These days, it’s becoming more common to see cars from the Japanese domestic market on American roadways. So where are people getting these JDM cars from?
If you’re like me - you were about 13 years old when "2 Fast 2 Furious" came out.
And if life has been especially kind to you since then - you’re now at a point where you can finally justify buying one of those cars.
So you’ve taken a look around Facebook marketplace, as well sites like Bring a Trailer and Cars and Bids. And you’ve discovered that there’s no shortage of JDM legends already circulating in the United States.
The trouble is - they’re not cheap.
An R34 Skyline GT-R can fetch well into the six figures
Importing a JDM car yourself seems like it would be a massive headache. You don’t speak Japanese, you’re not trying to wire 20 grand overseas, and who knows if you’ll even be able to get the thing through US customs?
So it makes sense that already-imported JDM cars would be expensive. Surely the markup is worth navigating a logistical nightmare of such a size. But what if it wasn’t? What if I told you - you could just import a JDM car yourself?
The first thing you’ll need to find is a contact in Japan. I’m a pretty good person to start with - but in case you can’t get a hold of me, there are plenty of other English-speaking JDM exporters based in Japan. In fact - there are a ton of different individuals and entities who work to provide this service.
In fact, there are so many of us - that a Facebook group called "I Got Screwed by Shady JDM Exporters" was created just to avoid the bad ones. With a staggering 40,000 members and daily discussions - it’s safe to surmise that finding a quality JDM exporter can be a challenge. But once you get your hands on a good one - everything that follows should be much less painful. If they’re really good - it can even be pretty fun.
Once you’ve got yourself a partner in Japan - they’ll join you on your hunt for the perfect JDM dream machine. Japanese auction houses will likely provide you with the most bang for your buck. The gold standard is a chain of auctions called USS, or "Used car System Solutions." There are USS auction houses all over Japan - the biggest of which is USS Tokyo.
An AE86 Sprinter Trueno appearing on the lot at USS Tokyo
Technically located in Chiba Prefecture, USS Tokyo moves about 15,000 cars every week. You can find just about anything there:
The cars are bid on electronically - in a giant room that looks a cross between a lecture hall and an OTB. Everyone sits in front of a monitor with a small joystick and clicks a button that raises their bid by 5,000 yen per click.
A Daihatsu Hijet mini truck once used by a real Japanese firehouse
Unless you’re physically present in Japan, and a card-carrying USS member - you won’t be able to enjoy the live bidding yourself. Instead, you’ll give your max bid to your exporter in advance - and they’ll click the button for you. If you end up being the person who made the highest bid - the car is yours.
