March 2010 Archives

Many people take advantage of the great deals that a Japanese car can offer them. They make the purchase, then realize that there is a problem, they need to import the car over to the United States. These people will need to learn the basics that are required to import a car from Japan. There is a lot that can be gained from buying a car from Japan. The first thing that many of these people realize is that a Japanese car is durable and economical at the same time. This is a great benefit to a person who is looking for a cheap car, however one that is also going to be around for a long time to come.

So now is the question, how do you import a car over to this country? There is actually not as much involved in the process as one might expect there to be. Importing a car is for the most part quite simple if you follow a few simple tips.

The first of these tips is to talk to the dealer that you bought the car from. Many times these dealers have a person that is on staff that their job is to import cars for people who purchase from overseas. Many times you will find out when you purchase the car as to if there is an importer that is assigned to your transaction. There is also the option that you can inquire with the dealer to see if they are able to supply you with an importer. The importer will take care of all the needed paperwork for you and will do everything that you will need to import a car.

If you purchase your car from a private individual, then there will be two options that will be in front of you. The first of these options will be to see if the person you purchased from has an exporter that they generally use for their transactions. If a person tends to make a lot of deals on a regular basis, then they may have one that will handle everything for you. Otherwise you will need to find a person that can export the car for you in Japan or will need to locate a private importer that can get the car of your dreams in the United States for you.

There is a lot that can be gained by buying a car in Japan. These advantages make the idea of importing a car worth while and tend to lead a person to not regret their decision to have their newly bought imported to the United States. There are a few things that you will need to make sure that you keep in mind when you make the decision that it is time that you buy a car and have it imported to this country. If you follow these simple rules then you will have no problems at all getting the car of your dreams over here and in the driver seat in not time at all.

A used car is one that was previously owned and used as a trade in for a new car. Back in the good old days, or maybe it was the bad old days of used cars, cars were turned in with mega miles on the odometer and most likely had mechanical problems. Dealers who took in used cars did minimal work on them before putting them in the used car lot to be sold and not all who bought a used car ended up being a happy camper. Used cars and used car sales people got a pretty bad rap back then and were the subject of many a nasty joke.

Back in the 1990's, as more drivers were leasing cars, they were being returned with less than 50,000 on them. These cars were in pretty decent mechanical condition. But because they had the "used car" moniker these cars were piling up on the lots.

As a way of setting the decent cars apart from the mechanically infirmed cars, certified used car programs began appearing. It was a way of letting the consumer know these cars were okay.

To qualify for a certified used car program a vehicle has to meet certain criteria set by the manufacturer. It can only have a maximum number of miles, a certain number of owners and fall within a certain age range. For instance, for a Volkswagen to qualify for the used car certification program it has to have less than 75,000 miles, it must be no more than 5 years old and owned previously by the same owner for a minimum of 12 months. The condition of the car is evaluated and then goes through a rigid inspection process from top to bottom and inside and out. Anything that needs to be repaired is repaired and anything that is about to need repair is repaired. The goal is to bring a decent used car to being as close to new as possible. This provides a better incentive for the consumer to buy a used car and help keep the inventory of used cars down.

Certified used cars are sold with very attractive warranties. Volkswagen sells their certified used cars with a limited 2 year or 24,000 mile warranty that covers the air conditioning, power train and electrical system. A 2 year, 24 hour roadside assistance is an added bonus. Honda offers a 100,000 mile or 7 year warranty on the power train and 12 months or 12,000 miles on non power train components and any unused new car warranty coverage still remaining. Before buying a certified used car, check with the manufacturer to be sure they offer such a program and what the protocol is.

A word about the warranties. Check to see if the warranty is a dealer backed warranty or manufacturer back warranty. A dealer backed warranty usually means you will have to return the car to the dealer where you bought it for repair. If it is a manufacturer backed warranty you will be able to bring it to any repair shop certified by that particular dealer for repair. That is an important thing to know especially if you travel or move to another state.

A benefit of buying a certified used car is the consumer is buying a near new car with a solid warranty. Or the consumer may be able to buy "more car" than they could otherwise. They may be able to opt for the Lexus instead of a lower priced new car.