Anyone bought a car from a car auction in Japan?

I did just that. The experience was awesome. I have a friend here that helped me with the process because he has bought many cars from Japanese auctions. The law in Canada is that the car needs to be 15 years old. I will tell you that you can get the most beautiful cars from 3-5k with barely any kilometers. I got a Mazda Eunos Roadster, the Japanese version of the Miata for 5k with only 88,000 kms. 5k paid for the shipping and all the taxes at customs too. It was really a steal because you will not find used cars with such low mileage here. In Japan, they have strict air laws and they barely drive their vehicles. I saw everything from classic Corvettes, MGBs, BMWs and even ambulances and they were all in mint condition. A lot of the cars are right hand drive, but you can also find many that are not. I have never had such a pleasant buying experience. It took a month for the car to come by ship and it was in immaculate condition. I will also buy my next car from Japan.

Has anyone else bought a car from Japan? If so, what was your experience like?

 

I have highly considered getting a car imported from japan to myself here in Australia, the cars are always in mint condition and have such low kilometers but the Australian law is that the car can't have a corresponding model that sold in Australia , so I can't get a Honda s2000 for example because they sold in Australia.

The price is so low though that cars like the Nissan R34 25GT or even GT-R (which are available for import) are much cheaper than the ones available here already with double the KM's.

If you know someone there and know basic Japanese it can be really headache free for anyone.

 

So, is it the experience of buying the car the way you did it why you would recommend it to other people? Or is there some way you can save on cars that normally cost a lot more to buy locally. I never have given that any thought to do, but you make a recommendation that is interesting food for thought.

 

The people I dealt with were the Yokahama Trading Company, and my friend and I had a guy from that firm do the dealing for us. It is a right hand drive yes and the Yokahama Trading Company set up the shipping for me. The port fees were included in the 5k and the taxes as well cause you have to claim it at customs once it enters Canada. Then you have to take it in for an inspection where they tell you if the car needs any modifications to fit the Canadian safety standards and to get a new VIN

Yes, Japan has very strict air laws, so they barely drive these cars. This is a great thing for someone who is looking for a solid vehicle in that case. In the USA I think the law permits you to ship in is a 25 year old car whereas in Canada you can get a 15 year old car. But there are vintage cars I have seen on the internet in Japan that are in mint condition and are going for nothing. My friend who helped me buy the car knew all about this because his father used to bring in cars from Japan and sell re-sell them. I do have pics and will upload asap

 

Looking forward to the pics mate.


The import companies in Australia usually take into account the compliance cost ( what the vehicle needs to have done to fit Australian standards) and the price is still a lot cheaper than one thats already been imported. If i knew someone in Japan who I could also trust with my money and to properly check the vehicle etc I would do it in a heart beat !

 

How hard would it be to convert right hand drive to left hand drive? Any idea of the approximate cost?