Auction sites

[C1TPT]

Hi, wow thank you for your offer! i'll keep in touch

 

[naha_music]

i just wanted to share some news with you and anyone else out there looking to get a s15 spec r from japan. a friend of mine was at the uss car auction in tokyo today and they had 12 spec r's. 6 of them had reconditioned (salvaged) titles, which i don't even care to look at those. they had 4 others with clean titles, but required alot of work, ie. rust, dents, etc. the other 2 was a 2000 model, 83k, with mild mods, condition was a 4, and a 2002 model, 53k, with mild but tasteful mods, condition ranked at 4.5. the 2000 model did not sell, reserve was set at Y110k. the 2002 model hasn't been auctioned yet, but will most likely be sold for around Y145k. it's getting harder and harder to find an s15 in good condition.

 

[C1TPT]

Thanks for the information, so the 2000 model had a reserve of about £800 and didnt sell? or am i being stupid?

 

[Ozone]

I think the reserve must have been 110 man Yen which is 1100k Yen - that would make it around £8k, not £800.

 

[C1TPT]

Yeah i assumed it was million! just had to ask

 

[Yakozan]

I think the reserve must have been 110 man Yen which is 1100k Yen - that would make it around £8k, not £800.

£8k from the auction would be about £13k UK ready with SVA and everything.
probobly more as I assume freight cost, and FOB price has gone up with the Yen. So probobly around £14k.

In other words, not a very good idea.

 

[Pazz]

it's getting harder and harder to find an s15 in good condition.

I came to this conclusion last year when I was looking through the auctions. The majority seem to be in bad condition or have had the classic japanese repair bodge jobs.

Don't forget also that there is no UK model report for 2001 and 2002 model S15's. So rule those out straight away.

£8,000 for an 83k seems about right, as Yako says that must come to about £11-13k on the road in the UK dependant on what mods are on the car.

All in all, what have we learnt today?

BUY AN S15 ALREADY IN THE UK.

 

[mint]

lol Pazz Keep aiming for the sale

Its true tho, My sources in Japan told me just the other morning the job there having trying to source clean s15 Spec R's, Its getting scarch.. im beginning to think if i shud part with mine.. as its pretty damm clean and low millage tbh.

 

[JEZ 8553]

You cant go just by the grading either. Grades are useful to filter out the total crap but i would always strongly suggest that you have someone in Japan that can do a further inspection. If thats not possible then you should be able to arrange for a small fee for for the auction to have someone do a more thorough examination.

When i was looking we turned down 2 cars that looked great on the grade sheet (grade 4b's) but after further inspection 1 was shown to have rear panel replacements (which Charlie advised to avoid) and the other had a fair bit of rust believe it or not.

....oh it also took me over 10 months to find a decent full Aero white Spec R with both me and Charlie checking the auctions on an almost daily basis to see what was coming in. Thats not too say it will take that long but if you are after something specific like me then you may be in a for a wait (of course after i brought mine plenty of white Aero's started popping up in the auctions )

 

[Pazz]

lol Pazz Keep aiming for the sale

Mine's not really for sale, generally speaking lol! But lets just say I've been taking offers! New company car means its not getting much use.

I'm just saying that in these circumstances, importing your own just makes no sense.

 

[naha_music]

You cant go just by the grading either. Grades are useful to filter out the total crap but i would always strongly suggest that you have someone in Japan that can do a further inspection. If thats not possible then you should be able to arrange for a small fee for for the auction to have someone do a more thorough examination.

When i was looking we turned down 2 cars that looked great on the grade sheet (grade 4b's) but after further inspection 1 was shown to have rear panel replacements (which Charlie advised to avoid) and the other had a fair bit of rust believe it or not.

....oh it also took me over 10 months to find a decent full Aero white Spec R with both me and Charlie checking the auctions on an almost daily basis to see what was coming in. Thats not too say it will take that long but if you are after something specific like me then you may be in a for a wait (of course after i brought mine plenty of white Aero's started popping up in the auctions )

i completely agree. at the auctions, i see some cars with a decent grade, ie. 3.5-4.0, but after actually inspecting them, it's in alot worse condition than imagined. lots of rust, replaced body, doors not aligned, etc... i asked one of the inspectors at the auction about this, and was told since the spec r was a 'speciality car' and since ones with clear titles are few, they are more relaxed on the grading procedures. in my opinion, that's bs. also, just so you know, the 2002 model that i spoke of earlier ended up selling for Y133k, cheaper than expected.

 

[mint]

Most import companies can inspect the car before it leaves Japan anways.

Try Andy from Power Vehicles or Mick from Ultimate Vehicles if your after one.
If you went from Andy then they would probally be sourced in by Kazama of Kazama Auto. Taken to Andy to have a full inspection by his mechanics and then send over to the UK.

Thats my 2p. Andy's a busy man atm, Let me know if you need any more info but iv seen the work done there at Kazama Auto and Power Vehicles when i was over in tokyo last, and its more than top notch tbh.

 

[C1TPT]

Thanks for all the comments and oppinions guys, they have all been taken on board!

Cheers

 

[C1TPT]

Just a thought, if Torque are able to sell there s15's for around £9000 then surley they would have imported them for less? assuming they didn't get them when the exchange rate was good!

 

[Pazz]

assuming they didn't get them when the exchange rate was good!

It takes a few months to bring a car into the country. However some importers advertise their cars whilst in transit.

At a guess they probably bought the car before the exchange rate drop.

A bit crude but you get the picture:

For a more detailed chart go here: http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=gbpJPY%3DX#chart1:symbol=gbpjpy=x;range=1y;indicator=volume;charttype=line;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=off;source=undefined

 

[mint]

Just a thought, if Torque are able to sell there s15's for around £9000 then surley they would have imported them for less? assuming they didn't get them when the exchange rate was good!

I paid a weee bit more than that for mine, however its low millage. I got mine when s15's where pretty much all over the shop in Japan, Now there getting harder to source good ones thus more money is required.

 

[C1TPT]

Well i decided to get one already imported, from Torque! got a great deal on it!

CANT WAIT TO GET IT

Cheers for all your comments guys