carizma

Hasn't anyone on this forum bought a car from us yet? We've only been in the business 10 years, comply 17 different models, and give each and every customer our total love and devotion....can you ask for anything more? No, but seriously....do we smell or something? Free beers (up to 6) for the next SAU customer who buys a car from me. -david

we'd need a lot more info about what you want out of the car than just that info! Are you looking for something to drift possibly? Something more for looks? You can pick up an Aristo pretty cheap recently, a lot of people have been getting them complied from us lately. They look pretty sweet with just a few mods. We've seen people put Lexus ornaments on and no one can tell the difference....from the outside (GS 300). Remember, you are on a Skyline forum, so people here might be A BIT biased.... anyways, the more info people have, the better, I'm sure you'll get some good advice from people here. cheers, david

To be honest, we've also found that buyer demand for modded cars has dropped off as well. People probably fear the way they've been driven. Which doesn't mean it's a logical fear, but it's the customer so you can't change their opinion too much.

Too bad you're not in Victoria....we could probably sell your car on consignment for way more than what you're asking..... I'd have to talk to Jon about that first, though.....have you tried contacting other dealers in NSW to sell on consignment with them?

Thanks for that vote of confidence, fieds83. As for other dealers, to be honest, I would love to be on these boards warning people about ABC dodgy dealer and such, but we also offer compliance on 17 different models so we have a lot of these guys coming to us for compliance. Plus, it's a small industry here in Australia, everyone pretty much knows everyone else. Luckily, this board is filled with past customers from all sorts of dealers, so it's great that this resource is available, a much needed resource actually. I'd definitely recommend anyone considering a purchase to get as much information as possible beforehand (and SAU is perfect for that) Still, if anyone has any import / Skyline related questions, questions about dealers, the process, etc., we're always willing to help people out, whether or not they're a future or past customer. Plus, on the phone, we can be a lot more honest about other dealers, haha.

Sorry, maybe I'm not being clear. Any kind of mod is fine, as long as the workshop has spare parts on hand and can swap them on in case DOTARS come in for an inspection. If a workshop finishes complying a vehicle and submits for approval, DOTARS has the power to check that vehicle (rarely happens, but does happen). If DOTARS audits AND the vehicle isn't stock, boom, blacklist. This isn't a problem if it's a simple aftermarket Skyline exhaust or something, cause we (and almost every other Skyline compliance center) have those kinds of pieces. The problem starts when you get an Aristo that had a bunch of parts replaced in Japan or something, which means we have to have all those pieces. We have turned cars away from compliance for this before. Basically, if you have doubts whether or not your specific car is compliable, ask a shop first, then if they say yes, feel free to take it to a dodgy backyarder in the countryside to save a couple hundred bucks. Or, save yourself the hassle of hidden charges, expensive added parts, etc. and just get it done at a reputable place for starters.....

it will need to be exported / destroyed if the RAWS workshop gets AUDITED by DOTARS, AND is not able to produce your car (w/ stock parts) within 24 hours. That is a compliance violation and results in automatic blacklist for the VIN, which is why you have to leave your car at most compliance places for 1-2 weeks, while the work only takes a short while to do.

Wow, great price, but there's no way they could possibly be doing all the necessary work at that price. BUT, I'd say if they can guarantee you'll get it at that price, will tell you BEFOREHAND that you will/won't need tyres, and will let you pay AFTER the plate arrives (always a good idea to swap money for plate), then I'd say take it for $990. (On a side note....who's doing it for $990? Lowest I've heard is $1200 but your car will be guaranteed to need tyres and a bunch of other stuff that must be 'fixed' when you pick up the car)

yeah, fieds83 is right about the agent fees in Japan, 80,000 - 100,000 is usually the norm. BUT, since we're an importer...I'll list some reasons why it is SOMETIMES better to buy with an import agent here in Australia: 1. We've been in this business 10 years. Both Jon and I have worked in Japan (7 years between the two of us, Tokyo = me, Osaka, = Jon) in this and related businesses. We're not going anywhere, you know where to find us. (7 York st, Richmond, VIC, drop by anytime) 2. I personally have seen private customers get ripped off by Japanese agents who knew the customers were 'green'. If someone does send you a piece of junk, are you really going to fly to Japan and track this guy down? 3. Our fee for an import service is $1100. I guarantee you I can buy the exact same car cheaper than a private customer by at least $500, usually even $800 - $1000. There, you've almost saved your entire fee right there. Sure, dodgy dealers might try to tell you they bought the car at a more expensive price, so ask to see the invoice and bill of lading, or offer to pay for the car directly to Japan. (we offer all these options) 4. We have a buyer on the ground that we've worked with for 5 years. He starts up every car we buy, he's Japanese, and he knows his stuff. He doesn't want to piss us off, so he's not going to send us a clunker. 5. We do our own compliance. In other words, we guarantee your car will get complied. There's always a small risk (maybe 1%, but still exists) that your car will have some unforseen problem and can't be complied. So if you buy a $10,000 car, you're exposing yourself to $100 worth of risk just for that alone. I'm not defending the dodgy guys out there, please understand that. I'm just trying to defend dealers out there who do work hard and who do (in my opinion) provide a valuable service for people looking to import a car. There could be other reasons, but I haven't had my morning coffee yet so not working on all cylinders yet.

Hi, sorry, no more DIY compliance. We do R32's (June '92 onward) for $2500 inc GST. Located in Melbourne, VIC best, david

Most compliance places only make the swap if they get audited by DOTARS, which is about 1 in 20 cars.... usually, they will just leave the mods on. Probably better to contact the compliance workshop and if they say they can do it for you, go with someone trustworthy. If they do get audited, the workshop will be busted big time. AND, your car will be blacklisted and never able to be complied, it'll have to be destroyed or exported from Australia (within 30 days I believe). We comply all our own skylines, so give us a call if you're in Melbourne. cheers, david

Hey Chris, We comply them for $2000. Located in Richmond, VIC. Give us a call at 03 9415 7150 or check out our website for more info. cheers, david

Maybe 50% do that, but there are some reputable dealers/importers out there. I'd like to think we're one of them, but that's for our customers to decide really.... come on in and speak with us anytime....hopefully we can change your mind about import dealers. also, we're technically a compliance workshop and import wholesaler....so we're a bit different than most, but still, I see where you're coming from...I have stories for days about dodgy guys in this business. -david

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