The Import Process Background

Hi Everyone,

The purpose for this blog is simply to show everyone the processes of importing a car from the Japan to (in this case) Australia.

I decided to import a car when I felt like the car selection and prices for performance cars was really quite limited in Australia. I was looking for something relatively new 2010+ and had low mileage. Due to the amount of distance between various things in Australia people use cars as their main means of transportation. It is probably good to also note that there is also a large car enthusiast community here - especially with the JDM scene. Thus, after searching around the internet (mainly Aussie ones) for potential cars to buy I felt like the cars I wanted were too expensive for the mileage and year of the car. As such, I started looking at the Japanese Market.

One car that I felt had a lack of presence in Australia was the 350/370 GT which is a 2x2 or Sedan version of the 350/370Z. They run the exact same engine but have different aesthetics and inner parts. It is also a lot cheaper to import one of the GTs than to actually buy a 370z. As stated before, I am looking at purchasing a car based on the following:

• 2010+ 
• prefer 5 seats
• 200kw+ 
• latest tech - mind you I have been driving cars from the 90's so this is big thing for me! 
• $23-27k 

After having a good look around the 370gt really appealed to me especially after test driving a mate's car. The family was going to settle for a 2015 WRX but felt like the money could be better spent elsewhere. So we settled for the 2010+ 370 GT SP. 

The main differences in the different options for the 370GT are simply the following: 

BASE

• Comes with the basics 
• Rear and Side Mirror cameras

SPORTS

• 18 inch wheels
• Huge calipers - brakes
• Paddle shifters
• Sportier exterior cosmetics

PREMIUM 

• Leather seats + trim
• Heated seats

SPORTS PREMIUM

• Has the best of both worlds - Sports and Premium features. 

There are definitely a few more things in each category but these are the things that really appealed to me.

Obviously not wanting to go to Japan, nor do I have the contacts within Japan to help me I hired the help of Troy from Iron Chef Imports (the link to these guys will be just below). He is really helpful and answers questions the same day. Being a full-time worker and asking questions at 11pm and receiving an answer the same night is extraordinary! Props to Troy for this one, he is definitely a hard worker.

I gave him the specs that I wanted for the car and have gotten a few replies thus far. So far we have gone through 2 cars, with unsuccessful bids. I will go into detail for these later on. For now, I'll just put up some pictures of the sexy 370gt.

Stay safe and drive carefully everyone!

Warren

http://www.ironchefimports.com/