Hey gang, I finally secured my evo. Sold my Evo 9 MR a few years ago and am finally in a spot where I can buy another evo. Been searching for almost a year now and am excited to be able to say it is almost in arms grasp. I was driving an EM1 civic for the past year and miss the spool of the turbos. The dealership I've been working on secured a clean Evo 5 for me with minor mods, but located an Evo 6 that's accident free, mechanically stock, good compression numbers and rust free. It was a no brainer for me. It does have an aftermarket radio, but I don't even care. Car is getting maintenance repairs in Japan right now and is expected to get loaded onto a cargo ship next week. Hopefully by end of Feb or beginning of March I'll be able to drive it.

There are some minor stuff like the driver seat wear, but importer was able to source a better condition seat to swap out.

 

Congrats I just picked up a V recently and am thinking about a VI if the right one pops up.

 

Can I ask what is the process and cost of importing it from Japan to Usa? If you dont mind sharing how much everything cost you I would greatly appreciate that. I am looking to import evo 5 from Japan. Thanks!

 

any reason you are looking to trade to a VI? I believe the V and VI are very similar in terms of performance. Suspension upgrades and changes to the body were
the biggest differences between the two generations.

 

Process for me seems straightforward for now. I’m working with a dealership that has a branch in the US but HQ is in Tokyo.

The US guy gets a list of requirements along with your budget from you plus a 10% deposit. The budget allows the guy to know your range when searching. From there the guy looks for a vehicle that checks off all the boxes or comes close to it. He will send you pics of his findings that he thinks you may like and is close to your requirements. Once he locates a car you like and you approve. They do a final inspection to make sure everything is good and as expected.

We backed out from a sale because a silver Evo VI I was buying was converted back to stock. Prior to accepting, the paperwork said it was stock, but the inspection revealed it was running a different turbo, injectors, etc then returned to stock before selling. I felt a lot better seeing how he disclosed this stuff to me. Would have been pissed to learn someone beat on it then sold it afterwards.

If inspection passes, they do the basic maintenance on the car like all belts/waterpump and fluids and get it to the shipyard for shipping. This is where I’m at currently with my Evo VI. He said once it lands on US shores he does a final inspection to make sure nothing got damaged during shipping g and gets it US title ready and “supposedly” easy for you to register. I can fill you in on this when I go through this hurdle in a month or so.

For the Evo IV I think it was around 21-24k
Evo V were 24-26k.
Evo VI 26k-30k.

When I say these prices, this is what you pay the guy when picking up the vehicle in person. For me I’m paying the guy upper 20s for my Evo VI plus shipping it from his dealer to UT and tax/registration.

 

Thank u so much for sharing your info. Is this Us branch a known company? I was searching and I wanted to Import it myself but I think it is better to have someone do it. If I can ask what company in Us are you using, and do you know them or is it someone that you searched online? Thanks a lot!!

 

I did a lot of digging to make sure it was legit. Didn't want to send the guy 10% of the deposit if I didn't do my due diligence. Plus, I used my amex in preparation if I did have issues and needed my deposit back. He auctioned a few cars on BAT and they all are legit. Also has a website and the contact us branch has a location in Tokyo and in Atlanta, GA.

I've never done an import myself to source a vehicle in Japan then inspections and maintenance. Feels like the biggest nightmare is dealing with getting it schedule and onto a container ship and dealing with picking up at port, etc. I don't have the time or ability to coordinate all that myself. I'm sure I would save some money if I do it myself, but I can't handle the mental gymnastics at the moment.

I don't want to name drop any businesses until I can say with confidence that they deliver everything as promised. Don't want people coming back and saying they got screwed over because they went off my review. Plus my experience has not ended yet since my car is still sitting at some port in Japan.

We can discuss PM if you are interested.

 

I’m just hoping that when it arrives at my house. I just have to do a wash, clay, cut, polish, and ceramic coat. Not looking to fix scratches as I don’t expect this car to be in perfect condition

 

Not looking to trade, looking to get a VI on top of the V

 

hey that appears to have antilag on it... will that even be registerable in the USA? But you could have fun tuning the antilag though < devil grin>

 

TBH, I have no idea on registration. This import game is all new to me. There were some Evos on BAT that has the SAS system and was registered in the states. I guess we will see how it plays out and if I can register it in UT. Worst case I will probably remove it to pass and put it back on.

 

That would be fun. I would love to own more than one evo. I don't have the space nor the wife that will allow me to have more than 1 car for each designated purpose. I'm jelly that you have the space to accommodate it all.

 

It just depends on if your county mandates emissions testing for a car like this. Some states and counties don't require it for cars 25+ years or just don't require it at all.

 

My county requires emissions, I will play it by ear to see if the SAS system allows it to pass. Car is stock and I've seen other imported evos pass with the SAS system installed.

 

Ha haven't found out if the wife will be cool with it yet...