Buying an imported car: what checks work differently

Imports — JDM legends especially — are some of the best cars on UK roads, and some of the easiest to misread, because UK records only start when the car arrived.

The registration-date trap

UK records show the date of first UK registration, not the build year. A 1994 Supra imported in 2007 looks like a "2007 car" in the data. Decode the true age from the model generation, the chassis/VIN, and the plate era — and be suspicious of any listing leaning on the wrong year.

The km/mi odometer muddle

Import odometers usually read kilometres, and MOT stations sometimes log the reading as miles (and back again). The history can look like the mileage fell when it never did. Look at the raw numbers: a genuine history climbs steadily even when the recorded units flip. A true clocking shows a fall in the raw figures.

The rest of the import checklist

• Insurance write-off markers still apply — UK incidents since import appear on the register like any other car.
• Service history may be in Japanese — auction sheets and export certificates are worth asking for; they carry the pre-import mileage.
• Parts and insurance — check availability and cost for your model before, not after.
• Underside rust — Japan does not salt roads; the UK does. A decade of UK winters matters more than the odometer.