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Use this FAQ section to quickly locate answers to your questions. Using the Table of Contents below, click on the heading, sub-heading, or question links to go to that section. If your question is not answered, or you're unable to locate the question/answer you're looking for, please send us an email to info@jns-imports.com and we'll try to answer your question.
About Our Services Registration, Inspection, Repairs, Financing, etc.
Import Regulations and Restrictions
About Our Services Our service We provide services to facilitate the purchase and import of used vehicles from Japan into Canada using reliable suppliers that provide us with the high quality and condition of vehicles that our customers require. We provide the following basic services: 1. $899 Flat Rate Import Service We have vehicles that are available from stock held by our suppliers in Japan. We will handle the entire process to purchase the desired car from our supplier stock, and have it shipped and imported into Canada. This includes the payment of all the import costs, duties, and taxes for the car. We will quote you an estimate for the entire landed cost, and provide you with receipts for all the charges. We charge a flat $899.00 CAD (plus GST) fee for this service. You can find more detailed information in Our Services section. 2. Vehicle Search Service If you would like us to look for a vehicle for you, we charge a $499.00 CAD (plus GST) fee up front for this service. We specifically request our suppliers to locate a vehicle that matches the criteria you're looking for. If you decide to purchase a vehicle we locate for you, we will then give you an estimate for the entire landed cost of the vehicle we locate for you, which is due up front. We will then purchase and import the vehicle, providing you with all of the receipts for the actual costs. We will then charge you $400.00 CAD (plus GST) for the rest of our import services, which is the remaining portion due for our $899 Flat Rate Import Service fee. You can find more detailed information in Our Services section. 3. Auction purchases We can also locate and purchase vehicles from the various auctions in Japan. We don't purchase directly from auctions, but rather utilize a supplier who can provide additional information about auction vehicles since they have staff members at the various auctions to visually inspect the vehicle of interest. We treat auction purchases similar to our Vehicle Search Service and require a $499 CAD (plus GST) fee up front. If you decide to purchase a vehicle we locate for you from an auction or supplier, we will charge you $400.00 CAD (plus GST) for the rest of our import services, which is the remaining portion due for our $899 Flat Rate Import Service fee. You can find more detailed information in Our Services section.
JNS Club (Mailing Lists) We provide a permission-based email list service called the JNS Club to keep you updated on the latest JNS Imports information. You can sign up to receive notices about vehicles that are available for purchase, and current supplier stock we are promoting. If a new supplier has a web site that can be viewed by the public, we will send that information as well. We also send notifications about our site updates, and when certain models become eligible for import, as well as any other changes to the services or products we provide. Once you've joined the JNS Club, you can change your subscription preferences, personal information, or unsubscribe at any time. Just return to this page, log into your account using the Member Login link to the right, and change your account information. You can also change your account information or unsubscribe from the JNS Club by sending an email to info@jns-imports.com with your email address and the changes you would like made to your account. Payments We prefer payments to be made by wire transfer or fund transfer (via Royal Bank of Canada) to reduce delays in the purchase process. But we will also accept payment via by bank draft, certified cheque, or money order. We do not subscribe to credit card services, so we do not accept credit card payments/deposits. You can make bank drafts, certified cheques, and money orders payable to:
Deposits To proceed with the purchase of a vehicle, a deposit is required in the amount that's equivalent to the estimated landed cost of the vehicle. The estimated landed cost includes the FOB price of the vehicle charged by the supplier, the ocean freight, the import duties/taxes, import fees, and import brokerage fees. The remaining balance, which is basically our flat rate import fee, would be due once you physically receive the vehicle. Our on-line Cost Estimator, located on the Vehicle for Sale page, can be used to help you estimate the landed cost of the vehicle you're interested in. Note that when buying a vehicle from Japan, brokers and auction houses require full payment of the vehicle, including their export costs, local shipping costs, and the ocean freight costs before they will ship the vehicle.
Refund policy We understand that purchasing a vehicle can be a large purchase decision, and that customer circumstances can change. Therefore, we are willing to offer some flexibility with refunds of deposits and fees as described below: 1. Vehicle search fee: If you've paid the $499.00 fee for our Vehicle Search Service, we offer the following guidelines for refunds of this fee... If we are unable to find a vehicle for you, we will refund the entire amount to you. If you cancel the service before we find a vehicle, we will retain a service fee of $150.00 CAD, and refund you $349.00 CAD. If you cancel the service after we find a vehicle specifically for you, but you have not yet provided the vehicle deposit, the fee is not refundable and we retain the full $499.00 amount. As you can appreciate, there is a certain amount of effort and work that we and our suppliers perform, and the service fee is to cover those costs. 2. Vehicle deposit If we have located and purchased a vehicle for you, but have not yet started the export/import process, we will refund 65% of your deposit, and retain 35% of your deposit. We retain 35% of your deposit to cover the costs and losses of reselling the vehicle in Japan. Once a purchased vehicle is in transit to Canada, we retain 100% of your deposit. We provide a very specialized service to import very specialized vehicles for specific customers. These vehicles do not typically appeal to the mass market. So if we purchase and import a vehicle for you, and you are unable to pay the balance of the purchase or decide not to purchase the vehicle, you forfeit your deposit. We must be able to recover the purchase costs, export/import costs, and storage costs, as well as the costs associated with finding a new buyer for a vehicle that was specifically imported for you, and which may be of little or no interest to other car enthusiasts. Please be considerate and courteous of our business relationships. You should not engage our services without being certain that you will follow through with the process and have the funds available to do so. Having customers that are unable to complete their payments or cancel their agreements in mid-stream may adversely affect our relationships with our suppliers, which in turn affect the supply and availability of quality vehicles to future customers. We work on trust with our customers to provide reliable service and quality vehicles, and similarly, we've worked at establishing trust with suppliers to provide reliable service and access to those quality vehicles.
Warranty We provide a cost effective service to locate and purchase used vehicles from Japan. In order to keep our operating costs as lean as possible and to offer our customers the best possible prices, we're not able to offer warranties on the used vehicles we purchase and import for each specific customer. Buying a JDM car puts you into the "car enthusiast" category, so there will be a little work on your part to find that mechanic shop you can trust, and one that has a good mechanic who works on Japanese or import cars. It is important to note that whenever warranties are offered, they are always incorporated into the cost of the product by the seller or manufacturer based on availability of replacement parts, serviceability, and statistics on failures/repairs. Availability of parts and service for these cars are very limited in Canada or the U.S. Some parts can only be obtained by importing them from Japan. Thus, the cost of providing a warranty would be very high. Incorporating that cost into the selling price of the vehicles would result in a significant increase in the price that our customers would have to pay. By keeping our costs to a minimum, the potential savings to our customers far outweigh the cost implications of a warranty.
Stock/Inventory JNS Imports provides the service to locate, purchase, and import used vehicles from Japan for individual customers. We do not have a lot to store an inventory of vehicles, so we typically do not have any vehicles in stock that you can view and kick the tires. We offer vehicles to our customers that are held in stock with our suppliers in Japan, or vehicles that might be arriving in stock pending successful auction bids being handled by our suppliers. The result is a range of good quality vehicles at average, or below average, prices. These vehicles do not tend to last long in their inventory, usually no more than a few days, so you need to respond quickly if you're interested in any vehicles found in the vehicle notices that we send our JNS Club members.
Business licenses JNS Imports has all the required licenses and registrations to legally import and sell used vehicles in Canada. JNS Imports Inc. was legally incorporated in Alberta, Canada, in January 2003. We have a Motor Vehicle Dealership license in the City of Calgary, business license #BL65961. We have a registered license with AMVIC (Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council), registration number 1012362, which allows JNS Imports Inc. to legally sell vehicles under the Alberta Fair Trading Act. Our GST number is 89807 2707 RT0001. Our Import/Export number is 89807 2707 RM0001.
E-mail correspondence We prefer correspondence via email since it gives us a chance to do some research, if necessary, as well as place more detailed information into our responses. We make an effort to respond to email within a few business days, but occasionally get a large influx of inquiries and need a little extra time to fully respond to each inquiry individually. We also utilize permission based mailing lists to keep our JNS Club members informed about vehicles available for purchase as well as any site updates and other pertinent information.
Location of JNS Imports We are located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Please note that we offer our services to customers located all across Canada.
Delivery of my vehicle We import the vehicles into Canada via the New Westminster port in BC, then the vehicles are transported via ground transport directly to our customers' location. To reduce storage costs and expedite the shipping process, we will arrange the shipping for you as soon as the vehicle is released from Canada Customs, and provide you with a separate invoice for the shipping charges.
How can I find a vehicle through JNS Imports? There are three options available for finding a vehicle through JNS Imports: Option 1: You can visit our suppliers' web sites, which are listed in our Vehicles for Sale section, and view their current available stock. If you want to purchase one of the vehicles in supplier stock, contact us and we'll provide you with an accurate estimate for the landed cost of the vehicle. You will need to send us a deposit for the full estimated landed cost of the vehicle as soon as possible. We will not purchase the vehicle from our supplier until you provide the payment for the deposit, so the faster you can get that deposit to us, the better chance we have of purchasing the vehicle before someone else. We also wait until we receive the deposit to ensure that our customer is, in fact, going to follow through with the purchase process. Option 2: We send vehicle notices and supplier links to our JNS Club members on a regular basis, which notifies them of possible vehicles to purchase that have been recently acquired into stock (or auction) with one of our suppliers in Japan. So if you haven't already done so, consider signing up as a JNS Club member from our web site to receive these notices. We also post the individual vehicle notices on our web site in the Vehicles for Sale section. You can then wait for these notices, or search supplier sites to see if there are any vehicles you're interested in. If there is one you'd like to buy, you need to respond as quickly as possible for two reasons. The first reason is that other brokers have access to our suppliers, so someone else may buy the vehicle before we can. And second, other JNS Club members may also be interested in the same vehicle, and we process our JNS Club member requests on a first-come, first-deposit, first-served basis. If you want proceed with the purchase of a vehicle found in one of our notices, you will need to get a deposit for the full estimated landed cost of the vehicle to us as soon as possible. We will not purchase the vehicle from our supplier until you provide the payment for the deposit, so the faster you can get that deposit to us, the better chance we have of purchasing the vehicle before someone else. We also wait until we receive the deposit to ensure that our customer is, in fact, going to follow through with the purchase process. Option 3: You can engage our services to locate and purchase a vehicle specifically for you using our Vehicle Search Service described in detail in Our Services section. Once we locate a vehicle for you, the amount equivalent to the estimated landed cost of the vehicle is required before we will purchase, store (if applicable), and import the vehicle. If there is any remaining balance, it would be due once the vehicle has been imported and is ready for you to take delivery.
I don't like the idea of buying a vehicle that I can't see or kick the tires It's natural to feel comfortable and secure about a purchase, especially a used vehicle, when you can see it, touch it, and kick its tires. However, the impartial information that we receive from the experts and vehicle engineers of our suppliers can sometimes be more reliable than your own visual inspection. This information can also be more reliable than the information you might receive from a seller or owner of a used vehicle here in Canada. Overall, imported Japanese vehicles are in better condition, are better constructed, often have more options, and are much cheaper than local alternatives. Although these vehicles are over 15 years old, they tend to have very low kilometers, often between 75,000 and 125,000 kms. In North American standards, those engines have only been through 3-6 years of use (based on an average of 20,000 km per year in North America). So these vehicles tend to have a lot of life left in them.
How long does the entire process take? Once a vehicle has been located and purchased, the process will take approximately 6-12 weeks to complete the export process from Japan, ship the vehicle to Canada, import the vehicle, and have the vehicle ready for the customer to take delivery. Allow additional shipping time from Vancouver, BC to your Canadian location. Please note that we can not be responsible for delays in the export process and shipping. There are variables which are beyond our control, such available shipping dates, space availability on the ocean freighters, poor weather, etc. The time needed to locate and purchase a vehicle will vary depending on the circumstances. We are dealing with a used vehicle market. So some vehicles, or certain options on some vehicles, may be difficult to locate and may require more time. Also, with the 15 year restriction, we may be restricted to locating vehicles with specific manufacture years and months, which reduces the number of vehicles available for purchase.
What currency is your pricing? All prices listed on our web site, and in any estimates we provide, are listed in Canadian dollars (CAD), unless otherwise stated. Pricing provided by our suppliers will typically be in Japanese yen (JPY), and sometimes in U.S. dollars. Supplier prices only include the price to purchase the vehicle from them, and does not include the ocean freight nor any of the Canadian import charges.
I bought my own car in Japan, can JNS Imports handle the import process? Yes, our regular $899.00 CAD fee applies, and there may be additional charges for an exporter in Japan to legally export the vehicle from Japan. If you contact us directly we can give you an estimate on this.
Does JNS Imports export vehicles to the United States? Sorry, we do not currently export vehicles to the United States. The import regulations for the U.S. are quite different than Canada's. Many of the vehicles that can be easily and inexpensively imported into Canada can not be so easily imported into the U.S., and quite often require significant costs for the customer in order to have it imported and safetied for the U.S.
Can JNS Imports source parts? Sorry, we do not source parts. We recommend that you try any of the large parts specialists that advertise in the high performance or import car magazines.
Can JNS Imports source front clips (engines)? Sorry, we do not currently source front clips. Sourcing front clips requires expert knowledge of the engine mountings for each type of engine available for import, as well as the different possible vehicles that those engines can be swapped into. We can not currently provide the level of expertise to guarantee that the engine a customer wants to buy will actually fit into the vehicle the customer wants to swap it into.
Registration, Inspection, Repairs, Financing, etc. Registering and licensing imported vehicles You are responsible for registering and licensing the imported vehicle, as well as all costs associated with it. In order to register an imported vehicle for driving purposes (i.e. not for parts) that has not yet been registered in Canada, you require the following:
JNS Imports will provide you with the Vehicle import Form - Form 1, the required Bill of Sale from the supplier, and the Certificate of Cancellation of Vehicle Registration from Japan. You will be responsible for getting the out-of-province inspection completed.
Vehicle inspections You will be responsible for having your imported vehicle pass an out-of-province inspection for the province in which you are registering the vehicle. Consequently, you will be responsible for any repairs required in order to pass the inspection. Basically, the out-of-province inspection requires that your vehicle operates properly and safely. Some provinces or cities may require an emissions test to be completed as well. Please inquire with a local business that provides out-of-province inspections for details about the inspection.
Vehicle repairs and repair costs Please keep in mind that our suppliers in Japan provide us with high quality used vehicles for our customers, and thus, most vehicles should only require some maintenance and minor repairs. As a general rule of thumb for purchasing any used car, you may want to set aside about 10% to 15% of the value of the vehicle to accommodate those repairs. This is not unlike purchasing a used vehicle here in Canada. There is no guarantee that a used vehicle will be repair-free when purchased. And there is definitely no guarantee that something won't break down within 1 year, 1 month, or even within 1 week after you take ownership of a used vehicle. A used vehicle can be thoroughly inspected, and not a problem found, yet one week later a seal might go, or a shock might fail. This is a fact of purchasing any used vehicle.
Insurance for imported vehicles We are a used vehicle import business, so we can not provide details about insurance and insurance costs to our customers. You will need to check with your car insurance company, or call around locally to other insurance companies, to determine the insurance costs for an imported vehicle. You should find that most insurance companies will be able to provide the liability insurance. For the collision insurance, however, you might find that some insurance companies will not offer collision insurance on vehicles that are not on their list of underwritten vehicles. Other insurance companies may have an underwriter who will determine the rating for a vehicle that is not on their list of underwritten cars. They might require a vehicle appraisal for the car and/or a copy of the out-of-province inspection in order to rate the vehicle. Another option is to find a local insurance company that specializes in insurance for antique, classic, or sports cars. However, if you're comfortable about not having collision insurance for your imported vehicle, then this will not be a concern for you. Keep in mind that your collision premiums for imported vehicles may be high in order to cover the costs of sourcing and importing parts to repair the vehicle after an accident. Consider, too, that for lower-priced cars it might actually be cheaper in the long term to simply purchase and import another vehicle if your vehicle is in an accident, and forego the high cost collision premiums that you'll pay over numerous years.
Financing We are unable to offer vehicle financing at this time. You will need to inquire with your local banking or financial institutions about financing the purchase of a used vehicle. The banking or financial institutions may require a vehicle appraisal.
Vehicle appraisals Insurance, banking, or financial institutions might require a vehicle appraisal in order to process your application. Or, you, yourself, may want an appraisal completed for your own records. We recommend that you obtain a vehicle appraisal from an accredited appraiser. The single sheet appraisal may not be enough for some institutions and contains minimal information needed to make an accurate value assessment of the vehicle. It is recommended that you obtain a multi-page appraisal that includes several photos of the vehicle. JNS Imports does not provide appraisals.
Import Regulations and Restrictions What vehicles can I import into Canada? The current Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) and Transport Canada regulations state that we are only able to import used vehicles into Canada that are 15 years old or older based on the month and year the vehicle was manufactured. This applies to vehicles that do not have the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards or United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards compliance label affixed by the original manufacturer. In general, JDM vehicles do not have the Canadian or U.S. compliance label. Thus, JDM vehicles must be 15 years old or older in order to import them into Canada.
Can I import newer vehicles that are less than 15 years old? In general, the answer is no. However, vehicles that are less than 15 years old, which have the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards or United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards compliance label affixed by the original manufacturer, can be imported into Canada. Note that JDM vehicles generally do not have the Canadian or U.S. compliance label, and thus, must be over 15 years old to import. As a rule of thumb, if the vehicle is Right Hand Drive (RHD), it won't have the Canada nor U.S. compliance label.
Can I import a newer vehicle that are less than 15 years old if there was the same model type available in the U.S. or Canada? In general, the answer is no. However, vehicles that are less than 15 years old, which have the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards or United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards compliance label affixed by the original manufacturer, can be imported into Canada. Note that JDM vehicles generally do not have the Canadian or U.S. compliance label, and thus, must be over 15 years old to import. As a rule of thumb, if the vehicle is Right Hand Drive (RHD), it won't have the Canada nor U.S. compliance label.
Can I import newer vehicles that are less than 15 years old for racing or promotional purposes only? No. An exemption does exist for importing sports racing vehicles that are less than 15 years old, but that exemption can only be applied to true race cars, such as a Formula 1 car. Basically, if a vehicle was built by the manufacture for the intent of being driven on public roadways, and/or if a vehicle had been registered at any time to be driven on public roadways, then the vehicle can not be deemed as a race vehicle and can not be imported, even if it's been modified to be a race car.
Can newer vehicles that were imported into the United States and modified for U.S. safety standards be imported into Canada? The CCRA defines these vehicles as Grey Market Vehicles as stated in Memorandum D19-12-1. Grey market vehicles are foreign-specification vehicles that are re-certified by a United States company. They were originally manufactured for the domestic market of a foreign country and were subsequently imported into the United States where they have been modified to comply with the United States safety and emissions standards. Grey market vehicles are not eligible for entry to Canada.
Is it easier/cheaper to import a vehicle into the United States after it's been imported into Canada? It is not easier, and it is not cheaper. All vehicles being imported into the United States must be imported by an licensed U.S. vehicle import business. If the vehicle to be imported into the U.S. is less than 25 years old, it must be modified by an authorized U.S. business to meet the U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. There are large costs associated with getting certain vehicles legalized for the United States. For example, you will find that the cost to get a Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32, R33, or R34) legalized in the U.S. is approximately $16,000 to $25,000 USD, depending the type and year of the Nissan Skyline.
If a vehicle is not eligible for import now, can I purchase it now and have it stored until it's eligible for import? Yes, but the vehicle can not be shipped to Canada until it's eligible for import. So the vehicle must be stored in Japan until that date. We have made arrangements with some of our suppliers in Japan to store a few vehicles until they are eligible for import. However, we can typically only store them for about 4-6 months depending on the supplier.
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