Guides
What we have learned reading auction sheets and import paperwork, written for buyers rather than for the trade.
Japanese auction grades for 25-year-rule imports
The grading system was built for cars three to eight years old. Yours is thirty. What the grade still tells you, what it cannot, and why three English guides give three different answers.
SOUTH AUSTRALIARegistering a JDM import in South Australia
Federal approval gets the car into the country. It does not make it legal to drive. The two inspections, the permit most people forget, and how the auction sheet predicts how it goes.
PARTSSourcing parts for a JDM import in Australia
Registration is not the finish line. Thirty-year-old rubber, part numbers, genuine versus aftermarket, and where Australian owners actually buy.
PARTS SITEParts for your import
Our sister site, YOU SHOULD, SHA. Parts: find parts by Japanese chassis code across eBay Australia, the US, the UK and Germany, with a free model code lookup and 27 model-by-model parts guides.
IMPORTINGHow Much Does It Cost to Import a JDM Car to Australia? (2026)
Duty, GST, Luxury Car Tax, approval, stink bug season and registration: the full landed-cost formula for a 25-year JDM import, with 2026-27 rates and sources.
IMPORTINGImport a JDM Car from Japan or Buy One Already in Australia?
Auction import or a JDM car already registered here? Full-cost comparison, the risks on each route, and a three-question test for which one suits you.
VEHICLE HISTORYOdometer fraud in Japanese used cars
Japan’s inspection certificate carries only two readings, which leaves a gap wide enough to drive through. The five documents you can check yourself, and the point where self-checking runs out.
Model guides
Chassis by chassis: what goes wrong, what it costs to keep, and what to look for before you buy.
An Australian buyer’s introduction to the R32 and R33
Which model code is which, what you can legally import, and the three realities of owning one here — including why body condition matters more than the engine.
SKYLINE R32 / R33Pre-purchase inspection checklist
Written for people who are not mechanics, and ordered so the items most likely to end an inspection come first. Nothing here needs tools beyond a torch.
SKYLINE R32 / R33Common faults and the parts that fix them
Seven faults owners actually report, how to check each one safely, and where genuine parts still exist — and where they have quietly run out.
SKYLINE R32 / R33Running costs and maintenance schedule
What the first month costs on a car with unknown history, what recurs every service, and the four-figure items waiting further down the road.