Japanese car imports

roast · Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 7:56 pm Post subject: pricing help

Has anyone got any info on the following costs;

1-shipping agents fees
2-Port Handling Charges
3-Shipping Agents fees
4-DVLA Registration

Any help would be well appreciated.

Cheers

glanma · Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 1:34 am Post subject:

Shipping agents fees obviously vary depending on who you use, but Barratt Shipping (arranged through Advan) were the ones I and many others on here used, and I found them to be extremely helpful. Their cost was ?170 at the time I used them last June, don't think that's changed either.
Port handling fee - assuming you mean this end, is part of Barratts' fee. If you mean customs and excise charges on arrival, again this varies with the value of the car. At the moment it's +10% on the shipped value and then + 17.5% VAT on top of that! I believe there is also now a ?90 'admin' charge from the chancellor too!!! Rolling Eyes

Registration is the cheapest bit at ?38 - don't forget to add your number plates into your costs too!.

roast · Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 6:47 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the info.

Just trying to get a realisitc price together before I decide to bid.

So many costs can be overlooked and end up going over budget.

I think i've pretty much got it now. I've been working on a cost calculator similar to MidNite's excel sheet and it makes it a little easier.

Cheers

glanma · Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 7:08 pm Post subject:

No problem - and MidNites' calculator works a treat if you know what your various cost elements are. What car/s are you looking at btw?

roast · Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 10:38 pm Post subject:

Supra TT. 95% sure, but haven't ruled out 300ZX cos its cheaper.

Only thing with zx is reviews suggest reliability is not very good, and thats important cos these sort of cars cost a packet to maintain.

I've got 7.5K to spend so should get decent motor but want to keep 1k for some monir tweeks when i get it.

In 2 minds whether to import or just buy uk spec with fsh. Import will be more involved and may save a few quid but buying a performance car that I've not even seen is a gamble.

glanma · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 5:40 pm Post subject:

Strangely enough I was comparing the two recently! I think the Supra wins though purely on its more aggressive looks, and I know also that they are very reliable if maintained properly - even high mileage cars can be a good buy. Check this link if you want to know more about what to look for;

http://toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=50476

And I wouldn't mind this one!!
http://www.japaneseauctions.co.uk/auction-supra-1997-start-price-1300000-p-100022.html

As far as the risk factor goes, all I can say to you is that of all the people that I've spoken to that have bought cars from this company, only 1 that I know of has had a problem. And that wasn't Advans' fault, it was a careless driver in Japan that crunched his front spoiler while driving the car somewhere between the auction house and the docks! Plus my own Estima (left) has been an outstanding buy!

roast · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 8:21 pm Post subject:

Man thats a beauty. That is out of my price range but instantly I'm thinking of upping my budget for one like that.

Cheers for links.

As every day goes by I'm getting more and more convinced of importing. I've been looking at dealers offering imports and the mark up is not worth paying cos you dont really get any more peace of mind. They've done exactly the same but you pay more.

I'll let you know when I put a bid in. maybe 4-6 weeks away though.

Roast