d.i.y. imports

[big d]

what happend to the lad who was intending to import his own surf, i can't remember who it was but he did say, he would keep us posted, i am very interested in the details, of doing this as my son, ( that is the son who is surfless at the moment ) has expressed a desire to do this but is extremely wary of being stitched up by any potential rip off merchants that may exist on either side of the water,

[Silver Surfer]

I've done it, as have several other forum members, some of whom do it for a part time living. All I think needs to be said is DON'T BUY DIRECT FROM THE AUCTIONS YOURSELF!!, do a bit of research, find a good agent in Japan, and go for it. They'll charge you about 80,000 Yen for the work, but it's not wasted money. I assume you know the dos and don'ts regarding SVAs and 2.4s v 3 litres etc?
Who did I use? You'll need to ask the person who told me on the QT, as it's one of his own contacts.

John

[bensonsnuts]

what happend to the lad who was intending to import his own surf, i can't remember who it was but he did say, he would keep us posted, i am very interested in the details, of doing this as my son, ( that is the son who is surfless at the moment ) has expressed a desire to do this but is extremely wary of being stitched up by any potential rip off merchants that may exist on either side of the water,

I was talking to a garage owner on Thursday , he told me the place next door had just bought several imports inc. a 93 surf for £3100 which he said was immaculate .Sounds a bargain - right ?
First they,re going to sva it etc & then presumably flog it for a large profit
Around here I reckon that car will sell for £5500 - £6500 which I reckon will leave them with a minimum profit of £2000
Thats all a potential saving for you , but if you shop around for a private sale you could find a similar bargain , perhaps not as great a saving but they may have done a lot of work for you i.e. undersealing,new head etc.
St.Helens is in Lancashire - right ? Try Hilux Bob ,he,s always got a few bargains & is full of good advice.

[cheezygrinon]

what happend to the lad who was intending to import his own surf, i can't remember who it was but he did say, he would keep us posted, i am very interested in the details, of doing this as my son, ( that is the son who is surfless at the moment ) has expressed a desire to do this but is extremely wary of being stitched up by any potential rip off merchants that may exist on either side of the water,

Hi Big D,

It was me, but I was offered one by Barry who is a member here but was emigrating to Malaysia and had to sell his quickly. (He's in Malaysia now) he had only had it two months and was intending to take it with him but at the last minute discovered that Malaysian customs/government want a £20,000 bond to ensure that you do not sell any imported vehicle and deprive them of their extortionate duty. After 12 months they return your bond less the import duty that they determine by THEIR valuation of the vehicle, not the actual value, and even then they can decide not to let you keep it in the country. Therefore I was able to purchase it at a great price having just been serviced with new cam belt, rad flush and two week old tow bar. I ended up paying the same money as I would have if I imported my own but had the advantage of seeing and driving it beforehand.
However, I can see myself wanting a 3ltr in the future so I will probably go the import route when I do and save myself about two grand. it is a risk though, they might look great in the pictures but you never know what problems it may have and the saving might have to cover all sorts of nasties.

Good luck 'D' hope it goes well if you choose to do it, let us all know.

Steve

[Silver Surfer]

I was talking to a garage owner on Thursday , he told me the place next door had just bought several imports inc. a 93 surf for £3100 which he said was immaculate .Sounds a bargain - right ?
First they,re going to sva it etc & then presumably flog it for a large profit
Around here I reckon that car will sell for £5500 - £6500 which I reckon will leave them with a minimum profit of £2000
Thats all a potential saving for you , but if you shop around for a private sale you could find a similar bargain , perhaps not as great a saving but they may have done a lot of work for you i.e. undersealing,new head etc.
St.Helens is in Lancashire - right ? Try Hilux Bob ,he,s always got a few bargains & is full of good advice.

A 93 Surf does not need an SVA inspection, nor does any vehicle over 10 years old. It needs a rear fog light the speedo changed to read miles per hour, and an MOT. That is as far as I know how the law on imports from non EEC countries stands. I've probably got some bits wrong, but I'm sure some of the others will set me right.
John

[andy]

A 93 Surf does not need an SVA inspection, nor does any vehicle over 10 years old. It needs a rear fog light the speedo changed to read miles per hour, and an MOT. That is as far as I know how the law on imports from non EEC countries stands. I've probably got some bits wrong, but I'm sure some of the others will set me right.
John

John

Your correct in what you say , also if they imported a 93 Surf for £3100 in immaculate condition , and taking away the freight - import duty - VAT - customs clearance - and port charges , they would have paid less than £1500 for the vehicle , "I DONT THINK SO"

[Sewerat]

Only £ 3100, boy oh boy what a bargain, i'll take 10 yes 10 off, must be 3.0 litre Kzn 130


Roll up Roll up Roll up

FOR SALE
1993 Toyota HILUX SURF
only 30,000 Kms/miles, various colours,

FRONT BULL BAR W/FOG LAMPS.
SUNROOF.
EXCELLENT CONDITION, VERY LOW MILES.
JAPANESE IMPORT - 1 OWNER VEHICLE
Automatic (switchable power / economy), 4 wheel drive, , airconditioning, electric windows, central locking, electric mirrors, electrically switchable suspension, Alloy wheels, Electric Sunroof, detachable roof mounted ski rack, full set of Hilux overmats and a full set of Toyota rubber mats, CD player / Radiocasette, Chrome bullbars, This vehicle will be sold with 6 months tax and a new 12 month MOT. The vehicle has no faults drives exceptionally well and is very economical and in excellent condition.

Going for only £ 4100-00 cash

"come on guys give us some credit, i've lost track of the number of times - i know a guy who knows a guy, who knows a guy who can !!!!!!!!!!.
Bottom line is bull**** !!

If you want to import a Surf, just do it, don't talk about it do it, good luck to you because if you can buy a 93 3.0 litre for £ 1500 in Japan ( as Andy says) your in the wrong job, so start a new career.

Sewerat

Hi guys been away working so not been on the forum, back now, Subs Subs what do you mean Subs. eh Gods

[wibblywobbly]

How to Import Yourself

This is the whole story, from beginning to end, of how to import a car from Japan and put it on the road yourself, here in the UK. If I have the time I will make a permanent home for this info on my own site at www.HitEnter.Co.Uk .

Ebay is a good place to start, mainly because you can contact previous customers and sound out the sellers.

Failing that, there are plenty of Japanese based exporters on the web. I will try and place a few links on the above site. I however wary of giving the impression that I am promoting a dealer or dealers as I most certainly am not.

• One feature of Ebay is the feedback section. It allows buyers and sellers to log a brief record of their experiences with a contact. I took the precaution of contacting a previous customer of an agent and asking for advice. The guy said that they were sound, so I believed him.
• They simply buy their stock on the Japanese Car Auctions and then re-advertise on Ebay. They have a UK representative. He responds to emails quite promptly, and will release his mobile phone number to customers.
• If you bid on Ebay then you pay the bid price plus the shipping fees, import duties and agents fees (£1500+?).
• The bid price is 'freight on board'. In other words that gets the vehicle onto the ship.
• If the bidding isn't going too well then a seller will withdraw the vehicle from an auction. Likewise if they recieve a good offer before the end of the auction then they will also end it (this is common practice on Ebay for all sellers).
• You pay the seller the bid price before they put it on the ship.
• You pay the UK Shipping Agents the additional costs when the vehicle arrives.
• My shipping took 6 Oct -14 Nov.
• The seller hands over all administration to the UK shipping agent after it has left Japan, and it is the UK agent that makes contact when the vehicle arrives. Their preferred port is Southampton, but other ports are available, possibly at additional cost.
• When the car arrives the shipping agents handle the release paperwork for customs.
• The sellers will send several bits of paper to you by recorded delivery around 10 days before the ship arrives:

A de-registration form in Japanese together with an English version.
Invoice and packing list.
A V55 that will enable you to register the car.
A list of what is enclosed in the envelope.
Instructions on what to do with them.
Contacts at the shipping agents.

• You will have to fax the agents a copy of your drivers licence and a utility bill.
• Ask the shipping agent for the chassis number, you will need this to get the cover note for the insurance. They can provide this well in advance of the delivery date, while the ship is on its way.
• The paperwork takes a couple of days, the agents I have dealt with are incredibly helpful and friendly, and the car can be picked up as soon as they have their payment in their hands.
• The Customs and Excise release the 386 form around a week after the car arrives.
• You can drive the vehicle home on the road as long as it is insured. The chassis number is written on the windows, this is a legal id number to get you home. You still need to be insured though. The docks staff have portable batteries in case you need a jump start. Mine started first turn of the key, the batteries were fine. I then drove it 100 miles home.
• The next task is conversion to UK spec. In reality this simply means that you will have to fit a rear fog light. The speedo is still in kilometers per hour. You would be wise to check the lighting systems and that they conform to UK specs. ( Again, I will try and add links to MOT sites from the above link - Lordy this is mounting up!). Although not strictly legal I drove mine to a nearby MOT station even though it didn't have plates.
• If the MOT station are unfamiliar with the process, they need to write the chassis number in place of the Registration Number on the certificate. The DVLA will cross this out and write in the Registration Number, then stamp the certificate.
• Then take all of the documents (plus your cover note), to your local vehicle registration office. They will need your insurance cover note, the V55 form duly completed, the MOT certificate and the Japanese and English versions of the de-registration forms, a cheque for the road tax and registration (6 months tax etc cost me £115). You should get the approved paperwork within 3 working days.
• Now you have a registration number, and you can go and get the plates made up.
• All done.

The Risks:

• If the vehicle is less than 10 years old it requires an SVA test. These are intensive and quite expensive (there are ways around this - search on the net for them).
• You are buying a vehicle costing several thousand pounds on the basis of photographs.
• Anyone can make a car look good in a photo.
• A photo will not reveal worn shocks, a leaking head or a blown radiator.
• You should budget to spend at least another grand on the vehicle when it gets here, (service, cam belts, tyres, valeting, exhaust, shocks etc etc etc) if it is perfect then you have a thousand to spend on diesel!
• There is no guarantee with a personal import, and especially not with anything bought via an auction.
• If you buy via a UK dealer you will get a warranty on it, but you will also pay a premium for the vehicle. You pays your money and you takes your choice. You may also save yourself a lot of hassle, but only buy from recommended dealers.

Take my advice and do not get carried away on Ebay. Know what you are buying and don't be afraid to ask lots of questions and retain the answers. If you successfully bid on the basis of information that you have been given, and the information is misleading then you can legally walk away. If you don't ask questions and bid on an old nail, then tough, you have to pay for it, and yes, people have been sued plus costs for trying to walk away.

The descriptions are usually very, very good, and people go to great lengths to accurately describe a vehicle. Be very wary of a gift horse that no one has bid on. It often means that the old hands have spotted something amiss and aren't touching it with a barge pole.

This site is a goldmine of information and all credit goes to the knowledgeable folk who have taken the time to set this forum up, and to the contributors. Read every message on here, it is well worth the time and could save you a fortune. Take the same view as you would when betting on a dead cert favourite in the 2:30 at Doncaster, you could well come out smiling, but it could all end in tears!

If you want to know how some Surfs get treated in Japan visit http://www.HitEnter.Co.Uk and visit the Driving section. Try Surfing in Japan! Then sit and wonder how many of these end up being jet washed and sold at auction? In a state of paranoia I went through all the pics looking for mine!!

These comments do not apply specifically one particular Japanese dealer. They are general comments relating to all vehicles sold at auction in Japan and imported to the UK. If you are feeling adventurous you can even bid on a vehicle directly on the Japanese auctions via the net, and arrange your own shipping..now there is a scary thought. I have been to look at the auction prices and can assure anyone that it is well nigh impossible to get an auction grade '3+' Surf 2.4td auto for less than £1800. Add £1500 import costs and that is a £3300 absolute rock bottom minimum in the UK. Anyone selling one for less is either losing money on the deal or off loading it?

I hope that you enjoyed the read!

Rob G

[big d]

thanks for the feedback people, absolutely brilliant comments and advice, it is much appreciated, and i must echo the remark made by wibbleywobbley, what a brilliant site this is! such a simple idea for a group of like minded individuals to throw all their comments into the pot and get really sound advice back, in the long term this must save each and every one of us a lot of money and a great deal of hassle, thanks again

[Sewerat]

Good post Robg, lots of good info for potential buyers, just a couple of points though

1- You cannot do a personal import, does not apply if you live in the UK ( don't know about Ireland ) you must be resident aboard for at least 1 year ( from memory ) before you can do a personal import.

2- It is only "legal" to carryout a single journey from port of entry to a Test Centre ?? If you drive home & say stop overnight or carryout MOT mods ( speedo KMS /Miles + rear fog light ) you cannot then drive to a Test Centre, this would invalidate your insurance etc. Sure you can do it, but what happens if local Police stop you ??? Your docs show when the Surf left the dock, & mileage etc ??? Believe me they will stop you as i know.

But why buy thru Advan or what ever, all you have shown us above is you doing your own import, why give Advan the "profit", as i've said earlier do it yourselve, just like Silver Surfer with a little help from friends.

Sewerat

[Aelf]

Autoadvan

Hi guys,

I was very interested in what Rob G had to say as I have just recently purchased a Hilux from Autoadvan and in the process of bringing it over from Japan. One thing I will say is that 4-5 week delivery is probably only true if your port is Southampton. My ship bound for Tilbury was cancelled :o( and am now waiting for another sailing schedule.

I shall keep you all posted on developments if interested.

Aelf

[wibblywobbly]

Sewerat

Well if I knew a rat that had done me wrong, then yes, I guess would sue it. Thanks for the advice.

Ok, like I said twice, and I hope that peeps were paying attention, Auto Advan are simply one of hundreds of Japanese agents. I used them purely because they appeared to have exactly what I was looking for, it was in stock, and ready to go on a ship. I could have, and would have, used any company that had the same vehicle and that was prepared to haggle. These guys wanted to do business, so did I, done deal. I got a surf in the colour that I wanted, 5 really nice alloys plus the originals, side steps, tow bar, roof rack, bull bars, spots, fogs, big bore exhaust, vented bonnet, chrome this and that, uprated this and that, reasonable mileage and a reputable previous owner. What I paid was pretty much of a bargain.

As far as peace of mind goes, the person that I spoke to for references was extremely enthusiastic about them so that said a lot in my book. He hadn't bought a surf either.

There are always going to be those people who don't like paperwork and who want to see what they are buying before parting with their cash. That is a perfectly reasonable way to do business and no one could ever criticise them for doing so. They will always make wise purchases and sleep at nights!

Me, I might go and buy a few more the same way and see what happens!!

Cheers

Rob G

[Aelf]

Importing

Hi guys,

I also posted earlier that I was buying a Hilux through Autoadvan via Ebay. The only problem so far is that the ship it was booked on was cancelled so *Tony* from Auto had it shipped to Bristol and it's scheduled to be delivered to my door for £50.00. I thought it would be a good idea as I can get the Immobilisor fitted (insurance pre-requisite) before it goes to the M.O.T. Also I would like to say that Shipping company Barratts were very helpful and seem well geared up for the Import market. They even offered to supply the km/mls speedo dial pack for a small price if I couldn't source one elsewhere.

The Surf I bought through Ebay was on the Autoadvan site for £2350 and I managed to pick it up for £1650 and therefore reduced my import costs. Total saving on Ebay of around £900 compared to buying it direct from Auto at the advertised price.

It all sounds really good and I can't wait til next week when it gets delivered but the bottom line is when I get it to the garage for the M.O.T!!!!

Again I'll keep you posted.

Great site guys!!!! :o)

[wibblywobbly]

Lucky s*d

Sounds like you got a good deal there. Autoadvan pulled the plug on the original auction for mine when it didn't reach the reserve, and it was only when I contacted them privately during the second attempt that I managed to get it. They wouldn't drop much either (but then again it is a rather special spec).

I agree with you about BSL (Barratt Shipping), they are spot on, and Lucy was amazing. She was ringing all the time to sort things out and answered all of my dumb questions without complaint.

£50 to Bristol is pretty good too, that's where I live and I had a round trip to Southampton to pick mine up.

The MOT shouldn't be a problem. Just fit a rear fog light, check that the spots only come on with the headlights on (just disconnect them if otherwise), and that's it. The speedo isn't a problem, and if anyone asks tell them that you think it's got a gearbox converter fitted (they don't check the speedo as part of the MOT cos they don't drive it anywhere).

If the MOT centre queries the lack of plates tell them to write the chassis number at the top of the form, the DVLA at Abbeywood then delete it and write in the reg number that they will give you. Be warned that they make you wait 3 days, and take ALL of the documents with you!

If you are insuring through Lifesure then ask them to check the requirement for an alarm immobiliser. They told me that I needed one, and then rang the next day to say that they had made a mistake. Their mistake could have cost me £300!!

Have fun....I love mine!

Rob G

[Fieldsy]

well, here goes my two penneth!!!. Like I said in a previous post, I'm up for a gamble, and if it goes tits up, then its down to me.

I am buying direct from Jap auction, and at the moment I can't fault the information I'm being supplied by the company I'm dealing with.


Firstly, I know we all like to think the service history is correct when we buy from a dealer, but lets be honest I can go and get a service book stamped 6 times on the same day with different mileages and hey presto, I've got service history. Surely, this is the case in Japan aswell. We all look for service stickers, but what do they mean, surely its the same scenario, man in japan with set of stickers, how many you want, what mileages you want on them,stick 'em in the glove box, you have service history.

I had been looking over here for a new surf, and EVERY dealer told me " Oh we don't buy from English Port auctions, we buy direct from Japan, we only buy the best"

So are they buying from the auctions??? (probably) or do they have some Japanese surf fairy who only supplies them with top of the range vehicles??

So who the hell does buy from port auctions, and if buying direct from Japan is bad, why does every dealer tell you that they do it.

If I'm buying from Japan, how do I know I'm not bidding on exactly the same vehicle that Mr dealer is bidding on down the road, and then telling me " We only buy direct from Japan, top quality, everything is verified", but theres's another two grand on top for good measure.

The difference is, he's likely to want to pay a lot less for it than me for he's profit.

This isn't a rant at anyone, honest, its just my points of view, cos at the end of the day, I'll do what I feel is right, and take a chance.

I'd just like to know what your opinions are?, or am I totally wrong with my thoughts?

I appreciate all the information I've been given and hope to receive on this forum including advice on importing, but this is something I intend to do just to see the result and its pros and cons.

Whatever way you do it, car buying is a gamble, no matter what the vehicle, whether from dealer, agent, private or direct.........some have had good deals from auto advan, but I've also read the negative feedback from some buyers, so is this anymore a gamble than buying direct??....to me it is

At this moment I'm just waiting to see if my bid is successfull


I'll now fall off my soap box


cheers

Fieldsy