Considering Japanese Import -any potential pitfalls?

magoo84

Hi all

My current car packed in on the M50 two weeks ago so I'm going to replace it, and I've been looking at a Honda Fit which is the Japanese version of the Jazz. It looks like a great car and I think I've decided I'll go with it as the dealer has offered to buy my old car from me too.

I'm new to the import thing so I'm wondering are there any pros and cons I should be loomie out for, and questions I should be asking the dealer? I've heard there's potentially issues with insurance but I need to ring the AA tomorrow who insure me and find out .

Any help would be much appreciated
Thanks

colm_mcm

Radio: Japanese radios work off a different frequency band to European ones, so in standard form you'll only be able to get radio 1. You can fit a band expander but things like Af and RDS won't work, and the names of the stations won't show correctly. If the car has satnav, you can be sure this won't work over here.

Immobiliser: most Japanese cars don't have one, so you'll need to fit one, car thieves assume you didn't fit one, and as a result your car is more likely to get stolen or at least broken into and attempted.

Parts: some parts will be different, for example automatic gearbox, you might find getting diagnostics done a bit more difficult too.

Insurance: this will be more expensive due to higher parts costs and availability, theft and the rarity factor. Even if Irish parts are similar, they'll have to use the correct ones in the event Of a repair

Mileage: some cars in Japan are ultra low mileage, some aren't. You won't know unless you get the auction sheet. A lot of jalanese imports are clocked on arrival here.


One last point. If the dealer has built in loads of margin in his asking price, he can give you a great trade in figure on a worthless trade in. Customer to change is the only figure that counts.

A lot of these Honda fits are asking mental money as the selling market for them is made up of a few dealers bringing them in.

magoo84

colm_mcm wrote: »

Radio: Japanese radios work off a different frequency band to European ones, so in standard form you'll only be able to get radio 1. You can fit a band expander but things like Af and RDS won't work, and the names of the stations won't show correctly. If the car has satnav, you can be sure this won't work over here.

Immobiliser: most Japanese cars don't have one, so you'll need to fit one, car thieves assume you didn't fit one, and as a result your car is more likely to get stolen or at least broken into and attempted.

Parts: some parts will be different, for example automatic gearbox, you might find getting diagnostics done a bit more difficult too.

Insurance: this will be more expensive due to higher parts costs and availability, theft and the rarity factor. Even if Irish parts are similar, they'll have to use the correct ones in the event Of a repair

Mileage: some cars in Japan are ultra low mileage, some aren't. You won't know unless you get the auction sheet. A lot of jalanese imports are clocked on arrival here.


One last point. If the dealer has built in loads of margin in his asking price, he can give you a great trade in figure on a worthless trade in. Customer to change is the only figure that counts.

A lot of these Honda fits are asking mental money as the selling market for them is made up of a few dealers bringing them in.

That's great information, thanks. The dealer did mention the radio but they offered to fit one I buy for free. Having read the above , it's made me think twice about going ahead as I'd want to the car to be ready to go on the day I buy it.

I'd be happy to buy a new radio but if I have to start messing around with immobilisers too and possibly paying more for parts and insurance, then it starts sounding like more hassle than it's worth. I'll still meet them anyway and look at the car, though.

colm_mcm

What are the criteria that made you choose that particular car?

magoo84

colm_mcm wrote: »

What are the criteria that made you choose that particular car?

Well my last car was an unreliable heap of crap and two people i know have a Honda jazz and love it, they haven't had any grief whatsoever since they bought it. The jazz fits into my price range of around 6-7K as well

colm_mcm

Does it have to be automatic?

magoo84

colm_mcm wrote: »

Does it have to be automatic?

That wasn't a requirement no, the dealer seems to only sell automatics though.

colm_mcm

What year is the one you're looking at?

Seamus1964

Wasn't there a NCT issue with jap import car headlamps?

colm_mcm

Seamus1964 wrote: »

Wasn't there a NCT issue with jap import car headlamps?

Not that I'd heard of, there was talk of an e mark being needed on lights and glass in the future,mbut that never happened AFAIK.

magoo84

colm_mcm wrote: »

What year is the one you're looking at?

Its 2008. The description states the car has an alarm, central locking and an "anti theft system" which I was hoping was an immobiliser but I'll ask tomorrow.

magoo84

colm_mcm wrote: »

Not that I'd heard of, there was talk of an e mark being needed on lights and glass in the future,mbut that never happened AFAIK.

All cars sold by the dealer I'm looking at are NCTd till 2017 so it doesn't seem to be an issue for them in any case

colm_mcm

Tbh, there are plenty Irish spec jazzs for that money, I wouldn't bother with a Fit.

Seamus1964

Years ago friend of mine didn't pass NCT because of something to do with jap import car headlamps - lights was pointing too much left or too much right or something like that. Car make was Honda (civic I think). So he borrowed head lamps from same make UK Honda, passed test and then fitted original Japanese headlamps back.

Just saying..

cerastes

Theres an import in the family, actually on a second one here.
They have advantages and disadvantages but I believe for good examples the advantages outweigh the negatives.
I'm not sure how legal it is but some insurance companies won't quote insurance on Jap grey import cars.that can be a bit awkward and limiting, probably the lack of imobiliser, although I'd have thought the automatic gearbox and car styles would put car thieves off.
But the spec, trim and condition have always been better than equivalent Irish car versions that I've looked at.
If you need an automatic it's a plus, if not, I'm not so sure we'd have to be going for one, the radio can have a band expander fitted if they are integrated with the trim style but they will never fully function but a replacement and blanks can be gotten.
You will likely need to confirm the tyres are e marked ie replaced with e marked tyres,
I think the mileage can be confirmed from the condition, a negative is they seem to command high prices,probably for the reason mentioned above.

Chris_Heilong

Seamus1964 wrote: »

Years ago friend of mine didn't pass NCT because of something to do with jap import car headlamps - lights was pointing too much left or too much right or something like that. Car make was Honda (civic I think). So he borrowed head lamps from same make UK Honda, passed test and then fitted original Japanese headlamps back.

Just saying..

That would have just been an alignment issue with those particular lights, Your friend could have just gotten them aligned at a mechanics, the ones your friend swapped in were just aligned is all.

The only issue NCT have is not Japanese specific but when car comes with HID but no washers as a lot of 90s Japanese do then they might get fussy in the center unless you can prove the car came from factory that way.

magoo84

Thanks for the replies folks. Im going to go and see the car tomorrow, then if i like it ill see what the story is with my insurance and take it from there. While I've read stories about premiums going up hugely for imports , I suspect a lot of those are probably twentysomething guys buying in fairly souped up cars , maybe I'm wrong.

I'm in my 30s and buying possibly the most painfully sensible car going , and the mileage, motor tax costs, spec and general condition of the car seem to be way better than the Irish spec Jazzs I've seen online for a similar price, so it's quite tempting. I have a list of questions based on earlier replies to ask the dealer , so if I'm satisfied with the answers and I can get insured at a half decent price then I may well go for it.

ourheritage

I have heard of parts issues. There was a woman talking on television about her Jap import Mazda MX 5, and the fact that it needed a new part. The garage had to send away to Japan to get the part for her car. Had it not a Jap import, the part would not have had to have ordered in from Japan. The fact that the Jazz is called a Fit may mean there maybe differences in parts. The doors might be that bit bigger, there might different features in the engine, which could lead to problems if repairs had to be done. The list goes on, but all in all I'd go for a Jazz.