Honda Crossroad
What is the Honda Crossroad? Launched in 2007, it is one of Honda’s bids for a piece of the lucrative ‘crossover vehicle’ pie. What is a crossover vehicle? Something attempting to combine the benefits of a car and a 4WD…
Japanese car imports & exchange rates
Prices of Japanese car imports are at the mercy of exchange rates! The number of Japanese yen that can be bought with a British pound has dropped slightly in recent weeks, probably as a result of concerns over China’s stock…
Imported Japanese Car Parts & Servicing
Advice about sourcing parts for vehicles imported from Japan. Also a parts enquiry form if you'd like me to supply parts for you.
Honda Mobilio Spike
What is the Honda Mobilio Spike? A 5 seater compact minivan with ‘interesting’ external appearance and superb interior functionality and flexibility. The Honda marketing materials talk of ‘metal ingot styling’ and refer to the car as a ‘rugged toolbox.’ Several…
Routes to buying a car imported from Japan
I’ve already covered why you’d want to buy a car imported from Japan. In this post I’ll deal with the how. There are a few different methods. I’ll describe them below, along with the advantages and disadvantages of each as I…
Where are all the diesel cars?
Background Back in the early to mid 2000s there was a real ‘heyday’ for Japanese import car sales in the UK. The yen was weak against the pound, with exchange rates commonly in excess of 200 yen to the pound.…
How much does it cost to import a car to the UK from Japan?
Quick guide to the costs involved in importing a car from Japan.
Subaru Forester STi
What is the Subaru Forester STi? A high performance, full time 4WD rally-bred estate car. For those with a family or lots of stuff to transport, who aren’t yet ready for full acquiescence to a standard family wagon. The version…
How to convert kilometers to miles
Why you need to do this In Japan distance and speed are measured in kilometers, so the odometer and speedometer on your imported car will be in kilometers. There probably won’t be a smaller miles scale, similar to how most…