dodgyimports

They all say it wasn't bought at auction... it's the new line that comes after: - One owner, LOW KMs, No accidents - Owner was a little old Japanese lady, never drove the car - Little old lady lost the logbooks - whoops! - Japan is a small country, they don't drive far - Japanese have rough hands so all that wear on the wheel/shift is normal - Japanese don't like to put servicing stickers on their cars because they look ugly - Oh and it wasn't bought at auction Talk to any well reputed broker (J-Spec, Iron Chef, Prestige Motorsport) about how hard it is to buy vehicles in Japan through the local dealer networks. The chances an imported car was not bought at auction either directly by the importer or by their chosen Japanese exporter are extremely slim - buying at auction is too cheap and convenient. If they can't supply the auction sheet AND de-registration certificate, see if you can get hold of them yourself or find another seller that can.

There's an easy way to find out. Got VIN?

Is the dealer providing any Japanese documentation (eg. auction sheet, de-registration cert) to verify the low mileage?

Is this 'apparently' according to the guy selling the unicorn that is a grade 4.5A S13 with only 40,000 kms?

12/96 is the build date. The compliance date is May 2014 according to RAWS. Did you contact Japanese History Check about getting the auction sheet?

Also - the chassis number in that VIN looks like it's incomplete - there should be six digits after RPS13-

Do you have a compliance date? Month/Year should be stamped on the compliance plate.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/public-defender-apurva-mishra-is-on-a-clocking-crusade/story-fnlrw4is-1226872970210 https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=607281989387563&id=557835010998928

I'll bet Sports Auto Group are still laughing with great relief about how well they minimized the damage on this story. With only two of ten checked identified as being wound back, it gives people the impression they sell legit cars 8/10 times... Hell, they even offer "Japanese De registration papers" advertised with all their cars these days. Once again they've managed to pull the wool over the eyes of all involved.

Post up the auction sheet! The above export certificate is an excellent example of a "refresh", which seems to be the technique some are using to get around JOC's de-reg checks. It was very interesting to hear that JOC's random checks on SAG's stock for A Current Affair only found 2 of 10 discrepancies, leads one to wonder how many of the 8 remaining might have been "refreshed".

So, the car was travelling 12,733kms per year on average for the first 3 years of it's life. According to RAWS that car was imported in April 2013 (http://raws.infrastructure.gov.au/rawswebpublic/RAWPubVehSearch.asp), implying it spent at least another two years in Japan after March 2011. The dealer is asking you to believe that in those two years, the car suddenly only travelled 3,800kms. Did you try asking the dealer for the auction papers?

That export certificate says the car had travelled 38,200 in March of 2011. What's on the odo now?

How likely? Is the Pope Catholic?

Certainly, the local dealerships would like you to believe that it's the "dodgy exporters" when they point the finger of blame. Look again at the above example, it wasn't the exporter who has advertised the car in question with super-low mileage. Nevermind the fact that at the time the dealers get the cars complied, these examples are almost always inside the 3-month window whereby almost anyone can look up the auction records. As if the dealership, having operated in the industry for years wouldn't know where to look.

Auction sheet + (de-registration OR export certificate) = you get the full story.

Nice work Steve - what you've stumbled on is an advanced technique called a "refresh". The services of certain mileage verification services in getting hold of de-registration certificates have caused significant issues for import dealerships. The dealer you mentioned in particular has been using this technique to hide it's tracks. Unfortunately many consumers don't understand how a de-registration certificate is supposed to work, and therefore miss the point you've illustrated in regard to the 9-day gap between registrations. They look at the last mileage recorded and figure all must be hunky-dory. Here is the auction sheet for the car: So the complete timeline looks like this: 1) [27/2/2014] Car sells at USS Tokyo - 173,414km --- rewind occurs --- 2) [31/3/2014] Car is re-registered with 30,900km 3) [08/4/2014] Car is re-registered with 33,700km Since the department of transport in Japan only record the previous two mileage readings, this scrubs the true mileage from the system. Inside Japan this would be a risky exercise as for a short window of time there is conclusive proof that an illegal odometer rewind occured. Unfortunately the car leaves the country a matter of days later, so it's unlikely anyone notices or that anything can be done.

Motor Point = Sports Auto Group = Elite Motorsports = All Imports Several physical locations but all part of the one group. Watch their stock for a few weeks and you'll notice it gets shared around between the sites. Of the above, SAG and All Imports already have a reputation, ask around - search this forum and other large clubs focussed around imports. If you must buy from a dealer always ask for BOTH auction sheet and de-registration paperwork. If they won't give you both documents, walk away or get hold of these documents via an online services before handing over your money.

I would recommend ignoring recommendations from users posting for the first time. See below article and steer well clear of above mentioned dealership. Best priced ... for a reason. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/public-defender-apurva-mishra-is-on-a-clocking-crusade/story-fnlrw4is-1226872970210

"legally" ? since when did the private companies in question give two shits about legality? JOC provided a fantastic service - these newcomers will have big shoes to fill...

I thought it was not bad to be honest. Look at it this way, even if he does go ahead with his plan, given the SAU spotlight this will be one of the most heavily scrutinised imports ever. Screwing a customer because you think you can get away with it is one thing, screwing him in the clear of day, in front of the public spotlight... I doubt Phil would be that stupid.

lol - thread is over here guys

This calculation misses a few things like customs duties. Use the Import Monster or J-Spec import cost calculator for a better estimate. I would say EL's cost is about $46k max - probably a few grand less if he uses one of his own workshops for the compliance.

the REAL auction sheet for this car: sold on 06/02/14 at USS Tokyo for 3,015,000 yen. Tell him you want your deposit back immediately or you'll be going to NSW Fair Trading.

Per your link the VIN number for this car is: 6U900000J50111131 therefore chassis number would be: J50-111131 This does not appear to be a genuine chassis number - check it via your favourite month of production tool. Even if it is, they cannot sell you the car yet because it does not have a compliance plate. But lets see what happens when we change just one digit and make the chassis number: J50-101131 1) We have a compliance plate for this chassis number - interestingly enough complied by a workshop in Abbotsford VIC, the same suburb as listed on the eBay Ad 2) Auction sheet for this car: Sold at CAA Chubu for 1,558,000 yen Please note I am not suggesting that this is necessarily the same car - you could only tell by going to the dealership and checking the VIN by looking at the compliance plate. My point is - be very careful and do your homework.

yes - massive amount of sarcasm in my post. it's disgusting to see cases like this - and frustrating to see that those whose jobs are to manage and regulate this area continue to ignore this issue - all the while they make things harder for the good guys too. is there ANYTHING they ARE getting right?