Importing a car from Japan

[raw1981]

Hi there,

I'm thinking about importing a car from Japan.

I want to know what the road tax implications are.

As I'm sure you're all aware any car registered before 2001 pays only £210 for 12 months road tax. If it's registered after this it goes on the carbon emissions ().

So if I buy a car from Japan built before 2001, am I going to have to pay post 2001 tax rates?

[nottyash]

I never paid much attention but pretty sure they are not charged at CO2 levels, they are charged at age manafactured.

[Variel]

Pre-2001 tax rates.

According to the V5C i've got in my hand for my 1997 J-Spec Toyota Supra...

[raw1981]

Thats a relief.

I'm thinking about a mk3 supra 2.5 twin turbo.

[eybic]

be careful how you bring it in, I know of a guy with the same car as mine (Celica GT4) he brought his 98 (I think) in himself and has to pay the full wack (£400) for a year.

[markCSC]

It seems to bit quite hit and miss. I know some guys with post 2001 cars who may the pre 2001 rate. Also the government changed the rules and car tax applies from when the car is registered in the UK not when it is built. So a 1998 car could be £400. However I'd guess they would need an equivalent UK spec car to base the emissions reading on.

[stevieb]

Being honest why bother importing anything from Japan at the moment with the exchange rates as they are.

Unless it is something that is rare and hens teeth then i would keep looking through the owners clubs and see if one comes up for sale

[markCSC]

stevieb said:

Unless it is something that is rare and hens teeth then i would keep looking through the owners clubs and see if one comes up for sale

He is after a Mk3 2.5 twin turbo Supra so yes rare as hens teeth. Most of them are 3.0 single turbo

[FlatPack]

raw1981 said:

I'm thinking about a mk3 supra 2.5 twin turbo.

Good choice

Both my old Supra ( '91 mkiii 2.5TT 'R') and my Legacy ('98 GTB) are taxed using the old engine size system, they were imported in 2006 and 2008 respectively. It's not possible to tax them using emissions as the data doesn't exist - the same must go for all JDM models that don't have a euro equivalent.

Definitely not the best time to go importing stuff from Japan at the moment, I got about 220 Yen to the pound when I bought the Supra.

[raw1981]

Yeah the exchange rate is pretty poor, but most jap imports are in much better condition than stuff in the UK. Ive been victim of rust before and once the rust sets in its there to stay. I'm willing to pay a little bit extra to get one in really nice condition.

And as you say, the twin turbo is hens teeth rare here, but there are masses over there to choose from.

Watch this space.

[nottyash]

Some cars are cheap at the moment.
I just got a manual Legacy B4 RSK, in blue grade 4 and less than 60k miles for less than £3400 back in the UK. Costing me £3800 OTR undersealed, de limited and with a cat 1 alarm.
GTBs are equally cheap at the moment, but most other stuff is not worth importing unless your after something special.

[TRUENOSAM]

If you want a supra TT to be honest I would look for a uk one as they only had TT or n/a. From memory it was only japan that had the big single.

Insurance would be cheaper on a uk car too

[markCSC]

TRUENOSAM said:

If you want a supra TT to be honest I would look for a uk one as they only had TT or n/a. From memory it was only japan that had the big single.

Insurance would be cheaper on a uk car too

You're thinking about a MK4 he wants a MK3

[raw1981]

markCSC said:

TRUENOSAM said:

If you want a supra TT to be honest I would look for a uk one as they only had TT or n/a. From memory it was only japan that had the big single.

Insurance would be cheaper on a uk car too

You're thinking about a MK4 he wants a MK3

Lets not be hasty! I wouldn't say no to a mk4 supra tt.

[choptop]

Contact DVLA to be sure on what your Road Tax would be

[stevieb]

On the tax front be careful with the DVLA some people i know who have import Imprezas from the early 1990s have been stung for over £400 a year road tax.

It really depends on what team deals with your forms at DVLA over what tax system they put you in. There seems to be no consistancy from within the DVLA

Steve

[jhfozzy]

As mentioned above, be wary of what the importer registers the class as.

The tax bands have been mostly sorted from this year (Imports are now around £245 a year) but before the change, I know of Evo VI (99-01) owners paying £400 a year tax as the data on the import docs was wrong. Conversely, I know of Evo IX owners (06-07) paying the PLG rate of £205.

DVLA haven't didn't have a clue what to charge for imports.