JCD BLOG

Very helpful. Walked through every step of the process and very friendly team.

Excellent service, quick and professional. Always in touch to answer all my questions, quick to react to buy a car from an auction even with very short notice. Thank you, Matt and the team! Got a white Lexus for an excellent price with the very small mileage of 61000 km. Highly recommend!

Yoshiro and the JCD guys did an outstanding job helping me to import my Kei Truck. Over the course of the few months it took, and lots and lots of emails, they happily answered all of my dumb questions, and never ceased to be prompt, professional, and extremely helpful. I don't know how I would've done this without them!

It is my first time to import a car and it went good. thanks to JCD and thanks to Mike for his cooperations. All the best ✌️

I used JCD for my first ever import. They make it so easy to get everything done and had patience with me asking 100 questions about the process. I would recommend these guys to anyone!

Amazing service, super transparent and kept me updated throughout the whole process! Highly recommend working with Mason especially if you're looking to import to Canada. He is very knowledgeable on what the process looks like.

I purchased a JDM 2008 Toyota Prius through Japan Car Direct last year. The export agent, Mason, was easy to work with and made the process predictable and straight forward, so there were no surprises or hidden costs with the car itself and with logistics. The logistics supplier that Mason referred to in Vancouver to import the car into Canada was also very helpful and made the process stress free. Mason went above and beyond just facilitating the transaction and sourced new tires, rims, and accessories for the car that the car needed or that didn't come with the car. This was a big help as these parts and accessories for a 2008 Prius were either unavailable in Canada or would have cost an arm and a leg to purchase through a dealership. I was amazed at how good condition the car was in when it arrived. I picked it up in Vancouver and, right off the boat, drove it over 4000km straight to Ontario to get it home without any mechanical issues along the way.

The team at JCD made buying a car from another country easier than I could have imagined. I worked with Yoshiro and he always replied extremely fast when I sent links to cars I was interested in bidding on and even offered advice on how to more effectively judge the condition of a vehicle to pick out exactly what I was looking for. Would recommend to anyone looking to import their first car, or even their tenth.

I haven't won any bids yet but JCD has been amazing to work with so far and I am confident that I have the best team helping with my JDM purchase!

Mike helped me with purchasing and importing my first JDM car (JZX100 Chaser). Throughout the entire process, Mike was extremely professional and I really appreciated his availability to answering all my questions/requests. Despite the numerous amount of questions I had (I am an extremely anxious person), responses from JCD were always concise and carried a very professional tone which I particularly appreciated and I think is very representative of working with a Japanese vs US-based company for importing. Initially, I was split between using JCD versus a US-based importer (like The Import Guys). But after considering the material difference in pricing, especially given the JPY FX rate, I thought I'd go with JCD given they are based in Japan and I figured paperwork and communication between them and other local entities in Japan would be easier. Sure enough, no regrets! Everything went extremely smoothly after winning my bid, I was essentially hands off when it came to getting the car out of Japan. The only clarification I'd provide to other potential customers is just recognizing that JCD provides all services up until the car is on the boat, then its on you to coordinate with a customs broker and shipping company to have the car clear US customs and get released. All in all, JCD really handled all the paperwork needed and I couldn't have imagined a more simple importing process. Wouldn't hesitate to use them again!

この上なく素晴らしいです！！ カナダで車を探していた時にこの会社をネットで見つけました。正直、大変なんだろうな〜と思っていましたが 手続き本当に最低限で、楽々の輸入でした。 しかもカナダで中古車を買うより圧倒的に安く、綺麗で、走行距離も少ないです。 やりとりから何から全て楽しく、貴重な体験をさせていたただきました。 カナダでこの車と沢山走ります！ そしてまた次回、、よろしくお願いします！

Would not have chosen any other company to work with, amazing communication doesn’t even feel like your buying a car on the other side of the world. My Toyota Hiace arrived exactly as expected. Very happy with Mason he was amazing to work with beginning to end.

I recently purchased my second vehicle with the help of JCD. Matt and the team were great as always. I 100% recommend them to anyone thinking about importing from Japan.-JP

Mike and the team helped me import a classic Range Rover p38 for a restoration project. I couldn’t be happier with the personalised service and secure atmosphere. Andrew

Mason was very helpful through the whole process. Thank you JCD for an amazing experience. I will definitely continue doing business with the team.

Very quick and Simple process. i would definitely use JCD again. My man Mike Nguyen helped me out through everything and even followed up with more translations when i needed them. He always had quick and informative responses.

I found JCD very helpful, friendly and professional. As a first time importer they where patient and informative Excellent service all round.

I had a phenomenal experience purchasing a car with the help of Mason. He was quick to answer any questions or concerns. Although i went the route to buy from dealership compared to auction he was able to even negotiate a lower price on the car which was a pleasant surprise! The buying and delivery experience was nothing but smooth. I’ve recommended my friends already and I am planning to purchase another car in near future due to how successful and stress free Mason made the whole process!Thanks again Mason!Highly recommend using JDC if you’re planning any import.

Fantastic experience bidding and buying a 1994 Honda Acty Van. Mason van Dyk was an excellent ally through the entire process. I was very nervous conducting business with a company in another country but they made the entire process painless. I highly recommend paying for the inspection before you bid and be sure to take a look at the time change so you can get the report in time before the auction starts. Thank you for being honest and fair in your dealings with me.

Very attentive and polite. Support trough all the processes with car purchase and import

Great team, great service! Mike, Matt and the entire team were super knowledgeable and patient about explaining the process of bidding for a JDM vehicle at auction and shipping the vehicle overseas. Always quick to respond and professional. They made sure I found the exact car I was looking for. I would definitely recommend!

Had a great experience with Mason! Thanks again.

This is my first time importing a vehicle from Japan. Yoshi has been very helpful and responsive. The process has been explained clearly on their website and Yoshi guided me in all the steps. Very Happy doing it with them.

I used Japan Car Direct to bid and win a Daihatsu HiJet Cargo. Mason was my point of contact and was brilliant in guiding me through the process, detailing how to make the initial deposit to allow bidding, detailing the auction costs and shipping costs, so that I could work out a budget. The platform for searching vehicles that are coming to auction was easy to use, and Mason was very helpful in explaining all the vehicle description codes and provided a really useful review for individual vehicles that I short listed, and then arranged for the vehicle to be independently inspected prior to bidding. Payment on my winning vehicle was straight forward by BACs to Japan Car Direct and then Mason took care of arranging shipping, and sending through the bill of lading and other documents. Once the vehicle arrived at the JCD yard I received very comprehensive photos. Shipping took about 7 weeks from Japan to Newcastle in the UK, and the vehicle arrived safely in perfect condition. I used RJJ Freight for customs clearance, which made the process of getting the vehicle into the UK stress free.

I had a great experience with Japan Car Direct, an auction broker and car exporter that helped me find and import a Kei truck from Japan. Communication was great throughout the whole process. They were very responsive and answered all of my questions, no matter how dumb they seemed. They took time to explain the entire process, from bidding to shipping, and made it very easy and stress free. I am very happy with their service and would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a reliable and professional company to import a car from Japan. Thank you, Taylor and Japan Car Direct!

JCD are amazing! I've been working with Yoshiro for the past several years and have ordered two cars from Japan. At first I was slightly apprehensive about ordering a car from across the world, but JCD made the process as easy as possible. JCD and Yoshiro provide exceptional service and have been a joy to work with. If you are interested in importing a car from Japan, don't look anywhere else and go with these guys! You won't be dissapointed :)Oh and make sure you have a good customs broker. They make getting the car off the boat and into your hands so much easier.

Great first-time experience buying though JCD. Took several weeks to find what i was looking for, nevertheless Mathew stayed super helpful and responsive all that time. No single message was left without reply. Payment and delivery went fast and smooth. Great deal for me was an ability to transfer to a european bank acount. Can highly recommend JCD to anyone looking to buy in the local Japanese market. Thank you

I am very pleased with the cooperation with Japan car direct. Thank you Matt for the stress-free time from the first message sent to collecting the car from the port

Highly recommend Japan Car Direct! And Mike Nguyen he will answer any question you have along the way.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! I would gladly add my name to the list of those that had the opportunity to work with Mike and the rest of the team at JCD. At first I was hesitant of the whole process, but Mike took lots of time answering my questions and helped put me in contact with the right people to get things in order for the purchase, export/import, and certification process. They even helped organize a long term storage solution in Japan until the purchased car came to 25yr old. I own my dream car now and I KNOW i saved a ton of money by working with JCD. I would happily recommend them to anyone looking to do the same thing. thank you again for your help!!!

The guys at Japan Car Direct are awesome. Super helpful and Quick to respond, they made the vehicle import process quite simple. I had zero knowledge or experience of importing a vehicle before reaching out to Matt. I am so grateful for everyone at Japan Car Direct and I’m so happy with my new Delica!

After looking through many reviews and scouring Reddit for advice I decided to trust Japan Car Direct for my first JDM import. I could not be happier my decision! They are an awesome company that guided me through the entire process. If you are wanting to import a vehicle and don’t know who to trust, look no further than Japan Car Direct.

Great buying experience, bought my first Japan import from mike, everything went super smooth no unnecessary waiting time these guys are experts. Def. Recommend them 👌🏽

I can't say anything negative about my experience with JCD. Despite the time difference, everyone communicated quickly and thoroughly. Yoshiro did a great job steering me away from junk vehicles and aided me in finding something very nice. If you're considering purchasing a JDM vehicle, you'd be foolish not to use JCD!

My experience with Japan Car Direct was flawless. From finding the right vehicle to payment and delivery, everything was a breeze. This was my first foreign import and I was impressed with how communicative and efficient the team was. Yoshiro was very helpful in guiding me through the process and being patient with me throughout.The only thing I would mention is that have the spare key couriered separately as one of my key fobs went missing during shipment. Cost me a bit to replace and reprogram; but not the end of the world. Just flagging as good practice for anyone thinking of buying a vehicle for import.Otherwise, would highly recommend Japan Car Direct and would use them again and again.

First time importing and these guys were awesome! Smooth from start to finish. A little too smooth… might need to look for another car!

Ever since my first trip to Japan in 2016, I have wanted a kei vehicle. I was finally in a position to get one this year, but I didn't know where to start. After doing a lot of research and talking to a few folks who had done it before, I decided to use Japan Car Direct. The primary reason I chose JCD was that I kept hearing them described as "helpful" and "trustworthy". I think these two qualities are important, but particularly for a first time importer like myself. After all, I was going to be sending thousands of dollars halfway across the world for a vehicle I'd never seen, so I wanted someone I could trust and who would help me through the process. Yoshiro absolutely delivered on both counts for Japan Car Direct. From the first e-mail he was very responsive, took time to answer all my questions, and helped guide me to the right truck. The JCD team is great and I can't recommend them enough. I'm sure I will be doing business with them again when I'm ready for my next Japanese car! As for the vehicle, I snagged a very clean 1994 Acty SDX that showed up in even better condition than I expected. I just picked it up from the port the other day, I'll update with photos once I get it cleaned up!

Mike made it super easy to import my first car from Japan, translated multiple car auction sheets for me and bid on many cars until we got one at the right price.Thanks for all your help.

I fell down the rabbit hole of Kei trucks... I really wanted one but had never imported a car before. Mike and the rest of the team at Japan Car Direct were the perfect choice for this beginner's journey! As you begin your process Mike will be there to answer any questions and provide any translations of auction cars that interest you. He explained the overall process and was patient and courteous. He even recommended a U.S. broker that helped me complete all the necessary paperwork for title and registration of the vehicle in the U.S. I had an overall great experience and highly recommend this company for any Japanese car import needs. Kei is the way!

These guys made it so easy to purchase and import my car to NZ. Shout out to Mike and the team and also their shipping partners. The whole process was very straightforward and well-communicated. I think I might be back very soon for another!

First time purchasing a car of my choice. JCD were absolutely brilliant. Initially, I was unsure of what exactly I wanted (Make, age, colour, mileage). I was more certain of what I did not want! Mason, my guide, was patient, even for the silliest questions, and eventually we whittled the choice down and then the acquisition of said car. R-line Polo 4 years old. Mason did all the necessary, buying and shipping, including all the paperwork! Fantastic. So now my beautiful Polo is residing in my garage awaiting the DVLA! The buying and the importation went like clockwork, thanks to JCD and Mason specifically. As soon as I get it on the road I will post pictures!

If you are looking for a JDM vehicle, there is only one company you should work with. JCD. Without a doubt the best customer service, and your best option for securing the vehicle of your dreams.

Outstanding and trustworthy. It’s easy to see why these guys have such a fantastic reputation. Thank You!

Mike and the team helped me buy a Subaru Sambar and export it to the US. This was my first time and JCD's professionality and willingness to help me understand the process made it a worry free experience. I would highly recommend them!

Excellent experience with Japan Car Direct. Worked with Yoshiro over the span of several months and could not have been easier. Always responsive, professional, and communicative. Removed all the guesswork out of the process and got me a good price at auction. Highly recommended!

I saw several posts about Japan Car Direct and Yoshiro Nakajima. All very positive. Here is my positive post. Japan Car Direct and a good import broker on the US side made getting the little KEI truck painless. The banana is for scale.

I am writing this after being able to see my car for the first time today thanks to the guys at JCD, specifically Mike. I am still amazed at how easy and smooth the process has been start to finish. This was my first time importing a car and Mike was excellent in answering all my questions when it came to all the steps of how things work and the timeline in which it takes to receive the car. Mike was super quick to respond with translations of the car and in the end no detail was missed, the car arrived exactly how I expected it to. Overall could not be happier with my experience, big thank you Mike and I look forward to using JCD again some time in the near future.

Mason was amazing to work with. Incredibly responsive and answered all of my questions. I would absolutely do this again and have recommended Mason to all my friends. Auction bidding, inspections, and shipping were all flawless. The best part is that I had a blast finding my truck, bidding, and watching it make its way to the U.S.

Japan Car Direct is so amazing! About 6 months ago I wanted a Kei truck. I looked at purchasing them locally, but they were just too expensive. So, I looked at importing one through a company like JCD to save some money and to look for what I wanted exactly. While I was initially skeptical, after interacting with agents getting access to the auction site, I was so confident in the ability to import the car of my dreams. After months of bothering my agent, Taylor, with constant bids and random questions, I finally won an auction and purchased my truck. While I thought once I had paid the final bill to them that their services were over, I was dead wrong: Taylor was there to support me through the ENTIRE process. JCD worked so hard to make sure my truck was just how I wanted it, delivered as fast as possible, and affordable. While it was scary at first, it was just so easy! I am just now getting my truck registered and road-legal. My fulfillment in my new Kei truck and with JCD's services was so immense that I couldn't help convincing friends and family to make the same choice that I did: importing my JDM dream car through Japan Car Direct. Huge shoutout to Taylor and to the company. No wonder this company has so many five-star reviews on Google, they're amazing!

Without a doubt the best customer service, and the car was pretty good too! From the first conversation with Mike Nguyen I knew I had found the right person and company to help me bring a car to the UK. If you are reading this and have any concern about buying from Japan don’t, they are definitely the partner you want. Mike was helpful beyond fault with the many video reports he sent, each as cheerful and informative the last, he patiently and politely answered every email instantly and question I had along with my concern about sending money. I need not have worried. JDC seamlessly handled everything including at the UK end by hooking me up with an import company who charged a fair price for off loading the car and getting it through customs and it was there ready at the agreed pick up time. I cannot convey how impressed I was with everyone and am just about to buy another car as I love the car and the service. There is a reason they have so many 5 star reviews. Don’t hesitate in using them. You’ve found the best team for your adventure into buying a car from Japan.

I highly recommend Japan Car Direct. I just brought my first imported car home today, and I still don't understand all the steps from start to finish, but regardless, everything ran like a well oiled machine from an auction house to a port city south of Tokyo to Tacoma, WA, USA, export, import, etc... The people I worked with at Japan Car Direct were highly professional, patient, informative, and responsive. Cheers!

Great experience, Crown is better than expected. Mason is great to work with , and made the process less stressful than I imagined it would be . Great job guys, look forward to dealing with again.

Mike was excellent through & through in helping me purchase my first import through Japanese auction. Very thorough, and quick responses every time I wanted info on a car I saw up for auction. The screen recordings with auction sheet translations was key to finding the right car for me. Their references to a stateside broker was also paramount to my successful import experience. Highly recommend for anyone looking to purchase a vehicle in Japan and import into the US.

Mason did a great job helping through the entire process for multiple vehicles. He answered all my questions and was fast with responding. Overall japancardirect did a great job with helping me get my vehicles.

JCD was great! Mason was extremely helpful and knowledgable throughout the entire process. Will be using their services again and highly recommend.

Super happy with the car it’s in great condition. thanks for the help Mason and JCD

This is a class act, top of the line company. I was set to buy a kei truck through them but some life events happened and they happily refunded me my deposit. I will definitely be returning as a customer in the near future! Thank you for the genuine care!

Smooth great experience. Imported 2 cars with Mike and haven’t been disappointed. Will definitely buy more in the future! Thanks Mike and JCD

Car delivered exceeding my expectation.Mason Patiently guide through the process.JCD is Legit and I strongly recommends them.

I recommend them to you! They are a serious company and very helpful. Thank you very much Mathew !

Had a hell of a good experience working with Mason to lock down one of my teenage bucket list cars (Nissan Silvia Spec-R).Mason took time to explain the process start to finish and also worked to support my many requests for transport and to coordinate a container vs RORO. I would happily buy another vehicle through Mason and JCD - money well spent!

I have never dealt with a better company. These guys are outstanding and really know the business of exporting vehicles. I imported a car to Ireland and it was a joyous experience with JCD. Mike was so patient and responsive to every query and did a super job. Despite me changing my mind a few times and requesting many translations, he never complained. Mathew fought my corner right at the end of the process to make sure everything was right and his knowledge of the Irish system was really impressive given the geographical distances. If anyone in Ireland is looking to import a vehicle from Japan I highly recommend Japan Car Direct.

I cannot say enough good things about my experience with JCD. I used them to purchased a 1990 Subaru Sambar. Mason was my rep and took the time to answer every single question I had, along with ensuring I knew what came next in the import process. With how thorough the process was, it felt like I was buying an exotic - not a 30 year old mini truck. Seamless and easy. My truck was in as good or better condition as described when it arrived. Again, cannot say enough good things. I intend on using JCD again in the future. Thank you to Mason and the rest of the team.