rob_lewis wrote: Now you've got me looking (probably because I love Kei cars): These seem crazy cheap and Virginia is even closer.... A rough Nissan Figaro for $3900 One of several Honda Beats $4900 If you really want to fall down the rabbit hole.... JDM Importer I'm actually scared that (according to the site) I could import a scruffy 1992 Suzuki Alto Works to the Galveston port for just under $3200..... What am I missing? -Rob
You have caused me physical pain by showing me this...
singleslammer wrote:rob_lewis wrote: Now you've got me looking (probably because I love Kei cars): These seem crazy cheap and Virginia is even closer.... A rough Nissan Figaro for $3900 One of several Honda Beats $4900 If you really want to fall down the rabbit hole.... JDM Importer I'm actually scared that (according to the site) I could import a scruffy 1992 Suzuki Alto Works to the Galveston port for just under $3200..... What am I missing? -RobYou have caused me physical pain by showing me this...
Totally understood, I have the same pain. I know zilch about importing cars, so there MUST be something I'm missing. It can't be that cheap. An Alto Works in my garage is a bucket list item for me.....
-Rob
Check out also the crazy pricing on used Smart Fortwo ED. They're around $5k. Also, being electric, the crap transmission is gone.
Mike wrote: Check out also the crazy pricing on used Smart Fortwo ED. They're around $5k. Also, being electric, the crap transmission is gone.
That's insane. This may actually be what we end up with. $5k for a plug in hybrid? Who cares if it only goes 50 miles?
(iMiev is still stupid though)
mtn wrote:Mike wrote: Check out also the crazy pricing on used Smart Fortwo ED. They're around $5k. Also, being electric, the crap transmission is gone.That's insane. This may actually be what we end up with. $5k for a plug in hybrid? Who cares if it only goes 50 miles? (iMiev is still stupid though)
Fiat 500e's are getting close to that in price. I've seen them under $7k. 82 mile range and might be a little more fun to drive.
-Rob
rob_lewis wrote:singleslammer wrote:Totally understood, I have the same pain. I know zilch about importing cars, so there MUST be something I'm missing. It can't be that cheap. An Alto Works in my garage is a bucket list item for me..... -Robrob_lewis wrote: Now you've got me looking (probably because I love Kei cars): These seem crazy cheap and Virginia is even closer.... A rough Nissan Figaro for $3900 One of several Honda Beats $4900 If you really want to fall down the rabbit hole.... JDM Importer I'm actually scared that (according to the site) I could import a scruffy 1992 Suzuki Alto Works to the Galveston port for just under $3200..... What am I missing? -RobYou have caused me physical pain by showing me this...
"Carfromjapan.com" is not actually an importer, they're just an overseas wholesaler and nothing is certain until you try to pull the trigger, particularly on the shipping side. You will have to handle customs/bond/import taxes and all applicable DOT/EPA paperwork on your own which is time and money. It's not an insurmountable process but not one that should be taken lightly either. That's why it seems so cheap, because they don't factor in any of the stuff that needs to happen once it lands at a port.
I worry that the problem with the 500e is that they were only supposed to be sold in a few specific markets, so the ones that venture away probably have virtually no parts support. The wonderful Sergio Marchionne also said himself that he hated them and wanted to remove them from the roads as quickly as possible because of how much he lost on each one. Seeing how one of our GRM overlords had nightmarish part supply issues with an FCA product that was actually sold everywhere, I'm not sure I'd want to risk 500e ownership...
iirc with a smart you have to drop the engine completely to do any engine work,
(I hope this is not a thread jack) Oh man I was just on a google Kei car binge (mostly because of mighty car mods) and then this thread pops up. I have a strong want for a Beat, Alto Works, or turbo Jimny...
Prior to this thread I had never heard of Duncan Imports in Virginia -- I just clicked the site and it is mind blowing.... seriously, this man has 100+ Fiagaro's, 60 Honda Beats, with a variety for sale at any one time. Anybody in Atlanta area want to go in halfsies with me on a $5k Beat?
Or a Suzuki Cappuccino, Suzuki Cara, Mazda AZ-1.
In reply to DocV:
oh CRAP did I not need to go to Duncan's site 
Dude the Toyota Sera Sedan is bad ass!
mtn, there's a Nissan Pao wagon for sale on CL. Not cheap, but you'll never see another one.
Appleseed wrote: mtn, there's a Nissan Pao wagon for sale on CL. Not cheap, but you'll never see another one. It's in Evanston!
If you told me to guess the year on that, it would have either been 1962, or 2002. I would never have guessed that was a 1990.
Not what I was looking for, but Who wants a 30k mile 1991 RHD LS400? Or a 30k mile RHD GS with twin turbos and cloth interior?
Chevy Spark?
I am now quite glad to have a kid now. Im broke and don't have to explain when I am on my way to VA with 5k in my pocket to my wife. They have like 10 sub 5k beats! That is a hard choice between one of those and another MR2 Spyder... The beat is just so unique.
In reply to singleslammer:
Where? In Richmond?
Imported kei cars are dangerous to look at. So much want.
I like micro cars on paper, but I have concerns about racking up interstate miles. Even the last 3 door accent was a let down on the highway. The gearing to get some pep out of the 1.5l had it buzzing iirc 4K@70, add in lack of CC, it was a no go for me.
In reply to FlightService:
Duncan Import is in Christianburg, VA. It was the link several post up with E36 M3 loads of tiny Japanese goodness.
Also, this website is constantly full of auto-crack. So much want but I know it is terrible for me.
Saw a Chevy Bolt yesterday. Smaller than it looks on the screen. The owner says that she loves it. I'm considering one for my wife's next car.
In reply to DocV:
You are an evil man.
You guys are the worst. I want a Pao so bad.
The micro cars are great city cars but I've found that as soon as you try to go above 55 the mpg drops significantly. If you do any real highway driving at 65+ you are almost always better with a basic 40mpg econobox or a hybrid. On the cool meter for me would be the Honda CR-Z unless you are crazy enough to try to import one of the kei cars.
OK so we owned a 2008 Smart ForTwo bought used in 2010 for 50% MSRP and kept it for one year. It was used for short urban commuting and shopping, at which it excelled for ease of street parking and doing a U-Turn in less than two lanes of street space. It easily carried two occupants and all of our shopping, provided you learned to make use of vertical space. It would accelerate well in stop and go traffic and easily cruised at60mph+, despite what other people will tell you based on what they have read.
Neutral outcomes were mediocre fuel economy (given the way I drove it at least) and the need for using MB-based service which added to the cost of ownership. Yes the gearbox was crap, but once you own it you learn to drive to its behaviour and really after a week or two you have overcome the limitation.
Negative finding, which lead to it being released from the fleet, was an overly-aggressive ESC nanny that reduced power on wheel slippage. In harsh Canada winter the rear-engine RWD combo proved it would slip on hills and instead of letting me keep momentum up it would kill the throttle which exasperated an already tense situation in fast moving traffic. Basically it tried to kill me.
I think if we didn't get 70+ inches of snow a year it might have stayed in the fleet since it was a good compromise, other than the winter handling thing.
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