Jap Import BMW

[Initial D.oug]

saw this in the buy and sell
http://www.buysell.com/showad.asp?id=38563363

too bad it's automatic. Looks nice and clean though.

Love to have that full mtech kit.

[E30Ty]

saw this in the buy and sell
http://www.buysell.com/showad.asp?id=38563363

too bad it's automatic. Looks nice and clean though.

Love to have that full mtech kit.

That's worth doing a 5spd swap on if the paint is in good condition

[royalflush313]

That's worth doing a 5spd swap on if the paint is in good condition

no kidding, thats pretty cheap. I'd be extremely sceptical of a Japanese import though. E30s aren't exactly cheap in Japan still, and there's not really a way you can find out about a car's history in Japan - that's why no-one buys used cars over there.

[Mike 91 318ic]

Japanese cars are rhd, are you sure it's from there or did someone import it to Japan from Europe? Either way with some tlc it would be a good project for a motor/trans swap. Also it'll need some sport seat ;) If you could get that car for 5k you could easly build a monster and be under 15k total. I thought the reason why no one buys used cars in Japan is becuase you have to have a parking stall for every car, and you pay more for insurance on cars over 5 years old? When I was in Japan I saw many nice used cars for sale cheap, that's what I was told...

M

[royalflush313]

Japanese cars are rhd, are you sure it's from there or did someone import it to Japan from Europe? Either way with some tlc it would be a good project for a motor/trans swap. Also it'll need some sport seat ;) If you could get that car for 5k you could easly build a monster and be under 15k total. I thought the reason why no one buys used cars in Japan is becuase you have to have a parking stall for every car, and you pay more for insurance on cars over 5 years old? When I was in Japan I saw many nice used cars for sale cheap, that's what I was told...

M

There are lots of LHD cars in Japan. Many cars are imported from Europe when it's brand new still.
So for example, LHD MB is worth more than a RHD MB of the exact same model.
I'm not sure about the parking stall thing, but it is hard and expensive to insure older cars ("shaken"), that's another reason why people just buy new cars. No-one buys used cars, that's why the prices of used cars are so low. Supply and demand I guess.
But like I said before, there's no carfax or ICBC record check etc, so for all you know, you could be buying a car that has been totalled 5 times and not know it, if it's fixed or covered up. Not to mention once it is imported to Canada, the history of the car gets even more blurred.

It's not uncommon for Japanese used cars to have rolled back odo, and really sketchy history. Not to mention 100,000 km in Japan is NOT the same as 100,000 km in Canada. In Japan, that's 100,000 km of stop'n'go driving. Highway type driving is close to non-exsistent. Wear wise, I'd see a car with 100,000 like a car with 200,000 + km but that's just my opinion.

So yah, even though that car looks pretty nice, I would approach it with extreme scepticism. Go look at it thinking that everything is wrong about it and go from there, not the other way around.

[Mike 91 318ic]

Wow the entire time I was there I don't think I ever saw a lhd car, except for the odd camaro or mustang.

M

[royalflush313]

Wow the entire time I was there I don't think I ever saw a lhd car, except for the odd camaro or mustang.

M

haha well it's defenetely rarer than RHD cars that's for sure, but LHD cars are everywhere. It's not like in Canada where you have to wait 15 years before importing a car into the country.

That odd camaro or mustang is an odd suprise, that's for sure. Because there are lot more LHD European imports than mustangs and camaros in Japan.

here are some examples of E30s in Japan:
http://page6.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/f31703885
http://page10.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/m7911936
http://page10.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/m8186585
http://page11.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/n8793836

There are some unique E30s over there, but defenetely not cheap, especially in comparison to most used cars over there. That's why I'd be hesistent to buy an imported E30 in Canada, seeing as importing a car is defenetely not cheap either.

[e30_m3]

yeah, they have some really sweet older bimmer's or in japan, i remeber seeing like 5-6 different alpina's. yeah the camaro and mustangs are a weird site to see. i remember seeing a 69 elcamino on the freeway, it was mint.

[RHD]

Here are some pics of my Jap import.


http://www.engr.uvic.ca/~jrippon/smallrhd.JPG

http://www.engr.uvic.ca/~jrippon/smallnowheel.JPG

http://www.engr.uvic.ca/~jrippon/smallfront.JPG

http://www.engr.uvic.ca/~jrippon/speedo.JPG

http://www.engr.uvic.ca/~jrippon/front_openhood.JPG

Its an 1986. Imported from Japan through Fuji Motors in Victoria. I had a hard time with ICBC to have the VIN number registered.

I've got some goodies into it.
Suspension Techniques Lowering Springs
Suspension Techniques Sway bars
After marker stereo
If I wasn't in school now I would dump tons more time and money into it. Thats why I want to sell it.

Im looking at letting this unique car go for $4800.

Great site BTW.

Jim

[Initial D.oug]

must be fun to drive on the rightside.

[kowalski]

yeah if i was in the market id consider it just for the RHD peoples reactions would be pricless look nones driving that car!!!! haha anways, id probaly get confused and sit in the passengers seat when i go to drive it tho...

[stargroves]

no kidding, thats pretty cheap. I'd be extremely sceptical of a Japanese import though. E30s aren't exactly cheap in Japan still, and there's not really a way you can find out about a car's history in Japan - that's why no-one buys used cars over there.

I was over in Victoria a few weeks ago and noticed that several of the dealers over there were getting Japanese cars & all had unrealistic mileage for their year & shape. The line the guy told my was that they could not drive cars older than a certain year & that old cars were not allowed on the roads because of pollution etc.

Irregardless of the reasons the mileage still seemed bogus to me. Also all the ones I saw seemed to have the cheap interiors, both the regular ones and the M series ones. Most had nice exterior kits on them though & whether they were real M series I can't say.

[royalflush313]

I was over in Victoria a few weeks ago and noticed that several of the dealers over there were getting Japanese cars & all had unrealistic mileage for their year & shape. The line the guy told my was that they could not drive cars older than a certain year & that old cars were not allowed on the roads because of pollution etc.

Irregardless of the reasons the mileage still seemed bogus to me. Also all the ones I saw seemed to have the cheap interiors, both the regular ones and the M series ones. Most had nice exterior kits on them though & whether they were real M series I can't say.

Where did you see the M cars? Do you remember the name of the dealership?

Anyways, as for the mileage, there is a chance that it could be rolled back. However, 'low-mileage' (less than 100,000km) is not unrealistic at all. Note that size of Japan is like smaller than BC. Amount of distance driving in Japan is significantly less than in North America.

Only problem is, the car will most defenetely have had more strain in the motors due to the constant stop'n'go driving (when compared to a 100,000km Japanese car vs. 100,000km N.A. car). You can pretty much disregard highway driving, because it would be minimal, and on the rare occasions that you are on the highway, you can prepare to drive in bumper-to-bumper goodness.

[stargroves]

Where did you see the M cars? Do you remember the name of the dealership?

Anyways, as for the mileage, there is a chance that it could be rolled back. However, 'low-mileage' (less than 100,000km) is not unrealistic at all. Note that size of Japan is like smaller than BC. Amount of distance driving in Japan is significantly less than in North America.

Only problem is, the car will most defenetely have had more strain in the motors due to the constant stop'n'go driving (when compared to a 100,000km Japanese car vs. 100,000km N.A. car). You can pretty much disregard highway driving, because it would be minimal, and on the rare occasions that you are on the highway, you can prepare to drive in bumper-to-bumper goodness.

One Dealer was on Government Street, It is just past Lone Star, the Merc Dealer on the same side of the street closer to downtown the the mercedes dealers. It is called Timmins & is about 3-4 blocks closer to town. The other was the Honda Dealers on Dougles St. around Cloverdale & the other dealerships in that area.

[stargroves]

One Dealer was on Government Street, It is just past Lone Star, the Merc Dealer on the same side of the street closer to downtown the the mercedes dealers. It is called Timmins & is about 3-4 blocks closer to town. The other was the Honda Dealers on Dougles St. around Cloverdale & the other dealerships in that area.


By the way I spoke to the guy on the Ferry who was delivering an M car to the Honda Dealers and he told me that they & other Vic/Van dealers are starting to buy lots of them from Japan. he also said he had a hard time getting his started even though it had low mileage.

[mkspeed]

man rhd it's some problem with it i have bmw 325is 2door with full m-technic kits and automatic gear realy nice if u like to see tell me i will send the pic and i take from japan very clean car and powerful