Japanese or UK import? Which one is better

[naveedriaz810]

I ve been driving Japanese vitz and Prius for quite some time and have test driven UK Prius tspirit and Honda insight besides reading a lot on internet. I m convinced it is a better option to buy a car imported from UK rather than buying a Japanese one. It is equally difficult to find out the true maintenance history of imported cars but far more easier to consult user manuals of UK cars. Some people argue UK cars have limitations on AC and radiator but his has been unfounded and I ve doubly checked from my brother who lives in UK. While there r hundreds of dealers/individuals importing and selling cars from japan there r very very few people importing cars from UK. I have not found a dealer who imports from UK atleast not on the net. There r individuals who say they regularly import cars from UK but the numbers r far too less to provide variety and the prices r usually higher than the Japanese counterparts. I request members to give opinion and guide me how to import a car from UK or find a dealer who does so. U may also opine on the quality of uk cars compared to the Japanese and how much one can trust the MoT that provides maint history of UK cars.

[faiz.aslam.121]

woopsie- Duplicate:(

[faiz.aslam.121]

Most UK Imports have to be valued through their respected service centres.
Mercs go to Shahnawaz and so on- They give an estimate- how much this car is worth. Custom duty is calculated according to that.
So if it's a fully loaded car, it will cost more.

JDM's are categorized in the engine capacity category i.e CC's. The higher they are, the more you pay. Simple.

I've seen UKDM Prius's bearing '10 reg even in Rajanah!

There are no problems with cooling or what- yes, they do have smaller radiators and are more configured for Cold climates.
As long as your vehicle is fit and it's running on coolant, it will be fine. Most German imports are from Uk... hehe.

Pros- Maintenance record, English language, not some next chichuaheuahfiejfauefoejofjaeipfe language as in Japanese.
Cons- Price and parts if not a Toyota or local brand. I mean, would you import a Vauxhall haha?

If you will be buying online, do check autotrader. They are more trustworthy, but a bit more expensive. Never trust Ebay or Gumtree. The latter is just a waste of time, if you do not know about cars and cannot physically go and check it out.

Make sure to pay a bit extra and get it's maintenance record and to make sure it ain't a CAT. D vehicle or something in that slang.
Sir @CrashD has some experience importing UKDM cars I assume. Maybe you can chip in sir? Pleasure.

Enjoy importing cars!

[sufian_noshad]

I would like to point out couple more things with regards UK cars
1) the mot doesn't necessarily mean it's the service history, it is just a yearly fitness test which each vehicle over a year old has to go through for it to be road worthy.
2) you have to do a HPI check which will tell you if the particular vehicle has ever been written off, stolen or has got finance outstanding on it
An that's about it I can think of right now if something else comes up in my mind I will share

[Teeboyuk]

Have tried buying a new one minus vat. In the uk.

[margallar]

I have heard that uk models have better compatibility with cheap obd scanners.