Im confused, are you trying to show us another car becuase the last one sold? As far as i can see the link you posted is to the exact same car you postesd the first time.

 

I'd phone them and see exactly what they mean by that....because this is what it reads on the site:

"The final price will cover everything involved for this vehicle to be sitting in Vancouver, BC, Canada fully imported via normal shipment methods. The only other costs involved will be further shipping from Vancouver and normal registration costs."

I don't know what "normal registration costs" entail, but if it the full registration of the Japanese vehicle in Canada, then you are going to run into more cost snags. But call them and find out.

It also underlines "normal shipping methods" which may or may not include insurance and it doesn't specify how long that would take. The longer it takes, the more time your car has the possiblity of being damaged etc. before it gets to you.

Might wanna just phone them and have that clarified.

 

When they say that the car is in Vancouver and the only other costs involved will be further shipping from Vancuover and normal registration costs that means that the only other costs that you will have to deal with is paying for the shipping from Vancouver to your location and normal registration costs is going to the local registry and paying for a liscence plate and registration for the car to be able to drive it.

And I am not showing a different car with that link, I was showing that if I were to do the work myself I could have eather purchase the car for around $5,000CAD through the broker in Japan and payed for shipping and all costs myself, or I could have went through this company and purchased the car with all of that work already done for around 9 grand. I was just trying to add some proof that it is possible to do all the work yourself and get a car for around 7-8 grand as I was mentioning before.

 

So they land the car in Vancouver with the ownership already transfered to the dealers name, saftied and e-tested in Canada and registered as a canadian vehicle? That sounds a little shady......

 

Ok, I just have to say something... I've been quietely reading this thread for awhile now and I dont get it.

Why buy a questionable, accidented car, sight unseen from an owner you've never talked to before, go thru all the risks of shipping it here, then have to deal with getting it legally on the road here for a total of 9-10k when you could just buy a nearly perfect FD here with rebuilt motor, from a seller you trust, with no mechanical problems at all (and you know this because you've had it checked yourself) for 20k?? And you could get a 94 or 95 too which is by far improved from the 1st run 92's.

You just know you'll easily be spending another 10k on the Japanese car getting a rebuild and fixing all the things that arent working properly (and hopefull nothing is wrong with the steering rack etc cause then you'll really be in trouble). It seems like a lot of risk and hassle to save a couple thousand dollars.

Is it the RHD that attracts people? Cause you can take it from me, RHD is a pain in the *** in a LHD country and the novelty of it wears off within a day or two.

 

Being RHD has nothing to do with me purchasing a car from Japan and I would personally prefer to purchase a LHD car since that is what I am used to. Maybe I just have more faith than most people in the fact that with carefull research and taking my time that I will be able to get a decent FD for a good price. To me it is worth the risk to potentially save 10grand, but to some others it isn't. I gave myself a budget to spend on purchasing a car and I am going to stick to that budget. If the car requires some maintenance or repairs when I get it I will deal with that than. As I have stated before, almost everyone who has doubted me is doing so based on the fact that I might get a shitty car and due to horror storys that people have heard its not worth the risk. But I can guarountee that half of these people haven't spent over 10min looking into buying a car from Japan. Plus there are horror stories about purchasing cars from anywhere, it doesn't matter if its japan, France, the US or Canada. As everyone knows word travels alot faster when someone is complaining about something compared to when they are happy with something. I have just sent in my deposit this morning to be able to purchase cars from Auctions and I will keep you all up to date on how things go. If I get screwed over and end up with a POS I will still let everyone know and you all can say I told you so. As soon as I purchase the car I will post the price I payed, pictures of the car I bought and will also post all fees that I have had to cover.

 

You can contact them if you want, but my understand is that yes, they do do all of the work you have posted about. They obviously have to have the ownership transfered to the dealers name since the dealer is the one purchasing the vehicle and importing it into canada. Most of these companies will also have their own in house mechanic shop who will do the inspections and mechanical work on the cars, so it is probubly a little bit easier for them to pass the OOP inspections.

 

[QUOTE=Neo]
Chris77777777,
Where you been buddy?? You just pop in whenever you have the chance, huh?
QUOTE]


Hey buddy, how are ya?.......ya, i'm still here.......but mostly I come on here at work, so I don't post up tooo often. Hope all is well !!

 

I am sure everyone hopes it works out for you. In fact in the spirit of full disclosure I'll post what it costs to get me one from the US so we can do a comparison.

 

Yeah forsure. I am hoping that I can help others out on determining if it is worth the risk to get a car from Japan or, as you will be able to help, let others know if the US is a better option and if none of the aboce seem to be good than maybe Canadian FD's are the way to go.

 

Ok here's the deal. I'm going to be the *** again, not because I want to, but because it just doesn't make any sense not to tell you these things.

The car's link that was posted...well the car looks WELL used. Let's just adjust things for cost/benefit analysis...

The car costs about $9000 sitting in Vancouver. To container a car costs about $3500 from Japan to Vancouver. So 9000-3500 = about $5500.

Therefore, car's price in Japan is about $5500 which means (or translates to) the car = crap. From an auction, an old sports car that is not much use to someone will sell for a bit less than this and then add on dealer fees (both the auction buyer's fee and the company in Canada that imported it). So, for argument's sake, let's just take take off the auction buyer's commission and not the importer's fees.
So, about $5500- (500 to 1000...rounded to 750) = 4750.

I'm jumping around a bit here but I'm trying to evaluate the cost for you. So imagine the car costs at the most $4750 to the seller in Japan. What kind of car do you think you're going to get for $4750? A remanned engine is worth more than your car. Go to any car auction in Japan and see how many dealers go...they're not going to let many cars get out of their reach for cheap prices unless it's junk.

Some notes on the car:
-small ding on door
-see photos for other body damage

Well, you can only see so much from a photo. Check the floor mats, the door panels, the centre console, the steering wheel, the gas cap, the seats....I could go on. I noticed things wrong with all of those parts from just looking at photos, imagine if you were there to see it in person.

The price for most decent FDs in Japan (not including 1992) but 93-95 is about $12k. When you pay a third of that, you have to see a problem with it. Pretty much every car you see for sale will have been from an auction.


So, on top of all of this, let's add-up some fees.

$4750 - Initial auction bought car
|
$5500 - Dealer in Japan's price (with commission)
|
$9000 - Shipping to port in Vancouver with taxes and import fees
|
$10000 - (Let's add registration, misc fees to get the car up and running)
|
$$$$ - (add shipping prices from Vancouver to where you live...it can range from $0-$2000)
|
$$$$$ - add the prices to get things fixed and changed. For this particular car, it looks like a lot of paint work, interior work and hopefully nothing mechanical...but that's sight unseen.


I think I'm being very modest in my quotes here and you could get the car in nice "looking" condition for sub-$15000. That's not so bad...but then after that, what about the previous history of the car as well as the mechanical issues?

It just doesn't make sense to me. If you want to import a car from Japan, pay more money and get a nice car. There are plenty of 92 models out there that are in better shape for more money. But then again, if you're willing to pay more money, then maybe you should ship from the US or just buy Canadian.

Japanese imports make sense on many cars, trucks, bikes, etc...but the FD still doesn't make a lot of sense to import. Maybe in another 4 years or so when models that we couldn't get here start appearing.

With all of that being said. If someone still wishes to purchase a sub-$5000 FD from Japan - may you have the best of luck and hope for the best.

 

So....you being a person who preaches researching things to make sure you don't get ripped off............you are going on your "understanding" that they manage to E-test and certify a car and switch over the title without it ever reaching the shores (how do you estest a car without an etest machine?)......and that DOESN'T seem a little shady to you?

Im just trying to help here, it might not seem like it to you, but Im pointing out things Ive found on the websites you've linked (that you *apparently* know inside and out because you've researched it) that pop out as a possible red flag......and for some reason they don't even concern you. They don't even concern you enough to call and have it clarified, but apparently you've already:
...........according to this you've already made a monetary commitment and a large part (a part they WARN you about) of this deal you only have a working theory on.....

Further more, it says on the website you posted that before you give a deposit, you have to sign a purchase agreement. Did the agreement not specify what "normal registration costs" entail? Also, what kind of parameters were on the contract for a dispute.....what would happen if you get it here and theres a giant mark down the side because it shifted in the container?

And really, what is "normal registration costs" for you guys in Alberta? I know in Ont. a normal registration costs would entail either new plates, or transfer of old with a new sticker (if old sticker is due) and transfer fee. But thats assuming you have a valid etest (if newer than 20yrs) and a valid saftey. So "normal registration costs" to me....the ones I mentioned are what I would charge a cust. of mine for registration, the etest and saftey would be paid for on top of registration.....do not include an etest or saftey.

______________________________

But all of that is moot beacuse I emailed the company on your behalf yesterday and got a response that said:

"The cost of registration will be those of buying any as-is car. You will need to pas air-care (which is B.C.'s E-test, right?......BTW I didn't say where I was from so he's assuing there) and a saftey. Some vehicles may require minor repairs to pass the saftey, altough most pass with nothing. You will need to pay for the title transfer, plates & sticker or plate transfer & sticker also."

On the insurance question he said

"The shipping insurance is included in the (listed) price, however in the event of a dispute, a $1000.00 deductible is the level our policy currently has, and they also require appraisal in some cases, and photo verification (that it wasn't damaged before) in others. Although problems like the ones you mentioned are rare."

................................just an FYI.

 

[QUOTE=classicauto]So....you being a person who preaches researching things to make sure you don't get ripped off............you are going on your "understanding" that they manage to E-test and certify a car and switch over the title without it ever reaching the shores (how do you estest a car without an etest machine?)......and that DOESN'T seem a little shady to you?[/Quote}

I haven't done much research on that page since I am not interested in them sourcing a car for me.


As I mentioned above they are not who I am going through to purchase the car. I am going through a company in Japan who actually goes to the auctions and bids on cars for you. Before you can purchase a car you need to give the company a deposit to ensure that you aren't going to purchase a car and run away from it. After that company bids on a car for you and buys it they take the car back, do some more minor inspections and then eather store the car for a couple of months if need be before shipping than transport the car to the port. They also do the de-registration of the car and all other steps to exporting it from Japan and send me all of the documents through a currier so that I have them when the car arrives in port in Canada. I then am in charge of going to Vancouver and paying all fees in Canada to get the car into Canada.

 

HE HE you know what i find funny, in last few months there have been tons of threads about importing FD's from MULTIPLE people. And everytime those threads were full of MULTIPLE guys going on about how they are going to get one. And in those threads the guys that do own FDs never opened there mouth once and just let them go on about it.

Finally in this thread a bunch of FD owners have gotten fed up in a scence and spoken up!!
What happened to all you guys that were going to bring an FD over and become the next mad tyte drift king of Canada yo HAHAHAHA

 

lol, I hope your not generalizing me in there.

 

No No i actually was saying how none of them are speaking up, helping you out and attacking us like they usually do

 

I thought that was what you meant.

I kind of wish someone would try and back me up. I feel like the dweeb getting pushed around a nerd circle.

 

I'd probably stay clear of the early cars but I think the real cost of importing is going to lie halfway between what football22 thinks and what some of the other guys think. I would pay a little more for a better FD to begin with because a large amount of the money is going to the importing process so an extra couple grand could get you a considerably nicer car. I hope it goes well for you as I'd consider doing the same myself in a couple years.

 

LoL I only started this thread cause I was bored at the time, and that 19k imported fd ticked me off alittle( probably because of hunger). I can't believe u guys are still battling this out. If u wanna import then import, if u think it's stupid fine great good for you lol. There's really nothin to prove or gain in this thread. Alot of ppl simply defend there arguments out of spite, ignorance etc so no ones gonna win till a bunch of ppl try it.

Take it easy & play nice lol

 

No one's attacking anyone individually. I'm simply stating my opinion and you're welcome to your's. I work for a company that exports out of Japan, I have been to Japan, I have an FD, I check out car prices, etc. If you don't want to listen to my opinion, then don't. I didn't say anyone was stupid...I'm giving you facts.

 

That's funny I don't remember saying anyone was attacking anyone, I don't remember saying that anyone called anyone stupid either. ARE YOU BORED AND JUST WANT TO COMMENT AGAIN ? LOL!

You'v made like 2 posted this entire thread (I didn't even read the first one)lol what do I care what you say lol and 1 of them was pointless.(the last one). Anyway i'll stay out of this. I just wanted to see how Football22 was doing in this ongoing discussion. DEFEND UR IMPORTED FD TILL THE VERY END!lol (lol i'm the one who's bored now) Can't wait to see how his transaction turns out.

 

Edit: Obviously you don't care what I'm saying or what the thread's about because I've commented more than twice. Also, maybe you should care what I'm saying since I have experience in the pertaining topic. And lastly, if you didn't care what I was saying, you wouldn't bother replying to my post.

 

Hey daemon,

I'm not doubting you, but where did you get that figure for the vessel costing $3500? All of the quptes that I have been given for shipping arou just below $1,000.

 

Let's wait till there is more qualitative data, right now it's all supposition and hearsay in regards to the FD. I'm importing one next spring via my own container, everything being sourced and loaded by local guys who are in Aus. or Jap. right now. When all is said and done, then a comparison can be made to various JDm import companies and domestic imports..

This thread is going down hill now as people run out of 'facts' to retort with.

 

Hey Football22 - that quote is from a shipping company that goes to Vancouver as well as Montreal/Toronto (more expensive) from Kobe/Osaka region. It ranges from about $2000-$3500 for Vancouver for a small container. You can get cheaper if you do RoRo. If the company is arranging shipping for you, they probably get a discount for shipping other cars or parts with your car...or just a volume discount.