That is a huge disappointment!
I imported my first JDM in 1990, a FJ40, and wow things were different then. Recently counted, I have imported 42 vehicles, including the 2 currently in my driveway. All have been trouble free with only minor small issues on arrival, if any. The most annoying only being my personal, and second, L300, I received pictures of 3 very nice BFG AT's, guessed the 4th would be fine, no it was 95% worn compare to less than 5% wear on the others.
If this is an issue, it's a good one IMO. Only a handful of vehicles were imported to sell immediately, and most doing so for people with full transparency of all costs plus a small fee. In each of those cases, I them a let them take the vehicle for a few days (in the days of multi day temp permits) on the condition if they didn't like it, I could sell it and make much more money. Too many things I have learned to list quickly, in no order;
- Research the vehicle and most importantly the motor, for reliability, part availability and cost. For example, I have a 04 Z4 and a 01 Surf, each with a motor common to the North American market, the local auto part store as all I need in stock.
- Watch currency exchanges, this can be surprising. 10 years ago, bought a container with 4 high end Benz and BMW's for my son-in-law to detail and sell for a significant down payment on their first house - sent my payment when the Yen was weak and saved several thousand. On the other hand imported a Hijet for my brother-in-law at the start of 2020, covid grrr, that cost almost $700 cdn more and that was just for one tiny KEI truck.
- I have a list of auction houses in central Japan and south, plus I trust the report of the rust from the auction list. Too many horror stories about vehicles from the north. My surf had slight rust on the report, but had a hard time finding those tiny spots of rust when it arrived 2 years ago.
- Don't hesitate to ask for more information on a vehicle you are serious about, there is a charge and I have never felt it to be a waste of money.
- Use an experienced broker. I have imported most vehicles doing all the steps myself, but for what a broker charges it is a big time saver. I have used my Vancouver broker for 30 years now.
- Watch out for super low mileage, been caught with this even on vehicles with a current registration in Japan. Still you can buy it, but a 15 or older vehicle with such mileage will need special attention. My little Z4 was stupid cheap at auction, I had just bid to see what it would sell for, and it only had 28,000 kms on it. The BMW rondells fell off on their own as the car sat in the carport for the 1st week, plus a few hoses were stiff from age and the new looking tires were over 10 years old (that'd fail inspection).
- I enjoy picking a vehicle up at the docks, it's like Christmas, but having a vehicle delivered to your front door hasn't gone up in cost due to our changing consumer markets. Crazily, it cost $600 for delivery 21 years ago and in 2020.
- Most people miss this, but when you import a specific model, paying fees at both ends, having parts for that vehicle thrown into it removes duties, fees, and shipping for the part. I brought in 5 Delica ladders this way.
- You pay a deposit to bid, normally starting at 100,000 yen, but in years past put down a 500,000 yen deposit for premium auction privileges. That actually saved money, removing some extra fees, ie no charge to confirm that the vehicle of interest actually had diff lockers. A picture of suspension or motor can be obtained quickly for example.
- Don't blindly bid on the vehicle based on a couple of small pictures. Ask your Japanese agent questions, I've got to know my JDM agent very well in the past 14 years he has been with the company I use.
- Research trends of the vehicle. Wow this changes, some prices have skyrocketed in years. My beloved HJ61, 2nd vehicle I imported, that I had great adventures with for 7 years, I found from the seller about 20 years later that this vehicle I had paid a fair sum for - he was paid to remove it from a Toyko home, he only made money on the transfer.
- Bid low on similar vehicles to the one you're interested in, this gives more accurate insight into what models are selling for.
I'm sure there is more tips but I gotta get back to work.
Cheers
