Looking to buy an R34 GTT? Read this...

[BATMBL]

This thread may be coming at a time when my R34 is for sale, but it is also here to clear up some issues, to think that you can get a grade 4 or above R34 with low km for under 32-34K if you import it yourself in TODAYS Japanese auctions.

In the last month or so, R34 prices at auctions in Japan have been at a steady incline! dont believe me? check out the pic of an auction page i just 'print screened' and added a few pointers for those that dont know what the page is all about. see what the prices are like and judge for yourself.

these auctions are the biggest in Japan (USS Auctions), and likely 90%+ of the imports are bought through here.

There are a few reasons why the prices have gone up so high. One reason is due to a high demand around the world for these cars (England is a big % of it). Another reason is compliance is now available under the new scheme for R34s, so people are buying them up. You werent able to import R34s before this for close to a year! ..so it is understandable..

What is incredible though, is the fact that in the last 6 months, there has been a CONSTANT rise in R34 prices. It has now come to, when buying an R34, then complying it and registering it, it will cost you about the same price for what the market is here - $37-39K. NO WAY, you say? Im sure i'll be saving thousands $$!?

Well, then, why isnt there any R34s available to buy at the popular prestigemotorsport brokers, or Jspec etc??

Heres the calculations, and judge for yourself.

Looking at the most recent auction prices (todays!), if you are to buy an R34 GTT, black, with genuine 48K, you would have paid 1,765,000 yen. Add the 'FOB' to it, an extra 80,000 yen (everyone will pay this, regardless of who you are, it may be 10,000 less or 10,000 more and you are now at 1,845,000yen ($23,653) for the car to be brought to the boat.

we are LUCKY the exchange rate is at about 78yen/$AU at the moment, unlike last years 69/$au or so.

Now if you take 25% (gst + duty) of car cost, you get to $5913. so the car is owing you $29566 so far. now its the shipping charges and customs charges and import approval, all up, around $1600 (usually slightly more!).

now we are at roughly $31166. the compliance for R34 is $5500 + tyres (around $800). this brings the car to $37366 and its not even registered.

if you are going through a broker, then add another $1100 or so.

THEN another $1000 or just under if registering it in NSW, and there you go, over $39K to bring in your own R34 import under the prices the R34's are going for in Japan now.

The prices will eventually lower themselves, but if you have been in the import business for a while, you'll know that it will be AT LEAST 6-12months before the prices drop SLIGHTLY..as there is a world demand for them now.

My point? Gone are the days when a dealer can make $7-10K on an R34 GTT. Many dealers have moved away from imports because its not worth all that hassle of bringing an import in and making $2-3K on it. They can do that easily with the local market, and not go through all the hassle of bringing the car in and having their funds tied up for about 2 months(if it all goes smoothly)..

Also, imagine if there were something wrong on the car that you had to fix before registering it??? mpre $$$

Also, if you are privately importing the car in NSW, a compulsory inspection by the RTA needs to be done. If you have any aftermakret parts on the car, consider paying more to source standard parts or pay extra for compliance if they have them already and charge you for labour..

If you are after a well looked after grade 4 or above with low kms R34 and want to have it for only $31-34K by bringing it in yourself? dont waste your time, those days are now gone, at least for a while...

-Michael

[Abo Bob]

Sorry to all you guys but

[SS8_Gohan]

http://www.j-spec.com.au/list/index.php?ID=0267

gotta agree with what Michael is saying, for R34's at least, there is NO benefit of importing at the moment, unless you can pick up an absolute bargain. Best place to look for R34's at the moment is right here in oz.

i missed out A LOT of bids when i started looking, i think i caught the beginning of the incline. I bought the above and below car in late May, and started looking right at the beginning of April. But this was a great price even back then.

i seemed to have missed the "pay for compliance" boat as well :rofl:

cheers.

[Guest]

I decided this week not to proceed bringing in a R34 as a test car to add to the schedule for the one reason being how expencive they are, a average of 1.5 for a coupe is what they paid 2 years ago.

http://www.autowholesale.com.au/ have a 2001 black manual for $39,990 and you would be lucky to land a grade 4.5 for that, it was a test car that is straight as.

[BATMBL]

cheers guys,

it is unfortunate that they have gone up so high in price...that can be a bit of a problem here n AUS, since people would be expecting to pay less for an R34 these days since say almost 2 yrs ago, but in fact its costing A LOT more to bring one in these days, and the car market for R34s at the moment cant afford to have them sell for any cheaper than what they've been going for since 2002-3!

i guess its good news for people that have had their R34 for a while, knowing that their car hasn't depreciated in value hardly at all in the aussie market!

DRIFTT,

that car would be an absolute bargain. it would cost a couple of thousand $$ more to bring it in if you were to buy it in Japan right now with those specs!

[gtrken]

Which is why we bought an already in the country, modded R34GTR with reciepts plus the *touchy, feely * from being already here.

The client is happy as he gets a modded car for less money than a std imported one plus he gets it now, not in 4 mths.

Cheers

Ken

[SliM]

All the above might be true, i have noticed that prices are going down for R34's. THey r depreciating, alot of R34's that i been looking at over the past 6 months have gone down in price due to no one wanting to buy them, some by as much as $5000. i agree with the point that it is cheaper to buy here, no demand for them really and people want to sell, it is a buyers market here in Oz rather tha na seliing one if u get my drift. i think it is a good time to start buying one if ur thinking of it but still it is always up to the person becoz it is their money.

[BATMBL]

you're pretty much right there SliM

[funkymonkey]

Hmm I'm inclined to disagree with you Micheal on this one, R34 prices are not greatly affected by international buyers as in the case 15 year old imports where the cars are otherwise somewhat undesireable in the Japanese market, and in minimal supply. These have seen WILD changes in price lately due to international demand (read: Australia and Canada). R34's on the other hand are still cars purchased regularly by Japanese owners and there are still heaps around.... the vast majority still haven't been crashed, exported or turned over to wrecking yards. As such the small percentage which are purchased for international owners are just a drop in the ocean.... with only 4 RAWS workshops able to do SEVS R34's in Australia that's a theoretical maximum of 400 R34's entering Australia each year out of a pool of thousands? Hardly going to make a dent.

See the pic attached of R34's sold in the last 2 weeks or so, just a sample, but pretty typical. Average there is around 1,250,000 yen car cost, which would be around $30,000 or so landed and complied.

[BATMBL]

funkymunkey,

I dont want this to become a war of the print screens, but i find it hard to believe those cars went through in the last 2 weeks of auctions.

heres a print screen of the last 2 auctions held in Nagoya (since many of the cars in the list you provided are from there, and it tends to differ, quite a bit from what i can see..)

it is true that we are only importing about 400 or so R34s a year, but it is quite undeniable that they have risen in price quite dramatically. you seldom see the more popular brokerage companies displaying grade 4 cars with low km for the same prices they used to say a 1-3 months ago.

i would really like to know where you are finding your cars/what service you are using in this case that your print screen is in fact auctions in the last 2 weeks, as everyone else is seems to find it impossible to buy a grade 4 manual r34 with <60km for around 1,250,000 yen car cost!

[666DAN]

Great I don't feel as bad paying what I did for my car 30 months ago Especially seeing it was N/A back then. It was also a 4.5 which didn't help matters

[SS8_Gohan]

yes, there are 4 RAWS with R34 approval, BUT they might have other cars approved as well. Prob safe to say of the 400 plates, maybe 300 will be R34's?

[homer2288]

Even some 15yr+ models have risen in price due to high demand...

[siksII]

r32gtrs have doubled in price..used to be ~400000 and now are generally more than 800000 for a comparable one! crazy.. might as well get a nice series2 r33

[redline2003]

Depressing the way our economy works when it comes to cars doesnt it.... looks like ill have to get a s15 after all....

[meggala]

you should try buying 89 180sx's they have skyrocketed inprice

[Guest]

Every thing has gone up in price if it can come into Australia or if you are lucky stayed the same.

A Manual, Black, 1993 R32 GTS-t with 50,000 on the clock that I tryied to buy sold for 820,000 FOB so if that dosent show a price jump how about the 89 Celsior that sold for 1,250,000 the other day at Nagoya.

[funkymonkey]

only if you buy from the auctions and yahoo. we're finding a lot of used car dealers and trading post newspapers in japan still have cars at very decent prices. but its a lot more effort to try and get the cars tho than at auction.

[Guest]

only if you buy from the auctions and yahoo. we're finding a lot of used car dealers and trading post newspapers in japan still have cars at very decent prices. but its a lot more effort to try and get the cars tho than at auction.

I noticed some retail dealers prices including some of the cars that Craig at J-spec has been finding and they have been quite well priced.

[mr34]

was just wondering if the recent increase in prices for the r34 gtt has also happened with the r34 gt non turbo?