Do’s And Don’ts Of Importing Second Hand Vehicles From Japan

Japan has become the go-to place for anyone looking for vehicles, be it brand new or used, you will find it in Japan. And amazingly, they come at good prices and offer good value for the money. The Japanese automakers have dominated the industry for many decades not only producing lots of vehicles, but also ones that you can always rely on. This has made Japan the largest manufacturer of autos beating every other country in the global auto market. This has lead to growth of a whole new market, the second hand auto industry and there is no signs that it will slow down anytime soon. People will always want to buy cheap and spend less for a vehicle simply because of their budget restraints as well as a way to get a vehicle that can be used on various jobs without being overly-expensive.

Why Buy Second Hand Japanese Vehicles?

Mitsubishi Minicab Truck Japanese dump bed mini trucks

Don’t be fooled to think that second hand vehicles are poor in performance or unreliable in some way. The Japanese autos are known for their superior quality, performance and reliability and this is why everyone across world are scramming to get them. One other reason why there is such a huge market and people love the Japanese second hand vehicles is that they are more affordable and one can even get a good deal on a recently owned vehicle. Here is a breakdown of some of the reasons why getting second hand vehicles is a good idea;

They Are Dirt Cheap!

Before you ask the common question, why these vehicles come at dirt cheap prices, even more than one can see priced by other vehicle models, be sure that they are are ion good shape and form. There are a number of reasons and things that makes the Japanese second hand vehicles so cheap, and one of the reasons this happens is that Government has ensured that newer vehicles in Japan attracts lower insurance while older ones have a high insurance premium. Due to this fact, people try to save by getting newer vehicles and dumping older ones at a cheap price. So why not hop in and get a cheap vehicle that you can count on and take advantage of this? It is definitely well worth the investment and gives you good value for the money.

Reliable

Don’t we all love to have a vehicle that we can count on to deliver and serve as the way we want them to? Of course yes. High skilled engineering and expertise is rooted in Japanese auto industry and this is why their vehicles are among the best in the market. They are easy to maintain and one can easily learn how to repair them by themselves which also helps to save a lot of money along the way.

Durable

Having a solid vehicle that lasts long is one of the things that we all want. This ensures that you can use the vehicle for a long time. They are well built with solid structures, bodies and chassis that will stand any abuse and work perfectly in the most rugged roads out there. If you are looking to buy a vehicle that will last decades, then there is nowhere else to look other than Japan.

Easy & Low Cost Of Maintenance

Having a vehicle that is easy to maintain and make repairs will save you a lot of hassles and money. The engineering and ingenious technologies used by Japanese automakers makes it easy to repair and replace worn out parts of the vehicle. You can easily master the basics and even the technical part of repairing the vehicle to ensure that you are always ready and all set all the time.

Here are some for the crucial dos and don’ts that many people make every time that they are importing a second hand vehicle from Japan.

Inspect & Do Due Diligence Before Buying

If there is pone big mistake that many of us do is failing to do enough in ensuring that the vehicle is in good shape or not. Besides many other things that one needs to keep in mind when purchasing a vehicle, this is one of the most important ones. And these things will determine whether you will get a good service out of it or not. You need know and understand many things about the vehicle and ask the dealer as much questions as you can. We here at Substar, are among the most reliable dealers who have been in the industry for many years and you will get comprehensive footage of the vehicle while a detailed video footage of specific parts of the vehicle are also available upon request. Doing this can be very beneficial in avoiding faulty vehicles that come and break down.

Some of the most crucial things that one should check on the vehicle so as to ensure they are perfect condition and worth investing in ranges from the tires, the vehicle’s body, paint-work, gear box, engine idle and performance, the hydraulic system. This might seem like a lot of things to check out, but it is really worth it. You can also ask for a detailed mechanical report to know how the vehicle has been used as the maintenance record will detail everything hence you will easily know whether the vehicle has any known issues which you should avoid. You can easily avoid future potential issues that you may not easily see or judge by just looking at the vehicle.

Scams Are All Over

 

Another important thing that one needs to be very keen on is when making the order. There are lots of people who lose a lot of money to scams and traps from many people who steal money from them believing that they are dealing with a real company. There is no lying that scams are on the rise and anyone out there can become a victim. That said, if a scammer pretends to be owning a car dealership and that they are selling vehicles from Japan, one could easily fall prey and become lured to make a deal without them suspecting anything. Scammers will always make one believe that they have been in business and will do anything to convince person that they are getting a good deal and the offer is usually too sweet which makes it unresistant to many people. Another common type of scam that people fall into is bait and switch, where people get the wrong vehicle than the one they inspected and thought they bought. In order to avoid such types of scams and other similar instances, it is always good to do a thorough background check about the dealer and the company that you intend to work with. Their website details can also tell you a lot which could help you determine whether you are dealing with a legit company and worth working with or not. Other sites such as dealership forums and discussion boards are also a good place to know more about a company and learn about the experiences of other people.

Always Negotiate For The Best Deal

Everything that comes used always offers a room for negotiation and his is true when it comes o vehicles as well. Whether you are importing the vehicle abroad or not, then you can always discuss with the seller and negotiate to get a sweeter deal.

The prices aren’t always fixed like you will find with brand new vehicles and the car dealers and owners no matter where they are will always be willing to compromise and negotiate the price of a vehicle. Failing to take advantage of this will deny you the chance to save tons of cash which you could use to subsidize for the cost of shipping and clearance of the vehicle.

Avoid Faulty Vehicles

While it may make sense to sometimes buy a vehicle to refurbish and make repairs and save a lot of money, that isn’t always the case. Sometimes things go south as they can end up being to expensive to repair. Unless you are a professional who dos this for business and ready to risk, then you should avoid doing this. You should avoid doing this especially if you are still new to buying and importing second hand vehicles. This is usually hard especially if you are importing from Japan or any other country abroad where you cannot physically look at he vehicle to assess it. Doing this could end up becoming prohibitively expensive to make the necessary fixes and adjustments to the vehicle. Always go with second hand vehicles that are in good shape as this will save you the hard stress and hassles of risking on costs.

Final Word:

Now that we have gone through the nightmares and costly mistakes that many of us go through on a regular basis when they are importing or shipping from Japan, isn’t it time you put it to practice? Hopefully, it has been a well worthy guide that will shine enough light and serve as a good source of information to you when you are shopping or importing a second hand vehicle from Japan the easy way.

Be sure to take some time to check out some for the second hand Japanese vehicles that we have listed on our sales page. There are lots of them which ranges from small vans to large dump bed mini trucks that we have vetted and ensured are in perfect shape. Get in touch to learn more about a particular vehicle and how we can help you get the best shipping deals and tricks to save a lot in the process.

Importing Used Trucks From Japan

If you ask any expert dealer, mechanic and generally everyone who has been in the auto industry for a while where most reliable vehicles come from, they will most likely point you the direction of Japan. Japanese vehicles have roamed every street on earth and they have become more lovable than any other kind of vehicle one can get their hands on. Today, people can get their hands on these trucks, which are often known as mini trucks, or simply Kei mini trucks in Japan.

In this guide, we will go through some of the best ways that one can use to import a used truck (mini truck) from Japan easily avoiding all the hard challenges that may come your way. the guide also applies when shopping or importing any other kind of vehicle wherever you are doing it from across the globe.

Is Importing From Japan A Good Idea

japanese used car exporter

Perhaps the first question that you need to ask yourself before you even start thinking about purchasing or importing a Japanese mini truck or any other vehicle is to first ask yourself if it is a good idea to do so. Below are some of the things that will enlighten you on that matter and help you understand whether importing the Japanese trucks is any good.

What Do You Intend To Use It For?

The first thing that you need to ask yourself is what you intend to use it for. There are different kind of mini trucks and unlike standard trucks in countries like the United States, these ones come in different shapes and modifications that means that they are suited for a certain kind of work. By way of example, there are dump bed mini trucks, flat bed mini tucks, caravan mini trucks among other kind of trucks. that said, you need to pick pone that best defines your nature of work and that will be useful and dependable.

Is It Street Legal?

Secondly, you need to make sure that the vehicle you are going to get is street legal and that you do not have any restrictions against it with your local government. Among some of the restrictions by the state includes the vehicle age which can limit one on the road usage and how you are going to operate it. It is therefore important to do a comprehensive cross-check to ensure that the kind of vehicle you are about to get meets all the state and legal requirements for it to be street-legal. Without doing that, you could find yourself with a vehicle that you cannot drive or operate hence making it a loss.

What Is The Price Offer?

Used vehicles come with different price tags and that means that whatever you get as an offer from your local car dealer is different from what you would get abroad. Generally, Japanese mini trucks are considered affordable, but that can different from where you are buying it from. If you buy it locally, you may find it to be a little pricier than if you would have bought it from Japan. It is obvious that the trader is there to make profits. If you can stand a few weeks waiting for your mini truck to arrive from Japan, then why not consider importing it yourself? Besides saving a little more, you will also have a variety of vehicles to choose from which gives you a choice to get better.

If you can answer the above questions and have a better understanding on how things work, then you will be able to determine whether importing the truck from Japan is a good idea that is worth your investment.

Importing a Mini Truck From Japan

Here are some of the steps to take when importing a mini truck from Japan.

Do The Math

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The first thing before importing a vehicle from any other country is to first come up with a budget that you are willing to spend. The money game and budgeting can be crazy and get so ugly at times if one is not careful about how they handle it. You should know how much you have and ready to spend and avoid any chances of overspending. Among some of the things that one must factor in besides the cost of the vehicle that they are getting includes freight charges, custom charges, transportation and agent charges. They aren’t however as much as they may sound if you get to the actual figures.

 

Getting the help of an expert to help you with doing the calculations and budgeting is also advisable, especially from those that have imported from Japan or other countries abroad. There are also plenty of online calculators that one can make use of.

Find A Good Vendor

The next thing is to find a good vendor that has a good reputation and has been around the industry for a long time. This will help you to avoid the ever rising cases of frauds. Frauds and cons are all over and there is nothing that one can do about that besides to just be extra cautious and learn some of the ways to evade them. That said, it is always important to do a background check of the company that you are dealing with to ascertain that they are credible and legit. You will often find fraudsters to use non-existent address and usually aren’t established or haven’t been in the business for long.

 

One should also make sure that the transaction they are making goes to the right bank account and avoid sending money to other offshore bank accounts.

Compare Prices & Buying Options

When one is looking to save on the costs of acquiring a vehicle, be it new or second hand, it is always a good idea to compare and see which dealer has the bets prices. It is the same case when shopping for a vehicle from Japan and any other country you may be interested to import from. Another advantage that one gets from choosing Japan as the importation option is that there are lots of vehicles that one can compare. This means that one is able to negotiate the prices of the vehicle with the vendor and get a deal that they want. One can easily negotiate using various online applications such as Skype and others much easily.

 

To make sure that you are getting your money’s worth and the best possible deal out of the importation of the Japanese mini truck, you have to make sure that you negotiate and compare the vehicle from different dealers out there. After all, the whole point of shopping abroad is to save by cutting down the middle man and the broker who usually gives you less options to choose from.

Consider Using An Import Agent

Sometimes things get a little tricky, especially when you are importing a second hand vehicle for the first time. The paper work can give you headaches, and this is why it is important to consider getting the assistance of an import agent. If not, then you may want to seek the help of a friend or family member who has already done this before. Otherwise, the service of an agent will come in handy ion many ways. Nothing beats experience, an the one that the agent has gained importing vehicles will help you to save some money where possible by getting you cheap freight deals and ensuring that every import process including the paper work is well taken care of.

Where do you get a good import agent, you may ask. They are all over, but you also have to make sure that you are working with a reputable one. Ask them questions to learn more about them. Be sure you are working with a registered and recognized agent who has been in the industry for years. As aforementioned, con-men are all over in the industry. Doing  this will ensure that you are making smooth transactions and will get your vehicle delivered in time without having to spend a lot of money in the process.

Final Verdict

With the guide above, you should be ready to import your vehicle from Japan easily without much to worry about. Whether you need a dump bed mini truck, a flat bed mini truck, a caravan mini truck or any other second hand mini truck from Japan, the guide should serve you well.

Be sure to check out our high quality second hand mini trucks which we have vetted and ensured that they are fit to operate anywhere. Whether you are in the United States, UK, New Zealand, Canada or anywhere int he world, out high quality Japanese mini trucks will serve you and offer good value for the investment. So, why not check out some of these vehicles from out sales page. We can also help you find the vehicle that you are looking for, just in case you don”t find any listed. With our decades of experience in exporting vehicles to countless number of countries, we know the ins and out and are ready to help you get the vehicle you need seamlessly.