Importing your own VR4...

[dcuk]

Good luck.

In the meantime, if you know anyone from Japan, get lots of second hand spare parts as they are very cheap there.

[bernmc]

Can we use a VR-4 that's already over here?

I don't see why not. However, 1) a model report is only valid for vehicles manufactured on or after the date of the original car used to produce that model report, and 2) the vehicle being tested against the report must be mechanically identical to the original.

So if we used a Legnum VR4 built on 01 Feb 1999, the model report would only be applicable to cars made after this date - it would not apply to anything made between 1 Jan 1997 and 31 Jan 1999.

ie we'd have to choose the car carefully. Presumably the best bet would be late 1998 when the new shape came out...? I'm not entirely familiar with the model history of VR4's.

You would need separate model reports for auto's and manuals, and the legnum report wouldn't cover saloons (galants)! (So that's four reports to cover AT/MT5 Galant and Legnum!)

The bottom line financially would be whether you could be reasonably sure that enough of that particular model would be imported to cover the cost of the report through model report rentals - fees seem to range from £50-£300/rental. The fact that the big producers of the reports are not interested at the moment suggests that there won't be a huge amount of profit involved, but as a club I suspect that that would be secondary - you'd just want to be sure that you broke even...?

As I posted earlier, as soon as I have the true costs emailed from MIRA, I'll post them. The fact that these cars are permanent 4WD has dramatically increased costs!

[bernmc]

Ooh, and one other thing - you'd have to bear in mind the cost of official UK cars on the 2nd-hand market. Considering that Parkers puts a 2000 Ralliart Estate with 40000miles on the clock at £10435 from a dealer, or £9980 for a private car in VGC, you 'd have to be able to import and ESVA Jap flavours for around 15-20% less to tempt people.

[Marcel]

Do you know if anyone in UK has a model report for 2000 Galant VR4 Tiptronic?
As i will be registering my car in February, I was asked a model report for it. It has to cover emission and noise tests.
I asked VTT from finland to do the tests. They will charge 1200€ for each, that makes 2400 + 100€ for the written report.
So they have almost the same prices all over the EU.

But if u know anyone having a VR4 galant Tip test reports, please PM me.

Thanks,

markel

[chris g]

I think you have to be off your head to do a personal import, what with all that hassle and risk of probs and need to correct things at your own expense - crazy!

Unless you have the money and take a chance about problems arising

Use a recommended UK dealer - agree a budget/age/spec for car

Some wil buy from dealers in Japan and NOT buy auction crap

He looks, produces pics of matching cars at/around your price

Even if he finds a car that matches your desires but you do not like wheels or anything or have gone off the idea or changed your mind about spec, you can cancel plan or wait and agree to purchase when he finds car that YOU want

What could be easier- better than this auction rubbish, reports etc

If CVR4 think they can import/share import costs and get report done then just think of how long it takes on this Forum to sell ONE car

Even if Legnums are quicker sellers I could not see them selling so quickly as to make it worthwhile in time, effort or committing money to it

Unless you have money to throw at the job!

[bernmc]

I think you're making the mistake of assuming that Japanese car auctions are like those in the UK where you can palm off any old rubbish - they're not. They have strict rules, all cars are inspected and graded by an engineer, and everything has to be decalred on the auction sheet. If anything is not mentioned on the auction sheet customers can claim against the auction hall - which is why they make damn sure that everything is declared. This is why the car I wanted eventually failed to sell. They felt that a non-standard intercooler should have been mentioned on the auction sheet,rather than a blanket 'many non-standard bits', and all bids were cancelled. People who make auction mistakes are usually subject to a fine - around 70-80000 yen!

Most 2nd hand cars in Japan are sold through auction rather than a forecourt, and the cars on the forecourt are usually sourced from the auctions! The market is very different from the UK. It is fearsomely expensive to own a car, and becomes increasingly so the older it gets due to the high costs of the 'shaken' test - equivalent of our MOT, but much more expensive and very strict - even slightly worn parts must be replaced. There are also big incentives from dealers to buy new.

UK dealers that source cars from Japan usually do it through auctions. The pictures they send you are the pictures supplied by the auction hall. Yes, they may organise the transport, SVA, MOT etc, but essentially you're still buying a car from auction - you're just using a middleman. You may have slightly more room for comeback if the car is not everything you expected from the pics, but you'd better make sure you read the terms and conditions carefully!

I've just cut out the middleman and am buying direct off the auction feed. I still get pictures and spec, translation of the auction sheet, someone at the auction hall to look at the car - just as the UK dealer would.

In terms of the model report, club VR4 would have nothing to do with importing and selling the cars themselves (unless they decided that that was what they wanted to do). They would simply comission a report, pay for it, and then offer the report for hire to anyone who needs it. The actual physical report is kept by VOSA. A dealer then imports a VR4, emails CVR4 with the chassis number and pays the fee, CVR4 issues authorisation for the use of the report and thats where their reponsibilty ends. Whether the dealer's car passes/fails/ is a dud or not has nothing to do with CVR4 - they simply give permission for the car to be tested against the report, and the fee is non-refundable. Every VR4 tested against the report would require specific authoristion from CVR4, otherwise VOSA will not allow it to be tested. It is simply a matter of offsetting the cost of the report against the number of post-jan 1997 VR4's likely to be brought into the UK.

[chris g]

Yes, I know much of this stuff!

For me, personal importation its a task someone else can enjoy

I am happy to deal with my own 'middleman' here in the UK who sorts my complaints and delivers on his promises to correct problems

If personal importation is for you then 'enjoy'

[Kieran]

I must disagree with ChrisG... I think there's some potential here, if the service was advertised and the cars were also shown off to get as many potential buyers as possible.

[chris g]

Whatevere the benefits/pleasures in 'personal impoortation' CVR4 must be wary of youthful enthusiasm or greed clouding a future decision

CVR4 may need more funds but I see such a venture, at its worst, as a risk for club funds, personal reputations and ultimately the existence of CVR4

[westy]

the personal import route is the way.ok,the car you see is what you get,as auction site,faults and all.but the japenese have standards which the uk doesnt have ,its easy.even s.v.a

[Kieran]

Hmm... Some interesting opinions being aired here.

I think CVR4 must also be wary of timeworn defeatism... It would be just as detrimental to the club if naysaying got in the way of a positive descision that could benefit our members.

However, I would certainly NOT wish for the Club to rush blindly into any such venture - At the end of the day, it's us members who supply the Club Kitty with funds, so we all end up paying for any miscalculations.

I still stand by my thoughts in the recent 'Model Reports' thread. We need to ensure a future supply of parts and donor cars for when things start drying up. It's not an insurmountable task if we moved as a club on it... Just look at the Datsun Owner's club, or the Z Club... They cater for cars that haven't been in production for some 25+ years - and they are still able to source parts, panels and the odd donor. Ok, it's nothing like the plentiful parts situation we currently enjoy, but it's enough to keep their pride and joys on the road. If we wish to do the same, and carry on enjoying our VR-4s, V6s, GLSes or whatever, then you need to think about these issues....

[chris g]

For individuals and car importing, however easy it is, its a case of whatever you like and whatever you want to do

Whatever combination of our money, time and effort we choose how to proceed in obtaing our car, but for CVR4 itself........

Yes, God help us from timeworn defeatism - wonder who has been expressing that rubbish!?

So........

Onwards and upwards to the blue sky of progress where naysaying has been banished

Where caution and experience are pushed aside for enthusiasm and risk

Perhaps obtaining batches of spare parts, the odd donor car or a contract for certain pattern parts but multiple imports or investment in a model report on chance of a return from car sales to new owners.....?

Not for me.......






.......time for me to go....






..........to New Zealand and spread a little more timeworn defeatism






Have fun Keiran.............with your positive decisions

[bernmc]

EEEK! Near Disaster!!!!

Got an email from my agent today: Why haven't you payed for the car you won last week?

EH WOT I said???

Flippin' M$ Outlook - I checked back, and there was the email advising me that I'd won the auction, marked as 'read' by outlook and filed away in my 'import stuff' folder. Completely missed by me.

So it's been much frantic to-and-fro-ing with the bank to get a SWIFT transfer to Japan under way.

Thank goodness I didn't win any of the auctions I've since bid on - there's no way I can afford two cars!

So the die has been cast. I am importing a 1996 Legnum VR4:
Auto, Purple (not the best colour, but choice is a bit limited when it comes to good cars). The best bits:

• 66000km (41000 miles)
• Auction grade 4.5 (Exterior) - 'Vehicle is in excellent condition. If it has had repair it was done very well. Very few slight scratches or dents. Nothing major at all.' Grade 5 & 6 is reserved for new/nearly new, so this is the best a 1996 car will get
• Auction grade B (interior) - 'Very good condition, very little dirt.' Again, grade A reserved for new/immaculate.

The car is pretty much bog standard apart from cosmetics like fogs, spoiler/body kit, so I don't have to be worried about over stressed internals or that little twisty bit in the autobox that you hooligans keep breaking !! Four excellent tyres too, so even if they're not 'E' marked and I have to get a new set for SVA, I'll be able to put them back on when the UK set wears out.

So what about costs then. I'll keep updating as things progress:
Winning Auction bid: 494,000 Yen ~£2600 - makes you sick eh!
Jap Fees : 130,000 Yen ~£ 680 - includes an extra inland transport cost as it was a remote auction.

So 'FOB' - price to get the car and put it on a boat stands at ~£3300.

Pity it doesn't end there eh! Still to come: Import duty (10%), VAT (17.5%), Shipping & Customs agent fee (£170), SVA, MOT, Registration and road tax. And any inland transportation to get the stuff done - anyone got a spare trailer?

Not the simplest, not the cheapest, but hopefully I'll end up with the best car for my money.

[dcuk]

Shipping and agent fees £170??

[enigma]

With those numbers you are looking at nearly £5k before Tax, and then loads more for MOT and SVA?!!

Expensive VR4! Hope its worth it!

[bernmc]

Shipping and agent fees £170??

Does the import paperwork, sorts out customs + payment etc.

With those numbers you are looking at nearly £5k before Tax, and then loads more for MOT and SVA?!!

If my sums are correct, the car will end up costing around the £6000 mark. The difference in buying a low mileage grade 4+ like I have, and an accident-repaired or grade 3 is marked --> selling for around 300000 yen (200000 yen difference=around a thousand pounds.)

Based on what I've seen in this country on the dealers forecourts etc, I'm pretty convinced that they're importing the tat rather than the grade 4's - which is why I've gon my own way!

[dcuk]

Have you taken into account the actual cost of shipping from Japan?

[bernmc]

Have you taken into account the actual cost of shipping from Japan?

Yes - I've assumed around £650.

[westy]

well done bernmcpurple is a good colour to own,same flavour as mine.nine days til she lands!

[bernmc]

Westy are you planning to do the SVA prep yourself, or are you going to get someone to do it for you?