Imports?

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Fri 14 Apr 2006 21:47
Imports? - mickyh7
I'm looking to buy a newish Toyota Celica.Imports look very good value, Price wise and milage-Am I missing somthing or should I go ahead? Your veiws please-Thanks.
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Fri 14 Apr 2006 21:50
Imports? - Aprilia

Not really missing anthing - make the usual used-car checks. Check out the warranty side of things and also double check with your insurance company - some can be a little awkward. Parts availability shouldn't be a problem, although Toyota parts can be very expensive!
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Fri 14 Apr 2006 22:17
Imports? - mickyh7
Thanks for that-I was worried the British winter might turn an Import into a rust bucket-Do they have the same kind of corrosion protection as European built cars? And do they have the same BHP or are they limited on power as M/cycles are in France,Germany etc.?I only ask because I know Japan has very strict laws.
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Sat 15 Apr 2006 01:10
Imports? - BobbyG
Auto Express did a feature on importing a few eeeks back, might be worth trying to get your hands on a copy. One thing they said was that corrosion prevention could be a major problem. They quoted instances where Mitsubishi Pinins or Pajeros suffered from rotten subframes as no corrosion prevention applied.
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Sat 15 Apr 2006 21:52
Imports? - autumnboy

Thanks for that-I was worried the British winter might turn an
Import into a rust bucket-Do they have the same kind of
corrosion protection as European built cars? And do they have the
same BHP or are they limited on power as M/cycles are
in France,Germany etc.?I only ask because I know Japan has very
strict laws.



Having seen Subrau imports from Japan 10yrs old and registered here since 2001. They are in alot better condition than a UK model some 5yrs old on the underside
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Sat 15 Apr 2006 21:56
Imports? - autumnboy
Sorry the other problem you to watch out for is the Jap fuel octane is higher than ours for unleaded and you may have to have a remap to alter the ignition timing or use the super unleaded like Shell Optimax.
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Sat 15 Apr 2006 22:01
Imports? - Aprilia
If buying an import I would budget an extra £200 for additional wax injection - they do have some rust proofing, but sometimes not as good as Euro-market cars. It won't do any harm either way.

Japan has a much bigger variety of models than get exported - so you need to check the spec carefully. Some have more power, some have less.
Most vehicles are fitted with knock sensors so will run fine on 95RON fuel - but you'll get extra performance from higher octane stuff (100RON equiv. is available in Japan).
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Sun 16 Apr 2006 09:59
Imports? - oldpostie
My son's old Astra is on its last legs and he is very keen on a people carrier, now that he has a family.
He is talking about an imported Toyota, can't remember the model but it's for the Japanese home market, which look good in pictures. He reckons it would need some underbody protection but otherwise would be very good, saying they get little use there. They seem expensive, at an asking price of £7000 or so for a car that's nearly ten years old. I question how available parts would be.
Any experiences ?
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Sun 16 Apr 2006 10:07
Imports? - T Lucas
Parts are no problem,there are many thousands in the UK now and Toyota are more than happy to supply parts for them + there are plenty of specialists suppling pattern parts for them.
Check the cooling system,head gasket,etc then as soon as you buy it change and flush the coolant and replace with the correct Toyota coolant and change the cam belt.This is very important.Do this and you will be problem free,its a Toyota.
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Sun 16 Apr 2006 21:02
Imports? - Hugo {P}
Oldpostie

I would suggest your son looks at the domestically supplied Toyota Previa

Friends of ours have one and all 6 of them sit in complete comfort.

H
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Mon 17 Apr 2006 10:31
Imports? - oldpostie
Thanks for that. I will pass it on.
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