How it works
You find a car here. You buy it from the seller directly. We are paid only if that sale completes.
Two ways a car reaches you
Every listing is one or the other, and it is marked on the car. They involve different timelines, different costs and different risks, so it is the first thing you should check.
Import order through an Australian broker
The car is still in Japan. A broker based in Australia bids for it, handles export and shipping, and brings it in under the 25-year rule. The broker gives you the timeline for that particular car.
- AVAILABILITY
- Shipped from Japan after purchase
- ELIGIBILITY
- Built 25 or more years ago
- ON ARRIVAL
- Compliance and state registration are still ahead of you
- SUITS
- A specific car you are prepared to order
In stock in Adelaide
The car is already in Australia, already complied, already registered. A dealer in Adelaide holds it and you can go and look at it.
- AVAILABILITY
- In the country now
- ELIGIBILITY
- Already resolved
- ON ARRIVAL
- Nothing outstanding — drive it away
- SUITS
- Buying without import risk, or inspecting in person first
What happens, in order
You find a car and enquire
Each enquiry gets a reference code in the format YSS-0000. Keep it. It is how the sale is matched back to us later.
We pass you to the seller
The broker or dealer contacts you directly. From here the conversation is between the two of you, in their words, on their terms.
You check the sheet and ask questions
We publish the auction grade and every damage code on the listing. Ask the seller for anything it does not cover — compression, service history, what has been modified.
You buy from the seller
Payment goes to them, not to us. Terms, deposit and delivery are agreed between you and the seller.
We confirm the sale
Around eight weeks after your enquiry we send you one short email asking whether the purchase went ahead. That is how we check what sellers report.
Where the money goes
Nothing you pay comes to us
No deposits, no escrow, no handling fee, no commission on the car. We are not an intermediary in the transaction and we never hold your funds. If anyone tells you to send money to this site, it is not us.
We charge the broker or dealer a flat fee once a sale is complete. It does not scale with what you paid, so there is no reason for us to steer you towards a more expensive car.
We also do not sell placement. No seller can pay to appear higher in a list, and no listing is promoted because the fee on it is larger.
What we do not do
We do not inspect cars in person, and we do not appraise them. The auction sheet records condition on the day of inspection in Japan — it says nothing about engine compression, gearbox wear, or thirty years of electrical ageing. A grade 4 car can still need work.
We are not licensed to provide financial, credit or insurance advice in Australia and we do not provide it. Where this site lists insurers or finance providers, it is a list and nothing more. No recommendation is made or implied.
The decision to buy is yours. We give you the information in a language you can read, and then get out of the way.