Worth importing a performance car yourself or buying one already in the UK?

[Abdul Samad]

Hi all,

I’m currently weighing up whether it’s better to import cars from Japan to UK myself or just buy something that’s already here and registered.

I’ve got around £15k–£20k to spend and have been looking at cars like the Nissan Skyline 350GT, Toyota Chaser, and maybe even a Subaru Legacy GT. I’m based in the Midlands, and while I’ve owned a few performance cars before, I’ve never gone through the import process personally.

Part of me likes the idea of sourcing a cleaner example directly from Japan and knowing more about the car’s history. On the other hand, I’m wondering if the extra hassle with shipping, paperwork, DVLA registration, MOT requirements, and insurance ends up cancelling out any savings.

I’ve been doing a bit of research on how people import cars from japan to UK, but there seem to be a lot of mixed opinions depending on the model and budget.

For those who’ve done both:

* Was importing yourself actually worth it financially?
* Any unexpected costs that caught you out?
* How difficult was the registration process?
* Would you trust a fresh import more than a UK-based example with a few owners?

Interested to hear real experiences, especially from anyone who imported a performance car in the last couple of years. I feel like I’m missing something important in my calculations, but I’m not sure what.

Thanks!

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