Importing NSX from Japan under new import rules

[maclarenf1]

Hi All,
Any advise on what to look for when looking for NA1 NSX to import.
I am hoping to import in 2021, so we can import up to 1995/96 example under new import rules in Aus,
Currently, they go for around 80K landed and complied.

I am ideally after Manual NSX up to 1996.
does anyone know of NSX specilists in Brisbane for instance, that i can talk to or any good blogs / articles/FB sites.

I have just joined this forum, but it seems to focus on Acura NSX and more state side than Honda/JDM version.

PS - Not new to Importing from Japan, so actual importing process is not the issue.

Thanks in Advnace.

 

[Bram]

The UK NSX Club may have more information on right hand drive JDM models

Bram

 

[britlude]

nsxcb.co.uk

 

[NSX9]

Hi and welcome to Prime. Seems like a few NSX are being imported in now. If you can get a 95 or 96 landed and complied that would be a extremely good deal. I would have thought you would pay more than that in Japan alone.
I have found the info in Prime is first class and doesn't really matter that it is LHD or RHD. A set of service manuals are priceless as well. The UK site is also very good.
We have a Honda Sports Car Club of Australia which has lots of NSX in it with lots of knowledgeable people as well.

 

[docjohn]

Aussie Aussie Aussie!!!!!

 

[Blipman]

I'm an Australian NSX owner (just imported my own, registered it 4 days ago!) and I import cars for a living so I'd be happy to help. Give me a call or shoot me an email if you'd like to discuss in more detail (info at http://www.j-spec.com.au) but here are a few comments on what you've said there. First up, as is often the case in Japan it's the first 2 or 3 years when the vast majority of cars are made and sold... I'd wager literally about 90% of them if not more sold in Japan are 1992 or earlier. As such wanting a 1995 or 96 model is going to limit your choices very significantly indeed, and for example I actually couldn't find any 1994 - 1996 NSX's at auction in Japan for the last couple of months, there are so few around. If you would consider an earlier one you'd have a massive increase in choice. The other consequence of this is price... since later models are so much rarer when they do occasionally come up you pay a very significant premium for one. A budget of $80k landed and complied is miles off what you'll pay for even a poor condition ~1995 model now I'm afraid, and in fact even for an earlier one in a manual that's not going to be enough any more. Maybe you've got some old info, maybe you've just looked at the average price (you don't want to own an average one!) or maybe you've not factored in luxury car tax, but a genuinely nice example will cost more than that now. Autos are in the 60's, but manuals see a big jump.

I'm happy to discuss in more detail, one of the surprises I had when buying mine was just how poor a lot of NSX's in Japan are. In Australia we think of these as ultra high end cars which have all been barely driven and immaculately maintained with lots of records, in Japan you'll see NSX's with borderline backyard paint jobs or dodgy colour changes, cars with gauges screwed into the dash, etc. There are good ones out there but they are harder to find than you'd think, and that's why with pricing you can't really use the average price of these as the benchmark to use, I think you really should be buying one that's at the higher end of the scale, as that's where the cars you'd actually want to own will be.

- Ben

 

[maclarenf1]

Thanks, i will check it out.

 

[maclarenf1]

nsxcb.co.uk

Thanks mate.

 

[maclarenf1]

I'm an Australian NSX owner (just imported my own, registered it 4 days ago!) and I import cars for a living so I'd be happy to help. Give me a call or shoot me an email if you'd like to discuss in more detail (info at http://www.j-spec.com.au) but here are a few comments on what you've said there. First up, as is often the case in Japan it's the first 2 or 3 years when the vast majority of cars are made and sold... I'd wager literally about 90% of them if not more sold in Japan are 1992 or earlier. As such wanting a 1995 or 96 model is going to limit your choices very significantly indeed, and for example I actually couldn't find any 1994 - 1996 NSX's at auction in Japan for the last couple of months, there are so few around. If you would consider an earlier one you'd have a massive increase in choice. The other consequence of this is price... since later models are so much rarer when they do occasionally come up you pay a very significant premium for one. A budget of $80k landed and complied is miles off what you'll pay for even a poor condition ~1995 model now I'm afraid, and in fact even for an earlier one in a manual that's not going to be enough any more. Maybe you've got some old info, maybe you've just looked at the average price (you don't want to own an average one!) or maybe you've not factored in luxury car tax, but a genuinely nice example will cost more than that now. Autos are in the 60's, but manuals see a big jump.

I'm happy to discuss in more detail, one of the surprises I had when buying mine was just how poor a lot of NSX's in Japan are. In Australia we think of these as ultra high end cars which have all been barely driven and immaculately maintained with lots of records, in Japan you'll see NSX's with borderline backyard paint jobs or dodgy colour changes, cars with gauges screwed into the dash, etc. There are good ones out there but they are harder to find than you'd think, and that's why with pricing you can't really use the average price of these as the benchmark to use, I think you really should be buying one that's at the higher end of the scale, as that's where the cars you'd actually want to own will be.

- Ben

Thanks Ben for your detailed reply.
And Congrats on the NSX

 

[Big McLargeHuge]

I'm an Australian NSX owner (just imported my own, registered it 4 days ago!) and I import cars for a living so I'd be happy to help. Give me a call or shoot me an email if you'd like to discuss in more detail (info at http://www.j-spec.com.au) but here are a few comments on what you've said there. First up, as is often the case in Japan it's the first 2 or 3 years when the vast majority of cars are made and sold... I'd wager literally about 90% of them if not more sold in Japan are 1992 or earlier. As such wanting a 1995 or 96 model is going to limit your choices very significantly indeed, and for example I actually couldn't find any 1994 - 1996 NSX's at auction in Japan for the last couple of months, there are so few around. If you would consider an earlier one you'd have a massive increase in choice. The other consequence of this is price... since later models are so much rarer when they do occasionally come up you pay a very significant premium for one. A budget of $80k landed and complied is miles off what you'll pay for even a poor condition ~1995 model now I'm afraid, and in fact even for an earlier one in a manual that's not going to be enough any more. Maybe you've got some old info, maybe you've just looked at the average price (you don't want to own an average one!) or maybe you've not factored in luxury car tax, but a genuinely nice example will cost more than that now. Autos are in the 60's, but manuals see a big jump.
- Ben

I can attest to this, finding a 95-96 in the first place for sale in JP is quite rare, and finding one in manual is very rare unless you want to potentially wait for years for one to show up. Any manual NSX there goes for a big premium, to the point where two similar cars but one is A/T and the other M/T will increase the price by ~$15k (USD) or more. Initially I wanted a 95 to import here and I saw maybe one or two A/T show up the whole year I was looking.

 

[MR2QIK]

I purchased, imported & recently registered my 91 manual (grade 4B with 100k kms) under the new laws (NSW). Happy to help answer any questions you may have. Imported many cars over the years too. My NSX hunt began in late 2017 actually.

Can say that you'll need to bump your budget a bit though if you want a manual. I've been watching the auctions for a long time & bid on approx 12 NSX's before getting mine.



Happy to put you in contact with numerous brokers, but overall I find it's most important to ensure you have someone on the ground inspecting each car before you bid. I put together a bit of a list of items to check & report back on before bidding. Also be clear about pricing & fee structures. FOB costs vary from fixed fees, to percentage based on the value of the car. Depends on your importer, so just make sure you're clear on that before you partner up.

When it comes to bidding, it's quite exciting & honestly pretty up & down. Some cars have been circling auction for a while with a decent reserve, whilst some will sell first attempt so you'll need to be on the ball to pounce. I generally recommend to be a bit aggressive & not too conservative when you find the example that "talks to you". Just because one sold for 5.5M yen the prior week, doesn't mean you'll score it for that.

Decide for yourself on your budget, what you're generally after & what your plans are. If you want a low mileage collector car, then you'll pay top dollar & honestly want to keep it as is with relatively low usage to preserve the value. If you plan on driving it daily & doing some modifications, then your criteria should change to suit & open up your options. Red is obviously most popular, then silver in my experience. Good black manuals are actually very rare.

You'll likely find yourself bidding at USS Tokyo (Thursday) & USS Nagoya (Friday) so keep a reminder in your diary to check the auction feeds the night before so you can prepare inspections on your potential candidate(s). Also familiarize yourself with the auction grading system & how to read the sheets. Judge each car on merit, but be wary that NSX's are not simple to repair given the alloy construction, so I'd certainly avoid anything with major repair history (also saves heartache come compliance).

On a sidenote, there are MANY automatic NSX's available. You will inevitably find yourself considering these due to their more attractive purchase price. I will say however, that if you want a manual, just buy a manual. Conversions aren't difficult, but your future value will never equal a genuine manual & the parts for conversion are a bit rare & frankly not cheap. The camshafts on manuals are also different to autos.

HAPPY HUNTING!!

 

[maclarenf1]

I purchased, imported & recently registered my 91 manual (grade 4B with 100k kms) under the new laws (NSW). Happy to help answer any questions you may have. Imported many cars over the years too. My NSX hunt began in late 2017 actually.

Can say that you'll need to bump your budget a bit though if you want a manual. I've been watching the auctions for a long time & bid on approx 12 NSX's before getting mine.

View attachment 165743

Happy to put you in contact with numerous brokers, but overall I find it's most important to ensure you have someone on the ground inspecting each car before you bid. I put together a bit of a list of items to check & report back on before bidding. Also be clear about pricing & fee structures. FOB costs vary from fixed fees, to percentage based on the value of the car. Depends on your importer, so just make sure you're clear on that before you partner up.

When it comes to bidding, it's quite exciting & honestly pretty up & down. Some cars have been circling auction for a while with a decent reserve, whilst some will sell first attempt so you'll need to be on the ball to pounce. I generally recommend to be a bit aggressive & not too conservative when you find the example that "talks to you". Just because one sold for 5.5M yen the prior week, doesn't mean you'll score it for that.

Decide for yourself on your budget, what you're generally after & what your plans are. If you want a low mileage collector car, then you'll pay top dollar & honestly want to keep it as is with relatively low usage to preserve the value. If you plan on driving it daily & doing some modifications, then your criteria should change to suit & open up your options. Red is obviously most popular, then silver in my experience. Good black manuals are actually very rare.

You'll likely find yourself bidding at USS Tokyo (Thursday) & USS Nagoya (Friday) so keep a reminder in your diary to check the auction feeds the night before so you can prepare inspections on your potential candidate(s). Also familiarize yourself with the auction grading system & how to read the sheets. Judge each car on merit, but be wary that NSX's are not simple to repair given the alloy construction, so I'd certainly avoid anything with major repair history (also saves heartache come compliance).

On a sidenote, there are MANY automatic NSX's available. You will inevitably find yourself considering these due to their more attractive purchase price. I will say however, that if you want a manual, just buy a manual. Conversions aren't difficult, but your future value will never equal a genuine manual & the parts for conversion are a bit rare & frankly not cheap. The camshafts on manuals are also different to autos.

HAPPY HUNTING!!

Thanks for detailed reply.
Much appreciated.

 

[timlobello]

I can attest to this, finding a 95-96 in the first place for sale in JP is quite rare, and finding one in manual is very rare unless you want to potentially wait for years for one to show up. Any manual NSX there goes for a big premium, to the point where two similar cars but one is A/T and the other M/T will increase the price by ~$15k (USD) or more. Initially I wanted a 95 to import here and I saw maybe one or two A/T show up the whole year I was looking.

I'm going t

Hey Thanks for feedback, Honestly I just don't want to lose money, Getting an almost 98 pt car in original condition is rare but I realize the RHD and Auto might be a turnoff. Curious if you think being all in after importation at around 85K is expensive. It's got 18K km documented good books and records never a repaint or accident it has not even seen rain or snow . The previous owner is a collector outside of Kyoto and the car is perfect in everyday. Also what can I expect to pay if I ship and register in California (all in with shipping , DMV fees & tax to import) any thoughts on that and should I expect to lose money if I"m into the car after that at near 90K? I know my buy price is amazing but sitting on a car that's RHD does worry me a little although not as much as I thought. Thanks for your input it's priceless

 

[Big McLargeHuge]

I'll say that if you want to register an imported car in California, just don't bother and get a domestic car. Any import doesn't meet CARB emissions standards and it will take months and many thousands of dollars to get the car compliant & registered, even though a Honda NSX is functionally the same as an Acura.
I'd look up some examples of people going through the process in Cali and see if you're willing to do the same. It's much more difficult than the other 49 states. For example, in Georgia my RHD NSX is emissions exempt with no inspections required and all I do is pay a small yearly registration fee. I doubt that you'll recoup almost any of the thousands it would take for emissions in Cali and it seems like a huge pain.