When the site was founded back in 2007, there was only one goal which was to learn about the cars and how to import JDM Cars from Japan.  This is because at that time, and even today, there are not that many sites and resources that are trustworthy and actually give useful information on what to expect and how to buy a good car from Japan.

When the site was first started, we weren't familiar with the industry and naively assumed everything in Japan is honest.  Many things in Japan are honest though, but the car scene is all but that there. Many lessons were learned on the way through ourselves, our members and even interactions with other Exporters who were part of the community.

You can see many threads on our forums with complaints about "good Exporters" such as not receiving the vehicle at all, receiving the wrong vehicle, or receiving a vehicle with obvious and significant issues.

Due to this reason, we realized we cannot help our members once they buy from a bad Exporter aside from give advice, but the reality is that it is very difficult to seek compensation from a foreign company in Japan.

And it is for this reason that we felt we were forced into the market, to deliver a trustworthy, honest and reliable service for our members.  The goal is not to make a profit as the truth that we learned is that in Japan, profit margins are often very low after paying for taxes and the industry has responded by doing scams.

Our service is not high volume or driven by profit, but by passion to deliver the best quality vehicles.  In fact, we turn many of our customers away if we feel it is not a good match.  If a customer wants a high quality, low mileage vehicle for a low price, lower than the market value, then we will advise them to reconsider.

We don't take a client who's budget is impossible

Why reconsider?  Take any car and say it's average price for a good one is say 500,000 JPY but the customer's budget is 300,000 JPY.  A unicorn car may appear after months, if you are lucky, but the reality is that it is most likely going to go for less because it has issues and that is where we really don't recommend "trying to save money".

Not only this but the customer is setting themselves up for frustration and disappointment as 99% of their bids will likely be unsuccessful.

However, our exceptions are is if the customer understands their risk and what they are doing.  If a customer wants to take a chance on a highly modified car and understands it is certainly going to have issues and cost money to maintain and repair and perhaps it is a hobby, project or track car, this may be acceptable.  But we'd never advise a customer who wants a reliable daily driver to try this.

We also don't buy R grade or poor condition cars

However again, our exception is for US buyers and others are "investing" or "collecting" old/rare cars.  There are many classic JDMs which are just so rare, there are few if any examples left in Japan.  In this case again if the buyer understands they are buying a horrible condition, high mileage car that will be expensive to fix and need extensive repairs that cannot be estimated, then this is OK too.

We don't buy cars with engine problems.

If the car says "engine noise" or "engine problems" etc..., we won't buy it UNLESS it is a very rare car and the customer understands and expects it will need a full engine rebuild.

We'll never mislead our customers and always disclose everything we know about a vehicle, including a proper and accurate translation (if our translator says the car has engine problems etc.., we copy and paste the translation of the notes without editing anything).  This is also because we don't make money off the car, our service fees are set, so we have no motivation on the car price or even if the customer buys the car.

We don't buy cars with rust

We always disclose what is shown and noted to us.  If the car says it has severe rust, we will advise the customer.

If the car has severe underbody rust or comes from a snowy part of Japan, we will recommend not to buy it.  However, an exception can be for a very rare car which cannot be found in Japan and assuming the customer understands the rust could be significant.

Another exception can be is if the customer can pay for the inspection and there is enough time before the auction.  Sometimes the car can be checked and sometimes if the rust isn't noted as severe such as S3 or S4 and just says "underbody rust", this can mean many things.  In some cases it is just that the "exhaust was bronzed" but in other case you have a rusting frame, trunk etc...

Again it is up to the customer to make the call, but we would never advise to choose a car with anything but "minor" underbody rust such as the example of a bronzed exhaust.
 

We don't make impossible promises

Some Exporters imply they have a warranty or a bad car can be returned to auction which in practice is expensive at best and not always possible.  The best way to avoid this is to carefully check the auction sheet and inspector notes.

Some companies sell "worthless" warranties which are never honored.

Some companies promise your car will be like new but is this possible when the car is used? 

Many Exporters are not at all honest with the customer that some risk always exists when purchasing a vehicle.  We've never had serious issues, due to our care, but to imply there is no risk when buying a used car is a disservice to the customer and industry.

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