Japanese car imports

[craiguk_007]

Hi all,I now have the jist of importing and i really fancy giving this a go,but and theres always a but,My girl works in a bank and i've been talking it over with her and i mentioned the fact i had to wire my money for the car to another account,well i've been told this could have a disaterious outcome if the other person says they have not recevied the money in question,what sort of comeback do i have if this was to happen,I know from my end i have proof of the wire transfer but appartantly that counts for nothing.Thanks in advance Craig

[glanma]

Hi Craig

You have to be 100% accurate with the bank details as your girl (friend?/daughter?/someone elses' wife?) says, but if this is ok then there's no reason why they wouldn't get the money at the other end. The only way that could really happen is if your bank then send the details which you gave them incorrectly - unlikely, but you'd have to ask the bank about their responsibilities if that were to occur. Don't forget that all of us on here that have already got our cars have had to do it that way, and I've yet to hear of a problem with it.
And if you can get around any misgivings with the payment, I think you'll find that your first attempt at importing a car can be quite a rewarding experience!!!!
Go for it!!!

[darkblue]

craig,
have imported a few cars now and never had a problem,although with my bank i am responsible for checking all the details before the payment is sent, so just make sure all the details are correct and it should be trouble free!

[craiguk_007]

Ok guys,thanks very much for the response good to hear how some people get on with the importing of cars.I was thinking of going through the auction process and trying to bid for a car,but i assume this could be quite hit or miss as i have no idea what the current bid will be,its just a pity there is only a starting price to work from.Glanma,read your post on your recent import,very tidy motor,good to hear it went without any glitches. P.s,it's my girlfriend that works in the bank

[glanma]

Craig - basically you need to bid the most that you are prepared to pay for the car you are looking at, if the price doesn't go as high as that then you've had a result. It's the same as for any auction really, you set your max price and don't go over it! With mine, I was happy with what the translation showed, and then I checked the price guide to see what the average price at auction was. I put in my bid at the most I felt I wanted to pay, and got lucky and won it at the first attempt which was lower than I had set my max at. I'm now enjoying life with a real peach of a car!!!

Ps - re. your girlfriend ......... marry her mate, your mortgage will be so much cheaper!!!

[Tez]

Bank wire transfer is the only way the japanese auction houses do business.

We are a uk registered company and have been around for years so I hope that puts your mind at ease

You are not dealing with a company 4000 miles away where they can disappear and deny the transfer ever existed.

In the UK, consumer protection is very strong so you have nothing to worry about there.

[craiguk_007]

Hi all,I know what your saying glanma,cheaper mortgage fancier car!
Tez thanks again for the reply mate,gonna upgrade to gold member soon and just take the plunge,hopefully there will be an evo 6 in my price range
I was just put on the back foot from what my girlfriend said about the money transfer but everyone else has done it that way and as you said you've been doing the imports for years without problems so hopefully i will be another happy importer.Cheers guys

[MidNite-D]

Just to add my two pence worth. I have just made the commitment to import a car for myself and the wife by sending the money to set up my membership, like the wife said "Just go for it".

I've been reading the forums for a while now and everyone seems to be making this work, so why not. BTW check out this link http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8441543922433968936&q=skyline . It seems that we are not the only people in Europe who do this and get the goods and are happy with them.

MidNite

[craiguk_007]

Thanks for that mid Nite-D,good video, what kind of motor are you thinking of importing

[MidNite-D]

Hi Craig, well the video should have given you a clue, I'm looking for a Skyline R33 GTR for my self and an FTO GPX for the wife.
Less than 6 weeks ago I was thinking I would have to buy a car from the UK but really wanted to go to Japan and pick one myself. This seems to be somewhere in the middle and from what I've seen so far is probably the best option, unless someone would like to pay for me to fly to Japan, all expenses paid of course .

BTW did you get the calculator, let me know how you get on.

MidNite

[glanma]

Hey MidNite - that's exactly how I got involved with Advan!!! Started out with a UK bought import and decided the next one would be imported too, but by myself. I was all ready to buy a flight to Japan and then came across this site - turned out much easier I think than if I'd have gone out there. Wouldn't mind going now though as there are bucketloads of bits I could get over there for the Estima, that aren't heard of over here. I'll send you some shots of some of the stuff by e-mail if you like!

[MidNite-D]

No probs Glanma, you've got my address, so send them over.
I had like you starting to make moves to get over there, but like you say its probably easier this way. The post by Romeo and yourself are what really helped make up my mind, I think that post should be stickied so everyone who joins gets to read it, it really shows how the process goes with both high and low points but with a successful resolution in the end.

MidNite

[darkblue]

me and a mate are going to try and get over sometime this year just waiting for the sale of my house!!
think if your going to go you may as well make it worth it and get 2 or 3, keep 1 or 2 for yourself and sell the other to cover the cost of the trip!
have heard you acn pick up some bargins outside of auctions from dealers etc
if anything it would be an eye opener

[glanma]

I should keep the date you go quiet darkblue - or you'll have us all asking you to bring back goodies for our cars in your suitcase!!!!

[pacman160778]

You might even get a request for a new bride

[Tez]

If you purchase a vehicle from us and want some parts put inside of it we can do that for you.

Some vessels don't allow inner cargo but that's just a matter of waiting for the right one.

Midnite - great calculator - it takes into account EVERYTHING! =) would be very useful for people new to the scene.

Darkblue - check out the Advanpartners part of the site for bargins. We are adding dealer vehicles to it all the time and sometimes, you can't even get auction vehicles at those prices.

[MidNite-D]

Tez, regarding parts coming over with the cars. Could you get some prices for the various parts that most would people would want to modify cars, or is there a Japanese site that would give us the info. Then people who buy a car could request various bits they want at the same time and get them all shipped over together. I was thinking of things like boost controllers, hard pipe kits, maybe even intercoolers, as well as body kit parts.

MidNite

[glanma]

This may be a bit easier Tez, but are there a few specialist speed and accessory shops that you can supply links to, or maybe a 'Halfwits' type of accessories chain over there that may do dress up and performance parts for different makes? I know I have come across lots of stuff for our Estima that would never be available here!