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Jan 26, 2012 12:58:55 GMT
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Afternoon all and thanks for the comments/musings. It wasn't a UK based car and indeed I am sure Alan would know about it having bumped into his thorough posts on various forums and knowing how he has a finger on the pulse. Obviously I can live without a Hako but would rather not, the cash I have saved is for a garage toy and if I wait for the Yen to weaken I could be old or dead as showing no sign of changing.... With the exception of a Sunbeam Lotus and a TVR I too have generally lost money one way or another on cars so am not going into this to make money. I was more interested in the opinions of a broad audience of old school enthusiasts towards the market should I have to one day sell. All in all you have reaffirmed my thoughts about bringing one in, unfortunately I have never been very sensible when it comes to buying cars so the search continues Thanks again. Stevo
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shahtz
Part of things
Posts: 241
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Jan 26, 2012 14:33:55 GMT
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hi stevo
i think you should buy it!!
whether its 1500 gbp or 15000gbp i doubt many of us are in this game (hobby) for the future price of these classics
you should forget about future price expectations and just go ahead and fulfill the 'want' of today that you feel! (as long as its disposable income you are using) imho!
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datsun 120y saloon 1978 datsun 120y estate 1975 datsun 180b 610 saloon 1973 datsun 160j sss A10 1980 datsun 180b 610 sss 1972 datsun 180b 610 sss 1973 datsun 180b 610 sss 1974 datsun 160j 710 sss 1973 datsun 240c 230 Cedric 1972 datsun b110 1200 coupe 1973 datsun 120y b210 coupe 1973 datsun 710 4 door hatch 1975 datsun b210 coupe 1973 datsun 710 sss coupe 1973 datsun 140z coupe 1973 datsun 510 sss 4door 1971
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s20
Part of things
Posts: 162
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Jan 26, 2012 14:38:12 GMT
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It wasn't a UK based car and indeed I am sure Alan would know about it having bumped into his thorough posts on various forums and knowing how he has a finger on the pulse. I'd have to be quite conceited ( not to mention delusional... ) to believe that I'd know about all the cars coming into the country. As mentioned, there's only four C10s here in the UK at the moment as far as I am aware, but that could change on any day. A month or so ago there was a guy on the Pistonheads forum who said he'd sourced a 'Hakosuka', and it was going to be arriving in the UK in February. When I pushed him to reveal more details, he put up a picture of a well known KGC10 that lives in the USA and said his was 'like that'. He didn't show any pictures of his car, and would not answer any straight questions about it. My feeling was that he was either being a little premature, dreaming, or indeed just plain lying. But what do I know? There's nothing stopping anyone from bringing one in, and - as I've said - there's plenty of room for them over here. There's just a general lack of in-depth knowledge about them that is possibly one of the biggest factors in people feeling unsure about them. Whenever people have seen my car at the few events I have attended, it always seems to split opinion. There are many people who haven't the faintest clue what it is ( and don't care ), there are people who walk over with a look of puzzled interest initially, spot the word 'NISSAN' on the valve cover, and walk away briskly ( especially at Goodwood ), then there are the - often younger - crowd who know pretty much what it is, but have never seen one in the metal before. It's fascinating to talk to them, and show them around the car. One really nice occasion was when the Le Mans Series visited Silverstone back in 2008. My car was part of a small display, and did a couple of display laps on the full GP Circuit. A whole bunch of young French mechanics from the Pescarolo team came half way across the circuit just to see the car. One of them in particular said that he'd only known about the KPGC10 through the Gran Turismo game, and it was a real honour to let him have a good look around the car. When I opened the door and invited him to sit in the driver's seat, he looked like he was about to cry. It was really nice. So, I think many people outside Japan know about the cars, but they are a fairly select crowd, quite often young ( and therefore don't have unlimited budgets ) and in most cases have never actually seen one in the metal. I really recommend viewing in person before pulling the trigger.
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Jan 26, 2012 15:50:02 GMT
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Thanks for the recommendation but as nice as that would be I simply don't have the time or cash to spend on trips to Japan, besides viewing the car I could ultimately buy isn't possible as I am buying from auction.
Thankfully I have been dealing with a very knowledgeable person/firm with a proven track record with cars and importing from Japan and I trust him and his views implicitly.
I am certain I will be able to get an above average car for the money I have to spend, one thing is certain she'll need work when she gets here most likely bodywork, possibly a re-trim....all part of the fun though.
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s20
Part of things
Posts: 162
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Jan 27, 2012 10:57:31 GMT
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Probably not what you want to hear, but I really don't recommend buying from auction.
I've been to several auctions in Japan, and generally speaking the 60s and 70s cars that go through are a very mixed bag. Often they are the cars that the established specialists have passed up, or that have been patched up for quick disposal. It's a real lottery.
The rotten KGC10 in Swindon that I mentioned previously was bought from an auction, and it was sourced and imported through an established Japanese car importer based in the UK ( now dissolved, I believe ). To cut a long story short, they had absolutely NO idea of what they were buying, and the customer wasn't any better informed either. It looked OK in photos and on paper, but when it turned up it was not what it was supposed to be, and it turned out to be a complete lemon. It had large areas of its body made from fibreglass paste, kitchen foil, mesh and newspaper. It was - and still is - a mess. As part of the legal process to get compensation / refund, the owner paid for a professional inspection of the car. The poor guy didn't know where to start.....
I won't tar all importers with the same brush, but I honestly don't know of any UK based companies who I would trust to know what they are looking at with regard to C10-series Skylines.
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Jan 27, 2012 11:06:54 GMT
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I guess buying from a Japanese based dealer would add a bunch on cost to the deal, but might add peace of mind? Someone like Flyrat?
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Jan 27, 2012 12:33:52 GMT
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I guess buying from a Japanese based dealer would add a bunch on cost to the deal, but might add peace of mind? Someone like Flyrat? From what I have seen the price for C10's from a dealer are prohibitively expensive for my budget although will re-visit this possibility....they mark them up by upto 40%. S20 - the chap/firm I am dealing with has many years of experience and knows his cars (good/bad), maybe not Hako's but certainly other older JDm models as he owns one (not a C10). I genuinely believe he wouldn't buy a car unless he was 100% happy with it. I was worried about getting one from auction too but he personally inspects the car prior to bidding and knows his stuff and how to spot a lemon. I would not be buying blind. Don't get me wrong there are no guarantees I know this but the odds are good IMO.
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s20
Part of things
Posts: 162
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Jan 27, 2012 13:06:11 GMT
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Mark them up 40% from what though? Many of the classic dealers buy in their stock from previous customers or owners who take their cars to the dealers to sell them. It's all part of that 'scene'. My Japanese friends who are part of that scene - some of them repairing / rebuilding / refurbing C-10s and the like - just wouldn't bother buying from an auction. The better cars - of all budgets - tend to change hands privately.
The auction selling process is ( necessarily ) all a little abrupt. There's not that much time to investigate a car properly, or compare it to others. Buying from an established dealer allows you to research particular cars, satisfy yourself that certain details are correct, and get any questions answered properly. It also allows you some level of negotiation ( especially for cars to be exported ) and the chance to have certain specs changed / rectified. There's scope to get into an advantageous position.
Of course dealers will charge higher prices than auction cars sell at, but they usually put some work into their stock before sale. It's still a case-by-case thing, but I believe you have more chance of getting a good 'un if you are patient and have your contact investigate dealer cars, or ( better still ) private sales.
What's your budget, if you don't mind me asking?
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Jan 27, 2012 13:52:47 GMT
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S20 Just pinged you a PM....
As for Flyrat, do they have a good proven track record? - guess I'll need to do some searches on them.
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Last Edit: Jan 27, 2012 14:24:42 GMT by swaterton
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s20
Part of things
Posts: 162
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Jan 27, 2012 14:23:30 GMT
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Replied to...
Cheers.
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Jan 27, 2012 14:47:16 GMT
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As for Flyrat, do they have a good proven track record? - guess I'll need to do some searches on them. Flyrat was the first that popped into my head. Rocky Auto are pretty well known, and I think have a good reputation www.rockyauto.co.jp/stock/stock.php?search=skylineVintage Yoshino are another well known name www.vintage-yoshino.com/stock/stock.htmlRed Megaphone used to be THE place to look for this kind of thing (as well as Laurel Coupes *droooool*) but their original URL seems to have gone,... but they can still be found on www.red-948.comWorth it just to compare prices etc. Actually Alan might be able to help me read the prices here ... I often see things like 195 million yen ... but that comes out at over a million £ when I convert it... I'm assuming it should be somewhat less than that. If we take : takeeyz.ftw.jp/u28251.html as an example there is a 2000GT Skyline there for 138 million yen,.. is that 138 000 yen = £1,149 .. which seems crazy cheap, or 1 380 000 = £11,428 .. which I guess is about right, but is proper proper money!
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Last Edit: Jan 27, 2012 15:00:39 GMT by HoTWire
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Jan 27, 2012 15:28:35 GMT
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As for Flyrat, do they have a good proven track record? - guess I'll need to do some searches on them. Flyrat was the first that popped into my head. Rocky Auto are pretty well known, and I think have a good reputation www.rockyauto.co.jp/stock/stock.php?search=skylineVintage Yoshino are another well known name www.vintage-yoshino.com/stock/stock.htmlRed Megaphone used to be THE place to look for this kind of thing (as well as Laurel Coupes *droooool*) but their original URL seems to have gone,... but they can still be found on www.red-948.comWorth it just to compare prices etc. Actually Alan might be able to help me read the prices here ... I often see things like 195 million yen ... but that comes out at over a million £ when I convert it... I'm assuming it should be somewhat less than that. If we take : takeeyz.ftw.jp/u28251.html as an example there is a 2000GT Skyline there for 138 million yen,.. is that 138 000 yen = £1,149 .. which seems crazy cheap, or 1 380 000 = £11,428 .. which I guess is about right, but is proper proper money! Awesome, will pour over those this evening much appreciated!! Thanks again everyone for the thoughts/comments. One thing is for sure I will be getting a retro JDM car, hopefully a C10 variant...watch this space
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