Questions, answered straight

Yes, for anything in stock. We are in Luton and viewings are by appointment seven days a week, which means you get our full attention rather than being left to wander a forecourt. For imports to order, you see the auction inspection sheet and photographs before we bid, and you are welcome to inspect the car when it lands before you take delivery.

No, and that is deliberate. No showroom means no showroom overheads, and that saving goes into the price of the car rather than the rent. You get the same paperwork, the same legal protection and the same MOT as anywhere else.

Most of our customers are not. We deliver anywhere in mainland UK on a covered transporter, and we regularly deliver to Manchester, Birmingham, Cambridge and Blackburn. We will send you a detailed video walkaround before you commit so there are no surprises when it arrives.

[CONFIRM — yes/no and any conditions.]

[CONFIRM — if offering finance you must be FCA authorised or work through an authorised broker. Do not publish this section until that is in place.]

Yes, and there is more evidence for it than on most UK used cars. Every car sold at Japanese auction is inspected by an independent grader who confirms the odometer reading and records it on the auction sheet. Japan also keeps deregistration records. Both come with your car, translated.

It is a condition score from an independent inspector who has no stake in the sale. Grade 5 is close to new, 4.5 is excellent, 4 is very good with light normal wear, 3.5 is average. R means the car has had accident repair — we do not import those. The sheet also carries a diagram marking every dent and scratch.

Japanese owners simply drive less, and the shaken inspection regime there is strict and expensive enough that cars are either maintained properly or taken off the road. A ten-year-old car with 40,000 miles is unremarkable in Japan.

Far less than on a comparable British car. UK roads are heavily salted in winter and Japanese roads generally are not. We still check underneath every car and will tell you what we find rather than leaving you to discover it.

Often, yes, and Japanese radio bands differ from ours so some stations will not tune. We fit a UK head unit or a band expander before handover on any car where it matters, and we tell you up front which applies to yours.

For Toyota, Honda and Nissan, mechanical parts are largely shared with UK-market models and easy to source. Some trim and body panels are import-only and take longer to get. We are honest about this car by car rather than pretending it is never an issue.

Yes. Every car we hand over has cleared customs, passed its MOT or IVA, is registered with the DVLA and has a UK number plate and V5C. All you need to arrange is insurance and road tax.

Nothing beyond the price we quote you. Japanese-built passenger cars currently qualify for 0% import duty under the UK–Japan trade agreement, provided the Japanese exporter supplies a statement of origin — we confirm that per car. VAT at 20% applies to every import and is already inside our price.

It is a Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency inspection that newer imports must pass before the DVLA will register them. Cars first registered in Japan more than ten years ago are exempt and go straight to an MOT instead. We tell you which applies before you commit to anything.

For ordinary hybrids, kei cars and MPVs, usually not by much — but not every insurer covers imports, so it is worth getting a quote before you commit. We will give you the chassis number and details you need, and can point you towards insurers who are comfortable with Japanese imports.

Most petrol and hybrid cars from 2006 onwards meet the standard, but compliance depends on the individual car’s emissions rating, and imports sometimes need registering with the relevant authority before their status shows correctly. We will tell you what we know about a specific car — but check it against the official checker for your zone before you rely on it.

[CONFIRM — e.g. three months parts and labour, or a named third-party warranty product.] You also have the same statutory rights buying from us as from any UK dealer.

Phone us. We are a small business that lives on repeat custom and word of mouth around Luton and beyond, so putting something right matters considerably more to us than it does to a large forecourt. Your legal rights as a consumer apply in full.

[CONFIRM — whether servicing is offered, or which garages you recommend.]