This is a review for Brave Auto International.
Brave Auto International - Exporter of Japanese JDM & European Vehicles Direct From Japan.
Do not pester Mark about importing vehicles less than 25 years old if you live in the USA. Know your import laws well before asking uneducated questions. Canada has 15 years old at a minimum.
History: In early 2008 I really wanted to buy my first vehicle. I had my mind set on a importing a land cruiser because my dad had one while I was growing up. Great memories in the truck: road trips, camping, learning to drive and 4x4ing. I was a big land cruiser fan and figured I should check out one of the imports because of the condition and mileage they had. The JDM ones seemed to have some extra goodies sometimes and I found out you could cut the middle man and save some money by importing yourself. I put in a little over a year lurking reading forums and asking questions to specific people in the game. 2009 Rolled around and I had been saving money for a year and was pretty set on buying a fully loaded HDJ81 Toyota Land Cruiser. I had been told about Mark at Brave Auto International by a few people who had imported cars from him in the past. I also learned he had some pretty reputable clients that ran their businesses through him. I was amazed by the units he had dealt with and the detail he put into presenting the cars and listing the flaws. I decided to give him a try.
I imported my first time in 2009 into Prince Rupert, BC. Brand new container port and I was the first person to import JDM vehicles into town. There had been a few kicking around but they were brought up from Vancouver. I wanted to save money and utilize our local container port and import in my home town instead of flying to vancouver, dealing with the rat race down there and then driving home for two days. I bit the bullet and bought a fully done up HDJ81 with every option I would ever want and convincing my dad to get himself a replacement land cruiser because it would be now or never.
My first unit was: http://www.braveautointernational.jp...el-vx-ltd.html
My Dad's unit was: http://www.braveautointernational.jp...d-frp-top.html
Both of us were extremely happy with the quality and condition of the units. I was also extremely happy dealing with Mark and really happy with his service. I knew that this would not be my last time importing. I had the itch to do it again.
I ended up selling my HDJ81 in June 2009 to persue getting an HZJ77. There is something about the 70 series land cruiser that just catches me more than any other series of Land Cruiser. Mainly the simplicity and rugness of it. There is nothing you don't need it one, they are very utilitarian and tough.
I knew that I had a wait ahead of me. They are extremely rare trucks in good body and interior condition. Low kms is also extremely hard because they are generally used as cargo vehicles. Plus as an addition I was dead set on finding a 5 speed model with Front and Rear Differential Locks. These options could potentially make my cruiser hunt be a long one. I know of someone who looked for an 77 for 2 full years on auction until a clean one came up. This puts things into perspective. I lucked out and managed to find one in 6 months which still felt like forever to me.
At the same time in the fall of 2010 while the hunt for the 77 was taking place a close friend wanted to pull the trigger on importing something with me for his first car. He had seen the first two units I had brought in and was absolutely in love with my 81. He knew that Mark was picky with what vehicles he would buy for customers. He decided to be my container buddy and pursue getting a Subaru STI Type RA. He ended up getting an absolutely stunning and very rare STI Type RA V-2 555.
We just received both of our vehicles on Monday and are absolutely floored by the quality of these units.
Makes me extremely happy that I am dealing with Mark.
Communication: Mark is an extremely busy guy but will always have time to write me a novella response for a simple question. I usually email in the evening and I have a response first thing in the morning when I wake up. In my eyes this is instant. Over the last two years we have gotten to know each other quite well and I have talk on a personal basis. He is a pretty honest good guy, I feel like I am dealing with a close friend having never met the guy in person. Mark also uses Skype which can come into handy for chats when need be. He is extremely honest and knows the game well. Is is not scared to tell you his honest opinion on something because he wants you to not be disappointed by something and also to prove that he is honest. This is huge to me because I have read horror stories of people importing through skeptical people and have gotten absolutely burned through scams or dishonesty.
Mark is able to also source parts. Being individual parts, engines and even half-cuts and rally cars.
Response time: Very quick response (next morning assuming you emailed in the evening). If he is swamped he will let you know that he hasn't forgotten about you. His paperwork shipping is very quick too, I haven't had an issue with anything being late.
Car Details: Our first container (Oct 2009)
My first unit was: http://www.braveautointernational.jp...el-vx-ltd.html
I was giddy about my first truck. It was a great unit and overall very clean. I referred to is as a mall queen because it had never been offroaded in its life. Crawling underneath the differentials did not have a scratch on them. I figured the previous owner (1 owner only I found the auction sheet) drove it back and forth to the golf course on the weekend with the golf tees I found in the truck. I still get compliments to this day about that truck on how clean that unit was. I was also told by a fellow on this forum (MonsterCruiser) that he told Mark that he wanted a 81 like mine and directly quoted back to my truck. Still makes me smile to this day when I think about that truck.
My Dad's unit was: http://www.braveautointernational.jp...d-frp-top.html
My Dad's current daily driver. I now realize how lucky he is to have hopped on this truck when he did. They are extremely rare units being 5 speed with Diff-locks. This is currently his daily driver and he is enjoying driving it. Extremely clean truck.
Second Container (March 2011)
My Second Unit:
http://www.braveautointernational.jp...30220.html#btm
http://www.braveautointernational.jp...diesel-zx.html
Opening the doors on the container I knew right away that this truck was going to blow my last truck out of the water. Its one thing looking at pictures and a you-tube video for 4.5 months fantasizing about it but my jaw dropped. Mark said it would be a pretty good unit and he himself said it exceeded his expectations on how clean and meticulous it was kept. The last owner had some serious money to put modifications like these into it. During my road inspection the inspector called me down into the pit to comment on how clean and properly maintenanced the truck was. He mentioned that the last owner cared about this truck and were guessing that it was a weekend pavement princess by the way it looked. I think I lucked out again getting another unit of this quality from Japan. But to be honest I know that Mark is looking out for my best interest. He turned down numerous vehicles I thought I was going to buy because he said they were not a good enough example. It shows that he cares about getting high quality units.
Friends Unit:
http://www.braveautointernational.jp...d-type-ra.html
This car is quick. Clean in and out and a collectors edition. My friend and I are both very impressed and he is quite fond of driving his new love. He tells everyone where he got his car and smiles. I think he will be importing again in the future. He loved my 81 and he mentions he would love one down the road.
Shipping Options: Mark was the ONLY importer who gave me the time of day and even the curticy to send me back an email when I wanted to import into Prince Rupert, BC. This is out of the norm for most importers and I don't think they wanted to go through the hassle of looking into it for me. Mark found out in a few days that he could definitely do it for me. All the vehicles are fully insured against any damage.
Mark also does shared containers at a flat rate with his other clients to save you money and have the extra security comparing to RORO. Mark also does RORO if you request it.
Storage: Mark does not charge for storage.
Paperwork: Mark's paperwork is extremely organized and nothing is missing. Customs has commented to me the last two times how professional his layout of paperwork is. Organization is extremely important when it comes to importing and clearing a container yourself. Mark provides you with all of the proper paperwork and will not leave you hanging if you have any questions.
Shipping Results: As I stated above I cannot think of all the positive words I can use to describe the units I have brought in for myself, family and friends. We are all thrilled with the results.
Summary: If you are considering importing anything from Japan, Mark at Brave Auto International is your guy. You would be utterly insane if you did not use Mark. I am a repeat customer and this will definitely not be my last time importing with Mark. I am extremely happy with his service. Its a frightening task when it comes to sending money overseas to buy a vehicle in a different country. Mark is the real thing and I am an extremely happy customer. Do yourself a favor and use Brave Auto International if you want to be in good hands. You will not be disappointed.
Finally, one thing I would like to add. Mark has a set fee for buying directly out of the auction, this is how I obtained my last rig, the HZJ77. Some agents charge one amount up to a certain figure and another (higher) if over a certain figure where Marks fee is the same no matter what the sale price is at auction. Mark also does not charge tax or recycle fee which he has to pay at the time of buying the vehicle, you can imagine the tax can be rather high if the car cost is which my last vehicle was. Instead, Mark pays these extra costs for me because he claims these costs back from the government after my vehicle is exported. This proves his honesty, I am sure and have read that many agents charge these costs and then pocket them after the vehicle is exported.
Another quality that I really admire about Mark is his care with finding you the right vehicle. Anyone can look at an auction sheet and assume a grade 4 or a grade 3.5B is going to be automatically a perfect car. Completely wrong. Depending on where it is from the Northern area in Japan can be a big deal (snowy salty regions). Ideally you would not buy a vehicle out of Sapporo for example just because of this. Also he is looking out for your best interest. I have asked about numerous vehicles thinking they could be candidates and he steered me away from they stating the issues which normal people wouldn't catch from the auction sheet. I remember a specific time looking at an 81 and him stating that truck is going to go for a lot of money just because of the body grade. Little do they know its smoking like crazy and it has underbody rust. Some Canadians going to be disappointed because he will have paid way too much. He wants you to have a high end unit that your going to be happy with. Either way you are still paying the flat rate for his service. I personally value having someone who understands and care about his customer rather than someone who just sees dollar signs. He is not scared to say to you I am not buying that unless your persistent and want a parts rig. He wants you to be happy.
If anyone has any specific questions regarding anything feel free to ask . I will give you my honest opinion on anything that I have missed.
Do you Recommend this Exporter to someone else: I already have
Brave Auto International - Exporter of Japanese JDM & European Vehicles Direct From Japan.
Do not pester Mark about importing vehicles less than 25 years old if you live in the USA. Know your import laws well before asking uneducated questions. Canada has 15 years old at a minimum.
History: In early 2008 I really wanted to buy my first vehicle. I had my mind set on a importing a land cruiser because my dad had one while I was growing up. Great memories in the truck: road trips, camping, learning to drive and 4x4ing. I was a big land cruiser fan and figured I should check out one of the imports because of the condition and mileage they had. The JDM ones seemed to have some extra goodies sometimes and I found out you could cut the middle man and save some money by importing yourself. I put in a little over a year lurking reading forums and asking questions to specific people in the game. 2009 Rolled around and I had been saving money for a year and was pretty set on buying a fully loaded HDJ81 Toyota Land Cruiser. I had been told about Mark at Brave Auto International by a few people who had imported cars from him in the past. I also learned he had some pretty reputable clients that ran their businesses through him. I was amazed by the units he had dealt with and the detail he put into presenting the cars and listing the flaws. I decided to give him a try.
I imported my first time in 2009 into Prince Rupert, BC. Brand new container port and I was the first person to import JDM vehicles into town. There had been a few kicking around but they were brought up from Vancouver. I wanted to save money and utilize our local container port and import in my home town instead of flying to vancouver, dealing with the rat race down there and then driving home for two days. I bit the bullet and bought a fully done up HDJ81 with every option I would ever want and convincing my dad to get himself a replacement land cruiser because it would be now or never.
My first unit was: http://www.braveautointernational.jp...el-vx-ltd.html
My Dad's unit was: http://www.braveautointernational.jp...d-frp-top.html
Both of us were extremely happy with the quality and condition of the units. I was also extremely happy dealing with Mark and really happy with his service. I knew that this would not be my last time importing. I had the itch to do it again.
I ended up selling my HDJ81 in June 2009 to persue getting an HZJ77. There is something about the 70 series land cruiser that just catches me more than any other series of Land Cruiser. Mainly the simplicity and rugness of it. There is nothing you don't need it one, they are very utilitarian and tough.
I knew that I had a wait ahead of me. They are extremely rare trucks in good body and interior condition. Low kms is also extremely hard because they are generally used as cargo vehicles. Plus as an addition I was dead set on finding a 5 speed model with Front and Rear Differential Locks. These options could potentially make my cruiser hunt be a long one. I know of someone who looked for an 77 for 2 full years on auction until a clean one came up. This puts things into perspective. I lucked out and managed to find one in 6 months which still felt like forever to me.
At the same time in the fall of 2010 while the hunt for the 77 was taking place a close friend wanted to pull the trigger on importing something with me for his first car. He had seen the first two units I had brought in and was absolutely in love with my 81. He knew that Mark was picky with what vehicles he would buy for customers. He decided to be my container buddy and pursue getting a Subaru STI Type RA. He ended up getting an absolutely stunning and very rare STI Type RA V-2 555.
We just received both of our vehicles on Monday and are absolutely floored by the quality of these units.
Makes me extremely happy that I am dealing with Mark.
Communication: Mark is an extremely busy guy but will always have time to write me a novella response for a simple question. I usually email in the evening and I have a response first thing in the morning when I wake up. In my eyes this is instant. Over the last two years we have gotten to know each other quite well and I have talk on a personal basis. He is a pretty honest good guy, I feel like I am dealing with a close friend having never met the guy in person. Mark also uses Skype which can come into handy for chats when need be. He is extremely honest and knows the game well. Is is not scared to tell you his honest opinion on something because he wants you to not be disappointed by something and also to prove that he is honest. This is huge to me because I have read horror stories of people importing through skeptical people and have gotten absolutely burned through scams or dishonesty.
Mark is able to also source parts. Being individual parts, engines and even half-cuts and rally cars.
Response time: Very quick response (next morning assuming you emailed in the evening). If he is swamped he will let you know that he hasn't forgotten about you. His paperwork shipping is very quick too, I haven't had an issue with anything being late.
Car Details: Our first container (Oct 2009)
My first unit was: http://www.braveautointernational.jp...el-vx-ltd.html
I was giddy about my first truck. It was a great unit and overall very clean. I referred to is as a mall queen because it had never been offroaded in its life. Crawling underneath the differentials did not have a scratch on them. I figured the previous owner (1 owner only I found the auction sheet) drove it back and forth to the golf course on the weekend with the golf tees I found in the truck. I still get compliments to this day about that truck on how clean that unit was. I was also told by a fellow on this forum (MonsterCruiser) that he told Mark that he wanted a 81 like mine and directly quoted back to my truck. Still makes me smile to this day when I think about that truck.
My Dad's unit was: http://www.braveautointernational.jp...d-frp-top.html
My Dad's current daily driver. I now realize how lucky he is to have hopped on this truck when he did. They are extremely rare units being 5 speed with Diff-locks. This is currently his daily driver and he is enjoying driving it. Extremely clean truck.
Second Container (March 2011)
My Second Unit:
http://www.braveautointernational.jp...30220.html#btm
http://www.braveautointernational.jp...diesel-zx.html
Opening the doors on the container I knew right away that this truck was going to blow my last truck out of the water. Its one thing looking at pictures and a you-tube video for 4.5 months fantasizing about it but my jaw dropped. Mark said it would be a pretty good unit and he himself said it exceeded his expectations on how clean and meticulous it was kept. The last owner had some serious money to put modifications like these into it. During my road inspection the inspector called me down into the pit to comment on how clean and properly maintenanced the truck was. He mentioned that the last owner cared about this truck and were guessing that it was a weekend pavement princess by the way it looked. I think I lucked out again getting another unit of this quality from Japan. But to be honest I know that Mark is looking out for my best interest. He turned down numerous vehicles I thought I was going to buy because he said they were not a good enough example. It shows that he cares about getting high quality units.
Friends Unit:
http://www.braveautointernational.jp...d-type-ra.html
This car is quick. Clean in and out and a collectors edition. My friend and I are both very impressed and he is quite fond of driving his new love. He tells everyone where he got his car and smiles. I think he will be importing again in the future. He loved my 81 and he mentions he would love one down the road.
Shipping Options: Mark was the ONLY importer who gave me the time of day and even the curticy to send me back an email when I wanted to import into Prince Rupert, BC. This is out of the norm for most importers and I don't think they wanted to go through the hassle of looking into it for me. Mark found out in a few days that he could definitely do it for me. All the vehicles are fully insured against any damage.
Mark also does shared containers at a flat rate with his other clients to save you money and have the extra security comparing to RORO. Mark also does RORO if you request it.
Storage: Mark does not charge for storage.
Paperwork: Mark's paperwork is extremely organized and nothing is missing. Customs has commented to me the last two times how professional his layout of paperwork is. Organization is extremely important when it comes to importing and clearing a container yourself. Mark provides you with all of the proper paperwork and will not leave you hanging if you have any questions.
Shipping Results: As I stated above I cannot think of all the positive words I can use to describe the units I have brought in for myself, family and friends. We are all thrilled with the results.
Summary: If you are considering importing anything from Japan, Mark at Brave Auto International is your guy. You would be utterly insane if you did not use Mark. I am a repeat customer and this will definitely not be my last time importing with Mark. I am extremely happy with his service. Its a frightening task when it comes to sending money overseas to buy a vehicle in a different country. Mark is the real thing and I am an extremely happy customer. Do yourself a favor and use Brave Auto International if you want to be in good hands. You will not be disappointed.
Finally, one thing I would like to add. Mark has a set fee for buying directly out of the auction, this is how I obtained my last rig, the HZJ77. Some agents charge one amount up to a certain figure and another (higher) if over a certain figure where Marks fee is the same no matter what the sale price is at auction. Mark also does not charge tax or recycle fee which he has to pay at the time of buying the vehicle, you can imagine the tax can be rather high if the car cost is which my last vehicle was. Instead, Mark pays these extra costs for me because he claims these costs back from the government after my vehicle is exported. This proves his honesty, I am sure and have read that many agents charge these costs and then pocket them after the vehicle is exported.
Another quality that I really admire about Mark is his care with finding you the right vehicle. Anyone can look at an auction sheet and assume a grade 4 or a grade 3.5B is going to be automatically a perfect car. Completely wrong. Depending on where it is from the Northern area in Japan can be a big deal (snowy salty regions). Ideally you would not buy a vehicle out of Sapporo for example just because of this. Also he is looking out for your best interest. I have asked about numerous vehicles thinking they could be candidates and he steered me away from they stating the issues which normal people wouldn't catch from the auction sheet. I remember a specific time looking at an 81 and him stating that truck is going to go for a lot of money just because of the body grade. Little do they know its smoking like crazy and it has underbody rust. Some Canadians going to be disappointed because he will have paid way too much. He wants you to have a high end unit that your going to be happy with. Either way you are still paying the flat rate for his service. I personally value having someone who understands and care about his customer rather than someone who just sees dollar signs. He is not scared to say to you I am not buying that unless your persistent and want a parts rig. He wants you to be happy.
If anyone has any specific questions regarding anything feel free to ask . I will give you my honest opinion on anything that I have missed.
Do you Recommend this Exporter to someone else: I already have
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