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There's an issue in the importing world. Almost every time one of the larger import companies makes a post for a vehicle here comes this guy: "They sell those things for ____ in Japan!! I can't believe people would pay ____ for this car. You can't even give them away in Japan!". Here we go. What Does a GT-R Really Cost in Japan?Alright, so it's pretty undisputed that the most popular imported car is the GT-R. Because of that, they're the most popular to sell in Japan. Because of THAT, they sell for more than they did before they turned 25. This is easy to understand. Now, there is still an issue. On one hand we have this guy: "I was stationed over in blah blah blah and I could get a GT-R for $6,000. I can't believe people would pay $20,000" And we have this company: "The market demand has increased the price of GT-R's. If you could find a GT-R for $6,000 we'd buy it in a second. You can't find a single GT-R for less than 2,000,000 yen (about $17,000) in Japan." What's frustrating is they're both wrong! While I understand the desire to inflate numbers so that a company's prices are appealing, and while I understand people think they can magically change the demand just because they lived in Japan, I think there's a happy medium. It's called reality. Here's proof.  Here we have a typical GT-R that passes through the Japanese auctions. The rating has been noted, along with the incorrect odometer, but overall a decent car (you shouldn't always be afraid of R's, especially at this age, plus the body/interior tells a good story). Would we import it? I don't think so. While it's nice, we don't like to deal with odometer changes (for obvious reasons). Regardless, you see that it sold for 1,425,000 yen (about $12,000). Not bad, but definitely not $6,000 or 2,000,000 yen. Let's look at another one.  Alright. Here's a better/worse car. It's rated as an RA, which is better, and while I love the decals/color combo, it's not for everyone. No odometer change, about 108,000 miles, and decent body condition. It sold for 1,205,000 yen (about $10,200). Even better price, arguably better condition. Let's look at another one.  Here's another R rating, but this one looks to be in even better condition. The body has minimum marks in the auction map, and even though the odometer has been changed it looks great. This definitely wouldn't be a hard sell in America, but lets look at the price. It sold for 1,615,000 yen (about $13,700). A higher price, but deservedly so. Will we reached the 2,000,000 yen mark?! Let's look at another one.  An even better case! High mileage (about 130,000 miles), but it's a grade 3.5 (which equals pretty darn good in my terms) and has no odometer change. Some scratches (a big one near the front), but still a good buy (and definitely a seller in the US). Oh hey, look at that price! It sold for 1,530,000 yen (about $13,000) Let's look at another one.  We've got another odometer change and another R rating, but this one's worth noting. Good body, some nice parts (notice the NISMO and BLITZ thrown in the description), plus some nice rims to boot. It sold for 1,150,000 yen (about $9,500)... Now don't go off this post and start being that guy: "You can get these things in Japan for $10,000!!". This was obviously a good snag, but not a good sample of the market. Yes you can get them this cheap, but you probable won't. Let's look at one more.  Now we're back to an R (maybe an RA? A little confusing in this case), but with true and low mileage (about 47,000 miles) and a good body. This would probably be the best buy of all of the above, and the price reflects that. If you're going to get a GT-R, you might as well do it right. It sold for 1,622,000 yen (about $13,800). Again, not $6,000 and not 2,000,000 yen, but this is reality. This is what honesty looks like, and what you should heed when you see this fight (and it's a fight I think will go on until cars are no longer imported). Next time you pick a fight, use this: "These things sell for $13,000 in the Japanese auctions and I could get one in the states for $17,000 easily (not actually easily, but I could do it!). I know for a fact that you can get good quality GT-R's for 1,500,000 yen in Japan. I understand you have to find cars that "fit your quality standards" (which usually means you have to clean it up and take really good photos of it), but these cars are taken pretty good care of in Japan and good condition ones aren't hard to find. The demand is high, but so is your mark up. Also, I love Greater East Imports." *only use this if the car is really marked up
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February 2016
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