Anyone here got a Japanese import

[Bobrosspaintbrush]

I need to change my car currently have Nissan qashqai +2 petrol, I have never had a problem with it that’s why I kept it so long, and I like that it’s petrol.
Need a 7 seater that has full size back seats. Child 3 (12) has autism and is outgrowing the back seats. Now the back seats are his spot in the car. He won’t sit next to anyone or swap from back to middle.
Been looking at Japanese imports, elgrand and toyota alphard they look great and petrol engines but I worry about how hard it might be to get insurance on an import and would this be pricey.
Also would appreciate any other tips on what to look for when buying one of these.

We had quite a few Japanese imports in the past, over 10 years ago though. Insurance was always OK through APlan, Adrian Flux, and Tesco funnily enough. The cars tend to be in good condition as much drier over there so little to no rust, however the ones we had were all very dusty inside with a sort of sand! You will get a good spec car for your money but bear in mind that the engine sizes are usually bigger so will be fuel guzzlers. Can be harder to get parts although there are lots of import specialists here now. We had various Subaru Impreza, Forester and a Honda Smx.

Have had a lot of Japanese imports and personally imported a few as well. Never had any issues with insurance or parts but expect to use specialists for both.

I’ve previously owned an FTO which was a Japanese import - not sure if still relevant but I was told at the time to ensure the car is either undersealed for import, or to get it undersealed when it gets to the U.K. otherwise the chassis rusts quickly.

Insurance was easy/no issues, just went through monrysupermarket and all the major insurers quoted. If you’re concerned then just get a quote of the same make/model you’re interested in, tick that it’s an import and you’ll be able to see the price

I've got an Alphard but its a camper. Can I answer anything for you?

@EddieVeddersfoxymop I was searching for this very topic when this recent thread came up, so I have some questions if you (and other import owners) don’t mind. I’m considering an Alphard or similar as a family car as we’ve got DC2 and 3 on the way and it’s tricky to find a car that suits. The seats that rotate (?) particularly appeal to me.

Where did you buy yours? Did/do you have a relationship with a particular dealer/importer, use Autotrader etc?

Where do you service it? (Will any Toyota dealer take it?)

Is the radio / infotainment system in Japanese? (Seems to be on some ads I’ve seen, not sure if that’s standard.)

Any particular issues to look for when buying? Any common faults?

OP sorry to hijack, but perhaps a few questions that are relevant for you too.

Hi, no problem. Rotating seats are not available on the face-lift model. Mine is a 53 plate and does rotate.

I bought mine through Northstar Conversions as we have it as a camper, service was faultless. They have base vehicles for sale unconverted too.

Servicing can be done by any garage, although my husband does ours. Just need the part numbers but we have a few lovely groups on Facebook that can help with this is needed.

Yes, head unit is Japanese as standard but lots of places can fit android units. I left mine as we like the quirkiness but it has been tricky to learn how to use it. Google translate has saved us many a time!!

Check its been undersealed thoroughly and sometimes the tyres from Japan can be poor due to the UV light. Check the auction sheets if they're available for proper condition reports. The smaller 2.4 version has rubbish battery....which we found out to our chargrain this winter. Easy to get it changed over to the 3litre one.

Anything else?? Happy to help

Thank you so much. Nothing else I can think of for now - I’m going to sit in a neighbour’s a bit later this week and may well come back with more questions though! We’re in London so there’s ULEZ to contend with too, but so far I’ve been looking only at vehicles already in the UK so it’s easy to check they are exempt as they already have a British licence plate to run against the Gov website - and I’m sure a competent dealer can help with that side of things if we’re looking to bring one over.

@EssentialHummus, no problem. We just love ours....so spacious, easy to drive, well built. Ours is a rear conversion camper so we don't have the last row of seats. Instead we have a gas hob, sink and fridge. There's 2 side seats and a table, and the seats fold down to make a 2 berth bed.

Just shout of there's anything else! Good luck

Thanks @EddieVeddersfoxymop I will check for under seal, tyres and battery because I am drawn more to the 2.4 version.
Can speedo be changed to mph?
This might sound like a daft question but looking at pics they look low to ground, do they go over speed bumps ok? I can only look at pics at the moment because nearest Japanese seller is some way away.
No worries @EssentialHummus
Hijack away the more info the better.

@Bobrosspaintbrush yes, the speedo can be changed to MPH. Our conversation has had it done and its accurate

Yes, they are low to the ground. We have an aero body kit on ours which doesn't help! It gets over most things but you must watch if you park parallel to a kerb and open your front doors as they will connect if its a high one!! We have never been defeated by a speed bump though, even with the kit on.

Big yes to the battery. It needs different terminals fitted to the cables to accommodate the larger battery but its an easy job for any garage. Tyres....ours were 2013 and had seen better days. For reference 17" tyres, extra load for the conversion weight set me back £400 so it's worth checking.

Shout if I can help more!

Many years ago I had two imports
Toyota MR2 and Mazda MX5
No problems with insuring them
But the Mazda needed something doing with the emissions to pass the MOT and the bill was huge £900 In total - but this was 20years ago
The Mazda was wicked proper track racing car and you felt every single bump in the road and getting in and out - well you couldn’t do it and look like a lady 😂 but it was a fun car to drive

Hello! I have a Nissan Cube which is so quirky, I absolutely love him and he's great - no probs at all on long motorway hauls, good fuel efficiency and it's basically like a little TARDIS space-wise. He was brand new to the UK when I fell in love with him and I've had no trouble at all with insurance or getting work done - just use normal providers.

The only issue has been the built in sat nav/entertainment system, which obviously speaks Japanese. There's a shouty voice which briefly says something when I start the engine - which I don't even notice now - but for ages she would randomly yell stuff at unexpected moments and start showing me maps of Japanese places, which could take me by surprise and be bit unnerving.

Google translate on my phone - pointed at the manual and at the sat nav screen - helped me to turn off all map notifications etc, so she doesn't do the random yelling any more. Unfortunately, while I was messing about with things I must have pressed reset something thing because the car wouldn't start and I had to get the recovery guy out who did something to reset the ignition system and no probs since - he seemed to find it amusing when I waved the huge instruction book at him, all in Japanese, obviously.

The sat nav/music system can't be reprogrammed for the European market, so would have to be totally taken out and replaced - and to get one with really good maps is quite costly. So now I just use it for playing music and use a Garmin sat-nav, which is really good.

I couldn't be happier with my Japanese import, really!

But the Mazda needed something doing with the emissions to pass the MOT and the bill was huge £900 In total

That has nothing to do with it being a grey import though.

I think it can be a problem if you buy a car that is unique to the Japanese domestic market.

Then parts can get very expensive.