JDM Cars, bargains or nightmares?
Discussion
In the opinion of the assembled sages would a newly imported JDM Audi or Subaru be worth a punt? Up to about £12k ,, so 2010-2014 with mileages well under 50000.All highly specified with "correct / complete" Japanese paperwork,. And, apparently, very good value for money...
Are they likely to be able to have their magic boxes interrogated by UK dealers for when one of the myriad of electronic gizmos goes on the blink?
What is the attitude of UK insurers to such imports?
What is resale difficulty when the mileage has climbed by another 40-50000?
If it seems too good to be true it probably is...? What do you think?
Are they likely to be able to have their magic boxes interrogated by UK dealers for when one of the myriad of electronic gizmos goes on the blink?
What is the attitude of UK insurers to such imports?
What is resale difficulty when the mileage has climbed by another 40-50000?
If it seems too good to be true it probably is...? What do you think?
Yes IMO they're good value, you typically get a good condition car.
I wouldn't take a 10-15 yo car to a franchised dealer, would find an independent specialist. I don't think there are any special issues with diagnostics due to it being an import.
You'll have a smaller list of possible insurers and may end up paying a bit more. OTOH road tax will be a flat rate ~£350 a year I think, so compared to a European market car at £700pa you have a saving there.
Generally as the cars get older and less valuable, being an import will make less difference to resale, and having ~50k fewer miles will support the value.
The other main downside is that the infotainment will be in Japanese and only capable of picking up Radio 2, so you may want to go aftermarket, the complexity/cost/satifactoriness of which may vary depending on how sophisticated the car's OEM setup is.
It's still an old car so parts will still wear out, especially if it's an old German luxury car, so don't expect new Toyota levels of reliability from an old Audi. But it'll be better than the same car with an extra 50k miles of UK use and abuse on it.
I've also had a couple of JDM cars and generally seemed a little 'younger' than UK market contemporaries.
I wouldn't take a 10-15 yo car to a franchised dealer, would find an independent specialist. I don't think there are any special issues with diagnostics due to it being an import.
You'll have a smaller list of possible insurers and may end up paying a bit more. OTOH road tax will be a flat rate ~£350 a year I think, so compared to a European market car at £700pa you have a saving there.
Generally as the cars get older and less valuable, being an import will make less difference to resale, and having ~50k fewer miles will support the value.
The other main downside is that the infotainment will be in Japanese and only capable of picking up Radio 2, so you may want to go aftermarket, the complexity/cost/satifactoriness of which may vary depending on how sophisticated the car's OEM setup is.
It's still an old car so parts will still wear out, especially if it's an old German luxury car, so don't expect new Toyota levels of reliability from an old Audi. But it'll be better than the same car with an extra 50k miles of UK use and abuse on it.
I've also had a couple of JDM cars and generally seemed a little 'younger' than UK market contemporaries.
I've had an imported Impreza some years ago now, mine was a Version 1 STI and I still miss it somewhat.
I think consider you will need to likely find a specialist insurer for the car, but owners groups will no doubt see you right on that.
An independent specialist is the way to go for maintenance on these.
Where possible try to get the condition report for the original Japanese auction listing, I can't recall what scale they work on currently but a little research should help you avoid a dog and a decent importer will probably tell you what grade the car is on the auction report
I think consider you will need to likely find a specialist insurer for the car, but owners groups will no doubt see you right on that.
An independent specialist is the way to go for maintenance on these.
Where possible try to get the condition report for the original Japanese auction listing, I can't recall what scale they work on currently but a little research should help you avoid a dog and a decent importer will probably tell you what grade the car is on the auction report
I’ve just put down a deposit on a jap import BMW. As it’s a model sold in the U.K. so I’m not worried about parts etc. The condition is really is like new and underneath is spotless. Better specced than any U.K. car I have seen and the Speedo, nav and radio have been coded to U.K. so no issues there. I found Japanese cars like Lexus etc seemed harder or impossible to swap these over fully to U.K. spec but I think the European brands are a matter of coding, especially with newer cars with digital dashes.
mikeyw85 said:
I'd always feel more comfortable if there was a UK version of the car as well. So replacing things, even stuff like a windscreen, wasn't a complete pain or worry.
I've had a Honda Integra and Stepwagon that were both solid. I did worry about spare though.
That sums it up for me. I've had a Honda Integra and Stepwagon that were both solid. I did worry about spare though.
I have an import Volvo at the moment, but they did sell the model here in very small numbers as well which gives some comfort.
Needed an ABS Sensor and Volvo supplied the part no problem using the Chassis number as opposed to the reg.
Had many imports, never had any issues. As stated, just be careful of ultra niche models which can be a nightmare to obtain parts for (unless you like scrolling through Nengun, Yahoo auctions etc).
Insurance for mine have been on par with UK cars, I've always kept mine in KM's too for originality and managed to live with it fine.
All my imported cars were immaculate. When looking for an Impreza STI, apart from the JDM spec cars being mechanically superior, they were rust free which couldn't be said for 99% of UK cars. I have seen many Golf GTI's, Megane RS', BMW's etc that all look mega spec/condition and I wouldn't hesitate pulling the trigger on one even though it's not a Japanese manufacturer.
Insurance for mine have been on par with UK cars, I've always kept mine in KM's too for originality and managed to live with it fine.
All my imported cars were immaculate. When looking for an Impreza STI, apart from the JDM spec cars being mechanically superior, they were rust free which couldn't be said for 99% of UK cars. I have seen many Golf GTI's, Megane RS', BMW's etc that all look mega spec/condition and I wouldn't hesitate pulling the trigger on one even though it's not a Japanese manufacturer.
andrewcliffe said:
Depending on model, you may fall foul of ULEZ / Clean Air Zones - where a Euro car would be excempt, an Import may not be.
david.h said:
Up to about £12k ,, so 2010-2014
Any petrol import which was first registered (in Japan) from 1st Jan 2006 on is fine for ULEZ, so OP is ok.The difference is in cars sold in the few years prior to 2006, where EU market cars were registered with sufficiently low NOx output to be ULEZ charge exempt, whereas the same model originally sold in Japan can't prove that, and so would have to pay. But petrol cars from 2006 on are fine, import or not.
There are very few diesels in Japan, so unlikely to be an issue. (Did they know something we didn't?
)M.F.D said:
I have seen many Golf GTI's, Megane RS', BMW's etc that all look mega spec/condition and I wouldn't hesitate pulling the trigger on one even though it's not a Japanese manufacturer.
They do like a high spec euro car.My Volvo is an R Design T6. When I checked ‘how many left’, the UK sold a whole 12 of them.
Had no problems with my JDM Legacy, but it was always in the back of my head that the insurance companies didn't really understand that it wasn't just a 2 litre, it was a 2 litre with a big turbo strapped to it.
I made of note of who and when I spoke to in each company to confirm they were happy with the info provided (it is an import, it has a turbo), but they always seemed far too blasé about it... I had a nagging suspicion they'd pay suddenly more attention after a crash...
I made of note of who and when I spoke to in each company to confirm they were happy with the info provided (it is an import, it has a turbo), but they always seemed far too blasé about it... I had a nagging suspicion they'd pay suddenly more attention after a crash...
Joking aside, I’d love to import something via Torque or an equivalent and follow the process; I admire people who have.
Not really because I think it’s fraught with risk, but more because it’s them really going after what they want. Something like a JDM Forester STI being on its way over to me would be very cool.
Not really because I think it’s fraught with risk, but more because it’s them really going after what they want. Something like a JDM Forester STI being on its way over to me would be very cool.
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