Importing a car from Japan, 3 years later. Final verdict. 

"Kanaric" (Kanaric1) 05/24/2017 at 05:30 • Filed to: None

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So i’ve had imported a R32 Skyline in 2014 and wrote a few articles here on it. After 3 years of ownership I have a final verdict, don’t do it.

Don’t do it unless you have an unlimted budget and you can get the best car possible. I got a car that outwardly looked great, had great ratings on the Japanese auctions. I’ve had numerous non stop constant issues the entire 3 years and finally today i’ve had the last straw.

Details

The car I bought was listed as having minor surface rust on the undercarriage and minor rust on the “baffle” according to the auction sheet. Me and the importer I used considered this to be a minor issue. Surface rust on a 25 year old car from Japan is to be expected, we were not sure what the baffle was but as it said minor rust I was willing to accept it.

The Reality

The reality of the situation was the car had NO surface rust underneath. It looked perfect. The car outwardly was almost like new, well just much nicer looking then a typical 25 year old car. But the “reality” here was hiding something. A previous battery in the car had rotted through underneath the battery and corroded the drive side frame rail. I did not find this out about the frame rail until I got into an accident with this car. An accident that normally would be me just buying a hood and a “front cut” and moving a new bumper bar, lights, and a single fender over. The frame rail needed to be rebuilt, since the car more than doubled in value since I owned it I thought it would still be worth fixing it, so I did. It cost $5000 to fix all of this. I paid $4000 for the car. This was “worth it” at the time because cars with this mileage and condition were going for $12k due to a massive price jump. I couldn’t replace it.

Then there was the electrical issues. The car was dying at random from when i bought it, on the highway I might add, and the wiring harness for the headlights melted. Eventually I took it to an automotive electrician who found a short to fix this. The problem? That was the third guy. By then numerous other things had gone wrong in the car as a result of this. Including me electrocuting myself.

Since I got it, even before the accident, I had constant overheating issues. I tried resolving it myself and failed so I took it to a mechanic. The first guy flushed the car multiple times and this did not fix it. He didn’t want to deal with it any further so I brought it to Nissan who did the same thing plus replace the thermostat. This worked, for a while actually. I had the car perfectly fine for like 5 months and trusted it enough to do autocross with it. Then one night time summer autocross the car overheated again.

This mechanic at this point failed me multiple times and I couldn’t find out what was going on myself. So I took it to another guy, a guy known in town as an import mechanic that worked on modded cars and Nissans like 240sx and some Skylines even. I decided I was going to explode my wallet at this guy and make sure this issue was resolved forever. He ordered a radiator for me, replaced the water pump with a nismo unit, redid the cooling hoses, and even drove it himself for two weeks to work to make sure all issues were resolved. Gave me the car back.

By that point I almost had the car for two years. Repairing the frame rail took the mechanic almost 6 months and I had to sideline the car a few times because I had a budget for it.

A Month Ago

At this point I was trusting the issues were fixed, ordered a bunch of stuff for a major upgrade in the future to a larger turbo, did a bunch of work on the car preparing for this. I was driving it to work once a week carefully to make sure it was fine. Then one day the radiator exploded. No joke, exploded. Massive fracture on it in an arc like pattern made me think that the fan blade somehow contacted it causing this. The fan shroud was also heavily damaged. The guy I worked with thought that maybe the shroud was damaged from the previous accident, contacted the fan, and then was pushed into the radiator causing this. It seemed possible to me, but I was skeptical. At this point I told him to thoroughly go through the entire car, check engine mounts, check radiator mounts, I ordered a full gasket kit (including head gasket) plus mounts for the car, everything. At this point I was through working on the car myself in regard to this cooling issue so I didn’t even attempt it. This work was done, after a while I got the car back for all of one month.

Now

So by tonight I thought the car was fine. I had been driving it for a bit over the month regular without issue. Drove it hard. Did some canyon carving. I then installed mods to prepare for the turbo upgrade, like clutch upgrade and all of that. Thinking FINALLY, this thing is working. Nope.

So friends from work wanted to check the car out so we go to this bar every tuesday to hang out. I bring it.

Driving home I suddenly lose power without warning on the highway. I had been religiously checking gauges and things due to the overheating issue being so triggering. This time that did not help. I pull over I notice massive amount of smoke coming from under the hood even more than when the previous radiator exploded. I smell boiling coolant and change my worldview to nihilism where before I just saw red. What the ever loving fuck could be the problem at this point? EVERYTHING I can think of was touched. All things related to cooling was replaced I could even think of. This time, however, the car will not start. Inside the engine bay was the hottest I have ever felt in any car ever.

It is dead.

Nightmare

Unfortunately I had been having problems with my cell phone and I live in a sparsely popular side of Las Vegas. No cars coming. I am about 5 miles from home and it’s 12am. I go walking around and no gas station has a pay phone anymore. Also nobody will let me use their phone because the culture in this city is cancerous. So I walk home. After an hour I get my main car, a Mustang GT I never had ANY issue with quite literally aside a tire blowout. I get back to that car and it’s like an hour and a half later, I touch the head in the car and get burned so bad I have a blister right now. Obviously a bad sign given the time passed. To think I almost just opened the radiator cap to start with, luckily i felt the heat coming off it.

These haven’t been the only issues with this car. It’s been, overall, a piece of shit. And this was considered a GOOD one by many, including the people I had do a thorough post-purchase PPI on and all the failed mechanics I took it to telling me it’s a “find” and “perfect”. The added difficulty of nobody in this city knowing anything at all about it and me having to rely on my knowledge alone. If you want a car like this live in Chicago or LA. A place where there is 10 times the population of Las Vegas and so probably far more experienced shops to help you with issues you can’t figure out. OR use someone like RHD Japan to import a car, people who will fully inspect and guarantee the vehicle.

Right now i’m about ready to just dump this shit in the trash. Or sell it as a “shell”. Even if I get it running again I wouldn’t dare sell it to someone as a functioning vehicle.

Final Verdict

Now you might think I would never import a car from Japan ever again. I would. I would but, as I said above, if I had an importer doing a full inspection of it and guaranteeing it. However that is not enough, I would NEVER import a car not sold here again unless I ran my own shop or it was an extremely simple classic vehicle like a Ford Capri. So I would import a Supra or a RX7 but not a Skyline. I may consider it if I lived near AMS Performance or some place like that when I was in Chicago. However in Las Vegas you have very little choice in terms of car knowledge to tap into. It wasn’t my intent on getting a TRUE project car, I was expecting a turn key vehicle with typical simple old car problems. This isn’t what happened.

In regard to this shit? I have totally and utterly given up and cannot recommend this path. Want a classic vehicle? Get something like a classic Mustang with a V8 and a simple carb setup. Or a LS1 C5 Corvette since EVERYONE knows how to work on that if you have issues and you have autozone parts catalog. Do not get some rare in the US yet still regular as fuck car from Japan.

Months ago I started an import process on a FD RX7, when I last thought my issues with cars like this were over and it was only a temporary thing. I am getting this through RHD Japan who said they will guarantee the car. However since I paid for it and until now has been since almost December. It’s been a ridiculous length of time. Since this is a car sold here and I have ZERO intention on modding it and it’s pristine with only 27,000 KM and they are going to go over it with a fine tooth comb I am still PRAYING for no issues.

I am lucky. I am lucky in that I am not one of these fools who has a tight budget and thinks they can daily drive a car like this. I have a decent job that pays quite well and I am past the point where I would even feel safe dumping more money into the car now. I obviously have enough money for 3 cars and a house so I am not financially limited like other people. I can’t imagine the idiots on reddit being egged on to daily drive one of these on a shoestring budget. I always warn them only to get downvoted as they seek confirmation bias.

If you ever want to do this REALLY think it though. REALLY think it though. Think “isn’t there a car sold in the US that is better than this?”. Think, do people around here know how to work on this? Think, can I afford to spend the cars price over once again fixing shit? Think, am I a master mechanic? I bet if you are you might be good rolling a dice on an import like this. I can go on giving better alternatives to almost anything you can import and go on with more issues i’ve had and go on with how hard it is to find some mechanic who isn’t a dipshit to help you out with these cars when you hit a brick wall.... but i’m done.

I hate to type a depressing post like this but seriously, this car made me rethink my life.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Kanaric 05/24/2017 at 05:40

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you had a memorable time with it, sadly not in the way you were intending though.

AdverseMartyr > Kanaric 05/24/2017 at 05:44

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That sucks. I’m sorry.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Kanaric 05/24/2017 at 06:49

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Sorry to hear friend - it’s a shame to hear what was your dream car at the time has devolved into this...

I’m hoping when I import my FIAT 126 I don’t run into the same issues. Rare as hell car over here but you can’t get much simpler than an air-cooled 652cc two-cylinder! Should be easy enough to work on, it won’t be my DD and parts are easy enough to get online or through one or two companies in the US.

AM3R, lost another burner > Kanaric 05/24/2017 at 08:17

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How much does a clean FD go for these days in Japan?

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Kanaric 05/24/2017 at 08:24

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I’m sorry to hear about your troubles. That’s frustrating to not be able to diagnose and repair a recurring issue. I can’t say I’ve had similar experience, and hope to not have that experience. Any chance of saving it? Full engine swap time? Have you reached out to the shops that specialize in these cars? Might be worth the shipping to drop it off to a specialist shop?

No matter, your insight is appreciated, as is you sharing the soul crushing details with us all. All we ever hear about are the good experiences with importing these, or the dummies who end up getting them crushed cause they skirted the laws.

I went through the thought process with my newest purchase of thinking what is the worst case scenario? Can I handle dropping the engine? Replacing a trans? I came to terms with the risks, but I’m talking about a S8 that was sold here and has support here, stateside anyway. I can’t imagine doing this same exercise with a vehicle that parts would have to be ordered from another country to effect repairs. I thought I was crazy enough to do what I did, but your story goes to show how bad it can be. I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone. At least you seem to have the means to support a purchase like this, it just sucks that you got burned by a crap unit. It shows why the importers that do this daily get to charge a premium for their offerings.

Good luck getting it sorted out, no matter what direction you go with it. I’m sure somebody would be willing to take it on and buy it from you in its current state. Sometimes you just have to cut your losses. I feel for you man.

syaieya > Kanaric 05/24/2017 at 08:51

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Let us know how that FD turns out. I know that im going to buy one eventually. But the 99 spec versions are just so much better looking in my eyes, especially the blue mica ones.

So Im split between buying one here and swapping the front and rear to 99 spec and repainting everything or just waiting til 2024-2027 and putting one on a boat thats exactly the combo I want but right hand drive.

I almost bought the cheapest one id seen but it was a bad color combo, half swapped from auto, the gauges didnt work, it had eaten a fence, and i woulda been so over my head

MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig > Kanaric 05/24/2017 at 09:25

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I think you hit the nail on the head, importing a car yourself is just asking for trouble. Going through a *reputable* importing service like JDM Legends, Japanese Classics LLC, etc is the way to go. Also, any car you bring over is going to be minimum 25 years old. You either need to be mechanically inclined enough to do all the work yourself, or have a fat wallet to pay someone to do it for you when it breaks because it will.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Kanaric 05/24/2017 at 09:25

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I sure hope you dont plan to have fewer problems with an FD. While yeah it was sold here, that rotary definitely will require close attention to keep it running right. At least an FD is special looking enough though that even if its broken, it makes a beautiful lawn ornament.

Sorry to hear that the R32 has been so troublesome. Cooling issues are the worst! While its nice to see that in reality importing one is not all sunshine and rainbows, it just sucks that that happened. Maybe worthwhile to bring it into LA to get it sorted out. I imagine there are plenty of specialized shops there.

DipodomysDeserti > Kanaric 05/24/2017 at 10:19

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Yeah, if you own rare-ish vehicles it’s best to know how to work on them yourself. $4k for a turbocharged Japanese sports car from the ‘80-’90s is super cheap even by 2014 standards. Buying it here or from an importer would have put you in the same boat as these cars require some knowledge to work on and own.

I’m not sure what a guarantee by an importer on a used car means, but you’re going to have issues with the FD as well. It’s always. Sounds like you have a reliable daily so at least you can treat it like a project rather than be SOL when it is broken.

wiffleballtony > Kanaric 05/24/2017 at 16:55

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Is this the one you even shipped to Phoenix?

DarkMinun > Kanaric 05/25/2017 at 22:07

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The price you pay to play. I’d love to have a Delica or a Kei pickup but my current budget is one reliable vehicle, and I know darn well that getting anything major fixed on one would be a nightmare.

whatisthatsound > Kanaric 09/17/2017 at 11:22

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Here is a question, what if you are currently in Japan and can inspect see the car yourself? Do you think it would be worth bringing a car over right now, also what car would be the most marketable?