Japanese Car Auction Find – 2013 Nissan Note Medalist

After Nissan unveiled their new Note NISMO hot hatch, I decided to see if there were any hidden gems hiding in our Integrity Exports Japanese car auction online system. After logging in, I simply selected “Nissan” as the manufacturer and “Note” as the model, and in a few seconds I had 100+ different Note hatchbacks to choose from; 127 to be specific. I quickly sorted by Grade and immediately this little treasure stuck out from the crowd:

This is a 2013 Nissan Note Medalist, a limited edition of the hatchback only ever sold in Japan. You can probably guess where the car got its namesake… I’ll give you a hint: it has something to do with the color. As it happens, this is the only Nissan Note ever to be manufactured with this paint job, which the automaker dubs Beatnic Gold. Released at the end of 2012, this JDM-exclusive hatch likely commemorated Japan’s performance in that year’s summer Olympics.

Apart from the exclusive gold paint job, the Note Medalist edition also features new suede-like upholstery, a piano finished center cluster and a leather-wrapped steering wheel made from real leather. You can take a proper look at the interior below:

We chose to showcase this Nissan Note Medalist because it’s a great example of the type of cool, niche Japanese cars you can find up for auction every day in Japan. This is an affordable, limited-edition hatchback in great shape that you literally couldn’t find anywhere else. However, this particular vehicle isn’t quite as immaculate as many of our other Japanese car auction finds.

The auction sheet reveals that this Note does have an A-grade interior in near-mint condition. But, the exterior has seen some minor wear and tear with 12,000 kilometers on the odometer. You can see in the rear image at the top of this post that it’s got the spare wheel fitted. Learn more in the auction sheet translation below:

“Interior A, exterior condition B, first registered Feb 2013, Medallist model, FAT, AAC, push button starter, original navigation system and digital TV, power steering, power windows, ABS, airbag, original navigation system, original digital TV, body kit scratches, interior grime, left rear tire punctured, spare wheel fitted, minor scratches and minor dents, marks as per map”

(Remember, you can find out how to read the markings on the car exterior condition map here.)

The good thing is, even if this niche Nissan Note Medalist doesn’t suit your style, there are 100+ other Nissan Notes up for auction in Japan. And that’s just what’s available for this specific make and model… There are literally thousands of Japanese cars up for auction at incredible prices, and our Integrity Exports database makes it easy to find the best bargains.

Continue reading for this 2013 Nissan Note Medalist’s full auction sheet translation: