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.

Common Mistakes When Importing Second Hand From Japan

There is no doubt and nobody can debate on Japan being a leader in auto making. The Japanese automakers have been in the global industry for close to a century and today they are the leading country producer of vehicles. There is however another market that has grown robustly and there are no signs that it can slow down anytime soon. And that is the second hand auto market, which has been a phenomenal industry all over the world. Since the Japanese autos are known for their superior quality, performance and reliability, everyone across the globe is scramming to get them.

The other main reason why there is such a huge market for these vehicles is because they are considerably affordable and one can even get a good deal on a recently owned vehicle. One might be tempted to ask why these vehicles come at a low cost, even more than you will find with any other vehicle models. There are a number of reasons and things that makes the Japanese second hand vehicles so cheap, and one of them is the fact that newer vehicles in Japan attracts lower insurance. So, as many Japanese car owners are trying to ease that burden, it opens up another cheap vehicle markets for the world.

In this guide, we will go through some for the crucial things and mistakes that many people make every single day when they are importing a second hand vehicle from Japan. Understanding this will help you get a way around it and get to import second hand Japanese vehicles much smoothly.

Failing To Do Due Diligence On The Vehicle

There are a lot of things that one needs to keep in mind when purchasing a vehicle. 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. For most advanced car dealers, like here at Substar, you will be provided with photo footage of the vehicle and one can also ask for a video footage to learn how the vehicle runs and idles. Doing this can be very beneficial in avoiding faulty vehicles that come and break down.

Among some of the things that one should check to ensure that they are getting a good vehicle that is ready to go includes tires, body, paint-work, engine performance, gear box, the hydraulic system among others. This might seem like a lot of things to check out, but it is really worth it. Sometimes getting a mechanical report or maintenance record on the vehicle is also important in helping asses and better understand the vehicle that you are getting. This will help you know the problems that the vehicle has had and whether there is a serious issue that could come up soon.

Ignoring Scams

One needs to be extra vigilant and watchful about every move that they make in order to get the vehicle that they are yearning for. Scams are on the rise and that is something that can come to anyone out there. A good example of a scam instance is when a scammer pretends to be owning a car dealership and that they are selling vehicles from Japan. They will always try to make one believe that they have been in business and will do anything to convince person that they are getting a good deal. In most instances and in such cases, you will find that the scammers are from different countries and not even based in Japan. To avoid such kind of scammers and many others, you need to first know the car dealer that you are working with, check out their website and do more to really ascertain that they are in business and doing that. You can always check car dealership forums and discussion boards and see if there are good or bad reviews or scam alerts to steer away from such.

Failing To Negotiate

Second hand vehicles are pre-owned and with that perception, we all know that they have been subjected to different kind of work and they cannot all have the same price tag. Perhaps the best thing with getting second hand vehicles is that there is always room to bargain and that there is always that vehicle that will suit one’s budget which is nothing that you will see in brand new vehicles.

Car dealers and owners are always willing to compromise and negotiate the price of a vehicle since there is no fixed price and in most instances they are looking to dispose the vehicle to get another one which makes it better for you as the buyer.

Buying To Repair

blankSome people always believe that they can find a vehicle that is in bad shape and have it repaired and assume that they will be getting a good deal. While this can be true, it is pure gamble and you could find yourself in a fix. This is especially if you are still new to second hand vehicles and moreso with the fact that you are importing it from Japan and you may not have physical contact or get to see the vehicle first hand. It could end up becoming to expensive to repair and make the necessary adjustments to the vehicle and as such, you should avoid these vehicles an only focus on getting one with good records and ready to be driven.

Final Word:

There are lots of nightmare stories that car buyers have had to go through when buying second hand vehicles abroad. Hopefully, this guide will shine a lot of light on that and help someone do the right thing to get the vehicle that they have always wanted.

Please take some time and check out some for the vehicle that we have in our listing page. We have plenty of second hand Japanese mini trucks, mini vans and many other vehicles. You can then get in touch with us for more details.