19 replies to this topic

[FlyingScot]

This is probably my ignorance but is insurance a factor with imports? Ie is insurance more difficult to get/ more expensive which puts people not in the know off.

I am under this impression but I’m not sure if it is true or why

 
Not that I've noticed on my mini. Mine does have that it's a Japanese import stated on the insurance details, they come from DVLA registration but I've never had to pay a premium for it being a Japanese import not has it caused an insurer to suck air through their teeth. 
 
They seem to be treated like a Mini :)

Same, no issue or penalty.

My 2 JDM minis are in much better condition than similar age U.K. models. The lack of rust is a major positive factor for working in them and less cost overall as body work is either time consuming or expensive (to pay someone else)

FS

[dyshipfakta]

Interesting to know. As I said I was for some reason under this impression and I’m into cars so maybe people who don’t know are under the same impression.

[Spider]

While I don't know the local UK market in the way you guys do, I can't help but feel that 'someone' or a group are trying to drive the price of these down based on nothing more than Hype.

And, hype breeds hype,,,,,

[r3k1355]

I'd value every mini on condition, a lot of people tell you that they tend to have less rust but a lot of them have been in the UK a long time now and are just as rusty, 

 

Depends when it was imported, how it's been treated since being in the country.

 

You can rot one out in just a year or two if you don't get it undersealed and then smash a load of winter miles on it.

Conversely if it's been sorted when it landed in the country and only used in summer it'll be minty fresh a decade later.

[Icey]

While I don't know the local UK market in the way you guys do, I can't help but feel that 'someone' or a group are trying to drive the price of these down based on nothing more than Hype.

And, hype breeds hype,,,,,

 

I think there's a little more to it than that.

 

I suspect the problem originates in insurance valuations because insurance companies - in my experience - always undervalue imported cars.

 

I had a JDM Honda (CRX Si) written off years ago and the insurance company argued that because it was an import it was worth less than a UK model. I shot back that the opposite was true. The car was more desirable to those interested in that marque and model because it was an import making replacement (it was a no-fault claim) more expensive.

 

They base their pricing on general guides so don't take into consideration the nuances of the communities that surround certain cars. If they did then I think we'd see this problem go away.