Don't know how many on here keep track of the yen. I monitor it daily and it has been falling on it's face like crazy. It really dropped two Fridays ago. It's been floating around $1 = 114 to 115 yen. When I bought my truck in 2011, $1 = around 76 to 77 yen. Been keeping an eye on the auctions. Trucks have been selling relatively well, with several going pretty cheap. I watched a brand new 2014 Hijet S211P sell last Friday night (Saturday morning in Japan). Truck was 4x4, hi-low, automatic, AC and EPS. This was the new body style with the face lift, not the carry over 2014. Sold for 825,000 JPY. Do the math on that.
ok I have to ask. are you US fellows allowed to bring in new vehicles from Japan. up here were allowed to bring in 15 year old cars. your right as I watch almost daily the exchange. Japan is going forward with QE1 so yen is taking a pounding. I recently bought a 99 Carry for $1000 cdn. rated 4 at auction at Yokohama auction. Cheers
Any more info? I'm looking to import one in Canada for farm/off road use. Importer are selling them for 6500$ around here, I'm sure I can beat that price if I figure out how to import one myself? sorry if I'm being one of those annoying newbie...
Back in the good old days when I had my import bond the yen was Floating between 114 to 117, the best was 118 and I think that was my Last container I brought in before the US EPA deal went down. That has to be tough on the Japanese economy/people. I also watch the auctions and mini Trks. In general are pretty cheap across the board. Tony, yes we can bring in new trucks to USA.
You'd probably be looking at $3000 to $4000 in addition to the price of the vehicle (to get it to Vancouver).
Yes, we are taking a pounding here on the cost of imported goods since the Twits in Tokyo decided to push the Yen so far down. And the whole economy is taking a boot in the face since the elites raised the sales tax in April and have now raised car taxes. Even the tax on minitrucks is up a bit. But however much it is hurting us in Japan, it is giving a good chance to get better prices on minitrucks (or any imported used vehicle) now if you are looking to import one from Japan directly yourself. If anyone needs help in this area just PM me at dave@japancardirect.com. An especially good thing for guys in the States who want to do an end run around all those horrid sticky silly EPA regs by just buying a 25 year old truck is: It was March of 1990 (if I've got my dates right) when the Kei class vehicle regs changed here to allow for the 660cc engines in place of the earlier 550cc guys. And those early 660cc trucks have lots and lots of parts cross over with much newer vehicles (in many cases they just basically stayed as the same models, really, for years and years). So come March of this year it will become easy to import the most common and more powerful minitrucks. (I'm not saying anything against those old 550s, though. They were are are very good machines for off road. The old Suzuki Carrys were geared so low that they are like little tractors. We still sell a fair number of the old 550cc units, especially to Australia, where they've got to be pre January 1989. Excellent hunter's vehicle.) So, yes, the Yen exchange rate is vary favorable now; and yes, my dear fellows, I detest, and with the profoundest detesting detestation, the tax-sucking Japanese government who are going to put this country back into the economic stone age. (froth, grind, snarl......) Cheers, Dave dave@japancardirect.com
