Job Discussion Forums

diderot · Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 30

Does anybody know what it might cost to ship a car from the states to japan?

Or, where I might find out?

Are cars sold in the states even street legal in japan?

Thanks.

Hoser · Joined: 19 Mar 2005 Posts: 694 Location: Toronto, Canada

Yes that is a crazy idea. I'm pretty sure it is legal as I see ridiculous amounts of import cars with the steering wheel on the wrong side.

diderot · Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 30

Yeah, I've seen them too. Mostly european, if I remember correctly.

Although, I do remember seeing one "toyota" cavalier.

Apsara · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Coal to Newcastle...

Then there would all the hassle of the shaken after you get the car here. If you really like the car and will be here a long time though, why not? Most of the car shipping is done the other way around- i.e. used Japanese cars to Australia and NZ, so you would be best to ask a freight company in the US.

osakajojo · Joined: 15 Sep 2004 Posts: 229

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

Don't know about the U.S. but going rate from Canada is about $5000... And then there are some fees on this end (don't remember what) and of course you have to get shaken on it too! Shocked

johanne · Joined: 18 Apr 2003 Posts: 189

The cheapest way to ship a car is to have someone in the States drive it directly onto the ship (Roll-on) and then you go to the port in Japan when ir arrives and drive it off (roll-off), known as RO/RO. Here's a site that will give you a quote on-line. I'm sure there are others as well. Good luck

http://www.autoshippers.co.uk/AutoShipping_USA.htm

diderot · Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 30

Awesome.

Thanks for the information y'all.

I had forgotten about shaken. Does anybody know of a good english language resource on shaken? I'd hate to spend the money to get it here if it was impossible to put on the road.

cornishmuppet · Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Posts: 642 Location: Nagano, Japan

There are a bunch of imported American cars that rev it around the city centre on Saturday nights here. They look great, all snazzed up, but they're driven by these idiots who create a racket and seem to be racing each other. I'd dread to think how much it cost to get them here.

sethness · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Posts: 209 Location: Hiroshima, Japan

Tell us more about the vehicle you're hoping to bring over...?

Age, engine size (in cc), and degree of customization will all affect the cost of the shakken.

If you want a rough guess, I'd say an American car will probably require about $2,000 (200,000 yen) in shakken fees every two years.... more if it has a big engine or lots of customization.

An earlier post mentions heavily customized vehicles "racing each other". These are probably not able to pass shakken tests unless all that customized stuff is stripped off prior to inspection. They're probably driven by ex-bosozoku, and I think the police would tend to pull them over more than other vehicles.

I I were you, unless youre' a hardcore car enthusiast, I'd leave my American wheels in America, and pick up a cheap junker here. Theyr'e practically givin' older, still-good away here-- and if you want speed, nothin's better than an old Japanese Skyline with a little tweaking.