Master list of JDM importers to Canada (1 Viewer)

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Rising Sun Versus Outback Imports

I will have to be breif (sort of) in my response to this excellent thread that has deserved attention for some time now, as I am about to depart on a three month honeymoon/climbing trip in Moab and Yosemite. And we litterally leave in a couple of hours. I purchased a 1988 HJ61 VX from Rising Sun Imports last summer, despite being warned that he would nickle and dime me to death by another cruiser owner. When I purchased the vehicle all leafspring bushings were worn to the point that it definetly affected the steeing, which is a real concern when you work and drive the roads of Fort McMurray. Despite the fact that his mechanic at (ATEB, who by the way are an excellent cruiser mechanic shop in the lower mainland) advised Michael to replace them. Somehow the truck passed inspection through another shop and it was up to me to pay to have the bushings replaced ($350.00) though he did give me the bushings (old man emu $110.00 aprox.) The cruiser mechanic I use in Calgary Pro-active Automotive also very good could not beleive the truck passed inspection with the condition of the bushings. I also did not get the roof rack ladder that I have a written contract for or the bullbar that we had a verbal agreemant on.(my fault for not getting it in writing), the fuel tank was not full as promised on the internet site, only some of the belts were replaced (outback replaces all of them no matter what the condition), windsheild washer fluid was nearly empty, ect, ect. These may seem like small details but that do add up on top of the larger details I mentioned earlier. In short Michael knows his vehicles very well it is unfortunate that he puts money before reputation as a trustworthy importer, as this will inevitably have the reverse affect. When I tried to contact him about these matters he would not return my phone calls or emails. Until I got frustrated and threatened to take legal action, his response to this was to offer me $100.00 for the bullbar(an apropiate amount) to which I still have not received two months later. My wife is now purchasing a corolla from Marko at OUTBACK and we have full faith in his maintenance package as well as his knowledge and patience when choosing the right vehicle. This is obviously just my own opinion but my money as well as all my friends in the climbing community and oil gas industry will go to Marko at Outbacks. I wish I could read any responses to this but I have to go.(I will try on the road) P.S. anybody know a good mechanic shop in Moab for a wheel alignment?
 
I have been looking to buy a JDM import from Outback Imports and I contacted them expressing an interest in a vehicle. Well Mr. Marko has asked me to wire half the money to Outback Engineering. No agreement, nothing on paper. I Googled Outback Engineering and found:
http://www.yukonchamber.com/member.aspx?cid=79
An Environmental consulting company? With a US web page in no way related to the listed company. P.O. Box address.
My question to the forum is: When you buy from an outfit like Outback Engineering do you send a few thousand dollars based on faith only? All I have is a web page with pictures, promises, disclaimer, a name Marko and a slip of paper from my bank that I wired a few grand to an Environmental consulting company hoping some day to see a car in return. Let’s say Marko vanishes with the money and the web page and I go to a lawyer with the above information to try and get my money back. I bet it would cost an equal amount of money just to find Mr. Marko.
Perhaps folks out west have more faith in people or have more money to lose. This deal looks like I take all the risk and my gut tells me to walk away. What do you think?
Looking forward to hearing from those that bought from Mr. Marko.
:cheers:
Peter
 
Peter said:
My question to the forum is: When you buy from an outfit like Outback Engineering do you send a few thousand dollars based on faith only? All I have is a web page with pictures, promises, disclaimer, a name Marko and a slip of paper from my bank that I wired a few grand to an Environmental consulting company hoping some day to see a car in return. ]
Peter


Yes, and you should have no problems. Many people here have bought from Marko, including myself for personal...and G&Scruiserparts purchases. I believe he has four or five companies, and all start with "Outback". Putting some up front shows you are serious too.

hth's

gb
 
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We work the same way, on special orders it is 1/2 up front. It shows serious intent on behalf of the purchaser. We give paperwork with the full agreement in writing, specifying the unit to be purchased with ALL the particulars, payment, deposit and final payment, warranty and prep. This way both parties are in total agreement on the terms. I would suggest you contact him again with your concerns and see if he will give you some paperwork.

ALL transactions are a gamble so some are more risk and some are less risk.

I cannot speak for Marko or any other importer for that matter but this would be my response. If you feel comfortable then do the deal, if not then walk.

For myself I usually check and see how long a person has been in business, an internet back ground check, how long has they been in the "community", and most of all I go with my gut feeling.

I know a good number of the importers pop up and then disappear, others have succumbed to volume sales, and some have burnt their bridges in Japan.
 
Same as Wayne here.

Being a registered dealer means a few things for the consumer, ie, restrictions on handling deposits, consumer protection, compensations fund etc. If you are dealing with a registered dealer then you are protected if you leave a deposit or pay for a car up front, not sure if Outback is a registered dealer or not, but from thier record I don't think you'll have a problem.

Regards,
 
Actually there is a contract with Marko. I have a copy of mine around here somewhere. Marko is legit. I would say he is very honest. I purchased a HJ61 from him last year. He tossed in some Lightforce lights and since the belts didn't really need replacing, he didn't change them and gave me a whole new set as spares as in his maintenance package. The camping kit was missing due to the photographer taking it out for pictures and was left in a warehouse. A differnt camping kit came in as a replacement. He gave me it and cash differential to make good. He has also sent me a pound of coffee and a Christmas card as well. He has answered every e-mail I have sent and every phone call I have made. He is in my opinion, a class act.

:beer:
 
lshobie said:
not sure if Outback is a registered dealer or not, but from thier record I don't think you'll have a problem.Regards,

Yes, he is registered.

As you can gather from the posts, it is a common agreement used by many of the importers.

hth's

gb
 
Thank You All

Marko read my post and called before I had a chance to see your comments. He does come across as a very pleasant and honest man to the point I felt a bit embarrassed about my post.
Still the most important factor was reading your comments about him. I went ahead and put a deposit on the vehicle the next day. I will write some more about this once the deal is complete. For now thanks again for your opinion and support.
Now I will have one of these :beer: and :cheers: to all.
 
Ah so Marko reads these threads but doesn't join in the fun!

Come on Marko get registered and play with the other importers in here!
 
Another importer in Canada is ; exceedimports.ca.
Looks like a Calgary based company with ties to Japan, who deals in JDM vehicles. And yes they are listed with AMVIC.
 
i love this statement:
" Canada's leading importer of pre-owned Japanese vehicles. "

they have not even recieved their first unit in Canada and they are making this statement? cute.
 
I have a BJ74 purchased from Mustang and have been satisfied with the support and backup from Barry and Jane. For our second vehicle (Corolla/Carib) I wanted something that was as close to "turn-key" as is possible in a used car, so we purchased one from Marko at Outback. We were given a sales contract showing the payment and balance, and a realistic delivery time (it did help that the vehicle had already landed). Everything in the service package was completed as stated, as well as some that I probably would not have done right away.

Trustworthy? I certainly think so. Was the premium paid for the service package worth it? I think so, especially as I did not have to worry about what might be needed.

Graeme
 
alrighty then, I'm gonna chime in.

Intro: I come from a Land Rover background. I own both a 1995 Landrover Defender 110 and a 1990 HDJ81.

My experience with buying and dealing with Landrovers really helped me with who to purchase the cruiser from. With any vehicle especially those such as Defenders and Landcruisers you really have to be careful. I bought my Defender a year ago and used it as my DD problem free, I paid a little more for it up front because there are way too many horror stories about guys buying one cheap and then spending double or even triple that to keep it running.

This is why I REALLY researched legit importers and sellers of Cruisers.

Ultimately I decided upon Wayne. He was great to deal with and honest. I bought my truck from him sight unseen, flew out to Calgary and drove it back. I've had a few very minor issues and Wayne has been great with them, to the extent that I would say he went above and beyond what I had expected.

So my advice to anyone looking is ask lots and lots of questions and research. Don't be in a big rush. If you're absolutely in love with the machine but the seller gives you the willies, walk away. No vehicle is perfect and you're gonna have to deal with the seller again.

I was so comfortable dealing with Wayne (aka luxuryimports.ca) that I'm going back for another vehicle for my wife.

My testimonial

BTW Don't ask which vehicle I prefer offroad, both are great but the Defender is geared much lower...
 
crushers said:
i love this statement:
" Canada's leading importer of pre-owned Japanese vehicles. "

they have not even recieved their first unit in Canada and they are making this statement? cute.

I belive they have actuly been importing for over two years, just not on the internt. I know of eight people including my BJ 74, who have bougth from them. All have been satisfied with the vehicles. :)
 
It's just amazing how this has taken off in the past couple of years. I do feel for the good guy dealers, and hope that they survive this proliferation of importers (legit and other).

I am surprised more folks are not importing their own vehicles. It is fun to do, and fairly easy. Of course there is some risk associated with it, and whatever you get will need some work (hopefully nothing major). Surfing the auctions for just the right unit can get addictive, and it is time consuming, but rewarding to know that you have done something rather unique (although somewhat less so nowadays).

My experience importing my own HJ61 was nerve racking, rewarding, educational, and fun. I got to meet some great folks, learn more that I might have otherwise about cruiser mechanics, and drive a great truck.

All that said, when it comes time to buy my next cruiser, I will be able to afford more than I could, and will probably use Wayne or Marco. :D
 
Red Herring said:
My experience importing my own HJ61 was nerve racking, rewarding, educational, and fun. I got to meet some great folks, learn more that I might have otherwise about cruiser mechanics, and drive a great truck.

Heh Steve! Thanks for blazing a trail for me to follow so that I could end up with a great Cruiser too!

:beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:

After Steve's positive experience, I sent my $ to http://providecars.com/ and waited and waited and waited. 6 mornings a week for about 6 months I'd check the auctions, request translations, occasionally bid, and eventually bought my Cruiser. Lots of excitement, anxiety, adrenalin rushes and disappointments; but, so far, it looks like it was worth it; time will tell.

If you go this route, be mentally prepared to receive a Junker 'cause there are no guarantees - they just provide the auction companies’ inspection forms and bid on your behalf. I had to send them pictures of a locker switch so they could determine if it looked like the vehicle had them.

Don’t try this unless you can afford to loose your purchase $, commission $ and shipping $ - you take all the risks; they don’t do anything until they’ve received your $.

-Steve
 
This boom worries me tho, I can see regulations getting changed or problems arising. Not to mention increased prices at the auctions in Japan.
 
the prices in the auctions have steadily have risen for the last 2 years.
you can tell the new importers or those that are importing for themselves by watching as the vehicles sell. HUGE money for POS is common tell tale sign...

that and hearing from ones in Japan where individuals bid for a unit then get cold feet when time to transfer the money which in turn gives a bad name to Canadian bidders...

what i find is interesting is how fast some of these "importers" fire up a web site and then a few months later they disappear. also what is interesting is how many of these sites have only an email address, no city, no phone number and no name of a contact person.

the one side i think many are missing is as long as there are unscrupulous sellers they are affecting the buyer market. more and more there are stories of those that have bought money pits which as these get out turn other possible purchasers away from the risky JDM units.

there is one particular importer here in Calgary that brings in middle of the road units. he has had the same units sitting here for at least 9 months now. he is licensed as well. i think what many newbie importers is finding is the market is flooded and the units are not selling the way they would like.

there really is a set number of possible customers for the RHD units so once the market is saturated then what seemed like a sure investment now becomes a finacial loss.

at least this is my view of the matter.
 

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