The Ins And Outs Of Cars In Japan

[m3gtr]

is that the registered one or is it race and rally only?

[cereal]

There were around 5 22Bs originally imported to Aus in 1999, but there'd be 10-15 in the country now. Might be difficult to sell... but guaranteed to make money.

Listen to Beer Baron about the enthusiast thing, he knows what he's talking about, anyone in the market for an '01-'03 CL500 would be very wary of a personal import.

There are plenty of enthusiast cars which would be MUCH easier for you to sell and have the added bonus of potential buyers expecting it to be an import because the car was never available on the Aus market.

Think of cars like the Forester STi, Evo IX Wagon and Civic Type R. AFAIK none of them are on the SEVS list, but all of them have a decent following back home...

[Blitz]

An Evo wagon would be a nice piece of gear I reckon.

[m3gtr]

The evo wagon... I thought of that a little while ago...I can get them for around 3.5 at the moment and thats for the manual GT 6 speed.

Has anyone seen any driving around? I would have thought they would be as rare as a 22b but much more modern.

All i can say is i will have around that much to spend and i want maximum bang for buck.

I am still leaning toward a merc, not the CL, ive done some homework and they have been ladened with dramas concerning the ABC system, amongst other things. Owners continually talk about how bad they are, one even talked of how the ABC exploded and his car went up within 5 minutes. NOT the car i want.

The list is getting shorter though and i appreciate the input, keep it coming!

3.5 gets you a lot of car here...

[cereal]

i've seen a few evo wagons around my part of town... they don't look half bad

also, i just had a quick look on goo and every '01-'03 benz has integrated navi & digital climate control... not too many people will wanna buy a benz with a navi that doesn't work and all the in cabin controls are in japanese

also, for detailed costs, speak to one of the dealers who specialise in expats... i'm sure your japanese is quite good, but these guys trade cars for a living and help expats export them all the time

http://www.micklay.com

http://autodirect.jp/

[m3gtr]

i've seen a few evo wagons around my part of town... they don't look half bad

also, i just had a quick look on goo and every '01-'03 benz has integrated navi & digital climate control... not too many people will wanna buy a benz with a navi that doesn't work and all the in cabin controls are in japanese

also, for detailed costs, speak to one of the dealers who specialise in expats... i'm sure your japanese is quite good, but these guys trade cars for a living and help expats export them all the time

http://www.micklay.com

http://autodirect.jp/

thanks cereal, appreciate the links.

About the navi. There is a way to change the language via the Merc COMAND interface. I was reading about it on a merc owners website, so im not too concerned about that. There is even a way to hack into it. The language change is something you can do on any merc. As for the navi, I know the COMAND system can accept CD's of the maps from the country it is sold in.

[cereal]

An in-car Navi unit sold here in Japan just won't work in Australia. Believe me, I've spent a fair bit of time investigating it.

So you can change the COMAND language, but the navi function won't work in Australia and all the console buttons will still be in Japanese. I just don't think it's a great idea to import a Merc.

If you've got your heart set on a German car, Audi's navi system can easily be replaced with an aftermarket (or Aus OEM) unit. Benz & BMW are both pretty much impossible to swap.

[dswifty]

hi, i prob cant offer too much factual advice, but ive been to japan a couple of times and been amazed at the low prices of second hand euro cars. Its amazing. My dad and i were looking at importing a luxury car but ditched the idea. U can really grab a bargain. I love my mercs but have u considered a bmw. There so popular in aus and the jdm nav units can be easily replaced with factory ones or aftermarket ones if they cant be fixed. U shouldnt have trouble selling a bmw, or a merc for that matter if the bloody nav works. I suppose u can make a bit out of the right enthusiast car but u'd have to choose wisly, s402 is good. But then again it doesnt have black ash timber and adaptive air suspension like your e500 would

What do you do in japan anyway?

I am quite keen on moving there to work in the future

[m3gtr]

hi, i prob cant offer too much factual advice, but ive been to japan a couple of times and been amazed at the low prices of second hand euro cars. Its amazing. My dad and i were looking at importing a luxury car but ditched the idea. U can really grab a bargain. I love my mercs but have u considered a bmw. There so popular in aus and the jdm nav units can be easily replaced with factory ones or aftermarket ones if they cant be fixed. U shouldnt have trouble selling a bmw, or a merc for that matter if the bloody nav works. I suppose u can make a bit out of the right enthusiast car but u'd have to choose wisly, s402 is good. But then again it doesnt have black ash timber and adaptive air suspension like your e500 would

What do you do in japan anyway?

I am quite keen on moving there to work in the future

Now thats what i call perspective.

Im a uni lecturer by trade. In my 3rd year now. Married. life is pretty good but it has its moments...

Good jobs in teaching are hard to find at the moment, such is the glut of skilled workers due to NOVA collapsing. Id hold off if thats your only option...but it would still be worth a shot if your determined enough.

I have considered a BMW but which one? I saw a 2003 M3 manual for 3.2 million recently but it didnt have vehicle inspection ( shaken ) and that made me wonder what was wrong with it. Too cheap.

A CLK will do nicely. An E500 will also do the same job but it will invariably be a couple of years older. 04~ vs 02~ Not like it matters really.

I wonder which would be the better option with the Aus Domestic market in mind...

According to some on line sources, the COMAND unit in the merc can be changed providing the wiring is the same behind it. The disc for the maps can be bought from mercedes direct. I know it will cost upward from $2000 to change it over but i dont really mind that expense if it will facilitate an easier sale, which im sure it would.

At the end of the day, even taking into consideration the fact that it is a grey import and knock money off it, if the car is priced right, i cant see why it wouldnt sell, grey or not.

S204...you see. Theres the rub. I saw the S204 and the evo wagon and i thought..you know, they would do allright as well...but.

Its not a late model merc or BMW 5 series. Its a different ballgame. Id love to hammer an evo or an sti but it would be lacking many things the merc has. Look the other way and the merc wont have the raw speed and thrill i know the subie and evo will have. plus, the merc is more common. Much more common.

I Dunno. 6 of one and half a dozen of the other i reckon. Im still leanng toward the luxury over the performance, though.

Thanks for the reply, dswifty!

By the way, what euros did you see here exactly?

Edited March 13, 2008 by m3gtr

[DaiOni]

The Merc is not a good idea. Here's why - with the sporty JDMs, there's a willing and relatively unfussy market of buyers.

With the euros, you're mostly in a market which is more discerning - and the idea of an import (from Japan) isn't so appealing.

The key to private import $$$ is quick turnover, while the resale is good - you don't want to be stuck with an expensive door stop that takes for ever to sell (and loses $$$ every month it doesn't). This becomes even more of an issue if you're in Japan and the car is in Australia (and the onus is on someone else to shift it for you - or it has to wait until you're home again).

There are no 'rules' to the game - you may well get lucky and offload it quickly at a profitable price - but I guess it is a question of risk management.

[m3gtr]

Dai oni, i havent seen you around the forums for ages.

Thanks for the input, much appreciated. Ive been seriously considering a JDM mitsu or subie as youve read above..the evo wagon or the S204, both of which were not released locally. Im positive both these cars will attract plenty of interest, but some of the negative variety...

The merc is a risk. i know that. Im trying to balance the risk vs reward in my head. I reckon if the car is priced correctly, given the fact that it is a grey import, undercutting by a large margin the cose of a ADM merc and i should still come out in front, right?

Your spot on when you mentioned risk... its not a significant one but its still there...

[Sarumatix]

boggles me why you'd aim for a car which is sold here through the only import system where you can actually get the really rare stuff. Heed Beer's advice on this one .

Edited March 18, 2008 by Sarumatix

[m3gtr]

Well, In Japan and putting "rare" aside, when you can buy a 2004 M3 coupe with under 20,000 kilometres on it for $45,000 AUD , and the cars market value is over $100,000 AUD in Australia , the strongest possibility is there that you will make a hefty profit even if you cut it down because its a grey import.

Do the math and you come out a clear winner. Its a risk but a calculated one.

You mean to tell me, if i had an M3 like the one i described above, it all checked out, was a grey import, in pristine condition, and it was tagged at $80,000 ( which is a full $20,000 under market value ) you wouldnt be interested if you were in the market for one? As if.

[Sarumatix]

yeah people are very wary of grey imports here atm especially in the prestige market.

[cereal]

That $45k M3 will cost you over $50k on the road here, then you have to pay insurance and parking for 12 months, shipping back to Australia, import duty, GST, stamp duty, registration AND factor in depreciation for the time you own the car (A five year old M3 certainly won't be going for $100k AUD in 12 months time).

Quite a few people have warned you about this already but you don't seem to be listening. Give it a go and let us know how it works out.

[m3gtr]

That $45k M3 will cost you over $50k on the road here, then you have to pay insurance and parking for 12 months, shipping back to Australia, import duty, GST, stamp duty, registration AND factor in depreciation for the time you own the car (A five year old M3 certainly won't be going for $100k AUD in 12 months time).

Quite a few people have warned you about this already but you don't seem to be listening. Give it a go and let us know how it works out.

No, no! Ive heard you loud and clear. Yep, i got what Richard was saying. Im just going to enjoy it and then send it back, regardless. At the end of the day, even if i only break even, ive won the game.

I would have thought an M3 with super low kays would be an exception, no?

Yes, i had thought about the depreciation but it wont be savage. Im estimating around 10% at most. So...

Car On road in Tokyo: $45,000

Parking: Free, my wifes parents are letting us keep the car at their place.

Insurance: $2500 per year - if that.

Shipping and insurance: $3500

Import Duty/GST/stamp duty: $3000

Registration: $500

Depreciation: $10000

All up: around $65000 on the road in Oz. It should be worth at least that amount next year, surely?

I could be way out of line with these numbers, then again, they could be pretty close. Im sure you guys could correct me if i am...Please feel free to tell me.

[akeenan]

all im seeing at the moment is a lot of talk . . .

[Beer Baron]

import duty and GST will be $10,000 or so on your 4.5M car.

you will need evidence of where it was parked so if it's at the GFs parents then make sure your alien registration card has you living at that address too. make sure the registration is in your name too.

Registration will be more like $1000 too in aus, and also you will need an engineer to sign off on the personal import plate, budget around $500 for that.

shipping will be less that you budgeted and I wouldn't bother with shipping insurance personally.

you haven't allowed for customs agent though, or any of the clearance costs. customs inspection, AQIS inspection, cleaning, re-inspection, tow from the wharf etc. all small costs on their own but add 8 of them together and that is another $1000.

[m3gtr]

all im seeing at the moment is a lot of talk . . .

Ha! Not like i really care Akeenan, but would you like me to drive down to where you are and take you for a spin?

Ive got someone checking an M3 as i write this.

[m3gtr]

import duty and GST will be $10,000 or so on your 4.5M car.

you will need evidence of where it was parked so if it's at the GFs parents then make sure your alien registration card has you living at that address too. make sure the registration is in your name too.

Registration will be more like $1000 too in aus, and also you will need an engineer to sign off on the personal import plate, budget around $500 for that.

shipping will be less that you budgeted and I wouldn't bother with shipping insurance personally.

you haven't allowed for customs agent though, or any of the clearance costs. customs inspection, AQIS inspection, cleaning, re-inspection, tow from the wharf etc. all small costs on their own but add 8 of them together and that is another $1000.

Beauty, thanks Richo.

That helps a lot.

*reaches for calculator*