importing a suv from japan.

[sallinger]

has anyone here imported a vehicle from japan? i was just wondering what company you might have used. and how long it took to get the automobile. i was thinking about using a company called rhidaa.just wondering what the general comments might be about this subject. what about using a company to bid on a vehicle for you? has anyone tried either of these methods? any advice would be valuable and if i can do it my self cheaper is always better.

[rc2002]

Are people still bringing in cars from Japan? I haven't been with it latey - I know some provinces were cracking down on those cars.

I hear good things about import concern on a regular basis. Never dealt with them before though. A lot of people have brought them in themselves too, but I would pay that small premium to get a car over here hassle free.

[mx73someday]

Last fall, my customer picked out a vehicle from Ridhaa Trading. They failed to get the Pajero on a RORO vessel 4-5 times when my other exporters were consistently getting multiple spaces on those vessels. Their service expenses were also more expensive than I was used to.

I would suggest going with a more reliable exporter who treats new Canadian customers with better care.

An importer's expertise could potentially save you money towards their service fee, there are things you could do or fail to do promptly to make your importation more expensive. When going through an importer, you could also benefit from a multiple vehicle shipment where each vehicle in the shipment benefits from the other because certain expenses are shared.

[japancar]

RO-RO is a pain in the butt if you don't have a good shipper. My shipper is great, with lots of years of experience and has the "in" with shipping companies who deal with New Westminster.

RO-RO is sporadic because new cars have priority over used. Also, it depends on the time of year. Shipping by container, although more expensive than RO-RO, is reliable. I have done both and only suggest RO-RO when a client wants to save money but is not in a hurry.

As for paperwork, it can be trying at times, but we always help out with that. For those who want to have the full "experience" of importing, doing the paperwork is part of the fun, and gives you the sense of doing it all. But for those who don't want to do it, we do it.