Import from Japan to uk directly

I think the original poster was asking if anyone had experience with imports and could recommend an agent.

Paul, I haven't seen anyone with such experience here on this board. And we're probably not the right place to ask: the question has more to do with the import process, and the fact that the car is a Jimny is not really material to the issue.

Also, here on the board we pride ourselves on our savvy management of pounds spent (i.e. penny-pinching), see for example the recent thread where several forum members were revealed to have stashes of used brake pads. So if you ask us about an expensive process for purchasing a new car, we can only give you all the reasons why it will make your pocket hurt.  Best to go to a forum more focused on car import, or to talk to a specialist firm, for example a dealer whose stock often includes grey-market vehicles.

Then come back to us after something breaks on your new Jimny and you want tips on how to fix it quickly, cheaply, and well. We're good at that kind of thing.

 

Thank you for all your feedback. I would appreciate a name of a trusted company in Japan that someone has actually dealt with.Japanese Car Direct appear good - any advice anyone ?

A grey import is one that has not come in as part of a manufacturers import.

Sorry, I probably wasnt very clear, thats what we mean by a "jap import" down here. A used vehicle from japan that has done maybe 100,000km over there and is then hocked off in auction houses for opportunistic car sharks to make a profit on here, hence the boatloads of used japanese vehicles. Imported vehicles through the official dealers are regarded as "NZ New" and often fetch a higher price in the second hand market. This is all a bit off topic though sorry. 

I didn't realise that you guys couldn't get the 4 door or autos. We've just started seeing the 4 doors here, I saw them back one off the delivery truck at the dealer the other day as I drove past. I can see now why the OP was looking at importing one themselves. Pretty sure any joe bloggs can import a vehicle here in NZ,  but you do need to be a registered motor vehicle trader if you import more than 3 x vehicles in any 12 month period.
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373paul wrote:

Thank you for all your feedback. I would appreciate a name of a trusted company in Japan that someone has actually dealt with.Japanese Car Direct appear good - any advice anyone ?

There are a number of companies in the UK that offer import services. I'd speak with one of them. The process isn't or shouldn't be overly difficult, but unless you can speak Japanese or have a contact over there, you might find it a bit more challenging.

I've not used these people, but did have them bookmarked: www.torque-gt.co.uk/

Give them a call and see if they can help you.

I have never imported a car but did import a fibreglass dome from the US. It was a few years ago, cost $5,000 (about £3,500 at the time). Shipping, handling, customs clearing, import duty and VAT as well as I had to pay everyone at the port meant it cost about £5,500. Then shipping in a van from port to home.

I found this guide about importing cars from Japan, it’s from money transfer company Wise and seems to be a fairly comprehensive guide.

wise.com/gb/blog/importing-a-car-from-japan

My best guess would be that a new 4 seater Jimny would be somewhere near £30k to buy and import, plus you might not have a warranty and tax and insurance could cost more.

Robin

Hughes wrote:

A grey import is one that has not come in as part of a manufacturers import.

Sorry, I probably wasnt very clear, thats what we mean by a "jap import" down here. A used vehicle from japan that has done maybe 100,000km over there and is then hocked off in auction houses for opportunistic car sharks to make a profit on here, hence the boatloads of used japanese vehicles. Imported vehicles through the official dealers are regarded as "NZ New" and often fetch a higher price in the second hand market. This is all a bit off topic though sorry. 

I didn't realise that you guys couldn't get the 4 door or autos. We've just started seeing the 4 doors here, I saw them back one off the delivery truck at the dealer the other day as I drove past. I can see now why the OP was looking at importing one themselves. Pretty sure any joe bloggs can import a vehicle here in NZ,  but you do need to be a registered motor vehicle trader if you import more than 3 x vehicles in any 12 month period.
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A grey import can be a new or used vehicle. Vehicles sold here (well most places) require a form of Type Approval for the market. There are different categories and levels of Type Approval, such as low volume manufacturing like Caterham and other specialist car builders.

A grey import denotes it has no Type Approval and can be from any country. The usual process is that a vehicle goes through an Individual Vehicle Assessment (IVA) to gain Approval on a case by case basis. Numbers are limited to around 50 vehicles of a given make/model in a calendar year. Even large car makers go down this route and some Subaru Impreza's and Nissan Skylines would have had an IVA instead of full Type Approval. I believe vehicles over 25 years old are now exempt from needing an IVA, but I'd need to check the regs. Although not relevant for the op anyway.

This isn't about protecting local car industry, just to ensure vehicles meet a certain standard for things like emissions, lighting, safety etc.

While the UK has lost the large home brand mass market cars like Rover. There is still a large car manufacturing industry in the UK. Not just from companies like JLR, but Toyota, Nissan and others.