Importing cars?

alemae, Apr 24, 5:22pm
Was looking into it just out of interest cause Im looking for a new car but everything here is either overpriced or dodgy.

Does anyone have any experience with importing from japan! Is it easy or not worth the time!

Any info appriciated :)
intrade, Apr 24, 5:32pm
bereal carfully with a task like this. the government wont let you use any imported cars legally on the road unless they meat tuff tuff standards of wich the rules are to comply to are well hidden.
this is not exactly how it is as i dont have a link to the rules but to give you a basicidea what your up against.
Rules frontal impact standard comply with loads airbags only cars.
emission ruleseuro-4 or higher emission test and comply to passba manufacturerand tested and cerified befor it goes on the road.
This is the main reason why cars get more more and more expensive as older cars cant be imported. With 1 loophole aperantly if its befor 1990 you dont have to comply with them rules. but not sure if this is correct as i only quote from what i did read somone post on here once.
im_andrew, Apr 24, 5:51pm
If you think every car in NZ is either overpriced or dodgy perhaps you need to step back and see what things are actually selling for. You sound like a buyer who expects the perfect car for very littler money. While good deals like that do exist, you simply have to be patient and keep cash in hand for when these deals come up
alemae, Apr 24, 7:28pm
thanks intrade.

not so much thanks im andrew! I can see that cars are pricey and you have to keep an eye out for deals. I was just curious to whether it was worth bringing them in or not! I didnt ask for your 'personal opinion' I was asking whether it was worth bringing them in or not and whether it was a straight foward process. But thankyou for letting me know how you 'feel'
toyboy3, Apr 24, 7:49pm
''worth bringing them in''the car dealers do it and make a dollar or two, just they bring in more and can get a better shipping priceother than thatyou can buy at the same sites they do
elvis58, Apr 24, 7:49pm
Haven't done any in about 5 years but when i did it was very worthwhile. I would recommend it but would advise to take your time, ask lot's of questions and be careful. I used TAU.net and have found them to be brilliant to deal with, for me it was all about price , i was unable to find any other exporter who could compete.
pat56, Apr 25, 6:57am
TAU.net sell a lot of damaged vehicles
howie69, Apr 25, 3:46pm
If you import beware of hidden costs. Compliance can be an issue as some certifiers make you replace components that would pass wof. I would recommend you flag the idea unless you are after a car not readily available here, or unless you have a really reliable inspection of the car before you buy. Importation is not for the faint hearted. You may not save a lot.
rovercitroen, Apr 25, 3:55pm
IMO there are so many bargains just on TM why would you want to take the risk of importing a car! You just need to decide what car you want and then wait for a motivated seller. Even dealers can provide excellent value cars depending on various factors. Good luck and have fun shopping.
matakatia, Apr 25, 3:58pm
With cars from Japan you might want to invest in a geiger counter first.
elvis58, Apr 25, 3:59pm
Yes they do but the damage can be minimal and the savings huge also not everything they sell is damaged, there are some great bargains to be had in undamaged cars and they are great to deal with
thriftycat, Apr 25, 5:11pm
Beware - they often don't service their cars like we do - common not to change the oil from new until they sell it. I got caught out on buying an imported Subaru & the engine died well before it's time. Was obvious what had happened when my mechanic stripped the dead engine down.
phillip.weston, Apr 25, 5:15pm
^^ I don't think we kiwis as a whole are any better. I've seen plenty of near new cars just not serviced at all. On the same token there are lots of cars in Japan with a perfect service history in perfect condition, just no importer wants to bring them in because it would be too expensive and they wouldn't make a buck on them, so they will grab the cheaper cars with a dubious service history.
murdoko, Apr 25, 7:18pm
jpctrade.com

used them, they're reliable and you end up paying less than going to the dealers. They will also take car of the customs BS and all the papers you need. Shipment will be sorted as well. All you have to do is clear the car at customs and bring it to a compliance centre. Takes about 2 months for the car to get here.

However, if you're looking for a particular model and it's already abundant here in NZ, why bother importing it yourself!
murdoko, Apr 25, 7:20pm
oh and yeah they will tell you if the car you want can be complied and registered on NZ roads. they got a couple of agents specialising on NZ clients so they know the rules etc etc
alemae, Apr 26, 4:13pm
I see. Thanks everyone - but after all this I think I will avoid the risk and time :)
murdoko, Dec 15, 9:41am
good choice!