Moving to Japan with car

[Tsuwabuki]

And... Sangetsu beat me to it.

I thought about bringing over my 2000 BMW 323i... and no. Just no. I had my parents deal with it in the states. I miss it. A lot. And I HATE the kei car I have through my company, but at least the inspections are Not. My. Problem.

[sundevil87]

Originally Posted by Sangetsu

The Japanese car inspection process (which must be performed every 2 years) is quite thorough. Pretty much every part on the car will be looked at, and tested for proper operation. The windows must roll up and down, the doors must lock and unlock, the seats should move forward and back properly.

The car's body will be examined for rust and corrosion, structural repairs, condition of paint, etc. The windows will be looked at to make sure there are no cracks, no significant scratches, and no hazing of the safety glass in the windshield (this is a problem in some older cars). Tail light and turn signal lenses must be clear, clean, and not hazy.

The there is the mechanical inspection, which will include the belts, hoses, vacuum lines, wiring connections, suspension joints (ball joints, tie rod ends, shock/strut bushings), drive shaft u-joints, brake pad thickness, brake drum and brake rotor thickness, brake line condition, etc.

The fluids will be fully checked to make sure that they are clear and not contaminated in any way.

The emissions check will probably be the quickest and most easy inspection to perform and pass, Japanese cars in 1971 didn't run any cleaner than American cars of the same year. So long as your car is running well, and in a decent state of tune, it should pass okay. Make sure the air heater hose which runs from the exhaust manifold to the air cleaner is in place, and make sure that the valve inside the air cleaner snorkel is functioning. Make sure that the choke (electric or thermostatic) is hooked up and functioning.

There are a couple of things you can do to make your car run a bit cleaner for the test. First, make sure you are using a hotter thermostat. Many people sometimes change the factory thermostat for a cooler one in order to bump up the timing slightly, and get a little more power. This increases NOX emissions, and NOX will be one of the things they are looking at when they perform the test. It will also help to adjust the ignition timing backward by 2 degrees. This will also reduce NOX emissions. Make sure to install new spark plugs, Bosch Platinums usually run the cleanest.

I thought of bringing my GTO to Japan with me. It was a 2006 model, so passing the inspections would not have been difficult, but unfortunately I managed to total it out not long before I moved here. Luckily, there are plenty of interesting cars in Japan, and I've been shopping around for one. One of my neighbors owns a '70 440 6 pack Plymouth 'cuda, I've thought about asking him if he is interested in selling it...

Thanks to all that replied. I am eveluating this situation very carefully. See the car at Tagged - Keith’s Profile I would love to bring my Magnum RT as well but parking space is an issue where I live.

Just an update, I have decided to put an updated (new) LS6 engine in the car both for reliability and the other perks/benefits. This will also pass emissions requirements without hassle. The rest of the car woories me but I have been on the autos.yahoo.jp web and found a 70 Chevelle SS for sale here in Japan! So at some point this was do able.

I am committed to trying this the best I can. I have never owned a Japanese car and don't plan to. No offense to the Japanese, it is merely personal preference. More important, my employer is paying for shipping so it is worth a shot to get this in here.

Thanks again and any new information is always appreciated.

[cridgit001]

Speaking of GTO's in Japan, part of my dream(regardless if it doesn't make sense or practical) is to get a GTO to Japan or buy one there then make it the equivalent of a Balrog(black on black with the nastiest exhaust that make people cower in fear).

In regards to the topic so that my post is still relavent and not spam, I read that if you were in the military, they ship your car for free(according to the guy they would just put it on one of the cargo ships or aircraft carriers) if you were being shipped for duty there. I also have read up on the whole "owning a car in Japan" and even with my lofty hopes, I would cast them aside to avoid the hassels of the crap you have to do just to have one.

[Sangetsu]

Here was mine. It would have been wonderful to drive in Japan, it had very few miles on it as I had a take-home car from work. I usually drove it only once or twice a week.

[sundevil87]

I can relate, not sure why you didn't bring it. Would have been great here. 400hp rocket. Like them.....I'm a long time Trans Am fanatic, had 5 over the years. Favorite one was a blue 78.

Here is my toy.

[cridgit001]

That is a very nice toy, my friend has a Spice Red Goat. We(my other friends and I) have been trying to convince him to get headers and a new exhaust as the one he has is just too quiet. Now he is fiddling with getting a super charger....which I support.

[spicytuna]

That's an awesome car Sundevil!

I'm tempted to bring my hardtop to Japan since I've sunk SO much money into it but I'll probably take the hit and sell it off. Besides, the roads out there are pretty narrow. I'd probably end up scraping the edges of my side view mirrors on a regular basis...

[sundevil87]

Nice vette, I would bring it but I completely relate to your comments about the scraping mirrors and other accumulated damage we can expect. But I would bring it! As you can tell by now I am going to exhaust every resource and avenue to try and get this Chevelle here. I am going to be here for quite a while and I am going to be downgrading my lifestyle significantly with respect to living conditions. My house in FL is big, my house in Osaka area is small amongst other downgrades.

Anyway I am determined and we will see how this goes. Unfortunately an individual posted an import company that was perfect for this task. However they appear to be out of business. The company name was Occidental, is there anyone out there that lives in the Tokyo area that can confirm their demise? I have called and phone is not in service and I have emailed but no repsonse. Their website is still up and running but this is meaningless obviously.

Well the adventure continues. I went through a similar campaign when I moved to Beijing in 2000. Surprisingly that was easier than Japan. Just cost more money LOL.

Check ya'll later and thanks again to all.

[spicytuna]

Good luck with the move Sundevil! Please let us know if you find a good resource for moving/certifying cars in Japan.

On second hand, I suppose I could live in my Vette in Japan to help make up for the transfer costs. Hahahaha!