Jimny- used vs import

[keebz91]

I'm in the market for a Jimny which are no longer offered for sale here from Suzuki. There's a limited second hand market, but a number of new vehicles for sale which have been imported form Japan.

I have no experience of buying an imported vehicle so would be interested to hear what the pro's & con's are and which option you think would be best.

TIA

[Krikkit]

In the Jimny's case there's virtually no downside - significantly cheaper even after taxes, better engine choice.

[valiant]

Mark Watson of Carwow fame imported a number of Jimnys including rare 5 door versions and did a few YouTube vids showing his progress. Seems a fairly straightforward affair provided you use a decent company to source, ship and do the necessary to get them road legal over here.

[fooman]

Having had a few JDM imports, you get a better condition + cheaper car, but often pay a premium for insurance. Parts and servicing costs will depend on what specialists you have near, usually ok if there is a UK equivalent model.

[5lab]

idk if this applies to the jimny but traditionally jdm cars apparently lacked things like underbody sealing, so it was good practice to do that on a car once it had landed.

[MarkJS]

keebz91 said:

I'm in the market for a Jimny which are no longer offered for sale here from Suzuki. There's a limited second hand market, but a number of new vehicles for sale which have been imported form Japan.

I have no experience of buying an imported vehicle so would be interested to hear what the pro's & con's are and which option you think would be best.

TIA

I bought a brand new imported Jimny last year through a dealer that specialises in doing this.

The process was no different from any other car I've bought from a dealer. In fact it was probably smoother than any of my previous vehicles purchases.

The car doesn't have a Suzuki warranty but the dealer gives a 3 year third party warranty through a company that gets very good reviews (I haven't used it). Anything that needed to be changed/converted to comply with the UK market was already done.

I'm happy to recommend the dealer if you'd like to know who they and I'm happy to give you any other information that you might want.

The car is fantastic and the process was a breeze.

My Readers Cars thread which might shed a bit more light:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[keebz91]

MarkJS said:

I bought a brand new imported Jimny last year through a dealer that specialises in doing this.

Would you recommend the dealer you used? If so- would you mind sharing who it was?

[MarkJS]

keebz91 said:

Would you recommend the dealer you used? If so- would you mind sharing who it was?

I would wholeheartedly recommend the dealer I used. Call Greenacres 4x4 and ask for Ricci (the owner). They will also arrange delivery but I collected from their premises.

You won't be disappointed.