Import Brokers - PMS or J-Spec?

[king_kw13]

Hiya all

I would like to know if anyone has had any experiences with Geoff from Prestige motorsport and the guys from J-Spec. Is it much more convenient and less hassles to have your broker in the state that you live in (ie Melbourne) or doesn’t it matter? What do you guys reckon about these guys service? Which of these guys would you recommend in terms of service, bang for your buck and overall? Thanks guys.

[Mr. Oizo]

i dont have any personal experience.. but geoff from prestige motorsport seems to be a very trustworthy guy.. and from the opinions that i have heard.. its a bood place to get a car.. they also have a wide range...

[Guest ylwgtr]

i dont know about either of these guys....as i get my own stuff

i could help you

[skyline33]

You should try going through Richie (his nick name on this forum is ice180) tell him Ahmed sent you, he'll look after you.

[zanda]

Im in the process of getting a vehicle through PMS. It hasnt landed yet, but I can offer the following info:

1. Like any service, you only appear to get out what you need, but not necessarily much more. PMS is, probably for the better, set up so that all you have to do is tell geoff you want the vehicle, and then pay for it along the way. He is extremely helpful and very patient, and has been more than happy to answer any query that I have had.

2. Sometimes, and I suspect that this is true for all broker services, it may benefit you to know more information than geoff would provide to you, UNLESS YOU ASK! like when the next boat leaves japan, who is storing the vehicle in the mean time, whether the car can be test driven and what the actual cost of compliance is depending on your state etc. My advice is to ask as much as possible, so that you are informed about the whole process. Avoid letting yourself feel like you're wasting time asking trivial questions because at the end of the day, the fees for import brokerage and duties, gst etc. are actually about 60-70% of the overall cost of a twenty thou vehicle.

3. on a personal note, my car was broken into in japan whilst waiting to be shipped. this would have been covered entirely by wharf insurance, provided that repairs are performed in japan. only catch is - -> it NEEEDs to get on the boat before the repairs can be done. subsequently I will end up paying for the fitment of new locks and possibly some minor bodywork once the vehicle has landed.

Geoff has been very good through this process, and I get the feeling that he has extended himself beyond his professionsal relationship with his contact in Japan would typically permit to satisfy me that everything that could be done has been done.

Assuming that my new broom does not have any more badness befall it, i would say that if I had to go through the process again, I would still go through Geoff. At the end of the day, I will have a vehicle on the road for about $5000 less than the 'market' value through a dealer. HOWEVER, I would also add, that you should not aim to spend your budget on the car, but try to spend about $2000 less which you can keep as a contingency.

at the end of the day, the vehicle is cheaper because you assume the risk of bad stuff happening, like some ahole busting your door locks and you having to pay for the repairs, insterad of paying someone else to. So be aware that bad stuff does happen.

I see no reason why it would be better to go through someone in your state, unless it's to keep phone bill costs as low as possible, but I would suggest finding out the cost of compliance plates in your state prior to bidding onn/purchasing a vehicle to avoid any surprises, especially if you want to get something before the SEVS changeover.

[EnricoPalazzo]

my 2 friends got their cars through geoff at PMS, and they wer very good. Thats why i got my car through geoff aswell. It leaves japan on the 1st of march yay!!!

Hope its as good as it looks.

[king_kw13]

Thanks guys for the info

[red17]

I got my car through PMS and i have no hesitation with recommending Geoff. He is extremely helpful, helps out with weighing up the big decisions. I had the opportunity to bid on my car while i was in the pub watching the world cup. I declined because at the time i was an hour away from my email and he needed an answer.

Luckily because the car was so nice, it had a full GTR kit and had leather interior option, his supplier picked it up anyway, and i bought it off him

Its a harrowing process, but geoff can help out putting you onto the right people for compliance and so on. Makes it easier.

Red17

[Morgs]

I've recently got a car through PMS, and its been a nightmare. Im not going to disclose anything on a public forum, if youre interested, email me.

[R31Nismoid]

Geoff is super!

I've had mindless queries ... nothing to do with BUYING a car form him.

just general import questions and stuff and he's more than helpful.

And i know of people who have got great cars from him... also the prices are fair cheap too

[Lozza150]

I had no problem's with the importing of my Skyline with the help of Geoff from PMS. He answered all questions, had no hesitation in telling me details and supplied photo's and an honest assesment of the vehicle.

The only damage that occoured was during shipping, and Geoff stated that it *COULD* happen, unfortunatly it did, and the TV in my car was busted up due to the Australian Wharfies...RRRRR.....

Apart from that everything went smoothly, and I'm enjoying my Cheaper (than off the lot) Nissan Skyline.

How often can you say " Yeah I imported that myself...." that should win the chickies over.... he he he....(unless you're a fat ugly bastard like me....)

Cheers

Loz

[Guest ylwgtr]

hmmmm well for starters if i was shipping something with a telly...id be taking it out and sending it in the post....if he knows its gunna happen...why does he let you take the chance???And it seems to happen to every second person....not only that deal with him....to everyone

[Lozza150]

Good point, next time i do this then ill ask for things like that to be taken out.

Really it doesn't matter too much as it is easy to repair, and it needed to be converted over, so in the grand scheme it's a small price to pay as the conversion will cost the most.

I think it's up to the dealers in Japan, whether they will go to the extent of pulling thing's apart and sending them off. Really (I think) there should be more policing of the Wharf and liability for things damaged/stolen if it happens to cars....where does it stop???.

But you raise a good point .... I cant speak on Geoff's behalf, so i wont.

But next time, I will enquire about things like that.

Loz

[sven laptop]

It's interesting to read of all these experiences, as my R33 GTSt sedan is now on the boat & will, I hope, be parked at my place within 2-3 weeks.

I'm waiting nervously.

Most people I speak to have never heard of private imports so I'm writing an article on the process and my experiences with it.

I'd love to hear from anyone who's done it & how they've found the whole process, whether it's been good or bad & why.

Please feel free to PM me or email to [email protected]

Cheers - Sven

[gtrken]

On the boat and at your place in 2-3 weeks.

Bwahahaha I doubt it. The issuing of the compliance plate will take that long , not to mention the work to comply , engineer sign off , inspection yada , yada , yada.

Cheers

Ken

[sven laptop]

Well, tell me how long you reckon it'll take.

The boat is due to land in Brisbane on Monday the 3rd.

The compliance plate is there waiting for it & the car's booked in for the work to be done, or at least started, next week.

So please, give me some words from the wise!

[Guest ylwgtr]

Originally posted by Lozza150

Good point, next time i do this then ill ask for things like that to be taken out.

Really it doesn't matter too much as it is easy to repair, and it needed to be converted over, so in the grand scheme it's a small price to pay as the conversion will cost the most.

I think it's up to the dealers in Japan, whether they will go to the extent of pulling thing's apart and sending them off.  Really (I think) there should be more policing of the Wharf and liability for things damaged/stolen if it happens to cars....where does it stop???.

But you raise a good point .... I cant speak on Geoff's behalf, so i wont.

But next time,  I will enquire about things like that.

Loz

well i take them out...i guess i offer sevices that they dont then....

[Scotty]

Good Afternoon Kev,

As promised, here's my two cents. Firstly while I spoke closely wit Geoff, I ended up getting my car through Craig from J-Spec. There were basically two reasons why I did this. Regardless of where I went, the service, auctions, cars and prices would have been relatively the same. What tipped my over the edge was that Craig actually lives close to us and I could actually meet him in person.

Sure I can appreciate that the majority of the importers can work online given their reputation, however for that extra peace of mind, it doesn't hurt to meet with the man.

Now as for Craig's service. Let see, I consistently hounded him on a daily basis nominating cars that I wanted to bid on, he also went to the effort in looking at other cars in car yards to possibly find a deal. I actually came close to buying a car from a yard, which would have ended up cheaper, however this one came up first.

Being naive on the importing process, many a times I would ask him dumbass questions, as well as sending him SMS's all throughout the night, he did not seem to mind at all.

Now I'm sure Geoff offers the same quality of work. But I guess, what erred me to Craig was that he was at least he's in the same state as I am. Hope this helps. Thanks,

[Lozza150]

Good stuff ylwgtr .....

[meggala]

also talk to phil from http://www.directimported.com.au

he has been around for a number of years I only hear good thing I have 2 cars coming with him good straight forward service with out the hassles. no need ot be on his back cause its all been done

meggala