Anyone Imported? What toy for £15k?
Discussion
Debated putting this in the car-buying section, but as it's strictly Jap/import related, plumped for this forum.
I've decided to go with a toy/daily combo, after months of procrastinating. I've recently bought a Twingo RS to cover off daily commuting/local run duties, and my wife has an X3 m40d for weekend duties.
The final piece of the puzzle is a weekend toy. I am a big Jap car fanboy, and I'm struggling to see beyond an Evo/Impreza as a weekend car. I'm also a bit disillusioned with the adverts I see being listed, and the quality of cars up for sale, so leaning towards either buying a car from one of the big, specialist dealers (Harlow Jap Autos cars look immense, if pricey) or importing directly, most likely via Torque GT.
Max budget for the car is £15k, as being a weekend toy I can't justify taking a loan, although I could potentially increase if I am a little more patient.
Has anyone imported a JDM car before? Would you do it again?
I've had previously an Evo V and a UK Blob Impreza STI, and my shortlist is pretty much one of these two again. Any other cars worth considering at this price point to offer similar thrills? Plan is to modify, to take the power up to 400-450bhp.
I would consider holding off for R32/RX7/Supra, but my thoughts are that the "scene tax" on these mean you end up paying well over the odds for what is still a car with 100k+ miles on the clock at the end of the day....
I've decided to go with a toy/daily combo, after months of procrastinating. I've recently bought a Twingo RS to cover off daily commuting/local run duties, and my wife has an X3 m40d for weekend duties.
The final piece of the puzzle is a weekend toy. I am a big Jap car fanboy, and I'm struggling to see beyond an Evo/Impreza as a weekend car. I'm also a bit disillusioned with the adverts I see being listed, and the quality of cars up for sale, so leaning towards either buying a car from one of the big, specialist dealers (Harlow Jap Autos cars look immense, if pricey) or importing directly, most likely via Torque GT.
Max budget for the car is £15k, as being a weekend toy I can't justify taking a loan, although I could potentially increase if I am a little more patient.
Has anyone imported a JDM car before? Would you do it again?
I've had previously an Evo V and a UK Blob Impreza STI, and my shortlist is pretty much one of these two again. Any other cars worth considering at this price point to offer similar thrills? Plan is to modify, to take the power up to 400-450bhp.
I would consider holding off for R32/RX7/Supra, but my thoughts are that the "scene tax" on these mean you end up paying well over the odds for what is still a car with 100k+ miles on the clock at the end of the day....
I don't know what RX-7s are going for these days - I think they might be still fairly reasonable? Certainly when compared to the GT-R and Supra (turbo). I only see GT-Rs getting further out of reach... Unless you don't mind a GTS/GTS-T variant...
I Imported my Evo 5 with Torque GT in 2017.
Had always had an interest in getting a Japanese performance car, and had spent years looking through PH classifieds at the examples Torque and HJA were bringing in - I recall HJA having some very clean R32 GT-Rs for a little over £15k at the start of the 2010's
. Prices were already starting to creep when I really started looking in 2016, and decided I needed to do it now before prices became too high to justify.
I found Darren at Torque to be very helpful, went through all the details about the import process, what all the grades meant, what was included and going over rough budgets for what I was looking for. Took about 4 months from instruction until a car came up (though I was searching for a yellow 5 after convincing myself they were less special than a Version 5 Impreza Type R!
).
I think Torque need either a £500 or £1k deposit before they'll start looking. Deposit depends on the value of the car you're looking for - when I did it it was £500 deposit (I think up to £12k value, maybe £15k), but £15k+ is a £1k deposit. Torque will bid up to your agreed amount. If they win the auction, you'll need to pay around 50% total cost from memory, with the rest payable on collection of the car.
From winning the auction to arrival in UK was around 3 months, and then 3 months until the car was ready to collect.
Started search July '16, won the auction Oct '16, collected Apr '17.
I had no issues, all straight forward - was rather daunting dropping best part of £10/11k on a car I hadn't seen, but was very happy come collection day!
Subsequently, my brother and father imported cars with Torque in 2018, and my friend has just imported an R34 with them. Would definitely recommend, and wouldn't hesitate to use them again if 1) I could make my mind up about what I want next, and 2) justify the cost of another car!
Give them a call or drop them an email, they seem to have a good grasp on the budgets that should be needed to secure the cars you're looking for. If you can stretch the budget a bit more you might be able to get into a Spec-C variant of the blobeye?
I Imported my Evo 5 with Torque GT in 2017.
Had always had an interest in getting a Japanese performance car, and had spent years looking through PH classifieds at the examples Torque and HJA were bringing in - I recall HJA having some very clean R32 GT-Rs for a little over £15k at the start of the 2010's
. Prices were already starting to creep when I really started looking in 2016, and decided I needed to do it now before prices became too high to justify.I found Darren at Torque to be very helpful, went through all the details about the import process, what all the grades meant, what was included and going over rough budgets for what I was looking for. Took about 4 months from instruction until a car came up (though I was searching for a yellow 5 after convincing myself they were less special than a Version 5 Impreza Type R!
). I think Torque need either a £500 or £1k deposit before they'll start looking. Deposit depends on the value of the car you're looking for - when I did it it was £500 deposit (I think up to £12k value, maybe £15k), but £15k+ is a £1k deposit. Torque will bid up to your agreed amount. If they win the auction, you'll need to pay around 50% total cost from memory, with the rest payable on collection of the car.
From winning the auction to arrival in UK was around 3 months, and then 3 months until the car was ready to collect.
Started search July '16, won the auction Oct '16, collected Apr '17.
I had no issues, all straight forward - was rather daunting dropping best part of £10/11k on a car I hadn't seen, but was very happy come collection day!
Subsequently, my brother and father imported cars with Torque in 2018, and my friend has just imported an R34 with them. Would definitely recommend, and wouldn't hesitate to use them again if 1) I could make my mind up about what I want next, and 2) justify the cost of another car!
Give them a call or drop them an email, they seem to have a good grasp on the budgets that should be needed to secure the cars you're looking for. If you can stretch the budget a bit more you might be able to get into a Spec-C variant of the blobeye?
Yes, I did, in 2007.
Downsides: more expensive than buying a car here, took several months, no chance to inspect the car in advance
Benefits: low mileage/good condition/rust-free car. Got a car of a mechanical spec that was never sold here (180SX with the SR20). Avoided spending weekends trekking round the country to view rusty wrecks for sale.
I would do it again, but probably only consider it worthwhile if I was getting something I couldn't find in the UK. Otherwise it feels like it would be more effective to buy a car already here, which is quicker and cheaper, and take my time until I found the right car for me in the UK. But I guess if you want to spend more money for a low mileage / mint condition car, maybe worth it.
Downsides: more expensive than buying a car here, took several months, no chance to inspect the car in advance
Benefits: low mileage/good condition/rust-free car. Got a car of a mechanical spec that was never sold here (180SX with the SR20). Avoided spending weekends trekking round the country to view rusty wrecks for sale.
I would do it again, but probably only consider it worthwhile if I was getting something I couldn't find in the UK. Otherwise it feels like it would be more effective to buy a car already here, which is quicker and cheaper, and take my time until I found the right car for me in the UK. But I guess if you want to spend more money for a low mileage / mint condition car, maybe worth it.
I imported (with DCY Europe) a S15 Silvia in 2013 and found the process pretty simple overall. Started looking for one in January 2013, found a car in the February and it was all converted and ready to pick up by June 2013. It is slightly scary as you're dropping money on a car you haven't seen (aside from a few auction photos) but worked out alright for me.
I'm now in the process of importing my next car (DC5 Integra) but using Torque GT this time. So far both Jamie and Darren at Torque GT have been really helpful. They helped me set a budget (as I didn't have a clue what cars were going for in Japan now), have kept me fully informed and I've had 2-3 cars sent through within the space of a month. They required a £500 deposit to start searching, then I believe a large chunk of the cost is due when I win an auction, with the final balance due on collection. What I love about Torque GT is that they're not afraid to walk away from a car if they're not happy with it. Case in point, we were about to bid on a really nice looking grade 4 Integra, but when their team in Japan inspected it the car absolutely reeked of cigarette smoke so they refused to bid for it. Be prepared to wait a while though; while thousands of cars go through the auctions every day there's a ton of wrecked/questionably modified ones. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole process takes a year!
Just to let you know, if your budget is £15k I doubt you'll get a R32 GT-R or a Supra RZ in decent condition. Prices have gone ballistic on them. Not sure about FD RX-7s but I assume they're expensive now too. They'd probably be very high mileage for that price. Also be aware that cars approaching 25 years old will be USA legal so I'd expect prices to rise even further.
I'd definitely do it again (and I am), just be aware of what you're getting into beforehand.
I'm now in the process of importing my next car (DC5 Integra) but using Torque GT this time. So far both Jamie and Darren at Torque GT have been really helpful. They helped me set a budget (as I didn't have a clue what cars were going for in Japan now), have kept me fully informed and I've had 2-3 cars sent through within the space of a month. They required a £500 deposit to start searching, then I believe a large chunk of the cost is due when I win an auction, with the final balance due on collection. What I love about Torque GT is that they're not afraid to walk away from a car if they're not happy with it. Case in point, we were about to bid on a really nice looking grade 4 Integra, but when their team in Japan inspected it the car absolutely reeked of cigarette smoke so they refused to bid for it. Be prepared to wait a while though; while thousands of cars go through the auctions every day there's a ton of wrecked/questionably modified ones. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole process takes a year!
Just to let you know, if your budget is £15k I doubt you'll get a R32 GT-R or a Supra RZ in decent condition. Prices have gone ballistic on them. Not sure about FD RX-7s but I assume they're expensive now too. They'd probably be very high mileage for that price. Also be aware that cars approaching 25 years old will be USA legal so I'd expect prices to rise even further.
I'd definitely do it again (and I am), just be aware of what you're getting into beforehand.
I got my Prelude Type S through Torque GT. The main reasons to get a fresh import are that the car won't have any rust, and you will be the first UK owner. It certainly felt a bit more special than buying a car that was already in the UK.
For the power you are looking at running a Subaru Imprexa STI sounds like a good bet.,
For the power you are looking at running a Subaru Imprexa STI sounds like a good bet.,
Thanks chaps - really helpful.
I've exchanged a couple of emails with Jamie @ Torque GT in the past - was really impressed with their response. Then got excited, did exactly what he advised me not to do, and then found I'd bought a questionable example, which I did manage to move on but at a loss.
I am after a car in time for next summer, although timing-wise is awkward as we've just had a second child. But if it's going to take a year or so, I'd sooner get the ball rolling asap. Have just sorted a cheap daily (Twingo RS), so time to get things going on the toy.
I am torn on model - half of me wants Evo V, the other the blob eye Impreza. Deep down, I know the Evo is the better car, but it's also older and more temperamental, and I was always Team McRae over Makkinen. But the car will be a purely weekend toy, and I live just a few miles from AutoTorque who are Evo Specialists, so the Evo seems to be the more logical choice....
@mnaylor - has the dreaded Corona delayed/slowed things with your Integra, or is it business as usual in Japan and for importing? I did wonder whether current climate would see a drop in the Japanese Auction prices....
I've exchanged a couple of emails with Jamie @ Torque GT in the past - was really impressed with their response. Then got excited, did exactly what he advised me not to do, and then found I'd bought a questionable example, which I did manage to move on but at a loss.
I am after a car in time for next summer, although timing-wise is awkward as we've just had a second child. But if it's going to take a year or so, I'd sooner get the ball rolling asap. Have just sorted a cheap daily (Twingo RS), so time to get things going on the toy.
I am torn on model - half of me wants Evo V, the other the blob eye Impreza. Deep down, I know the Evo is the better car, but it's also older and more temperamental, and I was always Team McRae over Makkinen. But the car will be a purely weekend toy, and I live just a few miles from AutoTorque who are Evo Specialists, so the Evo seems to be the more logical choice....
@mnaylor - has the dreaded Corona delayed/slowed things with your Integra, or is it business as usual in Japan and for importing? I did wonder whether current climate would see a drop in the Japanese Auction prices....
I’ve been looking at importing something for years, never had the nerve to do it though. In that time Silvia S15’s have gone from about £8000 for a Spec R Aero with sub 80k miles to about £18,000!
There’s plenty of good places out there, I think Torque GT & DCY are the most ‘established’. Not sure how much they add on to the costs compared to finding Someone else to do it for you.
Think your choice would also be factored on whether it’s just a weekend car or something you hope to make a bit of money on? If so I would be looking at something that’s a few years from being ‘legal’ in the US, they’ve all started snapping up R34’s and storing them in Japan until they can ship them over.
There’s plenty of good places out there, I think Torque GT & DCY are the most ‘established’. Not sure how much they add on to the costs compared to finding Someone else to do it for you.
Think your choice would also be factored on whether it’s just a weekend car or something you hope to make a bit of money on? If so I would be looking at something that’s a few years from being ‘legal’ in the US, they’ve all started snapping up R34’s and storing them in Japan until they can ship them over.
Twice I've used Torque GT to source me cars from Japan and I won't hesitate when I would like to get another one. If it's a weekend car then I wouldn't be put off by more fussy car maintenance wise as you won't be doing the mileage to make it a pain, if I could've run 3 cars at the time I would've kept the Skyline and my only recommendation is to garage anything from Japan unless it's quite new (I don't worry about my 2006 Crown).
I'm in a similar position with the same budget. I've never had a Japanese car and the more I've learned about them the more my list of requirements goes up and up! I honestly thought an STi would be cheap thrills compared to a Cosworth or Delta but I might have missed the boat.
I would love a blue Type-R or a Spec C blobeye but everything has shot up in price. Every single advert is "investment potential" and "price is only going one way" etc, etc...
I just want a car that does 4 wheel drifts. If I wanted an investment I wouldn't be buying a 20 year old Japanese money pit.
I might end up with a Focus RS with mudflaps. Not quite the rally icon I had in mind but much easier to buy.
I would love a blue Type-R or a Spec C blobeye but everything has shot up in price. Every single advert is "investment potential" and "price is only going one way" etc, etc...
I just want a car that does 4 wheel drifts. If I wanted an investment I wouldn't be buying a 20 year old Japanese money pit.
I might end up with a Focus RS with mudflaps. Not quite the rally icon I had in mind but much easier to buy.
I am in Japan and spend a lot of time looking at in car garages, there are many R32 GT-Rs and RX-7's around, not so much Supra's anymore. You have to be really careful though as you could spend a lot of money but get something very different to your expectations.
If you look at RX-7's there are some good ones and some very poor examples, both look very good in the pictures but different in reality. What I find is that the engines tend to be good and looked after, most are rust free but you have to have a good look at body work to look for repairs, garages are supposed to advise if the car has been repaired but don't always do that.
RX-7's I have seen range from 1,800,000 to 4,200,000 Yen (15k - 30k ) The price you pay will reflect what you get.
The GT-R's I have no found a bad R32 for sale yet, you are looking at 20k on the low end and prices can go north of 35k. You can still find a fair amount which have been mildly modified, even some with zero mods. This is what set's it apart from R33, they are normally modified to 400bhp plus.
The supra is my dream car, when I came to Japan, the hope was to get the Supra, loans are very difficult for foreigners so had to re-plan. I haven't seen to many around, Nissan R34 much more common. The cheapest one I found was 22k, this had a very good engine but had a rubbish bodykit and poor paint, inside smelt of oil. You can buy a nice one for around 30k, slightly modified, lower mileage and almost standard are going for 40k onwards.
For 15K you can forget the Supra and GTR, you may be able to get a RX-7 but will need to be cleaned up a little. I can show you some of my videos from the garages if you want, PM me and I will send you the link, people get touchy if I post the videos on the forum.
If you look at RX-7's there are some good ones and some very poor examples, both look very good in the pictures but different in reality. What I find is that the engines tend to be good and looked after, most are rust free but you have to have a good look at body work to look for repairs, garages are supposed to advise if the car has been repaired but don't always do that.
RX-7's I have seen range from 1,800,000 to 4,200,000 Yen (15k - 30k ) The price you pay will reflect what you get.
The GT-R's I have no found a bad R32 for sale yet, you are looking at 20k on the low end and prices can go north of 35k. You can still find a fair amount which have been mildly modified, even some with zero mods. This is what set's it apart from R33, they are normally modified to 400bhp plus.
The supra is my dream car, when I came to Japan, the hope was to get the Supra, loans are very difficult for foreigners so had to re-plan. I haven't seen to many around, Nissan R34 much more common. The cheapest one I found was 22k, this had a very good engine but had a rubbish bodykit and poor paint, inside smelt of oil. You can buy a nice one for around 30k, slightly modified, lower mileage and almost standard are going for 40k onwards.
For 15K you can forget the Supra and GTR, you may be able to get a RX-7 but will need to be cleaned up a little. I can show you some of my videos from the garages if you want, PM me and I will send you the link, people get touchy if I post the videos on the forum.
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