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

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

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.