappointed. The massive amount of used cars vs. the population to buy them means Japan has a huge and sophisticated export mechanism with lots of businesses that operate within it. Most buyers are from those nations with more relaxed import restrictions like the UK, Australia, various European nations and places like Africa, Russia and India. Those of us in the United States, however, have some of the strictest rules on importing a vehicle not originally meant for the United States under the guise of "safety". Note that with typical vehicle importation it's done with the Roll-on/roll-off system which means that the vehicle you buy will typically be running and can't have any major leaks. It also means that your vehicle will arrive fully drivable with the battery connected and fuel in its tank. The 25 Year Rule: gently caress you I won't buy what you tell me https://one.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/FAQ%20Site/pages/page2.html#Anchor-28852 The United States is strict compared to most places in the world when it comes to importing vehicles that weren't originally meant for sale here. The '25 Year Rule' is ironclad. The proposed vehicle you want to import *has* to be 25 years or older from the date of manufacture going by month. The first of every month 'unlocks' every vehicle that was made 25 years ago in that month, and not any sooner. They can't even enter the country until then. "But I know a guy with an R34 Skyline that is state legal" yeah and federally it is, and always will be, rolling contraband. There is no way around this rule (outside of the very very few legal Motorex Skylines, loopholes involving museums and specific dealership-owner rules). If you are a person that wants an imported car from any country you are going to wait 25 years to the month, or you are going to risk having your Land Rover crushed by the feds and there is nothing you can do about it because it is rolling contraband. Even if your vehicle turns 25 years old while in the US it is still illegal in the eyes of the law. There are various places in the US that will get vehicles newer than 25 years and play the 'state legal' game where they act like state legality somehow overrides federal law. This is not true in the automotive sense and at any time you can be caught and your car taken from you with zero recourse. Some people run that risk get away with it for a while, others get their cars crushed https://youtu.be/4l7JCb3RDqQ Dumb as gently caress but it's still the rule. The guy who owned the Skyline in this video getting crushed knew his car was illegal thus I blame him. *Special mention for California: astropika posted:The issue with California is that direct import vehicles have to pass FTP (federal test procedure) driving cycles, just like a manufacturer does type certifying a vehicle. The testing is several thousand dollars by itself, without considering modifications to bring the vehicle into conformance. Reselling Imported Vehicles From Japan In the US: Why? If you are anything like me you will browse craigslist and motors.ebay like you might have browsed the toy section of those giant Sears catalogs when you were a kid. I'll spend lots of time simply sifting through various search terms, years and models just looking to see what is out there. When I saw that tiny van for sale I was so interested that I started to determine exactly what it was. I found out that it was probably an Indian-market rebadge of a seventh-gen Hijet which led me in the direction of kei vehicles. So interested I ended up buying my first real import, a 1990 Honda Acty Street G from Japanese Classics in Virginia. They are a dealer in Richmond Virginia that focuses solely on importing legal Japanese cars into the US and selling them as titled and legal vehicles. Now that I have been importing for a few years I can state with confidence that Japanese Classics are not any better than any typically scummy used car salespeople or shady importer you might know. They work exactly the same, hide information, state misinformation and will exploit the poo poo out of people. They take some nice pictures though and thus get away with it. They aren’t enthusiasts as much as you’d think, and will routinely state falsehoods and speak with authority on things they don’t know. Shame really, because they are probably the most popular importer operating in the United States. I just keep catching them loving up and it gets me mad, you know? Since I fantasy-browse anyway, have extra capital that I can play with and like a wide range of vehicles I decided to see about reselling vehicles I import myself. The reasons are, as the title suggests, for fun and profit. Japanese Auction Houses: 5 Skylines and a few Land Cruisers Please The import business is growing pretty fast in the US and lots of copy-cat mom-and-pop style operations are up and running already, to that end there are lots of ways to get access to the Japanese auctions and Japanese used car dealers. You can window shop at places like http://www.goo-net-exchange.com and https://www.tradecarview.com. Every vehicle I've imported has been bought through Yoshi at Japan Car Direct (yoshi@japancardirect.com). I can't recommend anyone else at JCD, but I can and do suggest Yoshi since he's rad as hell. Japan Car Direct is an export brokerage in Japan, and Yoshi is an agent there. He was born in California, lives in Japan and is an actual car guy himself. I like him a lot and very much like the way he does business. You browse, find a car you like. You send them a $500 dollar deposit via Paypal and then they will send out third-party inspectors to personally go over the vehicle you are interested in. After the inspector delivers their information, Yoshi will give his opinion on if you should go for it or pass, and suggest a bid amount. You decide your bid and then wait for the auction results. If you win they JCD possession of the vehicle and start going through the export process. I am not sponsored by Japan Car Direct, I just had a nice experience with Yoshi and now have a rapport going. There are countless other export houses in Japan and ways to access the auction system, this is just the way I am doing it. Just avoid Pacific Coast Auto, they act like the third-party inspections don't work and that is bad for you.  YOU WILL WANT TO GET THE THIRD PARTY INSPECTIONS ON ANY VEHICLE YOU ARE INTERESTED IN. DO NOT TAKE UNNECESSARY RISK AND FORGO THE INSPECTION. I have lost count on how many absolute heaps I’ve avoided by paying some dude to go out and poke at the vehicle for 15 minutes. Blown head gaskets, hidden rust, swiss-cheese chassis, you name it. False mileage reports, interiors that smell like death, there are tons of issues that the auction sheet won’t mention for various reasons that a dedicated inspector will catch. You pay them for the inspection so they don’t care if you buy the vehicle or not. They are unbiased. They are your friends. You want a third party inspection. The kinds of vehicles you can buy via auction or essentially limitless. Cars sure, but forklifts, lawn mowers, motorcycles (also subject to the same 25 year rule) and heavy industrial equipment. Tow trucks and flatbeds too but I have no idea about the commercial licensing or CDL requirements to try to get a Japanese 50 ft flatbed truck registered here in the US. Each vehicle at auction will have an auction sheet. They will have an overall number on a scale from 5 to 0. Don't bother with anything under 3, 'R' ratings are a wild card. Is it an accident victim? Did someone JDM it hard with aftermarket parts? Did an old car simply have some panels replaced?  The auction ~flow~ swells on Wednesday and has its lowest point on Saturday. Wednesday will have 80k+ vehicles up for auction while Saturday will be a third or less that. *Tradecarview and goo-net are not auctions but 'windows' into dealerships within Japan. While the best deals are always to be had at auction you shouldn't overlook seeing about buying wholesale from a dealer. Benefits are that the vehicle is expected to pass it's inspection and should be in excellent condition. Downside is that the dealer might not want to sell to you 'wholesale', that is, without the assorted fees that normally follow buying a used car within Japan tied to registration, inspection, road tax and the like. Something I've learned as time has gone on is the auction houses themselves. On the surface they kind of look the same but here is what I've found (with other goons giving their opinions as well): USS: The largest auction house operating and what I would consider the base line for grading. Will tend to be where you find popular things like Skylines and Land Cruisers. Their grading is done as you expect from how the numbers are supposed to be, grade 3s here will be like Yoshi says, generally good shape with some minor cosmetic issues. Interiors tend to follow suit, C grade interiors here will be generally in good shape with some cosmetic issues. Prices tend to be higher for no reason besides USS is a popular place to buy. Not bad, but because of the cost associated I've found myself not buying from them and sometimes avoiding them. Out of all the cars I've bought a minimum have come from USS auctions. TAA/KAA/JAA/CAA/KM AA: There might be more *AA houses, not sure. These guys are smaller, will tend to have cool and interesting things. Grades harshly, which is to say what would be a 3.5 or even a 4 at USS will be a 3 here. Interiors are the same, a C grade at USS will be a D here. Prices will be lower as it isn't as popular as USS and will have less eyes on the auctions. Most of my stuff I've bought have been from these houses, and all of my killer deals as well. I've had excellent luck. Both AZ-1s are from AA houses and I paid far lower than I would have at USS. These are my favorite houses as the harsh grading and lower prices means nicer vehicles for me, and maybe, you! MIRIVE: Will have more interesting things than USS. Grade the same as USS but prices will also be lower. Smaller than even *AA houses so will have less inventory during the week. ARAI: Grades easier than USS (as in a 3 in USS might be a 3.5 here, same with interiors), prices tend to be all over the place. Unique compared to most other houses as they seem to do all of their auctions on Saturday (or Friday for those of us in the USA). Grading is similar to USS, prices can be all over the place. Some good deals to be had here, but you have to watch like a hawk if you are after something specific since auctions will be listed and go live in a very short amount of time. Seems to be a large house with lots of trucks, 4x4s and vans with industrial stuff mixed in. Manufacture-specific houses like Isuzu or Honda: Grades very harshly, very little inventory but can get some killer vehicles. I scored my 1985 Hilux Surf from an Isuzu Kobe auction that graded it very harshly. Good for me since when I sent the inspector out there he turned around and said the truck was in great shape. Got it for a really good deal because of that. Not much attention for these auctions since they are few and far between but can hold great vehicles. Tiny in size and scope, might not see an auction from them for weeks at a time. Kei Vehicles: Tiny but Serious https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei_car The kei vehicle class is a hyper-specialized Japanese-for-Japan only class of vehicle. Originally meant to jumpstart the Japanese automotive industry by creating a class of vehicles that were more than a motorcycle but not as expensive as a normal full-size car. A kei car can only be so long, so high and so wide, and has strict limits on engine size and later, horsepower. The benefits for a Japanese driver is that you don't have to prove you have somewhere to park in in various rural areas which is a normal requirement for any passenger vehicle in Japan. You pay much less in taxes and registration fees as well. Check out this cool chart that I stole from Wikipedia for the requirements and how they've changed throughout the years.  The newest kei vehicles we can get will be under the 1990 requirements when the engine size was allowed to go to 660cc but engine power was capped for the first time at 64 hp. While kei vehicles are tiny and easy to make cute noises at they are 100% capable and serious vehicles. They are size and displacement restricted but they are still relied on, beat into the ground and responsible for untold amounts of commerce within Japan. They come in all sorts of variations from trucks and vans to the short burst of sports kei cars in the 90s. The least expensive way to get into that JDM life. Japanese Auctions: How? eBay they ain’t. Auctions in Japan run daily, with the auctions themselves taking place in seconds. Vehicle comes up, in a few seconds all the bids for that vehicle are placed, the high bid wins. Done.The next vehicle comes up, same thing. This repeats until the allotment of vehicles has run through, usually taking a few hours. You don’t live bid so much as load up all the bids you have, place them, and wait to see how you did. It’s hands off, all the preparation is the inspections and translations to see if you’re actually really interested in the vehicle enough to bid on. The Import Process This is how an import goes with Japan Car Direct: Browse auctions, find a vehicle you’re interested in. Get the auction sheet translated, see if you are still interested based on what the sheet says. If you are, you send a third party inspector out to give the vehicle a much more thorough inspection. They will turn the vehicle on, put it in gear, check the lights, smells, look for rust, check oil and coolant levels, if anything is leaking, etc. They unfortunately can’t actually drive the thing, but everything short of. Then they’ll give their opinion and then you get the report. THIS is what you decide to put a bid in on, not the auction sheet. If you decide to put in a bid then you submit your highest bid you can offer and wait for the auction to tick over. If you win, great! You get a copy of the winning bid, then shortly after your invoice. A few days after that you get dock pictures of your vehicle. Here you get a lot more detail in photos than you could ever have been before. Baring something happening like springing leaks or surprise corrosion (both have happened to me  ) you then wait for the vehicle to ship out and head to your port.I work with an import broker. Great World Logistics, Henry and Jessica. I have absolutely zero issues with any strange and complicated issues that have come up. Great World always comes through and never leaves me hanging. Even without weird issues this simplifies the process a lot and ensures that I won't make any mistakes trapping my vehicle at the port racking up storage fees.. Even though I've imported so many vehicles I still use an import broker because goddamn does it simplify so much. Once the vehicle is on the ship I will get mailed a packet of papers which include the original Export Certificate (fancy colored paper, little doilies on the outer edge, covered in Japanese), and English translation of the export certificate, an invoice with signature of the person you bought it from which will match the name on the export certificate, and various other papers relating to the transport company, transport insurance and other details. The Export Certificate is critical as it shows that the vehicle is legally being exported by Japan and it will be used as the title in determining if it was brought to the US legally.  An Export Certificate Since I work with an import broker you first give them power of attorney for details relating to U.S. Customs and Transportation of Cargo. Each brokerage will have their own forms but this simply means that your import broker speaks on your behalf. They will send you a DOT declaration form (which declares the vehicle is over 25 years old) and an EPA declaration form (declaring the vehicle is over 21 years old). The import broker then works with the authority at the port where your vehicle is going to. Yoshi at JCD will send me a BL that I’ll check and then send off to my import brokers. They’ll file it away, and I wait for their request for the EPA and DOT forms. I’ll fill those out, sign them, and send them to my brokers. They handle everything else, and I simply wait for them to send me the ‘Arrival Notice’, which I will get typically a couple weeks before the vehicle actually arrives at port. This is when I pay Hoegh, not for transport but the port fee. They have to pay for parking their giant ship at port, and this is where they charge me to cover for my specific vehicle. My vehicles are always transported by Höegh Autoliners, on their vessels.  A roll-on/roll-off vessel named London. Typically a few weeks I’ll get a ‘Customs Released’ email, meaning the vehicle has passed through the federal import process and is now ready to be picked up. I pay Great World Logistics (my brokers) for their services, they send me all the paperwork I need. This is where I end communication with my brokers as now it is my responsibility to get the vehicle out of the port. Getting The Vehicle From Port If you are just getting one vehicle, call up a transport broker and let them handle the details. These are the same people you’d call if you were transporting anything in the USA, just have to let them know that you need a delivery from an international port. That packet of paperwork my import broker sent me? That gets sent to my transport broker/transport driver as they need that paperwork to get my vehicle out of the port. You can, technically, go to the port and pick up your vehicle yourself if you’d like but I’ve personally never done that as I’m 6~ hours one way far from my port. There are various hoops you have to jump through as well to be allowed into the port. Lots of people do it through so it can’t be that hard, but as I’ve never done it I have no advice. Vehicle Delivered, How Can I Show Off My Tight JDM?? To title an imported vehicle here in Florida requires the Entry Summary form you will receive completed by Homeland Security from your import broker.  A blank Entry Summary, the very important document for getting your vehicle a state issued title. I am in Sarasota and my area office is in Palmetto. Lucky for me as a licensed dealer they have mobile inspectors that can make the rounds. I email my inspector dude, he says when he’ll be by, he shows up, goes over the vehicles comparing paperwork to the actual vehicles, gives me a specific signed sheet of paper with his signature for every one of the vehicles he inspects. Those papers along with the paperwork I received from my import brokers (the same packet I give my driver/transport broker) come with me to the DMV to get Florida titles. Each title costs me around $110 per vehicle. We’ve done this so much that the process is like clockwork now, and if I can do this you absolutely can as well. It isn’t hard, it’s just a very specific, very timed dance you must do for everything to work out. What About Parts? It isn't as bad as you'd think. You pay for shipping of course, and have to be patient because of shipping times. These are the main resources I use to locate parts. PartSouq The very first place I will look for parts every time. They way the site is organized, the database they have, it's just very nice. I sometimes will buy from here, if they show they have something they actually have it in stock and you'll get it in a few days. As a result they don't have near as much inventory as other places. The best place to get OEM Toyota keys though, cheaper that Amazon by far. http://partsfan.com/ Has a whole shitload of part lists with included diagrams that are extremely helpful but a little clunky to use, good to use for things like Daihatsus which are missing from PartSouq. https://www.amayama.com/en This is where I buy all my parts if I'm able, the prices can't be beat and everything I've ordered for everything has been through here, from OEM trim pieces to water pumps, belts, wipers, decals, everything. Find the part you need with the above sites, pop in the number in Amayama. Go through the order process and relish in your cool OEM Japanese parts. http://jp-carparts.com/ Another find-parts-with-pictures site but this one you can actually order parts from. I normally don't order parts from here but the option exists. https://www.megazip.net/zapchasti-dlya-avtomobilej And another site that has a bunch of diagrams for vehicles with included part numbers. Also sells parts directly. Will typically be the least expensive because they are always running coupon deals. 10-20% off everything sort of things. http://yokohamamotors.net/index.html This is a more specialized option, these guys have new parts for various vehicles but they specifically cater to US-based customers. They have a large used parts inventory for those hard to find parts. http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/tkojames Ran by Yokohama Motors this place lists all of the English-translated service manuals they've made. I own the Honda Acty one they wrote and it's been very nice to have. They aren't as detailed as I imagine the real-deal factory repair manuals are but they are in English. You can usually find them elsewhere on the internet, I ordered mine off Amazon for around $30 bucks. https://www.rhdjapan.com/ (thanks Lord of Garbagemen) Another site that leans performance but also has OEM parts available. Genuine OEM and speaks English. There are other ways too, some places will act as an agent to buy things off Japanese-only sites like Yahoo Auctions (which is as big as eBay is here in the US). I've never used them.  MY STUFF I've got an instagram where I post cars and auction photos if you guys are into that And I also have a YouTube channel where I post walk-around POV videos and long drive videos. Very dry one-take type deals but super informative if you are trying to get an idea of what it would be like to live with one of these cars. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgkGALesdBiu0p7y66_BSigwTvcmlhdAL  Here is what we kept:  1994 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 2 door. Turbo diesel, 5 speed manual, just about flawless, 43,000~ km on the clock. All original. If anyone has any questions about any of this  , some other goons have already taken the dive and imported things of their own and maybe you should too! KakerMix fucked around with this message at 17:53 on Sep 29, 2023 |
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Aug 4, 2017 07:39
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InitialDave posted:Will be following along with this, as you could be a useful contact in the future! I lump the S2000 with the Beat simply on badge alone. I've had various people (usually older white men) come up to my Acty with this face like they want to be upset at this thing they don't understand but then they see the 'H' on the front and I can just hear their thought "Oh, Honda, one of the good ones". Whatever that thing is seems to be a fixture here in the US. I can't really say for certain if all the good stuff is taken but I do see lots of cool stuff still flowing through the auctions. You could always double-import something from the EU or Canada  AFAIK the 'show and display' clauses have fairly strict rules to them. Either raw numbers or third-party verified rarity. You could probably get a Japanese firetruck or funeral car imported under those rules but you'd then be restricted on insurance and how you can drive the thing. I'm fairly certain that's how the 3 or 4 AZ-1s already in the US were imported but it's still 'wrong' if the feds ever cared to check. I'd rather patiently wait and do it purely by the books so I can hoon around in my tiny rocket like a true American.
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Aug 4, 2017 08:10
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Powershift posted:In canada the limit is 15 years, and there was a huge boom around 05-06 once R32s and FD3s and soarers became available and all of a sudden a pile of importers/dealers popped up. within a few years there were trashed soarers and aristos everywhere for peanuts and all the importers started disappearing. Stole some stuff from you and put it in the op. The upshot to importing directly from Japan is they are quite strict on things like mileage and modification. While anything is possible generally you won't have any sort of mileage fuckery unless you get a 'mileage unknown' car which will show on the auction sheet. Since the inspections are so restrictive generally the only 'engine' mods you'll get are going to be exhaust related and the only destructive mods is when someone drills a turbo timer right into the dashboard Here in the US dealership requirements is determined by state. Florida posted:You must obtain a motor vehicle dealer license if you will be: Larrymer posted:Thank you for this write up, very cool and interesting to see the process. I went through and looked at what's out there and holy poo poo there is a lot of modified garbage if you want performance cars. All the good stuff probably already left to Canada or you're going to pay out the rear end for it. You're welcome. A few people asked about it in the post your ride thread, it is good to write it all down also to help solidify memories and ideas floating around in my head. It seems most stuff ends up in Europe before Canada gets a hold of it. Once things hit legality in the US though prices seem to shoot way up. United States is a huge market to sell to and the prices seem to reflect that with popular stuff like Skylines and Land Cruisers. Nobody ever seems to give a poo poo about kei cars though.
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Aug 4, 2017 15:34
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Lord of Garbagemen posted:A site i have been working with for my rb25 parts is rhdjapan, I cannot recommend them enough. They would tend to be a bit more pricey but the parts are brand new, and they can find the most obscure poo poo. These guys? They look to be a performance-oriented shop which is cool as heck. EDIT Here are some cars that sold over the last 24 hours at auction  1988 Toyota Soarer GT Twin Turbo, $1740.  1984 Nissan Skyline RS, around $5600 as it was sold by negotiation. This can happen if you were the highest bidder but didn't meet the reserve you can negotiate with the seller to buy the vehicle anyway.  1992 Toyota Town Ace, $4100. 4WD. Here are a couple of neat things coming up for auction  1992 Daihatsu Hijet JUMBO CUSTOM. 4WD, average price for one like this is $400. Looks like it could hit $800? We'll see.  1976 Toyota Hilux KakerMix fucked around with this message at 16:19 on Aug 4, 2017 |
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Aug 4, 2017 16:04
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Wrar posted:If anyone has trouble with US customs my old man is an independent customs broker. He's based out of Miami but has a national license. savesthedayrocks posted:Super cool stuff. Good luck with your venture! You've said you don't take your kei van on the freeways, do you have another car or is this your daily and just change your route? We have a 95 sc300 as our 'serious' car but it still has a 5-speed. Wife has her Tracker and I my van(s). We're seriously considering selling the sc300 and upgrading to a Land Cruiser or LX470 so we have the ability to drive to Jacksonville ourselves and trailer back whatever we buy. It would serve it's purpose of being the 'serious' car while also having more capability to serve our needs and I've always wanted a Land Cruiser anyway. Don't *really* want a giant SUV but what can you do? Lord of Garbagemen posted:The main site is performance, if you use the drop down they have an auction site, OEM (which is where i got the brand new transmission), and a wheel and tire one. They also speak english which is helpful.
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Aug 4, 2017 17:11
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Human Grand Prix posted:Cool OP. Have you ever seen any JDM NSXs come for sale or auction? I can't ever recall seeing one outside of Japan, on the road or for sale. All the time. Be aware that everyone knows what they go for now so they won't be much cheaper, if at all. Right now there are three up for auction, only one worth a drat because it has a manual transmission.  Downsides are it has some obvious repairs, it's been lowered, AC doesn't work (seemingly quite common in auctioned cars), radiator support is bent and it has cigarette burns on the interior. Kinda gaudy aftermarket wheels too but that can be fixed easy enough I suppose. Auction starts at $30,500 USD. If you can get one from a dealer lot the prices seem to start at around $42k for a 1991 w/ manual transmission and 47k miles and being heavily 'messed with'. Or $67000 for this gorgeous untouched beauty with 16.5k miles.  InitialDave posted:Note it's not just Japanese stuff that can be a good buy, people often source collector cars from Japan as they can be very well looked after, plus some oddities over the years like people repatriating Land Rover Discoveries to the UK. This is true, I'll add this to the op. scuz posted:Right? The Rabbit pickup wasn't even close angryrobots posted:Oh subscribed. McTinkerson posted:I really do need to start doing my homework on importing a TVR Sagaris/Cerberus from the UK and a Turbo Bara Falcon Ute from Australia. Putting your name in the OP bub. KakerMix fucked around with this message at 00:16 on Aug 5, 2017 |
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Aug 5, 2017 00:04
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Wrar posted:The info is Thank you, added to the OP.
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Aug 5, 2017 00:30
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angryrobots posted:Yeah that's the kicker, time-sensitive communication can be a problem for me. I guess I'll see what you have coming off the boat, but you've posted a few examples I'd be interested in. (Kei car, turbo, rwd preferred or awd, minty, gotta be manual). I mean that the distance between the left and right side wheels on a kei vehicles is juuussst wide enough to fit on a typical car carrier trailer. If it's a completely flat or generously wide tracked one then yeah it's fine. My Acty came on a typical commercial car carrier and was just in front of the wheels. Like this one:  To get it off I had to work with the driver (I was driving the van) to get the van reversed over that wheel hump but the grip on the stainless steel panels that the tires ride on were 'punches' but didn't go all the way to the edge of the track. That meant that I had to gun it up, in reverse, in a kei-sized car that I've never driven before that was RHD that was also new to me, while trying not to fall into the center valley on either side. If I didn't have speed one tire would start spinning on the smooth steel. The fold down ramps to get it actually off the trailer were fine and totally adjustable. With the Hijet it was better since it was a much smaller trailer without the wheel hump but still a PITA. So stressful that my wife and I are probably going to just go pick up the cars from Jacksonville ourselves on a completely flat single car trailer. Eat This Glob posted:Awesome job, op! I don't think you touched on it, and I could probably do the math, but do you have any idea what I could save after going through a broker and shipping it to the US vs buying it from a place like Japanese Classics? There's easily a half dozen kei cars I'd consider buying, the Jimny and Mighty Boy chief among them. If I were patient and willing to jump through the hoops, is that the way to go? Obviously there is money to be made handling the importation and selling them, or you wouldn't be in this venture, but do you have a rough guess on what the mark up would be percentage wise to just skip the hassle and buy from someone like you? I did a bit yeah in regards to what I suspect Japanese Classics paid for my Acty vs. how much I paid them. I'd hazard a guess and say around the 50% mark for most things, but some stuff is unique enough to step outside of whatever costs you can expect. Something like a Mighty Boy has gone into this quasi-classic status and is unique enough to not have a set price depending on what shape you get one in and who wants it. Different amounts of money mean different things to other people especially if it means they can drive something so unique. 'Normal' desirable cars are much more stable like Cappuccinos and Beats. The other thing that did bother me about Japanese Classics was that they didn't test the A/C system (it was in working order, just needed a charge), the tires were not actually road safe imho (dry and cracked) while also being a bit out of balance. The front rotors were out of round and the front pads and rear shoes could have used replacement. Maybe I'm a bit more of a sperg when it comes to that but I'd assume if someone is buying something from me that they wouldn't want to have to so after-purchase repairs, you know? CharlesM posted:Motorex didn't use any loopholes to sell the cars, they did what you actually have to do to sell a car in the U.S.: have it crash & emission tested and have it meet all applicable standards. Crash testing involves destroying three cars (maybe more now that they test roof crush strength?), emission testing I don't know much about but I'm going to guess this costs a lot of money to hire the crash test facilities, etc., not to mention the 3+ cars you have to destroy. Motorex had to at least beef up the door & install 3 catalytic converters. I guess Motorex then faked the things they needed to do later on and the cars were seized, though not crushed, mercifully. 
KakerMix fucked around with this message at 02:39 on Aug 5, 2017 |
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Aug 5, 2017 02:36
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everdave posted:This seems completely unacceptable to me? I would be very upset if I was paying them for inspection and they don't test AC and the tires are rotted That's the thing though, you aren't paying them for inspection you are paying them for the convenience of having a wholly-unique, legal and titled vehicle that you can buy and drive away in. It had to pass basic inspections to make it to the US anyway (runs, doesn't leak terribly, stops well enough) so I can see the logic. I guess I'm less mad about it too because when you buy and drive something like this you will be doing a majority of the work yourself. I did take my Acty to the Honda dealer in town to get the A/C recharged though, price was the same as anywhere and it was neat to see the whole dealership crowd around it.
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Aug 5, 2017 03:01
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financially racist posted:i will own an az-1 to compliment my pair of mr2s once i've established myself in my chosen profession https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4wNCcI48j0
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Aug 5, 2017 05:15
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Applebees Appetizer posted:Does anyone know anything about the Mitsubishi "jeeps"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep_CJ#Mitsubishi_Jeep Looks like they are body-wise based off the old flat-fender Jeeps which explains why they look 'off' to my not-Jeep-knowing eyes. I think they are pretty neat, plus you can get a diesel which is all the rage, right? The lead I had for an 89 Alto Works RS/X is missing the weirdest thing: All of it's wipers. It has the posts for them but simply lacks all the wiper assemblies themselves. Is that a race car thing or something? It makes no sense!  KakerMix posted:
The bidding has ended on this one, went up to $34,180 and didn't sell. KakerMix posted:
and this one sold for $3,720 KakerMix fucked around with this message at 17:20 on Aug 5, 2017 |
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Aug 5, 2017 17:07
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Applebees Appetizer posted:Found this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_Type_73_Light_Truck Those new ones weren't made until 1996 so are not legal to import under the 25 year rule. As for being based on the Pajero that should be a good thing, Pajero is really well-respected in Japan from what I can see, similarly to the likes of the Land Cruiser. I'd probably just get a Pajero instead rather than a sorta-Jeep version of one given the chance. Having an older Mitsubishi Jeep would be cool as hell though, imagine all the times you'd have to explain that no, it isn't a kit car and yes, it really does say Mitsubishi on the front and Jeep on the back.
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Aug 5, 2017 20:51
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Deteriorata posted:Toyota designed the Land Cruiser as their candidate, and even though it didn't win they produced them anyway for public consumption since they thought it was the superior vehicle. Speaking of Land Cruisers the Jaguar dealership had an LX470 that had just been traded in that looked nice enough, also just had it's timing belt done. They didn't even have it cleaned up or detailed yet when I got there today. Turns out they had already sold it . J80s are already well on their way to $$$ status and it feels like the J100s are starting to swing back around to gaining value rather than losing it. Maybe I should be looking at Lexus GXs too, still technically a Land Cruiser Prado and the towing capacity is there along with a beefy trailer hitch. Lots of them around too but gosh they are ugly. DogonCrook posted:I was reading that wiki and apparently dodge got a license to make the pajaro and called it the raider. That would also be a cool version to own and kinda rare. The pajaro and raider have way better engine options. Thats a pretty potent 4cyl from that era but it looks like it was the base option engine or close to it. There was also the Dodge Ram 50, Colt, Conquest, and the hilarious Challenger. All Mitsubishi. 
KakerMix fucked around with this message at 21:32 on Aug 5, 2017 |
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Aug 5, 2017 21:29
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Rhyno posted:Yech. Those are uggo. Kaker I would be very interested to see pricing on the Suzuki Alto Works. I have the go ahead for the car purchase in April, maybe this is what I need to scratch the itch? If you are waiting till April then you get potentially more choices as more of them become US-legal. Digging around some more to differentiate between the models. The only one with AWD is the RS/R, there is also the 2WD RS/X and a standard 2WD Turbo depending on the year. All of the 2WD versions are front wheel drive. None currently at auction though that changes daily. Nine total have come up for auction in the last three months and only 3 of them would I have considered bidding on. The two that I've been interested in have both had oil leaks. There are currently 8 for sale at various dealerships (that I can see, anyway) in Japan and assuming they will sell wholesale 4 that look good enough to bother importing. Prices on the dealer ones will be higher because they are meant for domestic sale and are expected to be able to pass inspection upon being registered by the new owner. This means generally you can expect them to be in better shape than one going to auction that might be there because it won't pass inspection. I suspect this is why my Hijet was auctioned off, it needed to have it's oil leak fixed. So for prices: ??? If you can I'd set aside $10k for a clean, unmolested one. Depends on the quality you want though. I like stuff close to stock and unmolested as possible but I don't care too much about mileage. Sometimes a nice taken-care-of but higher mileage car will show up that would be worth it, other times a low mileage one with a bunch of stupid tacky crap like a big rear end recaro seat for the driver and a crystal or screwdriver handle stick shift with three turbo gauges screwed into the dash and the front wheels stanced out with a 2-liter-sized exhaust popping out the back. And they'll want too much money for it.
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Aug 6, 2017 02:00
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Got a few leads. A 1983 Honda Acty van, one owner, with AC. Waiting for some larger pictures but otherwise   1985 Suzuki Every  1981 Daihatsu Hijet that's been 'tastefully' modded. So goofy looking but still rad. I just loving LOVE vans.  1984 Daihatsu Hijet Jumbo with all it's decals.  1989 Suzuki Alto Works RS/X. Unmolested.  1992 Subaru Vivo RX-R. SUPERCHARGED. This thing has actual rally pedigree but style-wise does nothing for me. I guess it was claimed to be under the 64hp limit but it actually was much higher. Gosh now reading up on the thing maybe I should get it
KakerMix fucked around with this message at 08:41 on Aug 7, 2017 |
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Aug 7, 2017 08:23
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MikeyTsi posted:How "substantially similar" does a vehicle need to be in order to avoid the 25 year moratorium on import or having to wreck three of them? I mean, I'm pretty sure a Legnum is out since I don't think US ever got a Galant wagon, but what about an Evo Sportback? US market basically just got one that's one trim line down, and the important bits for DOT have US equivalents. From everything I've seen it is pretty strict. Body panels different? Different car. Steering wheel on the other side? Different car. The whole thing is a protection scheme for US domestic manufactures and it's built to make it hard to get a car that's under 25 years old into the country.
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Aug 7, 2017 09:20
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astropika posted:The issue with California is that direct import vehicles have to pass FTP (federal test procedure) driving cycles, just like a manufacturer does type certifying a vehicle. The testing is several thousand dollars by itself, without considering modifications to bring the vehicle into conformance.  That sucks considering there will be a 1973 VW just belching out all sorts of particulates. Would be nice if imported vehicles, as long as factory-stock, would be exempt as well, the amount of them vs. everything else surely wouldn't make a difference. Added this to the op and sliced my bit out. Thank you! Got some better pictures back on that old Honda Street. The rust is super minor and I might go for it anyway, it's just too unique and the interior is aces.             RUST      EDIT In crusiing craigslist as I do I am seeing more and more fly-by-night types of importers. Lots of 'GOT A BUNCH OF THEM JAP TRUX IN GOT 4 (all are in poo poo condition) REGISTER THEM URSELF'. The amount of automatics people are trying to sell lets me know that they are jumping the gun on auctions. Tsk tsk.  https://miami.craigslist.org/brw/ctd/d/1994-toyota-supra-na-five/6238522943.html This person doesn't know anything beyond 'Supra = $$$' and this is an NA one, RHD, and a 94 so you can't actually drive it on the road. They know this at least and say as much in the add but the stick on vents why. 18k. KakerMix fucked around with this message at 18:37 on Aug 7, 2017 |
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Aug 7, 2017 18:09
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DogonCrook posted:Will these cars ever qualify as classic? Like if you bring over something from the 70's can you register it as an antique or classic? Sorry if you mentioned this already i dont remember. Sure, why not?
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Aug 7, 2017 18:23
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DogonCrook posted:It would suck if they were excluded i was just curious if it allowed for that. The california carb registration is weird to me. I guess it makes sense on a car from the 90's but it really doesnt if its from the 80's. Kinda sucks. Yeah it does suck. It does vary from state to state, for instance Florida requires 30 years rather than 25 like most before you can get classic plates. I guess they figure cars last longer here so pushed the requirement up 5 years. Otherwise I couldn't imagine a situation where you legally import a vehicle under the 25 year rule and not qualify for classic registration/plates. The only time I can see that being an issue is if the car is here under false pretenses (registered as a kit car or something) and if that's the case you've already went down that road.
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Aug 7, 2017 18:36
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Rhyno posted:Man, look at this RS/Z didn't go on sale till 1994
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Aug 7, 2017 18:42
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Rhyno posted:I can wait, that's like 18 months. Have you seen any of those for sale? I've never looked. I cap all my searches at 1992 I looked real quick and there is one (1) for sale on a lot in Japan at the moment and they want close to $8k USD for it, I assume it's cherry. Factor in the costs for getting it here and you are over that 10k budget I suggested. Might be one that comes up at auction and a year and some change is a lot of time for stock to cycle.
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Aug 7, 2017 18:50
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Anyone up for an old fire truck?  12000 km on the clock, bidding starts at $460.
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Aug 8, 2017 00:30
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KakerMix posted:
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Aug 8, 2017 02:57
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Lord of Garbagemen posted:I am about to do something stupid, https://auc.japancardirect.com/aj-9AFLqmkncZrMJ.htm Gosh and my wife told me that I better get another vehicle going because it took so long to get the Hijet  I await the auction results, the starting bid indicates that it has a high reserve. Good luck!
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Aug 8, 2017 17:05
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Lord of Garbagemen posted:https://auc.japancardirect.com/st-ap47i8okqnny5.htm It means the reserve wasn't met. Since they listed it again they are somewhat desperate to get rid of it. I've seen cars sit and then later go for less than earlier offers that were declined. If you happen to be the highest bidder sometimes they will negotiate a deal, those vehicles say something like 'sold by negotiation' but it doesn't list whatever the price they agreed upon was. I've never seen or heard of the auction house rejecting a bid. If it's happened there is no way to tell.
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Aug 8, 2017 19:27
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Somewhat Heroic posted:This has been such an excellent thread with juicy information. I too have heard the siren song of the Kei cars from too many hours spent playing Gran Tourismo 2 in middle school. An Autozam would be amazing to own, but really I would be happy with a Beat or Cappuccino. If they really can be had in the neighborhood of ~$5 grand for a reasonable runner I might look into doing this. Bonus is that my nephew is just finishing up his time as an LDS (Mormon) missionary in the northern part of Tokyo. He has been there for two years now and his English is probably worse than his Japanese at this point (going off of his emails at least). Beats and Cappuccinos can be imported now, correct. There was one major revision of the Beat and also one for the Cappuccino. I'm having a harder time finding when the revision models of the Beats started but from what I can tell it would have been in 1996 or so. It included things like ABS, LSD and I guess black instrument dials? Information is from here but who knows how accurate it is. For the Cappo it had it's revision in 1995. In both cases we don't have access to the revisions yet. Don't discount AZ-1s totally, you can get driving ones for as low as $6000 I just have specific standards and want as stock as possible. You might not mind turbo gauges and a big after market wing bolted on the back, I don't judge You have to remember to put up to another 2k of cost on top of that to actually physically get it if you want to do the importing yourself. It will probably be less than that but since I don't know where everyone is geographically I estimate high. Normally it's about $1800+cost of the vehicle for me all said and done to have the vehicle sitting at the US port. Then factor in the cost of titling and registration.KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:yeah what's the going rate on a Beat, Good Era Honda + ITBs is givin me feelins In reference to earlier about how it seems some auctions go let's look at this specific Beat    https://auc.japancardirect.com/st-9eJcCyrNYthg1IH.htm Listed three times, missing the reserve only to finally be sold on the 4th listing. The way the auction is set up is there is no way to see if it has a reserve or now what the reserve is. It's possible it was higher than $3990 the whole time and it's also possible that the reserve was at $3900 the whole time and it simply never clipped up that high. Doesn't look too modified although it does has an aftermarket exhaust. Numbers don't tell the whole story though, the scale. The one above says '4' but that doesn't mean that it runs perfectly. I've seen 3.5s that don't have any record of the oil ever being changed or that are running terribly. It isn't until you have an actual inspector from whatever broker you are working with go out and poke and prod and run it to see what shows up. As for raw costs at auction you can get nice ones for as low as $2200 with varying modifications. The OEM zebra seats being replaced with black vinyl ones is common, after market steering wheels (almost always for the worst too) and weird stick shift knobs along with gauges of different things being drilled right into the dash. I like stock and those usually run higher in cost. KakerMix fucked around with this message at 09:43 on Aug 9, 2017 |
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Aug 9, 2017 05:20
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a lot and not ready for import until a few months, can the Cappo and Beats be imported now? What is the ideal years and models to look for? Is there a place you can find a good reference on what options are best, etc?
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Neat Things For Sale 1970 Mazda bus. I can't figure out if this thing has a wankel rotary in it but Wikipedia suggests there was a bus with one in it.  Cool rear end 1973 Mazda truck  1990 non-rotary Mazda Eunos  A very triple rotary 1991 Mazda Cosmo  Rad 75 Daihatsu truck  1987 3 cyl Turbo Daihatsu Charade  1990 Daihatsu Rugger/Rocky turbo diesel  73 Isuzu truck  Nicely done 89 Delica Star Wagon  72 Toyota Dyna   I think these Toyota Crown wagons are gorgeous and would love to own one someday.
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Aug 9, 2017 20:05
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You Am I posted:Australia got the sedan version of this, but that wagon is awesome. Love the tail gate and tail light design. A few were sold here in the US too but they are so rare that it was hard to even find out that they indeed were sold here. Also guys I decided to buy that 83 Acty Street after all. That makes three kei vans in a row for me.
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Aug 10, 2017 07:23
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Lord of Garbagemen posted:They are cheap but 2023 would be the first year. Also remember that you cant even have it in the country until the 25 years has passed. So it would have to spend its life in a Canadian storage unit until then (I don't even know if a non Canadian citizen could import something into Canada). There are more than a few people storing R34 Skylines in Japan right now, and with where I am Japan might as well be as far away as Canada. I'd probably lean on leaving a car I bought in Japan as storage and then doing the import work all at once vs. doing whatever stuff is needed to import it into Canada to then turn around and import it in the US. I don't know how that would work, but it seems easier to just use the options that are already there in Japan. I've thought about doing this with an AZ-1 but that's a few months at most. What I am trying to say is Japan makes the best stuff including automobile storage.
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Aug 10, 2017 16:29
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everdave posted:Where does it show what these sold for? Doesn't look like any of then sold. Usually a couple hours or so after the auction ends it will pop up with a 'sold for' with the price. All of these don't show anything so it means they didn't sell. I haven't been able to figure out why sometimes it shows a bid and that the car didn't sell and why sometimes it looks like nobody bid at all because clearly those cars should have had some bids. Can say for certain though that they didnt sell this time.
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Aug 10, 2017 19:42
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Larrymer posted:The BRZ/FRS is newer and better in probably every way except it isn't a hatch. I don't get why people are clamoring for some old shitbox when they aren't even buying the spiritual successor. That people are tells you exactly what you already know, that emotion is the thing not raw numbers. There are far better vehicles than stupid tiny trucks and vans yet that's what I like, that's what I like to sit inside and make race car noises and what I like people to see me driving. The BRZ/FRS isn't the AE86. There is no #rememberthe80s to it, there is no hatch, there is no black and white version, there is no wedge proportions and it just isn't the AE86. No pop-up headlights and doesn't have the same presence to it. It's like if people drove the best car for them then we might all be in champagne Rav4s.
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Aug 11, 2017 17:05
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Somewhat Heroic posted:If we all drove the "best car for our needs" every single person would drive a Prius. Just typing that sentence gave me the pee shivers and I would long for the icy grip of death to take me. After thinking this stuff over I think I will wait until either the second gen cars are available (LSD, ABS etc) or until I can import a Mazdaspeed AZ-1 (because holy crap they have a Mazdaspeed version). So I am probably out on this for a couple more years. Human Grand Prix posted:The AE86 also came as a coupe though. Yeah and it's still an AE86 and not a BRZ. People want and like and covet AE86s. Maybe in 15-25 years people will pine after BRZs.
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Aug 11, 2017 18:22
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Applebees Appetizer posted:CT is in AUS so I doubt he has to wait for anything, kinda nice having the steering wheel on the proper side for your country as well. Honda City Turbos go for choice $$ these days, 11k USD and up. However this one is on a lot in Japan for just under $8000. It's a standard Honda City convertible but it comes with a Motocompo fold-able scooter   EDIT If you'd like another place to look at cool as heck cars I'm finding these on http://www.carsensor.net/, Chrome does an alright job of translating.
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Aug 12, 2017 00:58
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Powershift posted:This popped up in my youtube suggestions. Clarkson in rad kei cars.  Mitsubishi Dangan ZZ  Daihatsu Mira 660 TR-XX Limited For sale right now  Also there is a holiday of some sort in Japan at the moment so the auctions are closed and everything is quiet.
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Aug 15, 2017 20:16
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Larrymer posted:I'm probably going to set a bunch of folks off with my next comments (since it seems to go against the grain of a lot of the internet folk), so just agree to disagree since we probably won't see eye to eye. No problem. It does seem like you don't 'get' it though, which is fine! Most people don't, that's why we gather on the internet and make and buy those awful 'SAVE THE MANUALS' stickers and plop them on the back of our Tacomas. Modern cars are better, safer, faster, more comfortable, better handling and far, far easier to live with. Fortunately cars (like most things) aren't just a numbers game, it's an emotional one too. That little 'hell yeah' you get when you are in a car that you truly like, maybe even love, and drive it around. When you drive an AE86 you want to, that right there excises all logic from the game because now it's emotional. Just like manual transmissions, they make driving more fun for a lot of people which is something a DCT can never do. You can't engineer in fun when you are trying to slay numbers, and a DCT is a number slayer. Especially when it breaks .
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Aug 17, 2017 01:36
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Tonight on 'Missed Opportunities' I'm working on how to understand having the auction system send you emails when vehicles you are after come up for auction. I think I have it set up for Mitsubishi Minicab Vans all the way up till 1992. I promptly got an email about one that had just come on the auction. It linked me back to this specific van. 
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Aug 24, 2017 06:06
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Olympic Mathlete posted:Did that thing really sell for $1140? It indeed did. It could have also been sold locally, whoever bought it doesn't have to be from out of the country. I can't read any Japanese still but I do understand that the AC doesn't work, or at least there is a problem with it. The very bottom of the sheet in the center that says 'AC' and then has those characters after it gives it away. Lots of air conditioning systems in Japan not working it seems, about 70% of the cars I inquire about have inoperable AC systems. From what I can see though it's usually just they don't use it and the refrigerant naturally vents through the rubber hoses and they simply never recharged it. Functional, just not operable.
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Aug 24, 2017 17:43
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BlackMK4 posted:For the non FB people Found it on the auction block itself, it did not sell. https://auc.japancardirect.com/st-n13noL57tCpTyOU.htm It has some corrosion on some door edges and the rear hatch. The interior is rated 'C' so it might be ok, seat looks a little sunk but that steering wheel is rad-o-max. It might come up for auction again!
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Aug 25, 2017 19:29
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Vans? Vans! 1990 Toyota Lite Ace, 5 speed manual w/ AC, 42000 km. Sold for $910  1991 Toyota Hiace, 5 speed manual, 4WD, AC, 347,000 km Sold for $3430 It's a little too rusty and rough for me but I can't imagine there are many of these that ever existed, let alone exist now. Plus the interior looks pretty good and it has sweet decals, and it's a 5 speed manual 4WD Toyota van.  1992 Toyota Hiace, high roof, 5 speed manual, maroon interior, AC, 173,000 km Didn't sell, might come back to auction.  1992 Toyota Hiace, sunroof, 5 speed manual, cool stripes and double brown. 369,000 km Goes up for auction in 8 hours, according to previous auctions its worth is around $1160 but that's just a suggestion and since I can't read Japanese maybe something on the auction sheet swings that value one way or another.  1990 Nissan Vanette, 4WD, 5 speed manual, AC, big ol' bumper bar and rally lights. Green! 271,000 km Sold for $390 A bit rusty but look at it.  1990 Mitsubishi Delica, 5 speend manual, 4wd, AC, 269,000 km Up for auction in 9 hours I really like the looks of these things.
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Aug 25, 2017 19:59
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