Japanese imports
Discussion
Hi all,
Not sure if this is the right sub forum for this so apologies if it is not.
I buy and sell cars and have done for years but have found some good deals for cars in Japan I want to import, mostly these will be German brands, BMW/Audi/MB/VW I have done some homework and asked around and I am fairly confident with the procedure/registration and tax side of things.
The only concerns/questions remaining is regarding the cars themselves, does anyone know if theres any reason why it would be a bad idea to import these, I know years ago it was hard to insure due to the different build quality, but from my research the German cars beside the instrument measurements which can easily be changed, the cars are virtually the same but tend to be in way better condition, most of the cars I deal with are up to 4 years old so nothing old.
The other question I had was to do with paperwork, I can't do VIN/registration checks to see their full history, so I am concerned that if one has been in a crash however minor or severe will this appear on my log book as a CAT S/N?
Also once the IVA test has been completed does this note onto the new UK logbook that the car is now an import?
Do these cars loose much value as they are imported?
Not sure if this is the right sub forum for this so apologies if it is not.
I buy and sell cars and have done for years but have found some good deals for cars in Japan I want to import, mostly these will be German brands, BMW/Audi/MB/VW I have done some homework and asked around and I am fairly confident with the procedure/registration and tax side of things.
The only concerns/questions remaining is regarding the cars themselves, does anyone know if theres any reason why it would be a bad idea to import these, I know years ago it was hard to insure due to the different build quality, but from my research the German cars beside the instrument measurements which can easily be changed, the cars are virtually the same but tend to be in way better condition, most of the cars I deal with are up to 4 years old so nothing old.
The other question I had was to do with paperwork, I can't do VIN/registration checks to see their full history, so I am concerned that if one has been in a crash however minor or severe will this appear on my log book as a CAT S/N?
Also once the IVA test has been completed does this note onto the new UK logbook that the car is now an import?
Do these cars loose much value as they are imported?
Its more about the spec of the cars i.e safety, years ago the panels were single skin, they had less air bags and you would struggle to insure them.
Once they're re-registered here, do insurance companies treat them as normal cars? My motor trade has said its classed as a Jap import until registered on UK plates then they said they don't care.
They are usually better for a few reasons, the main being the rain has a different sodium level and you don't really get rust same with the air quality, then also every couple of years they need quite a thorough check over which is stricter than an MOT, plus Japanese people (personal opinion sorry if this offends) but they are very clean and meticulous.
Once they're re-registered here, do insurance companies treat them as normal cars? My motor trade has said its classed as a Jap import until registered on UK plates then they said they don't care.
They are usually better for a few reasons, the main being the rain has a different sodium level and you don't really get rust same with the air quality, then also every couple of years they need quite a thorough check over which is stricter than an MOT, plus Japanese people (personal opinion sorry if this offends) but they are very clean and meticulous.
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