Has anyone got experience of importing a car from Japan? Or Scandinavia even?

[Sir Snipes]

I like this Ceffy Wagon;

 

https://www.tradecarview.com/used_car/nissan/cefiro+wagon/21073109/

 

Pointless and not RWD but at least the drift bores won't be after you.

[Heidel_Kakao]

Definitely valid points that need consideration. Parts wise if I got an older Crown it should be fairly simple and I would hope that if needed parts from other Toyota's could be adapted to fit. If I needed to store it off road at any point my mother's driveway is available.

 

Stageas are cool and I have fond memories of them from Gran Turismo but they are a bit too modern. I really feel like I want a "proper" 1970's classic that will be tax free and I can keep for a long time and maybe modify over time. I had lots of idle plans to do something cool like put a turbo rotary engine in my old 323 estate but that never happened Maybe if I got a suitable car and gathered all the parts needed over a period of time I could build and own something awesome. Think twin turbo Lexus V8 with a nice set of wheels. I find it easy to daydream about exactly how I would build a car if I had the skills but harder to actually make it a reality. Well I waffled on there a bit lol.

[Sir Snipes]

https://www.tradecarview.com/used_car/toyota/corona/20922437/

 

why did we not get this in the UK? It looks ACE!

[Sir Snipes]

I also fancy a Sunny RZ-1 (or ZX as we knew it) but a harder car to find and to find parts for there is unlikely to be.

 

A Puma would do the same job much. much easier but is also totally ordinary.

[cros]

 

Japan built Nissan estate, plenty of spares over here, all boxes ticked.

[Crusty Sills]

Not wanting to hijack this thread but are there any companies that do the same thing for American imports?

[Heidel_Kakao]

In a sign of how committed I am to this idea I am actually doing some overtime tomorrow for the first time in years! I like to think I am getting the hang of understanding this Japanese auction malarkey now, just got to wait for something to bid on.

[Heidel_Kakao]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253031561320

 

This seems nice but possibly too small for what I want.

[barefoot]

Have you seen http://mycarimport.co.uk/?gclid=COiAosCM99QCFcKVGwodFEYAsQ 

These blokes are next door to where I take my T2.

They always have interesting motors in, ignore the Porsche/Ferrari pic, I was reminded of them when I saw a bloke at the garage who'd just picked up his South African Ford Anglia from them.

I have no experience of dealing with them, their prices, I am not connected etc.

The blokes are friendly enough when I take pics of all their old chod & they let me sit in a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud and make brum brum noises.

[BorniteIdentity]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nissan-Sunny-estate-1989-MUST-GO-/112467239968

A little salty and probably not any more long pointy doggo-friendly than the Impreza. (edit: also not correct wheel drive)

Completely by coincidence I drove past this earlier when on location for work. It is absolutely smashing. In fact, I rather want it.

 

eBay says no longer available but have text him to find the SP.

[Heidel_Kakao]

So it has been one whole week since I started browsing the auctions in Japan trying to find something to import and not had any joy so far. I get very impatient once I have decided that I want something so this is going to be an endurance trial in terms of how long I can hold out. Ideally I want to acquire a suitable car & have it ready to drive to Holland in July 2018 for next years Japan Classic Sunday show so that gives me a deadline of sorts.

 

Does anyone else find it tiring and a bit of a chore checking all the different websites and places where a car could be for sale?

 

I did find this nice blog post from Toyota UK http://blog.toyota.co.uk/history-of-the-toyota-crown while googling. They sold a whopping 10713 Crowns in the UK between 1968 and 1984 and god knows what percentage of them were estates. So I think finding a UK car is not very likely.

[Heidel_Kakao]

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Datsun-300C-Estate-Manual/122594819713

 

So this just popped up on Ebay. Very tempting but it's in Southampton so may well be sold by the time I get a chance to view it. I almost just want to click buy it now. Is £2500 reasonable for one of these?

[panhard65]

Lots of corrosion advisories in the past and being sold by a dealer / scrapyard, I would have it inspected first.

[Heidel_Kakao]

Yeah I was looking at the MOT history. I can't get to Southampton this weekend anyway so if it's still for sale next week I may arrange a viewing. I need to try and curb my impulse to just buy things lol, it's ok when spending a few hundred pounds on random cars that I don't really care about but a different matter when spending thousands on something that I plan to keep for a long time.

[Spottedlaurel]

The 300C was always a rare model, Nissan only sold something like 300 of them here. I had one back in 1999-2000, when they could be picked-up for a just a few hundred pounds.

 

They only come as a 5-speed manual and the injected V6 is a lovely smooth engine. It’s a detuned version of the 300ZX unit. The ad says it’s 24-valve but it isn’t.

 

They can rust, inevitably, and probably the hardest thing to find parts-wise other than trim and panels will be steering/suspension components. Back end should be easy enough as they have a solid axle, but the front could be tricky. If the exhaust needs replacing it would be cheaper to go for a full stainless system by Powerflow or the like.

 

That being said, the Y30 estate was in production for many years after the saloons so it should be possible to get parts direct from Japan.

 

They’re amusingly quick, but the steering is still a box not a rack so it will feel slightly vague. They’re the sort of car you climb up into and have the feel of a proper big thing.

 

I have seen that particular one before, it looked decent enough and if it has an honest MoT and is running OK then it’s probably not a bad price nowadays.

 

300C and Laurel at Foxhall by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

1985 Nissan 300C Estate (Y30) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Datman used to run them and he knows their problems very well. It would be worth getting in touch with him about it, he may well have supplied parts or even have seen it himself.

 

Since my photos it seems to have had a set of saloon alloys fitted (I imagine someone wanted the steels for a banger). It should have trims like my old one:

 

1986 Nissan 300C estate (Y30) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

If you can find a set of 5x114.3 steels then I do have a set of the trims in my garage.

 

If it’s good then I think this ticks your boxes, and would potentially be a better bet than a £7k import which might still have condition/parts availability issues.

[trigger]

I also saw this on ebay, it doesn't look bad but probably needs a little love, i wonder if it's one of Howards?.

 

They do look smart on a set of Jeep alloys.

[dollywobbler]

Values for them have certainly firmed up now so few are left. 

 

I know exactly how you feel though. If I've decided to buy a new car, it becomes a mania. It completely stops me doing anything else, and I'll spend HOURS searching for the right car. Then inevitably buy completely the wrong one. Oddly, the Daimler, Nissan and the Proton were 'circumstance' purchases rather than the usual blind panic. The Honda was one of those mania buys, and has actually turned out remarkably well. Circumstance purchases (ie the car is presented to you when you foolishly have funds available or just can't say no) doing less well, though all have been fun in their way!

[Heidel_Kakao]

Lots of useful stuff!

Cheers for that info dump I have actually now arranged to view it this Sunday (where there is a will there is a way lol) assuming it is still for sale. I will email Datman as you suggest as it can't hurt. I too remember seeing them on Retro Rides for a few hundred pounds but I would imagine most of them got bangered and it's still going to be cheaper than importing something that is for sure.

 

 

I know exactly how you feel though. If I've decided to buy a new car, it becomes a mania. It completely stops me doing anything else, and I'll spend HOURS searching for the right car.

Yes mania describes it perfectly! I suffer from Bi-Polar disorder (previously known as Manic Depression) so that probably ties it into as well. Half the fun of getting a new car for me is doing the research on Wikipedia etc and finding out which spec is the best and which ones to avoid. Rebound purchases used to be the worst for me, when you don't get the particular car that you want for whatever reason and still have the cash burning a hole in your pocket so just spunk it on something else entirely which normally goes badly. When I bought the 940 I actually looked at multiple models of the same car which is almost unheard of for me and that turned out to probably be my best ever car purchase so I can sometimes buy a car "correctly".

[Heidel_Kakao]

Datman has given me some tips for checking out the 300C on Sunday which basically boil down to, check for rot rot rot. He also mentioned as did SL that it's on the wrong wheels and OEM exhausts are unobtanium so check that too. Price wise it could be a bit salty unless it's an absolute minter which I have my doubts about.

 

 

Just noticed that the side trim is missing from the rear panel, I guess they are originally just glued on. I could maybe see myself buying this if I can knock some money off and then still keep my eye out for a Crown from Japan or anything else that pops up. It can't hurt to have the experience of owning one of these anyway.

[Heidel_Kakao]

Well just had a text message and the 300C has sold. So the hunt continues!

[DodgeRover]

Crowns still turn up from time to time not many crown estates though, and you'll be paying good money due to there ability to go round the oval well

[Heidel_Kakao]

Still not found anything worth importing from Japan yet From Bickles Florian thread I became aware of Nettiauto.com.

 

https://www.nettiauto.com/toyota/crown/8012087

 

Google translate says "A softly vibrating beauty. I miss a lot of makeup, but real love is blind and does not bother about the beauty she's bought. The electric rear hatch is working. Sofa bench in front. Come on. If you do not want to drive by car, then you get the feeling and memories in the journal."

 

Well from that description alone I am sold! I am half seriously thinking about trying to acquire this fine machine but I fear it may above my shitey skills to buy a car from so far away without the services of an import company.

 

If I were to actually go ahead (Still daydreaming at this point so please indulge me) then my concerns/issues would be as follows;

 

• Is the car an ok price? This is probably my lesser concern. I am finding it hard to judge the price of these things because there are hardly any for sale but I would be prepared to pay the asking price.

• Possible language barrier. No idea if the seller speaks English but they are a dealer and have a phone number so I am tempted to just phone up and see what happens.

• Condition of the car. Is it a rust bucket?

• The logistics of getting it to the UK. The biggest hurdle in my opinion. The exciting option would be flying to Finland and driving it all the way home, it would not be the cheapest but I could treat it as a holiday and epic road trip. The more sensible option would be having it shipped from Finland to the UK and just going to pick it up at the port. If I were to try driving it back would it make it? No idea at this point. Also the earliest I could attempt such a thing would be October as there is no leave availability at my workplace till then.

 

Lots to ponder really. I am leaning towards just going for it even though it could end up being a complete disaster.

[Asimo]

Phone.

Talk.

Fly.

Buy.

Drive.

[Heidel_Kakao]

Phone.

Talk.

Fly.

Buy.

Drive.

You forgot to add WCPGW? lol. But yeah that would be the plan at the moment. I even started planning a route which would go via Gothenburg (Volvo museum) Billund (Lego house) and Amsterdam (city of culture) to make the most of the road trip.

[Lacquer Peel]

Wow that's a beauty!

 

The weights on the front nearside wing and 80 KM/H sticker, is it registered as a commercial vehicle in Finland? 

[nigel bickle]

Copy me, then Shiply from Harwich. Simples

[Parky]

Pretty much every Finn I have met speaks excellent English so I doubt language will be a problem.

[Heidel_Kakao]

Wow that's a beauty!

 

The weights on the front nearside wing and 80 KM/H sticker, is it registered as a commercial vehicle in Finland?

I did wonder about that, probably classed as a van for tax reasons or something.

 

 

Copy me, then Shiply from Harwich. Simples

Would certainly be the easiest option.

 

Pretty much every Finn I have met speaks excellent English so I doubt language will be a problem.

That's good to hear as my Finnish is non existent along with all other languages other than English.

[hairnet]

speak to siert on RR

 

job jobbed - and he might be going rrg at shelsley so delivery y0!

 

email him finnish mot??

 

when last used???

[overrun]

I can think of a fair few Japanese motors I'd like to import. Not sure how importers, use to 500bhp Skylikes, would react if asked to source the equivalent of a 1995 Carina though......

Brave Auto on YouTube would find you a winner. I love watching his videos.