Importing

[joen.i]

ok then lads who's gona spill the info on how to do it and post up the ryt contacts for poeple that want to import their own ?????

[chunkymonkey]

I looked at importing a surf - but when I added up all the costs I decided it would be better to buy one that had already been imported and hence minimise the risks. Which I did...and am well pleased!

XL sheet of my costings attached - bear in mind these are my estimates so don't shoot me down if you disagree!

[laser_jock@work]

To further confuse the issue I did something 'in-between'! I bought mine literaly on the dockside at Southampton from a compound with about 120 Surfs lined up (amongst other Greys) and then sorted out the registering and SVA etc. separately.

FIVE WAYS TO BUY A SURF

1) UK private sale (e.g. E-bay, Autotrader, local paper, this forum etc.). Surf could be pre UK owned or a new import, already in UK, SVA'd, Registered , Taxed, MOT'd and ready to drive away. Expect no warranty- sold as seen, no come- back on private sales. You could haggle and pick up a bargain though. You can fully inspect the vehicle and do a test drive etc. Insist on seeing all the documents etc. (No V5 then walk away).

2) UK trade sale (Autotrader, E-bay etc.). Vehicle is generally a new import (normaly) already in UK, SVA'd, Registered , Taxed, MOT'd, Warrantied(?) serviced(?) HPI checked(?), BIMPTA checked (?) and ready to drive away. You are entitled to some protection in law if there is a problem with a trade vehicle. Generally dealers sell the better auction grade vehicles.

3) Dockside Car Auction (Liverpool, Bristol, Southampton & Dublin). A number of auction houses offer 'Grey' Surfs fresh off the boat. All the usual pot luck risks of buying a car at auction but potential of getting a bargain. Registration, SVA, Tax & MOT usually have to be sorted by buyer- though I note some auctions now offer this service (for a fee of course!).
Pro's- vehicle already in UK, bargain potential.
Con's- possible lemon, usually all the lower grade auction cars that no-one else (dealers) wants. If you don't mind the odd dented panel or cigarette burned seat- could be the place to go?


4) Via import agent- usualy has vehicle in Japan or will source one to your requirements at auction. The risk is you do not get to inspect the car before parting with cash (though you will probably see a lot of photos). The Japanse auction grading system is usually fairly reliable but is mainly judged on cosmetic condition of the vehicle- mechanicaly you could still end up with a lemon. The import agent will arange shipping to UK and might offer full services up to SVA, registering, Tax & MOT allthough some import agencies leave this side to the buyer. Check the deal small print before buying since it all adds cost - but has to be payed for (at some stage or other) by the buyer.
Pro's- no UK dealer fees, might save £1-2K
Cons- can't see vehicle therefore some risks, 8-10 week wait for car!

5) Self import- have an agency source the car at Japense auction then sort the rest out yourself.
Pro's- might save £2K in costs
Con's- the usual long wait, could be an organisational nightmare depending how much you like this sort of thing.

Hope this sums things up- though I've probably missed something out.

Nevillef

[JackRabbit]

Blimey, theres a bit of of a tiff over this one! As one of the posts that started this.....sorry! I fully understand what Fieldsy et-al are saying, when I posted at the time, I merely thought of it as importing as opposed to buying from the forecourt...appologies to all who go through the process start to finish alone, you have my respect!
Just for the record, mine arrived about 6weeks ago, and i love it! Good luck to anyone who joins the happy band whichever way they choose!

Nige

[joen.i]

well here's wot i came up with

1.join an auction (get membership to an auction) u can't go to auction urself no matter wot ppl say as u have to have a jp agent or to get first priorty u have to be a triangle member u might have to pay a small fee anything from 25-500 they all have agents in jp even importers themselves

2 u will have to pay auction fees if ur the winning bidder anything from 50,000jpyen-150,000jpyen as this will cover tranporter to the port of departure and de-registration fee before shipping

3. u will have a shipping fee to pay dependin on the vehicle size £400+ o get cif all the time no matter wot it's extra 5000jpyen it's worthit if the boat sinks

4.u will then have to get an agent(fee) to get clearance for the vehicle u get the bill of laden sent from japan with english translation an arrival date and pay ur import duty fee 10% then vat .then take ur id or wat ever proof of urs an keys go lift it at the port on arrival date i would personaly give it a day for clearance

5. well if needed S.V.A not a big job realy for all they do just make sure u get the vehicle look'n standard as possible ie no bull bars or spare well on the rear door or s/s exhausts unless standard replacment o forgot the fog light mph coverter the cost varies as it was 600GBP in dublin as it was 100quid for vehicle report

here is a auction site they give u fees for them to arrange transport and shipping they have a freight calculator would defo recommend

http://www.auto.co.jp/

[joen.i]

well to those who r using the jp exporters fair play to u as this still cuts costs they just charge 500quid per unit some offer to sort out ur import duties an vat some don't before u decided wot ur willin to spend do ur calculations first ie
ur bid price find out buy visiting others site like http://japanusedcar.net/ just as a rough guide of the prices in auction then find wot the auction fees r up to the point off shipping this an example

E.g. 200,000 Yen ß Vehicle winning bid price
+110,000 Yen ß FOB Price
+100,000 Yen ß Ocean Freight to the UK
+ 5,000 Yen ß Marine Insurance (optional)
415,000 Yen ß Total



4) Import tax in UK is 10% of total so far.

415,000 Yen + 10% = 456,500 Yen


5) VAT is 17.5% of total so far.

456,500 Yen + 17.5% = 536,388 Yen


6) Shipping agent fee (if used) 170 GBP

[wibblywobbly]

Chapter and Verse on Personal Imports

Go to

www.hitenter.co.uk

There you will find a page that details every last step of personally importing a vehicle.

If you buy one via a Japanese auction then the bit that you need to add is getting the auction house to arrange delivery to a port and Japanese shipping agent contacts. If you contact a UK shipping agent they may be able to arrange this for you.

Hope that this helps.

Cheers

Rob G

[TraceHarris1]

Import stuff

The reason you are said to be importing it yourself is that all documents are put into your name from auction sale therefore you are considered a private (not trade) importer. This means that you pay less import duties than a trader. Nobody except those with the auction qualification can go into the Jap auction houses and bid, therefore you have to employ a 'company' to do it for you. Even the traders in the UK have to go through them. The Jap company, as part of the fee will inspect the vehicle, d-reg it (They are the only ones that can!) and then put it on a ship. You or the trader will give them an FOB price (Freight on board). This includes all but shipping, tax fees.
So I fail to see that anybody including the UK traders / importers are sole importers doing it themself.
The only difference in dealing with the Jap company is that you cut out the middle man trader. But, and its a big but, You could end up wiring your money to a bogus company.
The choice is yours!!
I am currently researching the Jap companies and think that I have found a reputable one that is not too expensive.
Don't want to advise which one yet incase it turns out crap. Will let you know!

[wibblywobbly]

Japanese Auction Houses

I think I am right in saying that you can bid on a Japanese Auction site, you just have to register first. Auto Advan have created a system whereby you can do this, or they will source a vehicle for you (for a fee). I am quite amazed at the prices that some vehicles fetch and it completely negates the benefits of buying personally at these prices.

Another option is to visit the UK import auctions. I have visited the local one at Portbury docks in Bristol, but the quality of the stock was pretty average to be honest. I also know the SVA inspector down there who tells me that you have to be pretty quick off the mark to get the decent ones.



http://www.autoadvan.co.uk/sl/

If you see a vehicle on Ebay that is being advertised by an importer don't

http://www.japaneseimportauctions.com/

For those that aren't aware the vehicles that are listed on the auction sites are graded and have a report prepared that detail the bodywork condition . There are no guarantees though, and even a high grade vehicle may still have a head that is about to go.

It is a lottery in some respects but if you get the truck cheaply enough then at least you can afford the repairs and not be out of pocket?

Rob G

[da SLUG man]

ship them to england

or britain, or the UK

[Teuch]

SVA advice on import

Hi,
Reading your reply here I thought you would be a good person to contact for advice! I have just returned to the UK from New Zealand where I had been running a 1996 3.0TD Surf SSR-X for 2 years. This vehicle was originally from Japan and imported to NZ. I liked the vehicle and the removals firm said they could fit it in the container so.... brought it with me. I've now got to get it through the Single Vehicle Approval scheme and would like to find someone who can supply the necessary parts (speedo in MPH?) and make the modifications. Do you have any contacts that I could use? My vehicle is currently in Enfield with the shipping company and I live in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.

Any help vey welcome!

Teuch

nope, I agree with you m8,you beat me to it, that was my sentiments. You are not importing, you are paying someone to import it for you, exactly the same as any dealer who imports it and then puts it on he's forecourt. Ok, you may get something off, but at the end of the day you are relying on this bloke to buy your surf and choose its condition, and he has got to make a profit!

Cars at auction are sold on a grade range i.e...1= poor quality, 5-6= showroom quality, and the price is dependant on this, so you may get a grade 3 through your "contact", whereas you could probably get a nicer 4 or 4.5 if you did it yourself.

I bought from a dealer originally, who showed me all the pics of it at auction, service history etc...., and I bought (as heart ruled head), but looking back now, that vehicle was only about a 3-3.5 and I paid top dollar, I've since bought a grade 4 and saved a few quid

Go the whole hog, search the net, get your info and do it yourself, much more of a buzz

At the end of the day its up to the individual, but I know which way I would go, or utilise the ppl on here who import, are'nt here to rip you off, and have a general interest in the well being of the vehicle and the ppl who own them.

good luck!!

[wibblywobbly]

SVA...hmmm

Hi

Ok, give these guys a ring

http://www.japaneseimportauctions.com/

They have sites in Bristol and Tilbury and I have had dealings with their chief SVA examiner ( I nearly bought a 3ltr off him, but a truck reversed into it before the deal was completed!). It turns out that they are the main source of testing regs for most of the SVA testers in Europe. Very knowledgeable people.

They can also source parts.

As for MPH conversions, your best bet is Ebay. There are loads of replacement clock faces on there.

In all honesty you don't need a lot doing to a Surf, but I am sure that these guys can give you all the advice that you need.

Cheers

Rob G

[George T]

Be Careful

Guys,
If you try and bring a vehicle in as a personal import make sure you can prove you've been out of the country at least 6 months. The rules were changed 4 years ago and if you ship a vehicle over in your own name you'll be issued with a C&E form 386. If it's over 10 years old your VRO won't be too bothered but if it falls into the SVA trap then watch out. You need C&E 389 which VAT registered companies can self certify. If you're not VAT registered you can apply for a psuedo turn which allows you to ship as a VAT registered company.
My company has been importing cars from Japan for 7 years and we have a flat fee for the paperwork of £250 + VAT. In return we show you all receipts and guarantee the car you purchase will be as described. I can usually save the customer more than our fee simply because we know the importation and registration procedures inside out.