thing is everytime i check a car on import, it's much cheaper just to buy a car that's already in the country on trademe.

maybe it's just me but i've stopped trying to import.

Batman:

 

thing is everytime i check a car on import, it's much cheaper just to buy a car that's already in the country on trademe.

 

maybe it's just me but i've stopped trying to import.

 

Same, I've done four and unless it was something really spicy or historically significant, I'd probably just buy local these days. 

GV27:

 

Batman:

 

thing is everytime i check a car on import, it's much cheaper just to buy a car that's already in the country on trademe.

 

maybe it's just me but i've stopped trying to import.

 

 

Same, I've done four and unless it was something really spicy or historically significant, I'd probably just buy local these days. 

 

Why is that? Have margins come down or have the importers jacked up their prices?

GV27:

 

Same, I've done four and unless it was something really spicy or historically significant, I'd probably just buy local these days. 

 

I've seen two cars advertised locally by dealers online that I can identify in Japanese auctions. Typically tagged as "arriving soon"

The first was $28k + ORC. I figured I could land it, do all compliance/conversion of dash etc and ORC for $24k.  The other is advertised at $29k + ORC. I could do that for around $23k.

What I'm trying to check is whether the two agents in the original post are reliable, so looking for reports of folk who used them.

I used carwebs in 2014 and they were very good. I think @talkiet had a different experience though.

[edit - ignore this post - it's wrong... I won't delete but see my next post below for accurate information about Carwebs from my 2015 order]

Yep - largely fine, but went back on their commitment at the time regarding the illegal unsafe tyres that the car turned up on. (they were cracked and didn't pass WOF - but Carwebs says as they had enough tread they weren't going to replace them)

They were also very non-communicative at the time but that may easily have changed. They fact they are still around is a good sign.

Cheers - N

fastbike:

 

It looks like carwebs and importyourcar are the two local importer/agents that come up in a web search.

 

Has anybody used either to buy and import a car from the Japanese auctions ?

 

I used carwebs around 2017 and they were very good. Did seem a bit strange that they accepted the bid amount, and won the auction without securing a deposit from me first, but, was all very easy and straightforward.

I would use them again if I needed to.

Actually, ignore my comment above... I remembered I posted stuff at the time - I misremembered the tyre thing... This is what I had happen - but it was 2015

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=162&topicid=161839&page_no=5#1306869

Cheers - N

Talkiet:

 

Actually, ignore my comment above... I remembered I posted stuff at the time - I misremembered the tyre thing... This is what I had happen - but it was 2015

 

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=162&topicid=161839&page_no=5#1306869

 

Cheers - N

 

Thanks, that is useful. My pricing model includes $800 to get the car through compliance for minor remediation (tyres etc). I'm only bidding on cars with grade 4.5 and above.

fastbike:

 

Thanks, that is useful. My pricing model includes $800 to get the car through compliance for minor remediation (tyres etc). I'm only bidding on cars with grade 4.5 and above.

 

Grade is one part of it. It really depends on the auction house. A 4.5 at a Monday - Weds auction could be ex-dealer stock at a fixed price or it could be from somewhere in the North where the roads are salted and the cars develop rust much faster. There are plenty of stories about grade 4 cars that fail compliance once they get here due to rust. 

The rule we got given when we started out was buy from Thurs to Sat and only ever at USS auctions, and try to cross-reference the car back to Goo Net or similar using the colour and mileage. One of my cars was on a dealer lot prior to auction and I was able to get much more detailed pictures from Goo than the five or six you get from the auctions.

GV27:

 

Grade is one part of it. It really depends on the auction house. A 4.5 at a Monday - Weds auction could be ex-dealer stock at a fixed price or it could be from somewhere in the North where the roads are salted and the cars develop rust much faster. There are plenty of stories about grade 4 cars that fail compliance once they get here due to rust. 

 

The rule we got given when we started out was buy from Thurs to Sat and only ever at USS auctions, and try to cross-reference the car back to Goo Net or similar using the colour and mileage. One of my cars was on a dealer lot prior to auction and I was able to get much more detailed pictures from Goo than the five or six you get from the auctions.

 

Super useful information, thanks.