Hi, i was wondering if anybody has any experiance with importing or buying imported cars. I was considering getting JDM-Imports.com or Japaneseimports.ca to import a fairlady for me because it seems buying the JDM version of some cars works out to be cheaper. However, im just not comfortable with the risk of buying and importing a car i’ve never seen in person. Anyone had any good or bad experiances importing cars? Is there any reassurance your car wont be a lemon? Also is it true that you can hire someone in Japan to look over your car before purchasing and importing? Please if you have had any experiance importing or buying a imported car can you please give me some more info on the whole process or the risk factors involved.
Also I talked with Mitch from JDM-Imports and he quoted me a good price on a fairlady TT. Id much rather have the fairlady then the z32 so if i can get a good deal and be reassured my car wont be a lemon then it seems that buying JDM is the way to go.
Thanks for all the help and info guys and gals! Much appreciated!:R
both JI and JDM-I are reputable shops.
I’m not too familiar with mitch/JDM-I, but im friends with Gabe from JI.
what it comes down to is how much you want to pay. cheaper the car, the more chances it’ll have probs. If im correct, JI has a fairlady Z Z32 sitting in the dealer lot right now. (at least they used to). black, and i think it was TT. you can go to their dealership and check it out if its still there. they werent asking much for it.
with JI, they basically help you choose the car (you get to see pics, auction grade, etc), they bring it here, and then Gabe goes and gets it registered, certified/safetied/e-tested, and you basically drive out of JI with the car you want.
you can hire a mechanic to go check out the car in japan, for a small fee.
hope that helps. i dont know TOO much, but if you got questions, toss em my way, as either I, or one of my friends can answer.
+1 for gabe , That Z is sold a while ago I believe, But like the previous poster said. Go there talk to him. Get him to look and see what the average price is for a good condition Fairlady, you pay for what you get with JDM cars.
IE: people will come in and say I want a GTR and u tell them 15-16 thousand in good condition and theyl go Oh yeah, well Tiger japanese is selling one for 7 thousand, the only response you can say is stop wasting my time. I got my GTS T from there and i did ur route the car was coming in as stock, wasnt too sure about it got nervous backed out the car landed was mint car put the deposit back and done. Hes a good guy, he doesnt just sell garbage because it always comes back to bite you in the ass.
We have imported several cars for members of this board; including the founder Rick/Zep…
Our cars have always been top notch and we’ve never had issues with our imports.
Our price includes everything to get the car to you in Toronto, including shipping, customs, brokerage fees, GST, and 6.1% duty…
We will send you vehicles that match your profile; if you’re interested in any of them we can get our staff in Japan to inspect the car; if it’s good we bid on it; if we are successful in purchasing it; the balance would be due in 7 business days. Our price includes shipping, gst, 6.1% duty, import taxes, brokerage fees etc.
Thanks for the info. I like the idea of JDM-Imports having staff in Japan to find and evaluate the car. That is reassuring. I assume japanese imports also has something like this. So if i go to one of these importers and see a car im interested in online and i put the deposit down. How long does it take from the purchase of the car to the actual arrival date? Also are there any other hidden fees? For example, if the car needs something to cert. it would be my responsiblity correct?
Lastly, i read that during transit the cars usually substain small dents and dings around the corners? Is this because the shipping company is lazy or does that happen on all cars during transit?
month and a half is the normal wait time for the cars, because after the auction is one they will bring the car back have it inspected, check it out put it in the container and ship it out. Your dealing with a 15+ year old car, its gonna have dents and scratches no way around it sometimes small damage does occur, but if damage does occur im sure importers will adjust the price accordingly, ie my car needs rear rotors and pads that was not stated in the ad, the price was dropped to compensate for the rotors.
Steve
Great! thanks guys you really did reassured me that the car will be of good quality. Il check both JI and JDM Imports. JI seems to be a good importer with a bunch of happy clients, though a lot of my friends are associated with JDM imports. Il check out both and see which is better for me, although im sure there both reputable importers.
So it seems im either importing a fairlady or else im just gonna wait till winter to see if prices drop on the usdm model. All i know is by next spring il be driving my 300!!! Thanks again.
i got my skyline from JDM-imports. mitch is a cool guy you get what you want for sure… im happy with my ride very clean no problems and awsome condition. low Km etc… talk to mitch and see what he can do for you. good luck on finding your ride!
JDM Imports.com man no questions…you get what you pay for just remember. I got my skyline from Mitch and his boys and LOVE it. Helped me register it and everything the on recommendation I suggest is to get the importer to do the safety and E-test with the shops they are “good” with. Fun guys to!
