PH Service History: Eastern Promise
We've all heard of Japanese imports - but not all are, in fact, Japanese. Scrof surveys JDM oddities
The idea of importing a Volvo from Japan might sound a little bit like going to Australia to buy a wheel of brie, but in actual fact, there's a jolly good reason for importing a JDM 850. Quite apart from the fact that the steering wheel is, of course, on the correct side, there's the other oft-quoted reason for buying a grey import, which is that the lack of salt on Japanese roads means corrosion is much less of an issue - and usually non-existent.
Then, of course, there's the small matter of the Shaken - the much-feared five-year roadworthiness test that decides whether a car can stay on the road without vast amounts of costly repair work. When a car fails this in Japan, often selling it for export to a country where testing is less strict - for example, the UK - becomes appealing. And with the 850 in particular, Japanese examples often seem to have avoided the chunky mileages that many of the cars you'll see for sale over here have done.
But it seems this trend for importing non-Japanese Japanese cars is one that's gradually on the rise - and among other marques, the reasons are as with the Volvos. Old Mercs, in particular, are starting to come in from Japan in their droves - just like this lovely, last-of-the-line SL which, although endowed with the least powerful engine in the range, has to be a tempting option for anyone looking for a wafty drop-top ready for this summer. (Check out the gadget-fest on the dash if you want a giggle.)
Even less expected is this Porsche 928 GTS, another JDM refugee imported in 2015 but only registered recently therefore, in theory at least, benefitting from years of rust-free motoring. The 928's another one of those cars which is often listed with high mileage in the classifieds, and probably because of that, it's another model which is frequently imported. This one's done just 45,000 miles and is a real rarity - and it's priced almost identically to a similar UKDM example with twice the mileage available elsewhere on the site, making it feel like a decent deal.
There are, I should point out, caveats to buying any of these Japanese imports. In many cases - though not all - the history is incomplete or non-existent; and you do, of course, have to put up with certain specification differences, too. And don't forget the owner's manual will be tricky to make head or tail of unless you're a skilled linguist. But the biggest pitfall is the potential lack of rust protection. Because there's no salt on the roads many, though again, not all - manufacturers didn't feel the need to slap underseal all over their cars - so be prepared to budget for having it done as soon as you can, and if a JDM car's been in the UK for a few years already without the work having been done, get it up on a ramp and go through the underside with a fine-tooth comb before you decide to buy.
All that having been said, all four of these JDM gems look like they might be worth a punt. And we haven't yet discussed what, for me, is probably the most appealing thing they offer: not the low-mileage or the rust-free underside, but the satisfying conceit of being able to watch the expression on friends' faces when you tell them you own, for example, a Japanese Volvo.
Non-Japanese brands sold new in Japan are not Japanese DOMESTIC Market...
One of those three words is a very big clue. They are Japanese Market, and so may differ from European or US market vehicles, but they are not DOMESTIC products to that Japanese Market.
If you need any more of a clue, then look at the US, where cars are widely referred to as DOMESTIC or imports.
A Japanese-spec Honda or Toyota or Nissan is JDM.
A Japanese-spec Porsche is not JDM.
It would cost more to have a separate non rust proofing production line than the cost saving of next to nothing! My own Jap import cars have the same level of undercoating as any local market or euro car.
Non-Japanese brands sold new in Japan are not Japanese DOMESTIC Market...
One of those three words is a very big clue. They are Japanese Market, and so may differ from European or US market vehicles, but they are not DOMESTIC products to that Japanese Market.
If you need any more of a clue, then look at the US, where cars are widely referred to as DOMESTIC or imports.
A Japanese-spec Honda or Toyota or Nissan is JDM.
A Japanese-spec Porsche is not JDM.
So for your Volvo example, cars sold new in Sweden would be domestic market, whereas one sold in Japan is an export market car, which would have a different specification (among other things, a 180kmh (112mph) speed limiter).
So, lots of cars are domestic market, and lots of cars are Japanese market, but to be Japanese Domestic market it has to be both produced by a Japanese company, and first sold new in Japan.
Japanese market cars have a 112mph speed limiter, may have a speedometer (and odo) in kilometres only, and do not require a rear fog light. The original factory radio will be tuned to the Japanese frequency range, so you'll be confined to a diet of Radio 2 without buying an aftermarket replacement or a frequency converter. The car may not have the same alarm/immobiliser as a UK market car, since Japanese people tend to find it rude to take someone else's car without asking.
An importer will probably provide a solution to some or all of these points, although sometimes bodged foglights or speedo conversions can cause their own issues - no problem if done properly, but worth checking out.
While it's true that the Japanese drive on the left as we do, that doesn't mean that all Japanese-market cars are RHD. I was surprised to find that many Japanese buyers of Mercedes, BMW etc consider LHD to be more authentic, and therefore desirable. Indeed the association of LHD with luxury even extends to a Bentley Continental I spotted there a few weeks back, with its wheel on the left. Dealers there supply imported cars in a choice of either LHD or RHD, and toll booths etc usually have an extra machine on the left in at least one lane to suit.
It's absolutely true in general that cars in Japan generally don't rack up big mileages, as the excellent public transport, motorway tolls, traffic jams, and vertiginous geography tend to militate against it. It's also true that most of them don't suffer so much from rust. However, I'd urge people not to let their guard down, rusty cars DO exist in Japan, especially at the ages we're talking about. Harry Metcalfe bought an Integrale imported from Japan, and ended up spending rather a lot repairing rust around the tailgate (it did come in via one of those Keighley importers, to be fair).
But yeah, good cars are out there. If you really think the dealers are taking the piss with pricing, you can always buy from Japan, via one of the exporters that will find a car for you at auction. I posted a rough guide here http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/showthread.php?342007-Guid...
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