I am considering buying grey import Toyota Estima. What should I look out for?
Has anyone got a recommendation of agent, Sydney or Melbourne ?
It seems really cheap. A Toyota Tarago by another name for about a third the price.
Thanks
Japan Grey Import Cars. What Should I Know?
suchis on 30/01/2016 - 20:51
closed Comments
have you still got it or have you sold it?
Of course I still have it. It took me a good half year to come across a grade 5a evo 8 mr
ok - just wondering what the price when it's sold would be like? i'm guessing a lot less than a local car, but then again you paid a lot less for it !
@oscargamer: depends on type of car and it's availability. There are SEVS rules on models that can be imported such that it doesn't kill the local market
Search, this topic has been covered before.
Importing is fine, I've done it several times and been very happy. You don't need Prestige Motorsport or an import broker - you can do it yourself quite easily (and the broker will merely get you to do the work anyway).
But if the car is the same model (even with a different name) as a car that's sold here, you won't be able to import it.
See also: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/138028
I actually wondered about this myself afterwards when I had been through the process.
How does one find a car in japan and get the mechanical inspection done? Know of any Japanese auction sites? Do they provide inspection/assessment reports prior to auction? You would need to know also at auction you're bidding an appropriate price as well to avoid paying too much.
The paperwork was easy as is local complience.
How does one find a car in japan and get the mechanical inspection done? Know of any Japanese auction sites?
You do what your broker (e.g. Prestige Motorsport) does, and you contact a buyer. You tell them what you want, and they give you an indicative price and likelihood of being able to find what you want. They visit the auction sites regularly (i.e. several times a week) and send you the listings in advance. You pick the one you want, and tell them your top bid. Some buyers will give you access to auctions in JP and you can view the upcoming cars in advance. If you win, they prepare the paperwork and tell you which boat it will be on. It's very easy.
Do they provide inspection/assessment reports prior to auction? You would need to know also at auction you're bidding an appropriate price as well to avoid paying too much.
Each car has an inspection report, showing the condition of the car (e.g. http://www.carontrack.com/image/sheet.jpg). They are quite easy to read and generally graded conservatively. The buyer will advise you on price, and because you're paying them a flat fee they have less incentive to fabricate. I went with Mark Hocking, who was excellent.
Really the broker does almost nothing except forward things on.
Thanks! Good info. Searching for an 8 seater now from Japan
@Spackbace: yep! That's exactly what I'm looking at now. There's a variable 4wd version in all leather for very affordable prices! It's a timing chain engine too!
Nissan Elgrand looks pretty cool
It's also known as Isuzu Fargo Filly which, I'm sure you will agree, is an excellent name.
You might get the warm fuzzy feeling of having imported your own car ex-Japan but unless it's rare as rainbow unicorn droppings, more often than not you can pick up one cheaper locally.
http://www.ironchefimports.com/
Better rep than j-spec and prestige. Get in contact and find out price :)
+1 for Iron Chef. Kristian is a good bloke, well known and with a great rep.
Hi everyone and thanks to "supnigs" for posting their experience. I wish we could still find 5A EVO 8 MR's now ! Unfortunately even if one came up it would be megabucks like all pristine low km turbo cars now.
"Really the broker does almost nothing except forward things on."
Where do I start… well, firstly this is not true.
Usually we don't post on online forums but just a couple of points in response to comments made in this thread. Kristian from Iron Chef is a good guy, although for at least the last couple of years I think you'll find Troy who is now based in Japan is handling most of the import side of things. Troy is helpful. J-Spec also offer a good service. There are a range of people doing this (and many have come and gone over the years) but I think we all recognise there are only a handful of professional services that have been around long enough to trust. The main difference with us to other brokers is that our online Auction Search and automated email alerts system make it very easy to monitor the auctions to find a suitable vehicle. Whomever you choose to help you, if you go with a broker at all, ensure you trust them and that every vehicle is physically inspected by someone at auction, you get pictures underneath and also the original export certificate posted to you following shipping.
Certainly you could go it alone, and may achieve a good result without a broker's fee. However, do realise that there is much more to it than that and your final end price may end up being higher on exactly the same car. The main issue being glossed over is how in the heck do you select an honest and reliable agent in Japan ? You'll find plenty advertising online but being a single buyer they have no interest in maintaining a relationship with you once they've received your money. You may not get the car, or you may get a lemon, some will also export a car that isn't eligible for import as they don't know the rules for Australia. At this point, note that the buyer "Mark Hocking" mentioned is a good personal friend of mine, I met him in Japan back in 2002. However, several years ago he moved back to Australia and no longer sources vehicles for import. Had you used him, you would only have had access to several auctions in the Kyushu area (south island of Japan) each week which is a fairly limited % of the total auctions each week. Only very rarely did he travel up to northern auctions.
We use a range of agents to cover the big auctions each week, not just one person, and we have met with them all in Japan and inspected vehicles at auction with them so we are on the same page in terms of the quality we require. Our clients also pay the exact auction price plus the standard agent fee on top. Go it alone and it's very common for the auction price / agent fee to be inflated. They already have your deposit in Japan, what are you going to do ? Our systems access the actual sale price information and publish that publicly, we have nothing to hide.
One of the main reasons then that you would use a broker in Australia is for security, you know you're dealing with a reliable company in Australia who uses the same agents in Japan they have done for years, so your risk of something going wrong is very low and you will be paying the actual auction price not an inflated figure which ends up being more than the broker's fee in the first place. They also give you access to all the largest auctions in Japan with physical inspections, not just a couple each week. Any reputable broker in Australia will offer you a refund of the majority of their agent fee should you cancel. What about if you've paid a deposit to someone in Japan you've never dealt with before, where do you stand ?
Another reason is that they use a network of agents to cover all the large auctions, rather that just one person who covers several auctions each week in their area. That means they can get vehicles checked at virtually any of the large auctions every week. If you're serious about finding a suitable vehicle then you will want access to all the large auctions in Nagoya, Tokyo and Osaka areas which is where the majority of good auction cars come from.
Most brokers also get trade discounts from compliance workshops here which they pass on to you, so you will already be saving a component of the broker's fee on compliance savings which could amount to several hundred dollars.
They have local knowledge of the import regulations and registration issues with some States. For example, for models such as Elgrands and Estimas that require camper conversion under SEVS, then re-registration with original seating, there are only several States where this is possible / viable. Ship the car anywhere else for compliance and there's a good chance you will never get it registered with 7/8 seats again. Make this mistake and you will be wishing you paid a broker for advice.
As with anything, once you have been told how to do it once, it seems easy… Just appreciate there is a lot more going on behind the scenes than finding a car on the net and paying for it, and recognise the effort that a good broker has put in behind the scenes to qualify all their agents in Japan, set up systems to show you the available vehicles, and get the best shipping and compliance rates through reliable companies to minimise the risk of the whole process for their clients. When shipping for example we get a pre-clean in Japan done as part of the process wherever possible, this prevents the $400 or so charge for additional cleaning, transport and reinspection that is usually levied by Aust Quarantine on vehicles otherwise. These are the things the broker's fee covers that most people are unaware of. If you add up the savings your broker has enabled you to make, on most cars you will find that they have covered most if not all or more of their fee.
There is more I could say about pitfalls but I think you get the point.
If you want more detail on the process see: http://prestigemotorsport.com.au/what-we-do/
As for cars being cheaper here, sure some are and we will advise our clients to buy local if it's more cost effective. But it all depends on what you're looking at and also on exchange rates which vary up and down. Also, our clients these days are usually looking for vehicles with genuine kms and good condition with limited modifications, these are quite hard to find in Australia.
"Each car has an inspection report, showing the condition of the car… They are quite easy to read and generally graded conservatively. The buyer will advise you on price, and because you're paying them a flat fee they have less incentive to fabricate."
This also is wrong. Ask any agent in Japan about the auction grades and reporting and they will tell you they're not to be trusted. Many times we have inspected grade 4 and even 4.5 cars to find they are very rusty, dented underneath or otherwise in poor condition. Every car must be checked in person as the auction sheets often miss things or falsely state condition including grading cars 4 when they've had past repairs and are not suitable for import to Australia. As for the "less incentive to fabricate" comment, again, if you are using an agent in Japan that you found on the net, one time, why do you think they would tell you the truth about the final price ? Particularly in this tough market, the incentive to be dishonest is greater than ever.
TL;DR - Buy from us. (I think that's the general gist of that wall of text)
Or you know, buy from Iron Chef Imports who has a very good reputation in the car scene, and lower fees :)
It's about being fully informed not pushing our service. Being thorough and factual is appreciated by our clients and I don't believe in posting up one-liners taking a shot at others or presenting a one-sided view.
The other brokers mentioned offer a good service which is why like us they've been around for so long, so really if you want to use a broker it comes down to personal choice. IMHO reputation is a subjective thing and simply depends on who you talk to, it doesn't mean one is better than another.
Pricing varies between brokers, and so does the level of service. Last time I checked, the broker "Spackbace" mentioned above was charging $200 less than we do and the other one mentioned earlier was the same as us. I think if you compare each website and the service offered you will see the reason. Consider what it costs to build and maintain a site that displays the auction vehicles and actual sale prices (http://prestigemotorsport.com.au/auctions/) and an automated system that emails them to you daily ensuring you never miss a car (http://prestigemotorsport.com.au/japanese-car-auction-alerts…), and you may conclude that our service fee is pretty good value.
I have imported a car back in 2007 but it wasn't an Estima. Went with prestige motor sport. Whole process took about 2 months. From payment in japan to getting it registered and on the road. I would have no hesitation in importing again when required