Best V50 engine

[Nick04]

I have a V50 2.4i and really like it. Obviously it's not great on fuel, but it's not terrible on a run, you'll get up 40pg. It's one of the most reliable V50s as well, so if you're not doing too many miles - it's certainly an option. However they are a rare vehicle and can cost quite a lot. The best thing to do with the 2.4i is to import one from Japan. You'll likely find one in excellent condition with low mileage.

[Forg]

Originally Posted by Nick04

The best thing to do with the 2.4i is to import one from Japan. You'll likely find one in excellent condition with low mileage.

... with the odo wound-back.

Less unseriously(*), is it really worth grey-importing a car in this price-range, there? It needs to be a bit more expensive before it's worth the hassle & cost in Straya.



(*) OK I was a little serious - odo wind-backs exporting used cars from Japan is still a HUGE thing & you just ignore that, judge a grey-import on condition & seat/trim/pedal wear instead

[Tannaton]

With regard to Jap re-imports, there are several companies doing that and selling them on e-bay, Auto trader etc. Rather than try and buy a specific car and import that - just get one that someone has imported already.

With regard to mileage, a simple check with VIDA as to what is logged in the CEM will go some way to verify that.

There are issues though - the dashboard language will need to be changed and the clocks will be in KM unless you replace the DIM.

But also advantages - cheaper VED for some models.

[Nick04]

Originally Posted by Forg

... with the odo wound-back.

Less unseriously(*), is it really worth grey-importing a car in this price-range, there? It needs to be a bit more expensive before it's worth the hassle & cost in Straya.



(*) OK I was a little serious - odo wind-backs exporting used cars from Japan is still a HUGE thing & you just ignore that, judge a grey-import on condition & seat/trim/pedal wear instead

You can easily get a mileage verified. But I'm not sure I'd actually bother (I didn't) if you've done your research and due diligence beforehand. I imported mine from a Volvo dealer and it was advertised as without service history. They sent the car documents through the post in advance and it did include a lot of service documents. When I translated the information the amount of maintenance was absolutely crazy compared to the UK. Forget oil and filter, every aspect of the vehicle was checked and reported on and action taken if necessary. My vehicle was on 48k miles, the service sheets had even detailed that a sample of gearbox oil had been taken to make sure it was good.

As far as I'm concerned, it's a no brainer. Why would anyone choose a higher mileage vehicle that's been run over endless pot holes and exposed to road salt over a lower mileage example that been looked after meticulously? The reason is that people don't want the hassle of importing. But it's not really that difficult.

[Nick04]

Originally Posted by Tannaton

With regard to Jap re-imports, there are several companies doing that and selling them on e-bay, Auto trader etc. Rather than try and buy a specific car and import that - just get one that someone has imported already.

With regard to mileage, a simple check with VIDA as to what is logged in the CEM will go some way to verify that.

There are issues though - the dashboard language will need to be changed and the clocks will be in KM unless you replace the DIM.

But also advantages - cheaper VED for some models.

You can get one from an importer but I guess then you're paying a higher price for a car they have sourced/chosen rather than you. You're effectively paying £2000+ to take away the risk/hassle of importing. I can understand why people do though. The speedo in KM isn't an issue, you get used to it in no time - I didn't change mine. Language change is around £150.

[Forg]

Originally Posted by Nick04

Why would anyone choose a higher mileage vehicle that's been run over endless pot holes and exposed to road salt over a lower mileage example that been looked after meticulously?

Japan has BULK road salt, a mate of mine imported an FC RX7 turbo which had more rust than car ... service records were pretty good, but he basically had to pull the mechanicals and fit them to something else.

If you can leverage the fact that people are wary & get something that's been unusually well serviced, then of course do so! But because so many people in Japan offload a car in 3 years, plenty (and I mean MOST) cars there aren't serviced properly at all. And a lot of service records are manufactured when the time comes to export ... I don't know how I could tell the difference between a real service record & a hacked one.

[Nick04]

Originally Posted by Forg

Japan has BULK road salt, a mate of mine imported an FC RX7 turbo which had more rust than car ... service records were pretty good, but he basically had to pull the mechanicals and fit them to something else.

If you can leverage the fact that people are wary & get something that's been unusually well serviced, then of course do so! But because so many people in Japan offload a car in 3 years, plenty (and I mean MOST) cars there aren't serviced properly at all. And a lot of service records are manufactured when the time comes to export ... I don't know how I could tell the difference between a real service record & a hacked one.

Obviously you can find rusty cars in Japan - but it wouldn't be recommended to actually import one! You'd obviously make sure there were no issues beforehand. I'm guessing the RX7 is a pretty old car as well, so things like that obviously need checking out.

Going off most of the information online - Japan does not use salt on their roads. However if looking a bit deeper it appears they possibly do in some areas, especially on major highways and mountainous regions. They apparently also have road heaters in some regions. I think the case is probably that they do use salt, but not to the same extent as UK/Europe.

With regards to ownership and servicing in Japan - what's the evidence that they don't service their cars properly and committ fraud with service records? All of the information and research I did suggests the opposite.

As far as I understand, the reason the export business is so big in Japan is because of government policy. Mandatory inspections are very expensive which encourages people to buy a brand new vehicle which keeps the car industry moving. This means there's lots of vehicles in excellent condition that can be exported to countries that don't have such strict and expensive inspection criteria.