Imports

[97'Scort]

Hey all! I'm new to the forum, which was recommended by a tuner friend of mine.

I have a family friend currently living in Japan who is exporting older model cars to Canada. I was offered a chance to get my hands on one after I deejayed his wedding a few weeks back. He quoted a very nice price on a '92 325i (as well as a 850) and I would really like to take him up on it. Most of these cars have well less than 100k on them.

Has anybody else imported a car from Japan? I am aware of why they require the cars to be 15 years old, but I have heard a few horror stories about pistons going through the blocks (!).

I have also contacted one of the local BMW dealerships and they are willing to do a complete fluid system drain/clean, compression test, and mechanical inspection for a pretty good price.

Anybody who has comments is welcome to reply!

Cheers!

[Hirosimezz]

Yeah, did the whole thing myself - did a research, bought a Benz and a BMW from an auction through a Japanese company, had shipped 'em to Van and cleared from customs, drove it home to Calgary. Here I had it for an Out of Province Inspection, insured and registered. Now it is gone, sob, sob, but I am sure a new owner will keep it pampered )))

Now once I am back in C of A - will attempt to bring another one surely.

Things to look for:

If your friend buys from auction (I am most sure he does), make sure that:
- the car is LHD, not the RHD.
- The car is Grade 4 or higher (that is very unlikely but who knows). Never touch lower grade - 3-3.5 or R (repaired).
- It should not have more than 70K on the odo. Plenty of them are with 40-50K
- You have the copy of the Auction List for the car you put your eye on. Finding a Japanese speaker is no big deal out here, but if you struggle - PM me, I speak/write Japanese;)
- the car has a dealer history.

- Do not look at pimped cars (lowered, lots of aero kit et al), great chance is that they were abused.

Most common problems with these older motors with not much use - oil leaks from engine seals (propshaft), AC that either need recharging (my case) or completely repaired, cylinder head gasket failure, whining pulleys and/or water pump.

Problems specific to BMWs - sagging ceiling liner and detaching lower rear doors trim.

Feel free to PM/email me - I will gladly share some knowledge on condition and possible problems. Email is [email protected]

Roman

[el_fefes]

I've done that as well and you can get a car in really good condition.

My AC needs recharging and it just needs some minor engine work. Also a lot of them don't have a stereo...I had to buy one.

If you don't mind me asking how much is the stealership charging for do a complete fluid system drain/clean, compression test, and mechanical inspection?

[97'Scort]

They quoted me about $900 for the whole job, depending on the condition of the car (it could be more, could be less). I figure it's worth the money to make sure the car is in good condition and any obvious problems are nipped in the bud. I have heard about the '92s and their air condition problems, usually from overcharging the system.

My friend does buy from auction, and I insisted on a 4 with low clicks in my previous e-mail to him. I'm not going to do this until the perfect car comes along, in some capacity.

As for stereo, I plan on gutting, dynamatting, and re-wiring the whole thing. Use my current Pioneer Premier DEH-8MP head with Focal Polyglass 130 V1's up front, 130 CV1's in the rear, a 27 V1 in the trunk all powered by an FP 5.500. It's gonna pound :D

Thanks for the info, guys!

[JayM481]

I'm not sure of the point in getting a full service and mechanical inspection AFTER you've laid down the dosh to buy and import the car. If you have contacts in Japan, get them to arrange an independent inspection of the car before purchase. It may cost you a couple of hundred, but it's better than spending thousands to get a car here and find out you need to spend thousands more to get it on the road.

Also, if you're buying from Japan, look for the uncommon stuff. You can get a decent 15+ y.o. 3-series from E-bay for a lot less money and hassle than getting one from Japan. An E31 might be worth it, but the average price in North America for a 1990-91 these days seems to be in the $15-18k mark - don't pay more, including shipping and taxes, unless the car is special (i.e. one of the rare 6-speed manual jobs).

[Hirosimezz]

The information that is in the Auction List is enough in most cases as long as the list was not "amended". Again, as a rule of thumb never see cars with Grade lower than 4 and interior grade lower than B (that's USS system). If the car is beaten up - lots of A and W marks on the diagram, not to mention S (sabi or RUST), lowered suspension, pimped etc. then it will surely be a bag-o-bolts.

Changing all or nearly all fluids (Antifreeze with prior flush, ATF+filter and engine oil+filter as a minimum) is a normal common sense thing to do regardless of the origins of the car purchased - local, Japanese or American.

And of course a visual check of the candidate car prior to the auction date is vital. Operable AC, smoking engine, even wear on tires, sagging ceiling liner are all easily detected.

As for buying from the US, especially EBay- I would never ever consider that with the possible exception of a delivery miles or 0 miles car with manufacturer's warranty.

My humble recomendation - wait till 2007 and start fishing in Japan for either E-36 2.5 L coupe or get a E-34 now with either M-30 (3.5L, Body type H-35) or M-50 (24 Valve 2.5 L, Body type HD-25) engine and you will never regret that.

Alternatively you might consider a Mercedes - W124 Coupe with 3.0L 24 Valve engine (Body type 124051) with all bells and whistles. Just make sure it has a leather interior. And in case of Mercedes' always check them with an online VIN decoder as in case of MB it gives you complete specification and origin of the car. MBs are far more popular in Japan and there were lots of grey imports from Germany and once I stumbled accross a W126 limo from the Middle East.

[97'Scort]

All the cars need a full inspection before leaving Japan to be imported, but I want to make sure nothing dumb was missed. Cosmetic stuff is easy to spot, but they don't normally do compression testing or electrical systems testing. Simple checks that can save hassle later.

As for getting the car I want, they're popping up around the $8-9k area (bought, landed and delivered), but will fall in price as the 92's become more common in the next six months or so. A grade 4 is not hard to find. Also, I'm looking for no mods, period. Anything modded on this thing will be by my own hand.

Don't worry, I'm not idly wading into this. My guy is on the lookout as are a few of the companies specializing in this. I'm willing to wait for what I want :thumbsup:

[Hirosimezz]

Originally posted by 97'Scort
...I'm looking for no mods, period. Anything modded on this thing will be by my own hand.

Don't worry, I'm not idly wading into this. My guy is on the lookout as are a few of the companies specializing in this. I'm willing to wait for what I want :thumbsup:

Excellent approach! :thumbsup:

[JayM481]

Don't rule out E-bay. Yes, loads of crap there, but it's much less trouble to have a car inspected, or especially to do a VIN check, than a car from Japan.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against cars from the Japanese market. I've bought one (not a BMW) through there before, and I'm in the process of looking at another one (BMW) right now. However, auction grade, while a good indicator, can't tell you everything. Same applies to the pre-export inspection. You really should try to arrange an independent inspection of any car you think you want to buy - just as you would (should) for a car here.

You can get a very good E34 in Canada or the US for less than you'd pay for a Japanese car once shipping etc is counted in. That being said, if you must have a '90 525i with nice leather and 60,000km on the clock, by all means go for it. Don't expect to re-sell it and make money though. Looking at various listings I think too many people think they can buy an E31 and flip it for a nice profit.

I really think you should look for the rare stuff. Alpinas are a good bet, or E34 M5 Tourings (I've seen a couple pop up) as they are now hitting the 15 year mark (first ones are '92s). There are a few Hartge jobs as well, though I think they are Japanese work, not the mother company. That beng said, they are more expensive, and obvious resale is not there (only a real enthusiast will realize the value).

Just my $0.02.

[Hirosimezz]

Don't rule out E-bay. Yes, loads of crap there, but it's much less trouble to have a car inspected, or especially to do a VIN check, than a car from Japan.

Forgive me please my ignorance but what do you understand under VIN check? If it is just a confirmation that the engine and body numbers match, then in case of a Mercedes any online VIN decoder will do this for you, down to every option the car was originally equipped with. As for BMWs, AFAIK the VIN is only good for verifying its correctness and the cars's DOB. Complete decoding will only be available through an official dealer's system and only if the car is local

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against cars from the Japanese market. I've bought one (not a BMW) through there before, and I'm in the process of looking at another one (BMW) right now. However, auction grade, while a good indicator, can't tell you everything.

Precisely! That is why a) there is the "faults" section in the Auction List and b) it pays to have your rep at the auction to have a close look at the car, start it and have a talk with the seller.

You can get a very good E34 in Canada or the US for less than you'd pay for a Japanese car once shipping etc is counted in. That being said, if you must have a '90 525i with nice leather and 60,000km on the clock, by all means go for it. Don't expect to re-sell it and make money though. Looking at various listings I think too many people think they can buy an E31 and flip it for a nice profit.

However good these E34 will be, any car with 200 000 km will be more worn out than a car with 50 000 km. Leather is something much more rare on J-Pop BMW than here and on older cars (my personal preference) I prefer cloth anyway. E31 are only worth the effort if it is an M3, period. And E34 can make you _some_ profit if they are really good and were well taken care of.

I really think you should look for the rare stuff. Alpinas are a good bet, or E34 M5 Tourings (I've seen a couple pop up) as they are now hitting the 15 year mark (first ones are '92s). There are a few Hartge jobs as well, though I think they are Japanese work, not the mother company. That beng said, they are more expensive, and obvious resale is not there (only a real enthusiast will realize the value).

Alpinas are in an altogether diffeent price category, in case of a B10 Twin Turbo you will be looking at ~15-20KCAD in Japan only, if you want you car intact, non-accidented, without oil-burning turbos and without interstellar mileage. And they will be very very expensive to run, check out the cost of brake pads sets at least, not to mention the tires, complexity of tuned and turbocharged engines et al. Same applies to M5s. Which means you will need lots of time to find someone prepared to pay close to 30K for a 16 years old car! As for E34 Wagons the weirdest thing is that I only saw 1 (one!) LHD one and that was a grey import from Germany. There are no officially imported LHD Tourings there, only RHD. And in my opinion they have 0 value in this country where (provided you do your homework and prepared to wait) you can find a decent car with the steering on the proper side, although with a rather higher mileage

Just my $0.02.

Ditto:D :D

[JayM481]

A VIN check (Carfax or through CAA for example) can give you a lot of info about the car's history. Salvage titles, insurance claims, provincial/state inspection history, number of previous owners etc. Obviously that only applies to cars already in North America.

The on-line VIN decoders will just give you details of the car as manufactured - great info to confirm the model and spec, but not much else. If you're lucky to have a friend who works for a dealership you can also get the original equipment/options list of the car as manufactured.

I know there is a great deal of info on the auction list, but it doesn't replace a comprehensive inspection including test drive. There is less risk with the Japanese auction system than with E-bay (I'm talking about the major auctions like USS, not Yahoo.jp Auctions). The Japanese regulations also ensure that dealers are much better regualted than here - I have no qualms about getting a dealer car from Japan.

I agree, 60,000km is going to be less worn than 200,000km, however I'd rather buy a well-maintained car with 200,000km than one with 60k that has been driven under Japanese conditions (low speeds, city-like condictions with lots of start-and-stop) and not maintained. Low mileage doesn't always indicate a better car (stating the ovious, I suppose). BTW E31 is the 8-series. The E30 M3s will usually run you well North of $20k landed.

Understood on the Tourings. I saw an E34 M5 Touring on one of the Japanese dealer sites I looked at. I think it went for about 1.9 million Yen. In good shape well worth the cost.

In any case, buyers should be aware of the added costs of buying from Japan. The auction price may look good, but transport to Vancouver will run you an extra $1000, then there are the port fees, duty and taxes, and any additional transport (Vancouver to Calgary or edmonton will run in the $400-700 range depending on who you get). Also add the fees of any brokers you need. I'd recommend a customs broker even if you don't use one of the JDM importers. The importers seem to average $1000 for the service, and a customs broker will charge you around $250 to clear your shipment. For the lower priced cars (less than 500k yen) the added costs can almost double the price by the time the car is in your hands.

That's one of the reasons I'm more inclined to look at the exotic stuff and recommend purchasing the more common models from among the vast numbers already available in North America. The ability to check the car's history and get a comprehensive inspection more than makes up for higher mileage.

But that just my opinion. Worth what you paid for it.
:D

[DC328is]

Originally posted by Hirosimezz
Yeah, did the whole thing myself - did a research, bought a Benz and a BMW from an auction through a Japanese company, had shipped 'em to Van and cleared from customs, drove it home to Calgary. Here I had it for an Out of Province Inspection, insured and registered. Now it is gone, sob, sob, but I am sure a new owner will keep it pampered )))

Now once I am back in C of A - will attempt to bring another one surely.

Things to look for:

If your friend buys from auction (I am most sure he does), make sure that:
- the car is LHD, not the RHD.
- The car is Grade 4 or higher (that is very unlikely but who knows). Never touch lower grade - 3-3.5 or R (repaired).
- It should not have more than 70K on the odo. Plenty of them are with 40-50K
- You have the copy of the Auction List for the car you put your eye on. Finding a Japanese speaker is no big deal out here, but if you struggle - PM me, I speak/write Japanese;)
- the car has a dealer history.

- Do not look at pimped cars (lowered, lots of aero kit et al), great chance is that they were abused.

Most common problems with these older motors with not much use - oil leaks from engine seals (propshaft), AC that either need recharging (my case) or completely repaired, cylinder head gasket failure, whining pulleys and/or water pump.

Problems specific to BMWs - sagging ceiling liner and detaching lower rear doors trim.

Feel free to PM/email me - I will gladly share some knowledge on condition and possible problems. Email is [email protected]

Roman


Don't worry Roman. we'll take good care of her. ;) ;)

[Hirosimezz]

BTW, I plan to be back in town by the time of the next meet (5 Nov) and I forgot to give you the AT filter kit actually :nut:

So far any problems popped out? You can PM me any time.

[97'Scort]

So far I've found tons of these things in Japan, but not a single one with a manual tranny! Seems that is hard to find...