How much to import a car from Japan to the US?

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Commonsenseisgreat@reddit

Keikenimports on instagram. Great owner. Went to 3 auctions for me and took care of everything. Inspection, shipping, title etc… They are in South Florida.

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OneAccident301@reddit

Do you know of any good sites to buy the cars on? I don’t have instagram

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WinnerBrilliant4428@reddit

Nomadimports.... they are in Flint Mi

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Raphle_@reddit (OP)

How much was all the import fees/registration/etc?

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Commonsenseisgreat@reddit

No clue. I paid a fixed price for the car shipped and titled here.

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I also bought a crown estate back in May. It’s in the middle of the ocean right now 7 days from Mexico then passing through Panama for Jacksonville. I used Beforward JP. Great communication with Yasu Used their custom clearance partner Autohub to handle customs clearance, shipping, and even shipping to my doorstep.

$5560 for FOB + RoRo shipping + customs clearance

Add 15% tariffs to that $890 to ship from Jacksonville port to Knoxville, TN.

The above will be paid 5 days before the vessel hits the US port

$7k total

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Specialist_Toe7816@reddit

So once the car was at the port, you didnt have to go in person ? they can just clear it and deliver the car to you ? cuase my problem is having no time to pickup the car

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glinglingling@reddit

Correct. The same company beforward appointed to do my shipping and customs clearance handled all of it for me. I was in your shoes too! They brought it to the food city .5 miles down the road from my housen

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Specialist_Toe7816@reddit

I like the sound of that. So the proce breakdown would be (car) + 7k on top ? I will be choosing jacksonville port also

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glinglingling@reddit

Price break down:

FOB price of car

+

roughly $3000-$3400 for shipping, customs agent, marine insurance..

$800-$1000 for delivery from Jacksonville port

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glinglingling@reddit

Then add 12.5% of the whole total to the total

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dragxj@reddit

I just bought a 99 Rx-7, It hasn't even shipped yet. I'm antsy everyday.

I went through japan-motor they charged me about $3000 for CIF on top of the car price.

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Jet_Threat_@reddit

How did it turn out for you; did you get it?

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dragxj@reddit

I haven’t received it yet, it’s estimated to be here in 2-3 weeks.🤞 pretty smooth experience, the exporter takes care of everything in their end and importing i used essyISF.

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2kapz@reddit

so they do all the broker stuff aswell?

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dragxj@reddit

Everything short of going to the port and picking up the car or scheduling delivery to your home and titling and registering in your state.

I don’t live too far from the port so I’m going to go their and pick up myself with a trailer. And title and register myself with my local state county office. But the other stuff like Customs forms to enter the US, yes easyISF will take care of.

So if you’re willing to pick up, title and register on your own you will save money, but if you want someone to take care of absolutely everything which I think includes titling and registration then use a import broker.

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Shiberino1@reddit

The 15% comes off the Japan purchase price correct?

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glinglingling@reddit

Yes! The FOB price! So my crown was $2550 before customs clearance and shipping. I will be paying 15% of that price

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Shiberino1@reddit

Wow so cheap! Can’t buy anything decent in the US for that lol But yeah that sucks it’s an added 15% for us now.

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glinglingling@reddit

Better than the 25% on cars under 25 years old 💀😭

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Shiberino1@reddit

Didn’t even know you could register a car under 25 yrs old here lol I thought it was something about emissions and safety and they wouldn’t pass it if it wasn’t a car that was sold here in some form.

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glinglingling@reddit

I’m referring to cars made in Japan for export into America like 2025 Toyotas! Sorry for confusion I should’ve been clearer :/

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Shiberino1@reddit

Oh yeah that makes sense lol

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durrtyurr@reddit

A fucking fortune. I own a JDM RHD car in Oregon and it is robbing me blind.

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mrrugward@reddit

In what ways has it been robbing you? Also from Oregon debating if I want to go that route

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-Beardmagic-@reddit

love when somebody makes a bold statement then disappears :\

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richardmai92@reddit

Interested also

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OneFunction6359@reddit

Do you have someone you recommend that is affordable to work with

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WinnerBrilliant4428@reddit

Nomadimport. Its in Flint Mi

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RufusHank104@reddit

What if the car isn’t 25 years old? I want a kei!!

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Global_Butterfly_147@reddit

Trust me, you don’t want a newer car. The only way you’re getting that thing stateside is if it’s a show car, race car (only track, you tow it to and from the circuit), museum piece, you’re a foreign person visiting for a limited time (less than a year usually), Or… you pay a gazillion dollars to a Registered Importer to modify the car to meet current crash and safety standards. It isn’t worth it 99/100 for most people, and especially isn’t if you’re dealing with kei cars. The price of modification would likely be more than the car is worth.

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ranaumargreat@reddit

I work in Japanese used car exports, so I can break it down for you. The total cost to import a car to the U.S. can vary quite a bit depending on the car and the port, but here's a general idea:

Car Price (FOB) This is the price of the car itself in Japan, excluding shipping. Could be anywhere from $1,000 to $15,000+ depending on the model, year, and condition.
Shipping (Also known as Ocean Freight) Usually ranges from $900 to $1,500 to a U.S. port (like Los Angeles, Baltimore, or Savannah).
Import Duties/Fees

Duty: 2.5% for cars, 25% for trucks (based on vehicle cost).

Port fees: Around $200–$500 depending on the port.

Customs clearance: You may need a broker ($150–$300) unless you do it yourself.

Inspection fees Depends on your state. Some states are easier than others. You’ll usually need the EPA and DOT exemption forms (because it’s over 25 years old).

So for a typical 25+ year-old Japanese car, a rough ballpark could be $4,000 to $10,000 total landed in the U.S., depending on the vehicle and shipping port

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Rab_in_AZ@reddit

Has to be U.S. legal also. Glass, emisions, etc... Depending on what state could be veey costly.

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Global_Butterfly_147@reddit

You won’t have to worry about that if you’re getting a vehicle older than 25 years (if you want something newer it has to be exclusively a track car, of significant importance like a museum piece, a shell only, or you have to beg god himself to get the government to allow an exception, which never happens really). Plus in most places you can simply just register it to a rural address outside of major city limits to bypass emissions testing if still required. Here in NM it’s common for Albuquerque residents to register their vehicles in the neighboring town of Los Lunas, as it’s outside both city and county ordinance on emissions.

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Humble_Resolution337@reddit

Anything over 25 years old that stuff don’t mater. You can register/import it as a classics car and not have to comply with the regulations of newer vehicles.

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OneFunction6359@reddit

You know someone that can help at a reasonable fee?

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Rahdeeiohead@reddit

Wonder if I can save money on an older Miata this way

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drh2s04@reddit

do you know by any chance that tariffs have already started and border officers are applying or more of so it will take effect either on July 9th or Aug 1st.

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VeterinarianSuperb23@reddit

If you’re trying to figure out how much does it cost to import a car from Japan, using a service like CFR Classic that handles compliance and port fees makes it way easier.

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glinglingling@reddit

HOPE YOU GOT ONE!

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GyrooHBallBreaker@reddit

If you’re trying to figure out how much does it cost to import a car from Japan, using a service like CFR Classic that handles compliance and port fees makes it way easier.

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Agreeable-Buffalo-18@reddit

If you’re trying to figure out how much does it cost to import a car from Japan, using like CFR Classic that handles compliance and port fees makes it way easier.

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Hoanghohohaha@reddit

If you’re trying to figure out how much does it cost to import a car from Japan, using a service that handles compliance & port fees makes it way easier.

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Dyzant1um@reddit

If you’re trying to figure out how much does it cost to import a car from Japan, using a service that handles compliance and port fees makes it way easier.

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ReggieRolla@reddit

How much to import a car from Japan really depends on the vehicle and port, but companies like CFR Classic can break it all down and connect you with dealers if you don’t already have one lined up.

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PlatinumElement@reddit

I just picked up my ER34 Skyline coupe this week, and $6k is right around what I paid to get a car I bought in Japan for $26k here.

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FullSend_71239@reddit

What all did the $6k include? I'm currently importing an Evo V and worried about current taxes and inland shipping.

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SkylineFTW97@reddit

Depends on the car and the broker.

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crikett23@reddit

There are costs that are going to be a portion of the car's value (import duty, harbor fees, and processing fees). There are costs related to how you ship (RORO vs. Container, with the former probably running more); and the further you are shipping, the more expensive (ie, shipping from Japan to Los Angeles is a lot cheaper than shipping from Japan to New York). There are probably also going to be broker fees if you are having someone take care of these things for you, though that will most likely not include EPA/DOT and compliance issues that will need to be addressed once here (and those will vary by state). Having no other information, $6k may be very cheap, quite reasonable, or on the expensive side... but it is in the overall ballpark of likely costs in recent years.

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Automatic_Mulberry@reddit

From what I have read about it, it's hard to figure out on your own from the ground up - the best option for most people is to use a broker who specializes rather than to try and do it yourself.

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Raphle_@reddit (OP)

This doesn’t include the price of the car just the fees and all that.

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gearhead5015@reddit

It all depends on what broker/importer your using, the desirability of the vehicle your importing, and the general availability.

$6k doesn't sound too outrageous to get you a JDM state side though.