This will then allow the exporter to give you a good idea of current prices in Japan. You can also make use of the price history function in our online auction system to see what cars of that description have been selling for at auction recently.

Once you know the price (remembering to factor in shipping and import costs as well), only then can you compare with cars in your local market and know whether it is going to be worthwhile to buy these cars from Japan or not.

2. Checking import rules and fees

Let’s assume you have gone through that first stage of your research and you have decided that it looks like buying a used cars from Japan might well work for you economically, the next thing to discover is whether you are even allowed to do it and how much your government will charge you for the privilege - and if they will even let you do it at all.

There are not many countries that would ban imports of used Japanese cars completely, however different countries have different rules concerning what cars you can bring in. For example, at the time of writing, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have a 5-year age limit on imported used cars – in other words they have to be five years old or younger.

On the other hand the same rule for Canada is that cars imported there must be 15 years old or older. New Zealand takes a different approach by only permitting cars that adhere to certain emissions requirements and have ESC if they are 4WD SUVs.

As you can see, it is absolutely vital that you find out the current rules for your country.

Whatever the rules are for importing into your country, remember that the used cars you are buying from Japan will need to be registered to drive on the road at your end - and this often means additional fees and taxes. Make sure you know what these rules are and how much complying with them will cost before you try doing any importing.

Unless you are very confident or experienced, it's a good idea to find a customs agent to help you through this potential minefield of import rules and paperwork.

3. Finding a good supplier in Japan

You are probably expecting me to go ahead and just recommend Integrity Exports (which, of course, I am happy to do), but I know that there is no one-size-fits-all and there will be some people for whom a different supplier may work better.

The first thing you need to do is to decide whether you want to buy directly from the Japanese car auctions, or whether you prefer to buy from an exporter’s stock. I won’t go into all the details here, but there are compelling reasons to buy from the auctions, which you can read in much more detail here, if you are interested.

Having been in the business for over 10 years now, it is my opinion that there are two factors you need to be looking for:

• Professional work and excellent communication
• Complete integrity and trustworthiness

Now, you maybe thinking that costs are another factor. Well, to be honest, there is not a huge difference between the cheapest and most expensive car exporters – nothing like the gap between the price of a Kia and a Bugatti Veyron, for example! So, with the amounts of money that are at stake, I think it is much more important to find a company you can trust who will do a good job for you. After all, a little saved here and there is not going to compensate you if your supplier in Japan runs off with your money for a whole car.

Although you will probably want to spend some time researching this, checking things like JUMVEA membership and what their customers say about them, here is an effective way to quickly weed out bad options:

Just write an email to your potential supplier in Japan asking them if they will make false invoices for you to help you save on taxes.