How to buy and export a used car from Japan

How to buy and export a used car from Japan

Japan has been a rich source of used cars for many years and each day thousands of people buy a used car direct from Japanese car auctions. The benefits are many: * Good quality, reliable, economical and famous Japanese brands such as Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi. * Low milage. Most cars come with less than 100,000 kilometers on the clock * Good condition. Regular servicing and repairs due to strict Japanese Government safety checks. * Many options. Many owners choose several options, so your car will come feature packed. * Cheap! Cars can start at auction for 1 yen, although you'll probably pay a little more than that! * And more...In this article I'll cover the following points to help you understand the Japanese used car market and make a more informed choice about buying a car for export to your country. * Japanese used car dealers * The buying and importing processJapanese used car dealers The process of buying and importing a used car has become much easier with the advent of the internet. There are thousands of dealers throughout Japan and around the world who have websites offering cars they have in stock, or offering a custom car search service where they take your specifications and search the auctions until they find a car to match your exact needs. There is a wide variety of export car dealers. Some dealers are huge organisations dealing with large volumes of cars while others are single entrepreneurs who run their own businesses. Of course the larger a company the bigger the overheads and so probably you'll end up paying slightly more in dealer fees, but you get more security from dealing with an established business. The choice between price and reliability is yours. The Japanese Government recognised JUMVEA (Japanese Used Motor Vehicle Exporters Assosciation) maintains a member list of companies which "was created to address this problem [of poor quality cars and dealers], being composed of used car exporters of excellent credentials and high credibility" JUMVEA website. Their aim is to give membership to those companies which show their reliability and service over time, so if you are particularly worried about trust then look for a company with this accreditation. You can check the list of members on the JUMVEA website, and accredited members will proudly display their membership on their website. However not many companies have JUMVEA membership so before buying from a non member do the following checks: * See if the exporters bank details are listed on the website * Call the company at least once to ask about any questions you may have. Bona fide companies will have no problems with talking to you over the phone, although be patient with their English abilty! * Ask for testimonials * Check the quality of response to your enquiries. If the dealer is obscuring or dodging an issue then move onIn general use your common sense and if something is suspicious or dosent feel right then don't proceed and find another dealer