Japan Car Import agent

JeepsDublin

Hi

I am considering importing a VW Touran from Japan. Does anyone know of an agent/vehicle broker to help broker the deal with the vendor and manage transport options etc.

Also if someone has experience with regards payment of the car. From a dealer is it by escrow, and how much typical deposit? Finally paperwork and proof of vehicle - (the internet shots, especially the interior optional extra, could be from any car!)

Oops!

Imeka cars. Google them, run by a Japan based Galway man.

JeepsDublin

Thanks Oops

User1998

Theres no Escrow. You pay for the car and hope for the best. You can pay for the freight when the car arrives. As a first purchase you will probably be expected to pay 100% of the car price but sometimes 50% is possible. Paperwork is sent after the car leaves Japan.

And just letting you know regardless of what the import broker tells you, RoRo shipping time is around 6 to 9 months at the moment. And for a Tiguan I’d estimate you could be paying up to $3,000 freight.

PsychoPete

JDM auction watch are bang on to deal with

murphthesmurf

I'm using JDM Auction Watch right now. I won a car at auction on Friday last week. A BMW Active Hybrid 5.

You pay a €500 deposit to be able to bid. If you win you pay 75% of cost of car within 3 working days, the rest when it arrives. They give you a price for the car, shipping, all fees, VAT and customs. All you have to do is pay the VRT when it arrives.

So far so good.

monkeybutter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120275267#Comment_120275267

any chance of a breakdown of what you paid?

murphthesmurf

A rough breakdown I was given for one car I looked at costing 749,000 yen. -

Car cost: 749,000JPY

Auction fee/Export fee/Port handling: 85,000JPY

Inland transport: 25,000JPY

Freight & Insurance: 265,000JPY

===============

1124000JPY (€8030)

Duty: €803

VAT: €2062

Port handling fee & brokerage: €180

Service fee incl VAT: €920

Shipping varies slightly depending on size of car. Customs and VAT are around 35% of cost of car plus shipping etc.

eamonnq

Is the service fee incl VAT @ 920.00 the charge from the company in Ireland who organised everything for you?

murphthesmurf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120362206#Comment_120362206

Yes 👍 JDM Auction Watch.

Well worth getting in touch with them.

AGo

Do you mind me asking how much was VRT?

murphthesmurf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120896176#Comment_120896176

Should know by the end of the week. They had to refer it to revenue for a statistical code as wasn't on their system. Even though I know of 2 within the last 12 months imported from Japan.

AGo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120898343#Comment_120898343

They wouldn't admit they had them in the past as this gives them an opportunity to rip people off on individual basis. I'm sure almost every car which is not on the calculator was appealed with different outcome, so there's no common figure, I suppose.

I've received a statisticall code for my Active Hybrid 3, which doesn't return anything back, so go figure..

casion3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120324568#Comment_120324568

Do you mind me asking, compared to what is on the market here is it better value to go JDM ? Seriously considering for my next car

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121983243#Comment_121983243

Depends on the car. If your good at negotiating you could potentially get a better deal from a private seller in Ireland without the hassle of importing.

NBar

something I came across recently so just copied and pasted here.

Nobody likes scams or sneaky policies Let's Be Honest

When buying from Japan, most exporters know an awful lot more than the average customer. This makes it very easy for exporters to take advantage of customers without the customers knowing about it. 

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Below is a list of common tricks that exporters use to make more money off of you, and how Pacific Coast Auto can make you feel confident that it's not happening to you.  

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Be careful - these tricks are how several exporters make most of their money. This is also why Pacific Coast Auto's price looks more expensive than the competition, when in most cases, we cost less.

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I personally hate tactics like this so I will never let them happen in my company. 

!

Low service fee but plenty of extra costs

This is an easy one to understand. If an exporter has a low service fee, they still need to get their profits from somewhere and so there's a good chance that they are participating in some form of back-door profits. 

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Below is a list of the most common ways to "secretly" make money. 

If you think you might have been a victim, feel free to contact us and email a copy of your invoice. We will explain if everything adds up. 

Lying to you about the selling price

How it works - 

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You bid on a car, let's say 800,000 yen. 

 

Your exporter comes back to you after the auction and says that you won the car for 750,000 yen. 

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Sounds nice right? 

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However, unknown to you, the winning price was 550,000 yen and your exporter is pocketing the 200,000 yen difference without telling you. 

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You have just paid an extra 200,000 yen over what you should have paid for that car. 

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This scam has become SUPER popular since the USS auctions have shut down third parties from showing their sale prices publicly. 

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How to fix it - 

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Pacific Coast Auto has a policy where we will show any customer the original invoice from the auction or dealer from which it was purchased upon request. 

Charging Sales TAX

This is another popular one, but it's really easy to catch. 

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In Japan, we have 8% sales tax on items that you buy. This includes buying cars. 

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HOWEVER

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This is NOT to be charged on exported goods. All exporters get this tax refunded by the government. It is illegal to charge a tax for export goods, yet exporters commonly charge this amount. 

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Pacific Coast Auto will not charge you tax on vehicle purchases, mechanical work, or parts. We get this amount refunded and will never charge you. 

Charging for hidden costs or fake fees

Again, most customers don't know how the exporter's business works and doesn't know what costs are legitimate. Here is a list of fees that are commonly charged, even though they shouldn't be. 

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RECYCLE TICKET - This is a fee the exporters pay, but it refunded. It is usually 5,000 - 22,000 yen. 

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ROAD TAX - If the car has plates, the exporter must buy the remaining registration off of the previous owner. This money is refunded once you de-register the car. It is usually 5,000 - 70,000 yen. 

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DE-REGISTRATION - This is sometimes charged to customers. However, the actual cost to de-register a car is only about 350 yen - 1,500 yen and is usually included in the standard service fee. Pacific Coast Auto includes this in the standard fee. 

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DOCUMENT POST - This fee is usually included in the standard service fee but some exporters charge extra for it. The costs depend on the weight. It costs 1200 - 5,000 yen usually. Pacific Coast Auto includes this in the fee. Also note that some exporters will throw out the owner's manual, or vehicle records to lighten the package. 

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AUCTION FEE - The auction house needs profits so when you buy a car, they charge anywhere from 5,000 - 12,000 yen. Typically it's about 8,000 yen. Negotiation sales are extra (depending on the auction). Some exporters include this in their fee and some don't. Pacific Coast Auto includes this in our service fee. 

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OTHER FEES - Some exporters make up costs that don't mean anything and charge the customer. These fees can be several hundred dollars and are included for the express purpose of padding the wallets of the exporter.

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Pacific Coast Auto will look at your past invoices and confirm which items are correct and which charges are hidden fees or sneaky charges. 

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Marking up costs without mentioning it

At Pacific Coast Auto, we think that all fees charged to the customer for the standard export should not be marked up. However, other exporters don't agree with this and find secret places to make money off of you. 

 

INLAND TRANSPORT - The vehicle needs to move from the auction to the port (or to your exporter in our case). Since exporters can buy from any auction across Japan, costs vary. For "direct to port" exporters, the fee should be around 5,000 - 50,000 yen. If you exporter brings the car to their lot, the cost is usually another 10,000 yen. It's common for exporters to add extra yen to every transport and bill that to you. 

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OCEAN FREIGHT - This is a big one. It's very common for exporters to charge an extra 10,000 - 80,000 yen or more on the ocean freight. Even some of the biggest exporters out there will do this. Pacific Coast Auto does not mark up the ocean freight for any vehicles. We also credit customers if the exchange rate fluctuates and the amount of overcharge is more than 5,000 yen. Furthermore, we will show you a copy of the shipping invoice if you would like to confirm. 

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SPECIAL NOTE - Shipping and transport costs have to be invoiced before these costs are known to the exporter. It's common for there to be incidental costs in both categories. As such, PCA needs to add a small buffer so that we don't have to surprise you with extra costs after the fact. This fee is based on the real average costs for incidental fees. 

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masterboy123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993643#Comment_121993643

Is Pacific coast linked with JDM in Mullingar?

NBar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121993824#Comment_121993824

no they are not

murphthesmurf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121983243#Comment_121983243

AAs someone else said, all depends on the car. Some cars offer big savings, others not so much. You can grab some great low mileage examples from Japan though.

rob316

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120324568#Comment_120324568

Mind me asking what did you buy? Total price all in and mileage on the vehicle?

murphthesmurf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121997735#Comment_121997735

BMW ActiveHybrid 5, 2012, 62k kms. ~€10.5k landed in Ireland Inc VAT and customs. VRT was around €3300 I think. At the time I got it they were selling for around €22k here. Have dropped now though, but not many of them around.