Something like a Testarossa(sp?) or soon a 348(car must be 12+ years old in order to import) Advantages: 1. Clean 2. Low mileage 3. Some come with modifications(if that's your thing) Dis-advantages: 1. "Grey market car" 2. Hard to resell(I think this is very subjective.) 3. Unknown history(Worth the risk? You can save anywhere from 10 - 30 thousand dollars.) IMHO, if you are looking to pick a F-car up cheap, and keep it for a long while, this is a great option. If you are looking to flip it in a year or two, this is not for you. I saw a clean '87 Testarossa with 61,000km's go for $40,000 cdn. Tax + import fees will add about $12,000. Let's put another $8,000 for errors in my calculations or misc costs. The total is at $60,000. Just some food for thought.
How will we deal with the steering wheel being in the normal designated passengers seat? That makes it a bit of a beast when trying to pass for most of us. Scares the heck out of whomever is in the left seat when you nose out for a peek. Otherwise yes, Japanese inspection standards are so high that 15 year old cars are literally tossed away there. Hence the plethora of recent Skyline migrations. Gosh, I love the word plethora, almost as much as curmudgeon.
What's the relevance of JDM and f-cars? Talking to too many ricers, lately? Secondly, cars have to be 15 years or older to import into Canada without restriction. It doesn't matter what country they come from. www.riv.ca You're welcome.
I have seen a lot of Japanese Porsches and MB's coming over in our shop......cosmetically the cars are usually OK (I mean after all how can someone who is on average 98 pounds soaking wet wear out a seat bolster)........but that's where it ends. We have a Japanese 928 in the shop right now (2nd one this month)........car cost the guy $17K CAD to land (they really cost about $12 from the auction's there so he got hosed).....he also needs to spend another $7K to make it serviceable. No books and records, total "bad" repaint.......etc......etc......the Japanese cars are the worst examples of the 928 line that I have ever seen. The MB's aren't it bad shape (I've seen about 25 of them now)......whereas all of the Porsches I have seen were literally P.O.S. examples (that's about 15 of them now)........ The lure of the cheap import.........LOL........he'll have more tied up in the car than it can be resold for. The knowledgeable buyer's are staying away from the Japanese MB's and Porsches now (Skylines and other cars never sold here are another story all together for obvious reasons).........several dealer's I know have had P-car examples sitting in stock for over 6 months now........and the market for 15 year and older MB's has totally collapsed as a result of all the cars coming over. Therefore.....poor resale if you want out. A $60K CAD Ferrari may need $15-25K in the first year or so.........so there goes your edge. Why someone would buy a 12 cylinder Ferrari sight unseen without first hand due diligence in a situation where over 50 threads here on F-chat can testify that these cars can have potentially catastrophic reconditioning costs is truly beyond the scope of both logic and reason.
Thanks for the informative post. How about a Porsche 930? Turbo's are rare here as it is, so that puts them at an edge. A turbo-cab('87 - '89) with low clicks and in decent condition could sell for around $50,000 here.
Lets see some pics. I know Veilside makes kits for the 348, and the 550 maranello The maranello doesnt look too bad in my opinion, they didnt ruin the lines of it, and i like the rims. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
ACK!, i just noticed the front spoiler/lip on that Thing *throws up* Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I dont mind this car too much either, but it is a little ricey Prices: Ferrari 348 Carbon Fiber FB $3,450 Ferrari 348 Carbon Fiber Underside Lip $1,270 Ferrari 348 Carbon Fiber RB $2,900 Ferrari 348 Carbon Fiber RW $2,000 Ferrari 348 Carbon Fiber Front Lip $730 Ferrari 348 Carbon Fiber DP $1,820 Ferrari 348 Carbon Fiber Rear Under Lip $550 Ferrari 348 Carbon Fiber Tail Garnish $1,450 Ferrari 348 Carbon Fiber Tail Light Bracket $550 Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Say what you want about the ferrari, but it beats the crap out of the veilside posche in looks Image Unavailable, Please Login
coincopy..... Three of the Japanese cars I have seen this year were 930's......and FWIW 930's are not "that" rare either (only the good ones are).......I sold 6 in Calgary this year and currently have an 1989 930 cabrio in stock for sale. Japanese cars usually spend their life idling around rush hour traffic in a low ozone environment that consists of 4 temperate seasons with a high humidity factor and constant salt air. It's like buying a car from the north eastern USA or Montreal.
I agree a 930 is not "rare". BUT, a clean '88 or '89 turbo cabriolet IS rare. '89's go at a bit of a premium of a few thousand dollars more than the '88's but both are very desirable. If you wait for the right buyer, low 80,000$(cdn) is not out of the question. A slant-nose would be great even. And any rare car like this would most likely be taken care of a bit better than a conventional, more affordable late-80's Carerra etc.
Sorry guys, those body kits are hideous! Why anyone would want an Italian car to look like an Eclipse or Riced out Honda is beyond me.
from what i understand most japanese perfer LHD european cars, and hence most ferrari's in japan are LHD.
You're very talented at the intarweb. And that's OK, even if do like rice. JDM, yo! Image Unavailable, Please Login
why would anyone do that when they can buy one here with same mileage for the 70 grand and know EVERYTHING about the car!?!?