New service member in Okinawa

[stantonwarner]

Hey guys. I'm new here so I figure I should introduce myself. I graduated from Arizona State and a Delta Upsilon alum (Any greeks in here?). Anyways, i'm a fresh LT moving out to Okinawa next month and i'm planning on buying an R32 to bring back once my tour is over. I used to be into the 240sx tuning thing back in Arizona a few years ago, but after some very bad experiences with some of the scumbags that are in that scene I decided to focus on other things.

I've been looking on Bookoo Okinawa for a R32, but all of them are overpriced IMO. After a little bit of trolling around I saw that some of you guys are out there and are planning on doing the same thing. How did those of you who brought one over from mainland coordinate the purchase and shipping with your arrival in country?

Much appreciated!

Tyler

[MaximA32]

Welcome to NICO! You've definitely come to the right place to learn more about importing a Skyline. I've moved this over to the appropriate forum so you can get a more concise answer.

[stantonwarner]

I'm not looking to import a Skyline. I am moving to Okinawa for 3 years starting next month. I am trying to figure out where the best place to buy one is, since there aren't many on Okinawa, and how to coordinate the purchase and shipment from mainland to Okinawa.

Thank you for moving it to a more precise category though.

[Gold Digger]

Actually, you are looking to import a Skyline...once your tour is over. You'll need to find an 89-91 as those will be the only ones legal to import after your tour there on Oki.

I'm not sure of prices down there on the island, but here on the mainland, R32's still sell for between $5k to $12K depending on their condition. You'll also pay more for stock condition cars than you will for slightly to mildly modified ones.

[DRCHOMPS]

I purchased my '99 STI Wagon from Tokyo while I was in Okinawa. There are several local companies that can order you a car from an auction house in mainland or you can use sites like:
goo.net
tradecarview.net
gt.net
I bought my car from tradecarview but you have to be careful when dealing with them since they mainly export. My buddy bought his GTR34 from the gt.net and they delivered it directly to my house in Okinawa, the company I used only dropped it at the port. One of my friends just got his GTR32 from right there on Okinawa and it is in excellent condition. Shipping from Tokyo will run about $800-1000 but if you get it from the northern port by Sapporro it will be around $1500 while if you get it from Osaka it will be around $500-900.

Your best bet would be to find someone that speaks Japanese that can coordinate the transaction. Luckly for me the company I used had "engrish" speaking people working there.

If you have anymore questions, I can try and set you up with some guys there in Okinawa that might be able to help you out.

PS. Do Not Send any paperwork to the same place the car is going, unless it is getting shipped directly to you.