can you tell me if you should have something to show millage is correct,thanks

 

Paper service records are hardly ever completed. You can pay BIMTA £17 and get the odometer reading at auction confirmed. Any alterations/dishonesty will have come into play after it left Japanese hands...

 

IMHO opinion there is no definitive proof to a imported cars history and mileage, and even if you did have history it coudl be for anything unless you can read japanese

 

ok thanks for yor help,ill keep looking

 

i got the service history with mine. but i have been to look at jdm cars with no history think its just one off them things

 

Not usually, best to get Bimta Cert & HPI etc check & specialist to look at it.

 

i called m25 cars,none of there cars have history,but all cars are about 60000 miles,they say "jap cars dont have history".
it sounded weird.

 

Best to buy one that was imported brand new.

 

JDM's will have history; mine has. If they don't have history, ask yourself why this might be?! Keep looking until you find one that has.

FYI I looked at a few JDM's Summer last year before I got my Spec C. Both had no history & it turns out fairly substantial accident damage ... make of that what you will.

TX.

PS

One of them also had 1000 miles on the clock yet looked as if it had done 100,000. People must take us for idiots

 

This is not good advice Im afraid. The greater majority of all Japanese cars do not come with any paper service records and where they do, its very uncommon for the service coupons to be completed.

Whenever I say this a raft of people usually state that their car has a completed service book..... In my experience something 1 in 500 (loose figures, but its SO rare) cars are auctioned with a service book, the reason is that all service records are computerised. Make of this what you will...

 

Mine came with the service booklet and a few stamps from the late 1990's. Personally, I take the dealer stamps with a pinch of salt, and would have bought my car even if it had no history. If it's been well maintained, it should be obvious to the trained eye (a good reason to take an expert with you to view the car, if you can). Besides, what good is a Japanese Service history, I wouldn't be able to read it!!! ;-)

 

What makes you an expert Sir

TX.

 

From my understanding he's imported a fair few cars himself in the past, so has experience of this kind of thing.

 

Youve asked my advice in the past. Im not an expert, but I have extensive experience.

Simon

 

^^ Fair enough. Is is safe to say that the Auction Certificate is a good indication of the quality of the car & mileage?

TX.

PS

I do have the service book with mine & it has a stamp

 

Mine came with SH ...shame i cant read Japanese!

 

They all come in with between 50 and 60k but most look like they have done twice that when you look at the wear on the seat bolsters, pedals and gearstick! My genuine 90k UK car is in better condition than my ex's old WRX that had "apparently" done 60k and just about every other 50-60k classic I saw had signs of high mileage wear on the steering wheel, pedals etc.

 

Had loads of service history with my 93wrx but as said by others, its all in Japanese, so it may as well be a pizza order for all i know! Buying a second hand car is always a gamble, you've just gotta judge it as you find it. To the reasonably trained mind there are always tell tale signs for a dodgy car. If your not happy just don't take the chance, its a buyers market, theres plenty about.

 

Didn't get any service history with mine whatsoever, although it did come complete with comedy Impreza manual

However, it has this sticker inside of the drivers door, and I'm not quite sure what it symbolises....seems a wierd place to keep record of a service? And its nothing to do with the date it was imported, as it wasn't brought over here until last year.

 

i bought my import 97 sti with 60,000m on the clock, i've had it over a 18 mths and it's never missed a beat, without any service history, couldn't ask for a better car.

 

Mine came with stickers on the timing belts etc showing mileages they had been changed and also 4 or 5 large fold out sheets which look like service sheets but as they are in japanese im none the wiser no records of mileages on them either!

 

My 93 WRX came without service history and apart from a silly boost issue (cured with a £5 bleed valve) its the best car ive had....my five Renault 5 gt turbos are a close second The WRX came completely standard from import with 42k on the clock, the interior is in excellent condition ie: gear ****, steering wheel, pedals etc.

Previously I had a 91 Celica GT4 from a garage in Doncaster and that came with bits and bobs of history.
I checked up on the service stamps with the garage who had completed the work. They had never worked on the car and had no records of ever doing so.......

 

thanks for all your help......cheers

 

Got my JDM WRX from Auction - No History and have done 36000KM's with no trouble at all.......................

 

Reasonably safe, yes.

 

Hi,
I'm no expert - I can only comment on personal experience. In my opinion Simon 69 is bang on. I imported my 94 wrx coming up for 7 yrs ago, and it was the most I had spent on a car. I did all the checks before buying, and was told by the import company (based in Japan) that they would not even consider selling any of their cars with any service history - the reason for this is because by and large, they would be fake. Apparently, all service records are done by stamps / stickers either in the engine bay, or inside the door jams, which are pulled off and replaced on each service. The Japanese are very honest people, and these services are set up completely different to the service records over here. Most Japanese vehicles have lovely mods and stereos fitted, but hardly ever have alarms, by the way. What my import company did send me were pictures of huge piles of blank service booklets which can also be purchased at the auction sites, and these are where some (not all) dealers will get their full service histories from. Basically, you take a chance, and rely on your own experience, or trust in someone elses. My car had 46k miles on it when it came over and had been converted from km, and is now coming up for 139k miles, so I guess it was a good 'un. However, there are plenty of sheds about, jap or otherwise - just be carefull of full service histories from Japan - I would say no history is less fishy than a full.

Cheers,
Mart.

 

That says in 1997 it was driven by a japanese bloke for 13,000km and was only 3ft 9inches. Never realised they were so small

 

lol at 3ft 9" jap impreza drivers.

I have had three jap import cars, and none have had a service history with them. I bought a Jap Import land cruiser and the condition was 10 times better than a UK car of same age. I have had a B4 Legacy (20k miles on clock, looked new everywhere I looked) which did have a bunch of documentation but it wasnt a service record as such. I agree with the comment about stickers everywhere showing mileages for last service.

The japs apparently have a maintenance intensive approach to car ownership. I have never had a problem with any of mine at all, and wouldnt hesitate to go the jap import route again. It aint scarey at all, just make sure it gets mapped for UK fuel or run on V Power and look after them.

My current car is a JDM Sti 9. I have been in other UK Sti's of same age, and they are always about 18 months behind in terms of the equipment levels in them.

A few years back I wouldnt have a bought a £20k ish car with no warranty, but its not an issue at all - provided its serviced properly here, use the right fuel, change the oil regularly, fit a knocklink (if modifying) and they are no more of a risk than a UK car - you just get more car for your money.

The cars are properly graded before they are exported from Japan, I dont know too much about that. I know some importers dont touch cars that are worse than a certain grade, hopefully some other punter will know about that?