Go to Japan to purchase your own Delica?

[cnteabo]

I am wondering if it makes any sense at all to go to Japan and shop for a Delica Van myself and then arrange to have it shipped through a reputable exporters? I have bought almost all of my previous personal vehicles in Canada through private sales and have been fairly consistent at getting good value. Unfortunately I don't speak Japanese but I am told english is fairly common in Tokyo. Any suggestions about where to shop other than the auctions? Are there agents in and around Tokyo who provide a sort of escorted shopping service? or should I just head for a Canadian importer and forget the hassle? Any input is appreciated.

[Golf Cart]

http://www.delica.ca/forum/auction-in-japan-6568.html

[delicat]

I understand where you're coming from but you'd waste so much time, money, energy and frustration that I seriously doubt it's worth it for you. A better approach would be to visit one of the recommended dealers or buy privately here.

If you are really interested in a Delica I'm sure you'll dig this forum inside out and you'll get to know all you need to make a great purchase. Go talk to Mardy at Amanzingautoimports or MaxOverdrive and the likes. You'll get to see what they have to offer and best of all is that they provide you with a fully serviced truck which you won't get in Japan.

And if you get familiar with this forum you'll surely come across some active member looking to sell his truck then you can't go wrong.

Finally, a bunch of us have purchased directly from Japan but there's always a small risk so stick to those that have a good reputation (Brave Auto... Mardy again...)

But a trip to Japan is always nice, such a beautiful country!

Good luck!

[Blackberry]

Are there agents in and around Tokyo who provide a sort of escorted shopping service?

As many have done successfully, you could use an exporter in Japan. A few have been recommended here. PM me and I will recommend one. I'd say the biggest deciding factors as to whether you want to buy locally (dealer or private) or import yourself would be to import one yourself if: b) you are not in a hurry and a) you are into DIY mechanics (and not just changing the oil kinda DIY), in that order

If you want to import yourself and then pay "professionals" (as indicated by many posts on this site - some in name only, and a few bona-fides such as CVI, CC's, Mardy, by earned reps.) to comply it for inspection and do all the necessary preventative maint. it should have done, then it's just not cost-effective and has a higher risk of getting a lemon. I say higher risk, but I believe the risk of getting something from auction that is rated a 3.5 or 4 and has a major mechanical issue is still relatively low. Perhaps some professional exporters and importers have kept stats on this and could share them? Hopefully it's not a dirty little secret. I suspect not otherwise it would be difficult for the importers to turn a profit. If anything it's the other way around - generally better mechanical condition coming out of auctions than the importers would like you to believe. Anyway, falling into a) and b) above, I've imported my own and have another vehicle on the way. As well, given the risk exposure is in the few-thousand$ order of magnitude vs. ten$-of-thousand$, I'm accepting of purchasing from auction tires-un-kicked. Also, notwithstanding whatever value I'd put on my time, importing and wrenching oneself would probably result in a few (say $2K-$5K) savings, depending on what you do to the van vs. what you'd get & price payed buying locally. Hope I haven't repeated too much in a repeated thread!