Prestige Motorsport

Thanks yangys for your feedback on our website, however "they never answer phone calls" simply is not true. Please bear in mind that I get a lot of calls every day, and I spend considerable time explaining the import process and providing price estimates in order to provide the best service - I don't believe in asking for payment unless I can definitely assist. I am also busy with auction inspections and bidding for clients throughout the day, and this year post-covid has been the busiest time for imports in 20 years. Clients must come first on busy auction days, general enquiries second. If I am on the phone or busy, I'm sorry but your call will go to message. Being based in Perth, some early morning calls inevitably go to message with the 3 hour daylight savings time difference. Nevertheless I make sure to return all calls as soon as possible, and for clients I am available pretty much 24/7. For impartial feedback from clients, you can check our Facebook Reviews and Google Reviews. My number is on our website, and you are welcome to call me now if you want. You can also email me, I answer most mails within the day, if not within the hour. Just note that we will be closing up early this year on 19th Dec, it's been such a big year that we are taking a few extra days off. So, that being said... Regarding the Estima hybrid, you've made a good choice. They are great cars and will be one of the most popular imports to Aust in coming years as the petrol-only Estimas will be excluded from import with the new SEVS from about 2022. The Toyota Synergy Drive system is one of the best hybrid systems available, and these get impressive fuel economy as well as being very easy to drive and reliable. Most cost effective at the moment for Aust (as of Dec 2020) would be a higher km 2010 to 2014 model. These are in the sweet buying range for price, age, condition and features. Low km hybrids are still relatively expensive. I have lots of sales data I can send you if needed, and you're welcome to free trial our automated auction alerts system as well to receive daily updates of available Estima hybrids. Geoff

That site looks OK sin-, haven't heard of that one before but they don't seem to offer the auction report / pictures which I think is probably the most useful info. Most cars go through auction just prior to export from Japan so it can be very eye-opening to see the condition it was bought in (and find out the auction price as well). Good for checking whether your import agent is telling you the truth as well !

Hi R33gtst2016. As far as we are aware, there are no searchable records kept for vehicle kms in any State which is really odd. Japan requires cars to be physically checked for re-registration every two years after the first 3 year period from new, so at that time they note the kms. All Australia has is a box on the transfer form when you sell, to enter the kms at the time. Who knows what each State does with this data but it's certainly not available publicly. IMHO it should be added to the registration paper under Odo History. In Australia you should search the PPSR (Personal Property and Securities Register) which will tell you the details of the owner and any money owing etc. which is critical before you buy any local car (if you buy a car with money owing on it, it could be repossessed and you will lose everything). It costs about $4 per check and make sure you use the proper Govt. site at that price not some automated reseller website at a high mark-up. This can sometimes tell you which State the car was registered in and when, which can also be useful. The other thing you can do for imports is to get the name of the compliance workshop from the compliance plate, then contact them directly (if they are still around). Under SEVS they are required to hold the original Export Certificate on file for the vehicle, this may have some km records on it depending on the year exported from Japan.

haha, no worries Terry !

We've had some other feedback like the experience Dylan has had above, where they have been very quick and helpful. So it's good to see a service out there like this. As niZmO_Man says, it can't be easy to operate considering the number of people out there who don't want this information to be available to the end user... particularly the actual auction sale price in Japan. Regarding cars being registered twice, this would probably be to reset the kms on the Japanese Export Certificate which only shows the last two registration intervals, there's an article here on why that happens and also a few other ways the Export Certificate can be faked to trick a buyer which is interesting: http://japancarhistorycheck.com/japanese-export-certificate-what-is-it/ Dark26 - we are not sure how long they've been operating, a reasonable time we think as we've had quite a few people comment to us about their service and how impressed they were in terms of speed and info provided. We've also used them for a couple of checks ourselves recently. Some auction reports have been provided back within the day. They also seem well priced compared to other services which can take weeks to provide any info at all -- not much good if you have your eye on a car and need to make a quick decision before someone else snatches it. If anyone else uses them please report your experience for the benefit of all. Terry_GT-R34 - from our perspective we have been sourcing cars now since 1999, we find the kms at auction in Japan are very reliable, since Japan has a system in place to track the kms at auction and also at every re-registration inspection, it's virtually impossible to get away with odometer tampering in Japan as the buyer will know virtually right away. The auctions note inaccurate kms and also odometer replacements and the agents we use for inspections also check the condition matches the kms. In all these years we have never had a problem with kms, so our opinion would be that winding back kms happens at the request of the importer after they've bought it and before the car leaves Japan, or when it arrives in another country. There's a bit more about this in our FAQ. Japan Car History Check have some info here as well: http://japancarhistorycheck.com/odometer-repair-or-replacement/ and here: http://japancarhistorycheck.com/odometer-tampering-or-winding-back-the-kms/, plus some other articles in their News section.

Get past Japan Auction info and km history for most imports Hi All, just a quick one. Thought we would let you know about this site www.japancarhistorycheck.com which has recently been recommended to us for getting hold of past auction records including pictures and actual sale price in Japan going back to 2009. We've seen a few reports from those who've had checks done and in some cases it has saved them from an expensive mistake. This can be really handy for anyone who already owns an import or has their eye on one for sale, as you can find out the real condition it was in and the kms before it left Japan. With the high incidence of odometer tampering on imports by sellers, it's hard to know what's genuine these days. Most cars exported from Japan have gone through auction, as that's the cheapest source, so odds are they'll be able to track down the auction info for your car if it left Japan in the last 7 years. They can also supply the km readings at every re-registration going back to new in some cases which will give you a full Japan odometer record. There are a couple of other sites around where you can get hold of an export certificate copy but this will only give you the last two odo readings. Much better to have the auction report plus official Japan Transport Authority records going back as far as possible. They also have a quick turnaround time if you need the info fast before you buy. Anyway, we are all for services like this which help the consumer avoid being ripped off, so you might like to check it out if you need to do some detective work on a Japanese import to find out if it's the real deal. Cheers.

Thanks for the mention, I'm sure you'll love the car when it arrives. If anyone is interested to see some example auction inspections undertaken in Japan to understand the efforts we go to at auction to ensure we source only the best cars, you can check them out here: http://prestigemotorsport.com.au/inspection-examples/

Hi Tinytyrant. There's a link in our post above which explains the proposed changes in detail. A quick answer to your question is that many models currently excluded under SEVS may be allowed under the new criteria, and the removal of the compliance quota and acceptance of international safety standards should make compliance a lot cheaper and more viable for workshops with respect to rare models: 5 eligibility criteria High Performance Superior environmental performance / hybrids Disability features Rare vehicles Left Hand Drive, where right hand drive is not available

Hi Foibles. To answer you generally, we have been sourcing vehicles for import to Aust since 1999 and have seen a few import regulation changes in that time. I would say that any change of Govt. (or Minister within the same Govt.) is likely to be counter-productive to proposed legislation changes which will allow a greater range of vehicles to Aust for lower prices. We have already seen one change of Minister since the current Govt started looking at the regulations which probably delayed the process several months, and the recommendations of the Productivity Commission have been watered down such that instead of being able to import 4 to 5 year old cars meeting certain quality criteria we are now looking at new cars under 12 months old and under 500km. There's a HUGE difference right there in terms of what this would mean to Aust and the prices we pay. Not sure many realise how big that change was as 5 years of depreciation is very significant for price on what could otherwise be a very low km and near new vehicle in terms of condition. I can't imagine a change of Govt would result in more aggressive changes to the regulations than proposed by the previous one. Proposed changes are likely to be weakened further or there is the possibility they may be shelved altogether. From an enthusiasts standpoint the early election announcement was a disappointment, and personally with respect to this issue I'm hoping we see as few changes to the existing Govt. as possible, since they have committed to make changes which, while still not going far enough in my opinion, will at least be of some benefit to all motorists in terms of lower prices for better quality vehicles.

Following passage through parliament there will be a 12 month period before the 25 year rule takes affect. So if that happens in the next 6 months or so for example then we could be able to use the new 25 year rule from late 2017. Latest info which we will keep updated as things progress: New 25 Year Import Rule for Australia - Prestige Motorsport Vehicle Import Regulation Changes - Prestige Motorsport What's happening next ? Govt. has a meeting scheduled for 31 March with stakeholders to discuss the detail of how the regulation changes will actually be applied to SEVS etc. This will be interesting in terms of additional models that will be allowed onto the SEVS register, and some other critical issues such as independent checking of kms.

Also, depending on the build year you may "soon" be able to use the new 25 year rule for Australia, perhaps from about late 2017 (late 1992 and above models and so on). You'd still have the registration issues but if the rule is similar to the existing 1988 and older rule, then it should allow you to import your modified car at which point you could decide just to use it on the track. New 25 Year Import Rule for Australia - Prestige Motorsport

If you're really attached to the car then it's not technically difficult to import it to Australia. Firstly you can use the race import approval option, for which you would need a CAMS license. Contact a Customs Agent in Fiji to find out what it will cost to organise a container, as a rough guide you might be looking at $2,000 to $2,400 or so but it's variable depending on ex rates to the USD and also location and worldwide demand at any point in time. Clearance costs on the Aust side are also fairly expensive for containers so the shipping part won't be cheap. You have 5% import duty and 10% GST to factor in on top of the vehicle price and shipping. As mentioned above already, if you want to use the personal import option you could do that, but you'd need to factor in registering the car once here which may be a bit of a drama with all those mods. You'd also need to be legitimately living in Fiji with the car for more than 12 months and have it registered in your name etc. with all the paperwork. And you'd need to show that you're returning permanently to Australia with the car -- they are very strict on this and will require evidence of you moving. So it will depend how much you love that car as to whether you think it's worthwhile. Sometimes emotion is more important than final cost, sometimes only the $$ count ! Dollar wise, gut feel is that importing probably won't stack up compared to what you could buy something similar here for, as someone has already commented. Consider of course that you know your own car intimately, compared to buying another unknown vehicle.

Yes, that's a common question with any imports that have TV menus and sat / nav in Japanese. There are people that specialise in modifying them to English around (Chris at Audio Express in Brisbane for example) but the issue is the relatively low numbers of cars which need that work done. Technically the changes are not difficult IMHO and there are plug-in systems that can do the job available for relatively low cost, the main issue is the time it takes to learn how to remove and replace the console parts without damage, and what to do with the wiring when you get in there. With relatively few cars needing this work done, it means there are only a handful of people across Aust specialising in these sorts of conversions and therefore the cost is relatively high. With regard to spare parts, I know as soon as the Govt started talking about opening up imports that several large overseas companies came across to look at locations to site parts supply businesses in Aust. So you can bet your life that if there is money to be made from servicing and upgrades on a significant number of cars, then someone will set up to provide the service. My guess is that the cost of converting sat navs and other systems will come down significantly once more cars come in needing that done. Personally though these days, unless you love having the sat nav on the factory TV screen, it doesn't seem good value to sink that into the car (which you'll never get back) when portable systems are so cheap and the iPhone and others have their own systems which are virtually the same and won't cost you a cent. I always look at the best value and given that the TV menus on these cars usually only have a couple of features you may want to use daily (which you can easily learn), english translation is really not the big deal people like to make it out to be. The V36 for example -- once you work out the two buttons to push for your real time fuel economy, and you've set up your Music Box to copy CD's automatically on insert and bluetoothed your phone using the good english menu translation from Hardtuned.net, there really is nothing else you're going to need on a daily basis. I would imagine you're right on the warranty issue, the dealers are always quick to cry out about factory recalls and being unable to contact customers and how unsafe that could be, but in this information age I wonder how relevant that really is considering the Govt plans to have a database for imports using the chassis code. I always wonder at the double meaning of those sorts of statements from dealers as well, some of which seem as though their own company's product sold into Japan is inferior to what we are offered here (despite Japan getting traditionally much higher optioned cars compared to our poverty packs). As if we get somehow better and stronger cars sent to Australia for our "tough Australian conditions". If the import reg changes only make the dealer new prices here comparable to international pricing, then they have done their job. Whether it's cost effective / attractive to import secondhand or "new" yourself will be then decided by the market itself. There will always be those who prefer to pay more for a local car they can see, touch and drive straight away.

Police raid Edward Lees and three other importers for odo tampering. About bloody time too ! Parramatta Road... hmmm... If you missed the news a couple of weeks back, here's the video and more details: Prestige Motorsport https://www.facebook.com/PrestigeMotorsportAust/videos/1107318409290351/ If you're buying a Japanese import, the GOLDEN RULE is to make sure you get the original copy of the export certificate either as the first importer by importing direct, or a copy of this independently for only $50 if you're buying local. Can save you a lot of headaches (not to mention $$). Unfortunately it's not only odo tampering that's been rife with dealers for years, but plenty of accident damaged vehicles that should not pass SEVS criteria have been coming in as well. Well seriously, what do you think is going to happen when the SEVS regulations allow a dealer to comply their own vehicles, particularly in a struggling economy ? With that sort of conflict of interest, no independent checking system in place for damage or kms, and limited ability for authorities to hold dealers to account for their actions, it's no wonder imports to Australia have developed a bad reputation and lost all trust over the years. Allow it to continue long enough and you're basically left with only the dealers who bend the rules to their own advantage and to the detriment of the consumer, as no one who does it properly can compete on price. This is something that MUST change with the new import scheme (http://prestigemotorsport.com.au/faqs/vehicle-import-regulation-changes/) to eliminate poor condition and false km imports, and restore imports to where they should be in the public mind -- top quality, high optioned vehicles for very good prices. We don't see any reason to stop cars with incorrect mileage from coming into Australia (as NZ does), but there should be a public accessible database linked to the VIN which shows the important export certificate information and original auction sheet where available. There are plenty of legitimately repaired odometer cars available which come with dealer records showing when they were repaired and this is shown on auction sheets. These are often quite a bit cheaper as a result and can still have relatively low kms. Providing the consumer knows exactly what they are buying, they can decide whether they want to buy or not and a fair price. The Govt. will be holding a meeting in Canberra on 31 March 2016 with stakeholders to discuss the details of the upcoming import regulation changes.

I think you're pretty safe if you got such a good price initially (well done you !) and the car is a genuine clean example. Prices tend to be better with fewer mods as vehicles become more collectible. Either way, the main reason to own one is the enjoyment so I think you're getting that. And you can be sure it won't depreciate wildly like most other cars. At the very least it will retain it's value, and probably appreciate if you look after it.

Did someone mention Edward Lee ? Police raid Edward Lees and three other importers for odo tampering. About bloody time too ! https://www.facebook.com/PrestigeMotorsportAust/videos/1107318409290351/ Coordinated police raids on a number of Sydney dealerships two days ago have resulted in one dealership, "Dream Car City", having its trading immediately suspended. Prestige Auto Centre, Edward Lees Imports and Master Cars at Blacktown were also raided. Those three businesses are accused of digitally altering odometers on at least 100 vehicles imported from Japan and will have to show Fair Trading NSW why they should not be disciplined. Fair Trading NSW have been investigating the dealers for two years, following a tip-off from a consumer who was concerned about their vehicle’s wear and tear, and information from police. A number of people are expected to be prosecuted by NSW Police and Fair Trading NSW in connection with the ongoing investigation. Fines up to $20,000 are in place for odometer tampering, while those who knowingly sell or attempt to sell a tampered vehicle face up to 10 years jail. We feel this action is long overdue and many dealers in other States should heed this warning. Not only does this illegal behaviour hurt the consumer but it damages the reputation of the industry. It also makes it difficult for businesses like ours that only source genuine vehicles and provide all original paperwork including deregistration paper / export certificate. Some news articles have claimed that deregistration documents detailing registration and km history are not readily available from Japan, however this is not true. For some years now, online services have been providing this document by email usually within 7 days, for as little as $50. We recommend everyone considering buying a Japanese import locally, to obtain a copy of this document independently for their own peace of mind. For those wanting the extra control of sourcing their own vehicle, we recommend using only an industry-recognised and licensed vehicle import agent. With a simple low fixed fee per vehicle, there is simply no conflict of interest in supplying the best quality, genuine km vehicles. We would like to see the upcoming changes to the import regulations require independent odometer inspections prior to import, with the results included on a publicly available database linked to each vehicle's chassis number. That way anyone could quickly and easily access this information as part of their pre-purchase checks. The new import scheme from 2018 must be entirely transparent with independent quality checking to eliminate conflicts of interest, protect the consumer, and ensure only the best cars are imported to Australia.

No worries Dan. If you picked your R34 up a couple of years ago when prices were (in hindsight) relatively cheap, you should be well placed as that car is one of the few that will hold it's value. Some prices on Carsales now are over $100,000 which seems a bit nuts, but they are collector cars made in limited numbers after all, and very sought-after around the world. Canada is already hot for them with their 15 year rule and in 7 years the US market will be into them as well. The R35 never had the same appeal as the previous series and being a much newer car they will be relatively cheap and hit their best value buying stage when they are 7 to 9 years old when they run out of rego in Japan the 3rd and 4th time -- still young enough to have lots of nice ones to choose from in Japan yet old enough to have done some large depreciation. Interestingly, when you go to Japan you don't see many on the roads. When you do see one they appear quite large / wide and given the narrow roads in some areas of Japan you can understand why they're not hugely popular. Still plenty at auction though so maybe they spend a lot of time in the garage being admired instead of driven ! Given that prices start from about 5 million yen at auction for some decent examples, I do hope SEVS allows us to import them secondhand for the sake of everyone that loves them but could never afford the price tag here. At the very least, even if SEVS doesn't allow them secondhand, the price of locally sold R35 GTR's should come down a fair bit since the new price of the same car plus other performance alternative should reduce significantly, putting downward pressure on all secondhand cars. On average, most people won't be disadvantaged financially since it's the changeover cost that is important to look at, not the reduced value of cars generally. But we will all benefit from access to safer and more efficient cars for lower prices. And that can only help reduce serious road accidents particularly among younger drivers who may now be able to afford to buy their first car with airbags and ABS.

Here's some more detail on importing the R35 GTR under the new import regulations: Import an R35 GTR to Australia - Prestige Motorsport

Hi All, just a couple of quick things to note with this topic. We have put together some more detail on the proposed vehicle import regulation changes for Australia and will keep this up to date here for you as things progress: http://prestigemotorsport.com.au/faqs/vehicle-import-regulation-changes/ The latest news is that Govt. has announced a 31 March 2016 meeting date in Canberra to discuss implementation of the reforms to the vehicle import regulations. This is the opportunity for stakeholders to have some say as to how the rules are actually applied -- for example whether cars that have had the odometer changed or modified can be imported at all (NZ blocks them if they fail the independent check in Japan), and whether the R35 GTR and other enthusiast models sold here will be allowed secondhand under SEVS. This will have a huge bearing on what additional models we will be able to access under SEVS, and could open up a lot of interesting and rare cars that until now have not been viable to import / comply in small numbers or were blocked as a similar low powered version was sold here new. "* Duty of 5% (no reason to think duty is being repealed)..." The 5% import duty will be removed with the coming changes (as it should have been when the Free Trade Agreement was signed with Japan last year). Also the silly $12,000 penalty in the Customs Act will be removed which was actually the technical thing blocking claims of the duty free option as it popped up on the Customs Entry and couldn't be circumvented. LCT should be removed in time I think, but they are staying out of that one for the moment. Being such a high revenue earner it will be a sensitive topic, but once the new rules come into play and settle down, I think the focus will be back on removing LCT as the only thing remaining to bring the cost of new cars back to international levels -- which was the main point made by the Productivity Commission when they reviewed the import regulations. Will it be possible to import an R35 GTR to Australia ? New yes, and we expect this will save a considerable amount but a lot will depend on exchange rates with a vehicle of this value. Secondhand, we certainly hope so, if not for the regular model we hope SEVS will allow special NISMO and other models secondhand. Importing a sub 500km car from Japan is not as easy as you might think as Japan requires a vehicle to be first registered then deregistered before export. So an agent needs to handle that process and there will be a cost involved to do it properly. But this is something we will offer and our agents in Japan will be able to order whatever we want from the dealerships including your choice of factory options. If you're hoping the import regulation changes will make it cheaper to import an R34 or older GTR then think again. The price of these has shot up the last couple of years due to worldwide demand, as they've hit collector status. In the last 12 months we have seen prices increase by $10,000 to $40,000 for some models from Japan and this is also directly reflected in Carsales prices -- just check what R34 GTR's are now listed for. Fewer and fewer are available every year in nice condition, and they are going to more countries than ever before. So prices on these are never coming back to the good old days. Better focus on the new options the changes will open up for us. And if you ever wanted an R32-R34 GTR as a daily driver, better buy one now as with the rapid price increases they're soon to be relegated to the garage as weekend show cars. Here's something we put together for the R32 GTR which explains the reason for the huge price increases: http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=785a84e1e4c70bea6ac88ed68&id=4fb57fadb3 What will happen to Australian car prices generally ? Well obviously they will fall if cars become cheaper to import and there is more choice. Yes, the car/s you already own will typically reduce in price, but the replacement cost of another car will also reduce. So how this affects you in dollar terms will ultimately depend on what you own now and what you replace it with in future. You could sell your car now and buy a worthless old clunker to drive around while you wait for prices to fall in 2 years or so, then pick up a great deal on something newer, but how practical (and sensible) is that for most people ? Not very. Collector cars like the GTR's mentioned above should hold their value as this is based on world demand rather than restrictive import regulations or taxes. But you'd have to think some potential buyers of these cars will be wooed by newer performance car alternatives available. Overall, we should be much better off with more choice of newer and safer cars with lower emissions at lower prices. This is the main focus of the changes, and businesses will fit in around them as they always do.

First up, the "Prestige Imports" that guy mentions is not us. Secondly, while there are not many purple R34 GTR's, there would have been something like 20 choices over the last 18 months through auction in Japan. He claims to have "looked everywhere" but some good choices have been available in Japan during this time. Based on Edward Lees promotional info online, any good broker would have access to the same vehicle sources. When it comes down to it, the most important thing is to choose someone to assist you that you trust to: 1) Describe the vehicle accurately 2) Invoice you for the actual price 3) Handle the import process efficiently Without knowing any details about the vehicle (year, model, kms, chassis code, condition, price etc.) it's not possible to make much meaningful comment about it. There are not many purple ones -- 3 have gone through the major auctions in the last 3 months, here they are: http://www.prestigemotorsport.com.au/display_car_historic.php?avto_id=CymLK6Ktnah0F7&d=&search_id=63191-431-18-91144-18 Looked nice, would have been about $63,200 complied, plus tyres and ORC's. But sold only a couple of days ago in Japan so it wasn't that one. http://www.prestigemotorsport.com.au/display_car_historic.php?avto_id=swHPhTkV8waW4K&d=&search_id=63191-431-18-91144-18 Repaired example that sold on negotiation on 20 June, so final price is not available. We'd avoid a car like this for SEVS import but others would happily import it, particularly if they were doing their own compliance. http://www.prestigemotorsport.com.au/display_car_historic.php?avto_id=5H73zWKHUYNuXa&d=&search_id=63191-431-18-91144-18 Sold back on 27 July, pics and auction sheet no longer available. Would have been about $52,200 complied. If you're interested, the last 186 sold results can be viewed at: http://www.prestigemotorsport.com.au/pages/historic_data.php?search_id=63191-431-18-91144-18 Just a general comment -- it's one thing for a customer to be happy when they first collect their vehicle all polished up and shiny and they're excited after waiting so long, another thing entirely for them to remain happy 3 to 6 months later. So while these reviews are interesting, they need to be taken in context.

You're welcome mate. If you think of anything else just ask. G

Any decent broker will set out all the costs for you, and provide a cost calculator so you can be fully informed and add all additional costs that apply to your situation for tyres, registration and stamp duty. Like anything, take your time to work out the full cost and make a decision on that basis. Sometimes local vehicles can be the best option but at other times importing is much better. Each situation is different. Often just knowing your import options will allow you to negotiate a local price down. Check any vehicles carefully and make sure you are comparing apples with apples, ie. the same condition, no repairs, and genuine kms.

Hey there Rio. The price will depend on where you are in Aust, the kms, year, and whether you want an auto or 5 speed. Nearly everyone that enquires about these wants a 5 speed manual coupe for which prices start from the low teens complied for something decent. If you want low kms and black then the price can be fairly expensive as that's the most popular spec for the R34 coupe. Feel free to have a look at what's available plus the last 250 auction results for the model of interest using our Free auction alerts trial which will email you vehicles daily: http://prestigemotorsport.com.au/usearch.php Importing is quite straightforward if you seek help from someone experienced, any good broker can help you out and will usually save you money by sourcing a better car at a lower price and with less risk than if you try to work it all out for yourself the first time. If you need anything at all just call or email anytime. Regards Geoff Risbey Manager -- Prestige Motorsport P/L +61 418 944 253 www.prestigemotorsport.com.au [email protected] http://www.facebook.com/PrestigeMotorsportAust