I David Zozuk originally from Adelaide, have been living and working in Japan full time since Jan. 1988. During this period I have been involved in exporting cars & car parts out of Japan to countries all over the world, in particularly Australia. I have good knowledge of the motor vehicle industry, as I grew up in a family involved in car; mechanical repairs, crash repairs, towing, wrecking, importing & selling. My brothers still run the oldest Japanese-only wrecking yard in South Australia, and my father was the oldest tow-truck driver in S.A.

I used to be a Low Volume Compliance Plate Approval holder for the R34 Skyline under the old compliance system. Am a dedicated car enthusiast and treat my work as more of a hobby than a job.

Five years ago, I teamed up with Mr Yoshida of Yoshida Auto Co. After graduating university he went straight to work for Toyota, and 10 years later he left Toyota to start his own used car yard in Miki-city. Mr Yoshida’s involvement in the Japanese used-car auction scene goes way back, he is an active member of dozens of auction houses all over the country. His office is fitted with on-line auction facilities so we can bid on cars at auctions all over Japan, totalling about 60,000 cars a week at over 60 major auction houses. We also hold several cars in stock in Japan at all times so you can choose a car directly from our stock list or ask us to locate you one at auction. Yoshida Auto Co. is fully licensed to export and trade in motor vehicles internationally, so all transactions are carried out under that name.

Mr Yoshida and I pride ourselves in our honest and reputable service. Most of our business comes from repeat customers. Once you find a reliable source directly from a supplier in Japan like us, there’s no need to look for anyone else. When ordering and buying a car from the auctions through us, only the actual car cost + 100,000 yen FOB fee is required. There are no extra service fees or commissions, and no up-front deposits necessary. KobeCars is happy to purchase any car on your behalf without any money up-front, because we only purchase cars that we would be happy to own ourselves.

The Auction

Every Saturday the HAA Kobe Auction is held featuring over 9,000 cars. We have access to the complete list of all cars up for auction by Friday evenings. This gives me a chance to search for cars of interest, translate engineer report details and post the pics & details on this website for your review prior to the actual bidding on Saturday. Then on Saturdays I can personally inspect any vehicles at the auction house and bid on your behalf. This system allows you to use me as your eyes & ears on the ground here in Japan.

Once a car is purchased on your behalf, you pay the exact car cost at auction plus the 100,000 yen FOB fee. This covers all the costs of purchasing from the auction house, delivering your car to the wharf, preparation of the de-registration papers, wharf & custom clearance fees, loading your vehicle into the vessel, all shipping instructions, paperwork & handling. In other words, everything to get your car Free On Board the vessel, thus called the FOB fee. The auction price of the car plus the 100,000 yen FOB fee = the full FOB price. When quoting your maximum bid limit, please quote us the full FOB price so as not to get confused.

Besides the HAA Kobe Auction, Yoshida Auto Co. has membership and access to many other auctions held all over Japan. We can bid at these ‘live’ auctions in our office via members only computer and joystick facilities. We receive full engineer reports and two photos of each vehicle, should you require us to find you something fast.

Auction grading system

This is the official auction grading system from the largest on-line auction in Japan, “AucNet”. Some auction houses have slight variants to this system however they are all based on this formula. Often we say a car is Rated 4 by the engineer, which means a Grade 4 vehicle.

Odometer Tampering

Tampering with the odometer is strictly illegal in Japan, and offenders are severely punished. By buying at an auction in Japan, you are guaranteed original kilometre readings because every car’s odometer reading is first checked with the national registration department before auctioning. They keep up to date information on every registered vehicle in Japan. Their database is up-dated every two years when the car goes through its strict registration inspection called “shaken”.

Often you’ll see cars ‘cancelled’ at the auction because their odometer reading doesn’t match up.

However there is a section at the auction called ‘the orange corner’ for all cars showing a false odometer reading. But there are various reasons for a vehicle being put in this corner. For example, the car may have an aftermarket speedo fitted. Or the digital instrument cluster is faulty and the odometer can’t be seen. Or if a dealer is unsure of a car’s history, he’ll put it in the ‘orange corner’ just in case, otherwise he’ll be fined and banned from the auction if trying to sell off a car with false kilometres.

If you find a car on the Japanese Yahoo Auction site and want to buy it, please notify us all the relevant details and we can buy & export on your behalf. However buying cars at internet auctions is very risky. KobeCars will not be liable for anything.

You can view the cars from here:

http://list.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/26360-category.html?alocale=0jp

Scroll down and choose the maker on the left, then scroll down and choose the model. Happy Surfing… But KobeCars does not recommend buying a car here, as almost always the seller has something to hide, and there are no comebacks once a car is purchased. Money has to be sent first then the car can be delivered. Very risky business.

Come Visit us in Kobe

It has come to my understanding that many people would love to fly to Japan, scour a major car auction and pick out their own car for purchase and export. So I’ve decided to assist in letting people do just that, by inviting them to the Kobe HAA auction and making their dreams come true. Here’s my offer:

1. You buy yourself a return-trip ticket to Kansai International Airport (KIX) and fly in just before the auction. (I recommend you arrive on a Thursday so you have plenty of time to inspect the cars on Friday, inspection day)

2. You walk through immigration (no visa required for Australian or British citizens, the officer will simply stamp a temporary visa in your passport upon arrival). Pick up your baggage and walk through customs with nothing to declare.

3. Walk straight outside to bus No. 6 going to Sannomiya, Kobe. Buy a bus ticket for 1,800 yen and get on that bus, departs every 20 minutes or so. It’s about an hour trip to Sannomiya the heart of Kobe city. Simply call my mobile phone and I will meet you at the bus drop-off point & escort you to your business hotel.

4. I will help you check in at an affordable business hotel, like the Hana Hotel which offers comfortable rooms for just 6,000 yen a night (roughly A$70 or 30 pounds). Or I could take you to an upper-class luxurious hotel if you think you can afford it. All located in downtown Sannomiya where shops, restaurants & bars are open 24 hours.

5. On Friday and/or Saturday I can pick you up and take you to the rated No. 1 auction in all the land, the Kobe HAA which is just a 10-minute drive from your hotel. There we can inspect thousands of cars with the engineer reports stuck on the windscreens. Start the engines, play with all the electrics and even kick the tyres. Then you can watch Mr Yoshida and I physically bid and hopefully win your dream car/s.

· Note: all guests to HAA auction are charged 1,000 yen admittance fee.

· Note: before we bid for you, we require the FOB fee of 100,000 yen in advance in cash.

6. Once your vehicle is purchased, you pay me the full outstanding amount, give me your consignee details and you are free to go home or continue your travels around the world. I will make you a “purchase invoice” and dispatch your car to your choice of port when you are ready to import.

I have often provided this service for my friends who enjoy picking out their own cars and who sometimes take them for a test drive at the wharf afterwards. Anyways it makes my life a bit easier knowing there can be no complaints if you don’t like the car once it arrives in your home country, as you were the one who picked it out!