newby

iTrader: (2)

hi i am new to the scooby club and need some advice. i have been looking at importing a wrx direct from japan are there any pitfalls to watch?
will the car need any expensive mods?
would appreciate any help , dont want to get ripped off .

GC8

There are endless pitfalls. You must get a certificate of De-registration with a translation. It MUST show the type approval number to register the car; you wont know if it does til you land it, or receive the docs after loading at least. You need to know the auction grade of the car; few dealers will make this available to you; many cars are clocked AFTER auction (not by the Japs btw). Lastly, if it was built after 311296 then you MUST be able to hire a model report in order to ESVA it; no model report, no SVA certificate then no registration plate til its 10 yrs old. Theres more too but its 01:30 and I cant remember. Id think long and hard; there a certain ethnic groups of dealers to avoid too but Im not prepared to be accused of being rascist. Despite the impression thats given, very few of the 'importers' with forecourts actually import cars, most wouldnt know where to start; they just buy 'flicked' 'R' grade sh!te from docks auctions. Even when you knwo what youre doing Id say its similar to repairing quality salvage; you have to expect to take a dip on every third one.

Simon

rfowler

Its a headache; dont go there?

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

I own a JDM STi (MY03 Spec C) from new, no problems with it, older cars can be problems so you need to buy from a reputable dealer (depends on age and cost your wanting to spend?).

Tony

mo,s scoobymonster

hi mate i imported my own scooby but the main thing is that you look at the auction grade sheet anything from grade 3.5 is ok but go for grade 4 mate dont go for grade R cos these have all been in an accident and are damaged repaired. also if you see a grading sheet where its markedXXXX that means these panels have been changed.also try to get a car with service history mate. once youve bought ther car you will have to pay for the car and agent fees. they will put the car on the ship for you and theyll get the B/L certificate for you and the deregistration.once the cars landed youll have to get in contact with customs and pay for the customas and vat .this is how they work it out the value of the car in japan plus the shipping then you pay 10% of this as customs then on the whole lot you have to pay 17.5% vat.and you have to pay about 80quid for customs clearence.
then you have to get the car sva and anycar afetr april1995 has to have a model report and the car has to conform to that these can cost anything from 50-500. and the fee for the sva is 180. afeter ther car has passe4d you need to get the car motd then you have to go to dvla ioffice get a first registration form and they charge 35 for this takes 2 days to get it registered but youll have to have the car insured on the chasis number for this. hope this helps there is quite a bit of running around mate so good luck

BLACK V5

Best thing to do is find one that was imported new by someone else. Then it should have a full uk history.

GC8

Most of what Mo said is correct, however; there is little chance of getting a service book as all Japanese service records are kept on computer and its VERY unusual for the service book to be completed beyond the first 500/1000 mile service. All vehicles which are less than 10 yrs old at the time of presentation require an Enhanced SVA test; if your vehicle was produced after 311296 meaning a '97 onwards then it will need a model report as I stated. April 1995 has no relevance; i just SVA'd my May 95 wagon without needing a medel report. As I said; the disabled loophole has closed so if you get a 97 onwards car and you cant hire a model report then youre stuffed; The majority of cars dont have reports available as EVERYONE used the 'D' option to get through before. Getting your certificate of dereg with the B/L is all well and good but if the necessary numbers are missing you are buggered. The translation may help here as they might have been pulled because a non-type approved exhaust was fitted; if not.....

Simon

Foot_Tapper

Hi Newby, i imported my own JDM WRX, like a few peeps on here.
Yes, it can be a miriad of pitfalls. If you go in with ur eyes open, you can minimize some risks.
Buy direct from either a uk importer if he supplies a warranty, or cheaper way , from a Japanese export company. The second obviously includes a lot of DIY paperwork, but can be worth it. Be specific in what you order. ie know the model types and model codes.
Good advice to go for auction grade 4 or plus. But be wary of buying post 97 models as said, for reasons of sva model reports.
If you ask a jap exporter to buy for you, make sure you specify if you mind a car thats been modified.
Few £'s for sva parts as well
Be prepared to spend a further £500 having a decent service afterwards.
ie all belts (cam etc), plugs, filters. You will not know proper history so its worth doin; also establishes a baseline for your servicing.
Good luck !

dibble wants a scooby

GC8
I am a complete novice to buying a scoob but have seen one in Sheff today
Advice needed...
Its been modifed, but the guy doesnt know what has?
Its got a raft of reciepts and such and one includes balancing crank and pistons, so I presume its had an engine rebuild
116K km??
What do I need to look for....
Its being sold by a garage opposite Atterclife police sta (you prob know which one !)
It looks as though its been looked after and has loadsa bills but...........
Cheers in advance
Dibble

GC8

I know where you mean, but I havent seen the car. 116,000 Km's isnt a problem on its own as its only just over 72,000 miles. Modifications are another matter; bit like Marmite I think; you either love them or hate them. Id sooner buy a 100% standard car and then alter it as I saw fit. You have to wonder why the engine was rebuilt dont you? Despite having a Scooby Im not really a Subaru expert; Id recommend Dean and Jeff at Premier just off St. Marys Gate. They used to be the techs at Bentleys when it was franchised and theyre opposite the original Bentleys Subaru site. If the people selling it arent prepared to let them look for 30/60 minutes I wouldnt consider it further. If theres anything wrong with the vehicle Premier will find it in 30 minutes and it will cost under £20. Youre still probably better getting something freshly imported, but considering my previous remarks Id steer away from t'internet and look at a firm like Newera. Speaking of the internet it isnt hard to find firms ready to export cars but some of the cars theyre offering are appaling. Id avoid ANY company that isnt owned by Japs; the only exception being SOME ex-pats and colonials but not all! A good example of a firm selling low grade cars at high prices would be www.ridhaa.com '95 automatic 'wagon for £1350, sounds tempting? Im not tempted... Dibble; feel free to email me if you need any more advice or theres something where I can ACTUALLY help you :-)

Simon

ex-webby

Be careful as well

there are some significant changes in the regulations surrounding this which have only just taken effect.

We are investigating all of this with relevant parties and as it is clear that this could create some serious problems for some people / companies.. and will report back as soon as we have the answers.

All the best

Simon

GC8

I think that this will be the closed loophole Simon. By fitting principally a steering aid to the steering wheel and a little more trickery it was possible to side step the requirement to take an ESVA using a model report, for 97 onwards vehicles. People were taking the ****, but its taken the state a long time to put the change into effect. The date has now passed so if you didnt book your SVA before April then the new rules apply to you with no way of avoiding them. But the camper swindle; thats another matter.....

Simon

dibble wants a scooby

cheers for that i'll give em a visit
They haven't even called me back, so they can't be that bothered about selling!!!
Dib's