I haven't known anyone that has done this in the last 20 years.
Great info.

Beat arrived yesterday afternoon. It's incredibly fun to drive.
Be prepared for long times at the gas station filling it up. A full tank is only 5 gallons, but it's inevitable that you'll get stopped by somebody wanting to talk about the car.

You know you've been in isolation and doing too much documentation for work WHEN...
My first reaction??? You need to make this a Knowledgebase Article. I knew about flipping houses, but I hadn't thought about flipping cars. Great write up @BuddyJ!

@primesuspect said:
I hope Nicole never sees this thread because next thing I know I'll have some weird exotic 1970's work truck sitting in front of my house

Best work truck idea I've seen so far is a converted Japanese firetruck.

I'd be all about this.

Last year I finally took the plunge to import a 25 year old vehicle from Japan. It's not hard if you're willing to be patient, and doing it yourself will be cheaper than buying from a stateside JDM import dealership. There are several paths to getting a legal car in the US, but here's the path I recommend based on convenience and buying from a Japanese auction.

ASSEMBLE YOUR TEAM

You want to find n vehicle exporter in Japan to handle the purchase overseas. Japan has a complicated title/ownership system and all vehicles must go through a de-registration process before they can leave the country. Your exporter will handle all that along with booking the ocean freight to ship your car, various Japanese inspections, and making sure the car gets to port. There are several companies that do this and their fees vary as either a flat rate per car you buy, or a percentage of the purchase price, or some combination of the two. I used JapanCarDirect.com and have been very pleased with their service.

In my case, I paid a $500 deposit to JCD which gave me access to their web platform so I could look at cars at all the Japanese auctions, view historical sales data on the cars, etc. The deposit can be used toward the purchase price of my car should I decide to bid, or it can be kept on retainer if I want to keep using them as a vendor. It is fully refundable and therefore not included in any of the cost estimates in this document.

Once you send over a deposit, you're good to start playing the game of finding a good car to import.

You also want to find a freight forwarder to handle the import of the car one it hits the US port. This will add cost but also makes life super easy because they'll handle filing all the paperwork with the port, US Customs, the EPA, the DOT, etc. Be aware that finding a company willing to import a car for your personal use can be a challenge. Many companies only focus on commercial accounts and don't want to get burned by people trying to import illegal cars. Shop around because fees vary wildly.

THE COST

As soon as you get into the auction system, it's tempting to see the sales price of cars and think OMG SO CHEAP. The price you pay is only part of the larger picture. Here's pricing for my small kei van. Bigger cars mean higher prices for inland transportation, ocean freight, and delivery to your door. Your Japanese counterparts can help estimate freight costs based on the vehicle prior to bidding so be sure to ask what the Landed Cost estimate is for your vehicle type.

Cost Group 1 - $3,700 Paid once you win a car within a couple days via wire transfer.

• Purchase Price of the Vehicle - My van was $1,680.
• Fee to the Exporter - Figure $1k for most cars for their services. This is how they make their $$.
• Inland Transportation to the Port and Inspections - $300
• Ocean Freight & Marine Insurance - $1,000
• Wire Transfer fee from your bank - $40

Cost Group 2 - $1,700 Paid when your car delivers to port 4-6 weeks after your make your initial purchase. OMG So Many Fees!!! These are the prices I paid through a company down in TX.

• ISF Filing - $52
• Unloading- $172 goes to the port operator who got your car off the ship
• Duty - $334 (Figure 25% of the vehicle price for trucks and cargo vans, 3% for cars)
• US Customs Clearance- $145
• Single entry bond - $95
• Express Courier - $30
• Documentation - $85
• DOT - $53
• EPA - $65
• Transit - $650 to deliver the car to my driveway. This varies wildly based on your distance from the port and the size of your vehicle. In COVID times, budget $1,000 or more to deliver to a location 8 hrs away from the port.
• Wire transfer fee to the freight forwarder - $40

So my $1,600 van cost $5,500 by the time I got it plated and insured in my home state. Budget accordingly. I'll break down and explain some of these fees later

@BlueTattoo said:
It better be a cool car for all of that! Nice write-up.

It was a great car. I brought over a Subaru Sambar "Dias Classic" van. The Sambar is their workhorse kei truck/van model and in the mid-90s they did a throwback styled model called the Dias Classic. Basically they put on a vintage looking grille and put panels in where the rear windows would be. But despite the vintage looks it still had a modern engine.

What's rare for kei cars is the motor in this is a 4-cyl. Most kei cars are 3-bangers. So it's smooth and revs great. Rear-engine and RWD, it handles incredibly well for what it is. Also, no power steering but because it's so light you don't need it. Incredible interior space. For a small car it's hella comfortable.

When I sold it, I made a fair profit. The effort was definitely worth it. Here's what a similar model (not mine) went for on BaT.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1994-subaru-sambar-dias-classic/

ITS IN THE MAIL

Right before your car arrives, you'll get an envelope from DHL or some other air mail courier. This will contain important documents you'll need to get your car. If you're working with a freight forwarder, be sure to scan them copies of the important items as soon as this arrives. It's very likely a freight forwarder will have been pushing you to provide these for several weeks prior to their arrival, but most exporters don't drop them in the mail until a week before your car is scheduled to land meaning the freight forwarder will likely get the copies you send them 48 hrs before the car shows up in port. It can be a bit stressful for everyone involved waiting for these vital papers to show up. Here's what you get:

• Japanese De-Registration Certificate - Looks like a title. It's all in Japanese. It shows that the vehicle is no longer owned in Japan. From what I gather, once a car is de-registered it pretty much has to leave the country. For ownership purposes here this is what you need to show your state when it comes time to tile the car. Not that they'll be able to read it. Thankfully you also get...
• Japanese De-Registration Certificate - English Translation - Your exporter will translate the above item and give you something to show the DMV that actually makes sense to them. They'll want both items.
• Commercial Invoice - This is a legal document showing what you paid for the car. It'll be used to assign the duty rate and also works like a Bill of Sale. Make copies of this to show customs and your DMV.
• Original Bill of Lading - We talked about this previously. This is the original copy that Customs will want to get a copy of when your Formal Entry is files or you make an Informal Entry. It's so they know you're not smuggling the car in.
• Freight Insurance Certificate - If the parking-garage-on-water ship shinks or your car is damaged in transit and you can prove it, this is your insurance policy. File it for safe keeping. You'll only need it in an emergency.