# Cars imported from Japan



## Confiture

I'm looking for a cheap car at the moment so scouring Dubizzle etc. and noticed a few cars that are said to be imported from Japan.

Is this a common thing, or known to be done by dealers etc?

The Japanese drive on the right of the car, like in the UK so why are there left hand drive cars coming in?

Just want to make sure this is not some kind of stolen car scam, and I couldn't see anything on a wuick search of this forum.


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## GlabrousD

I bought an old Japanese 5 Series BMW years ago from a dealer in Sharjah... nice car that served me well for some time and fitted my limited budget back then. Obviously an old Series 5 without the modern (costly) electric gadgets so I didn't have to go to the hugely expensive main dealers to be ripped off.

If you know what you're doing with cars (or have a friend who does) you can get a nice car for a good low price... and it will be left hand drive. If you don't know cars then beware.

There are supposed to be issues registering a non-GCC spec car but I never had any problems with mine.

Oh and I believe right hand drive cars are illegal here unless you have them on trade plates and are exporting the vehicle.


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## Mr Rossi

I've heard a lot of the cars in Al Aweer are Japanese imports, I don't know the script if it's some kind of scam with cut and shuts or stolen cars either. I went up and looked at a few, took a note of some VIN numbers and checked them here - Free VIN Number Check Lookup Decoder Vehicle Identification Number | AutoCalculator

Some showed up some didn't but the site only verifies the algorithm of the VIN number, easy to replicate I guess and doesn't give you a history. 

I too am in the market for a car but on a limited budget.


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## Tropicana

Given that there was an earthquake i wouldnt be surprised if a number of written off or damaged vehicles are being sold in Aweer. Quite a few cars which were written off after Katrina found their way to the Aweer Auto market. Apart from that there are many gangs in other countries who steal cars to sell them here.


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## GlabrousD

Tropicana said:


> Apart from that there are many gangs in other countries who steal cars to sell them here.


I'd suspect that cars stolen in other countries or stolen to order won't include many second hand "budget" Japanese cars... possibly expensive 4x4s, sports cars and luxury saloons.

I'm sure there are some dodgy "cut & shut" cases and a few repaired write offs but there are probably a whole load more that are just "tired" used cars.

As I said - don't buy unless you have the knowledge or the assistance of someone who has.

For many second hand cars Dubai is just the stopping off point on the way to Africa. A Tanzenian friend of mine used to have a great side-line buying used cars in Dubai and shipping them home.


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## Gavtek

Isn't it almost impossible to insure an imported car? I looked into buying an Audi RS4 imported from Germany but I could only get 3rd party insurance and even that was expensive.


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## GlabrousD

Gavtek said:


> Isn't it almost impossible to insure an imported car? I looked into buying an Audi RS4 imported from Germany but I could only get 3rd party insurance and even that was expensive.


From memory I think I got TPFT. You can't get fully comprehensive insurance for older cars in Dubai anyhow - perhaps the spares are too hard to come by.


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## desertdude

The LHDJap cars mostly "imports" like American and European but you'll never find a LHD Jap import that was a domestic like Toyota or Mazda save for some Honda's which were made in American and in Japan there is a thing called Sha'ken, like the RTA test here and the older the car gets the more expensive this becomes and around 8 to 10 years that becomes just unrealistic to pay considering the car value specially for cars that lose value faster, and your car has to be in top shape to pass that so expensive repairs have to be done to keep that valid, thats why you'll also find low milage vehicles as when they get close to 50/60k people start selling them in fear for mounting sha'ken costs


I had a relative who lived in jap for 15 to 20years and he would ship back stuff from there and occasionaly a car and many times he said the owners were very happy to give away their older pefectly working cars for almost nothing as it would cost them a good sum to have it towed away to some scrap yard because they could not use them legally on the road. Cars like older Beemers and VW's

Overall I would not hesitate for a second to buy a 2hd Jap import, now American imports are a whole different story altoghter.


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## GlabrousD

desertdude said:


> The LHDJap cars mostly "imports" like American and European but you'll never find a LHD Jap import that was a domestic like Toyota or Mazda save for some Honda's which were made in American and in Japan there is a thing called Sha'ken, like the RTA test here and the older the car gets the more expensive this becomes and around 8 to 10 years that becomes just unrealistic to pay considering the car value specially for cars that lose value faster, and your car has to be in top shape to pass that so expensive repairs have to be done to keep that valid, thats why you'll also find low milage vehicles as when they get close to 50/60k people start selling them in fear for mounting sha'ken costs


Fascinating - thanks very much for the insight. Amazing to think that perfectly good cars are being scrapped at 50 to 60k when they're probably good for over 200k nowadays.


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## desertdude

Cheers bud.


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