Importing is not really risky if you're buying from an established broker. It's just a bit of a headache, and it takes a long fucking time. From the time it takes to set up the deposit, to the money transfer times, shipping times, inland transport, customs clearing. It takes quite a few months.

Plus you really aren't going to save that much. Shipping is about 1200, every broker is going to charge ~1000 for their service. Then you get hit with the costs of bringing the car up to out of province inspection standards, international money transfer fees, various duties, soil inspection, a bunch of paperwork. 3-4k on top of the price of the car is what you end up paying. Not just cash though, you gotta take the time to make sure those papers are in the right place at the right time. Installing some new headlamp assemblies may be a breeze, but finding them and doing it is still time.

I've been lurking japanese auction sites for a while, and honestly the prices listed at Velocity are pretty reasonable for the time and energy you save. A ~100k km '97 Sti should go for about 4-5k CAD at auction, and Velocity is listing it for 10.5k. If the car theyre selling isn't an R grade, and is actually good then the price seems fair. A sub 100k FD is about the same story. Their Evos are a bit overpriced, but 13k for a 130k VI isn't robbery.

Based on that I was actually planning on showing up to the place this week and buying that STI if it met my standard. But, this was before I knew Bruce quit. I was pleased with the responsiveness, and friendliness of the guy on these forums and others too. I was looking forward to a pleasant car buying process. But he obviously has quit considering Velocity doesn't reply to any of these threads anymore, and with all these scary ass reviews I'm not feeling that confident. Sorry VC no one want to be bullied into buying a car :/

Also, not sure what my word is worth but yeah Brave auto international is pretty damn legit. I've been exchanging emails with Mark periodically, looking for info and stuff. He's a busy man so don't expect lightning fast replies before you become an actual paying customer, but I've read nothing but positive reviews from his customers.

edit: So I decided to actually check the place out. I went and looked at a couple evos, an FD and an STI. They looked like they were in pretty good shape, but when I asked to see an auction sheet for the STI they told me they didn't have it because the owner was on vacation? Yeah, ok, not really interested in the car if I can't see the auction sheet. What I think is that if you're looking to buy some JDM, try local by owner ads or import one yourself as first resorts.

ash your wrong on every estimate.


97 sti.. for example....

400,000jpy auction cost
100,000jpy export cost(includes all taxes and exporter fee)
100,000jpy shipping

600,000jpy once it gets here.
5% gst of 400,000jpy
6% duty of 400,000jpy
$100 a/c tax
$100 dock fee
$200(customs broker if your lazy, all it takes is a drive downtown to customs to pay tax and fill out one piece of paper)
7% pst on 400,000jpy (at time of registration)

OUT OF PROVINCE INSTPECTION
$200-$1000 depending on what needs to be done.

$8500 on a 400,000jpy car. all depending.


this is for an absolutly mint 97 sti..... ive seen some sell for $1000

oh? I estimated 3-4k for all the extra stuff youll end up paying for and you gave a pretty similar estimate too. I was just repeating what I've heard from guys that have done this though, thanks for your insight.

Also, I checked and yeah I overestimated the price of a V3 STI a bit. I only found WRX examples going for ~1k, Stis seems to be more around 3. That one at velocity I was referring to was a V LTD, and some seem to go for about 4k though example: http://i.imgur.com/mwIIbGD.jpg.

Based on your estimates, and looking at auction sites, these guys are charging probably 20%-30% extra compared to what you'd have to pay shipping over something yourself (assuming their cars are not R graded). So, idk, a lot of guys here seem to think these guys are shady and pressuring, but if you give the car you're looking at a good shakedown and nothing seems shitty, it has a good grade, and spending the extra money is worth not having to deal with the importing process. T

First Revscene Post..
 

Hello Revscene!

My name is Dan, I am the Sales Manager at Vancouver Velocity Cars. I have been in the car industry for the past 3 years, and have a passion for sales and customer service. I have read through the reviews that you have all shared with regards to the business and am grateful for the input (both positive, and constructive input).

At the end of the day, we run a car selling business. We happen to sell a product that many people are very passionate about. I have noticed that we, as a business, are constantly under scrutiny and are consistently being questioned. I am very proud to say that I work for a dealership that takes great pride in the product that we sell. Our JDM vehicles undergo a vigorous reconditioning process to ensure the highest level of quality standard.

Running a dealership that sells as many 15+ year old vehicles as Velocity is a difficult task to undertake. My business partner Bruce has spent the past 7 months building a system and process that has improved the business model here at the dealership. Bruce has recently left Velocity in search of a different career path and the team at Velocity wishes him the best of luck in his future endeavors!

We are a fair business. We are working hard to establish our name in the JDM community and create a strong brand that will carry a positive and trustworthy image. We sell 15+ year old cars that have traveled across the planet to end up in the hands of JDM lovers and enthusiasts on this side of the globe. Our prices directly reflect the costs associated to purchasing the vehicles, shipping them, reconditioning, and of course making a respectable profit.

We strive to bring more JDM rides into Vancouver every month and to grow our loyal Velocity Cars following.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call the dealership @ 604.428.4636 and ask for Dan the Sales Manager. My direct email is Dan@velocitycars.ca. Please send me any feedback or input that you may have.

Drop by the dealership anytime!

Dan

Bruce now Dan :lol

:facepalm::facepalm:

3 years in the industry doe

:suspicious:

Atm I'm using (pm me for email) o and I only have good things to say about him.
Also I've never heard any negative feedback on Brave Auto / JDM Connection.

LOL I wonder how long until Dan "searches for a different career path"

Post #2:

I appreciate all of your feedback! I am relatively new to RevScene, and am learning new information everyday. We have new incoming inventory all month and are excited to fill the lot with new and unique vehicles!

I have a new 1996 Black Toyota Supra SZ-R with only 91,200 kms landing next week. This car looks absolutely beautiful with an auction grade of 4.0! Definitely a sweet buy.

We are gearing up all of our AWD and 4x4 vehicles going into the Fall and Winter season. I strongly suggest coming out to the dealership and having a look for yourself!

Please don't hesitate to call me anytime at the dealership (604.428.4636 - Ask for Dan), or email me directly at Dan@velocitycars.ca. I am always looking to learn something new about the JDM world and build our strong Velocity Cars following!

Drop by the dealership anytime to talk cars!

Dan

Dan, unless you are paying to be a vendor were not interested to hear what vehicles you have coming in or are wanting to sell. (correction, is a paying vendor....)

With 3 years of experience its fairly clear to most of the members on here who have been doing this since the early 2000's that what you guys are offering is, for the most part, overpriced lower quality cars.
I have personally seen, and worked on, some of the cars that have come from your lot and the "reconditioning" process you guys do is quite frankly a joke. This includes some VERY recent sales.

Bottom line, either align your prices to actually be competitive and fair or step up your game and start providing high quality cars that are in fact in good working order.

Post #3:

I am in fact a paying vendor on RevScene. I am so glad that you have brought up this point. Who else in North America is doing what we do? We import hundreds of JDM cars into the continent, and are proud to say that Velocity is the biggest JDM dealership not only in BC, but in the country!

I am proud of the product that we sell, and it does in fact go through an extensive reconditioning process. We are talking about 15+ year old cars, right? Of course they will have imperfections. 100% they will have imperfections. Every single vehicle that we sell has imperfections. We do not sell PERFECT vehicles. We sell high quality, 15+ year old, high performance, and high auction grade vehicles that are competitively priced!

Thank you for your constructive input. Please feel free to drop by the dealership anytime!

i highly doubt that the NA supras in your lot with a price tag of 14k is competitively priced :lol

i have also personally seen a recent purchase that went through with your "reconditioning process" - someone who recently bought an sti had very obvious paint over sprays everywhere... i was just lost for words when he popped his hood and i saw that 3/4 of the intercooler was sprayed in blue and the rest was left in original aluminum finish because this dealership didnt remove the scoop and just re-sprayed it while still attached to the hood..even the hood had a few oversprays around it on the edges of the scoop
also had 3 aftermarket gauges that didnt work at all, and a few more oversprays on the hood, bumper, etc..YIKES... and poor guy paid 13.5k for it :lol

- The best selection of low mileage, clean, high demand JDM vehicles
- A rigorous BC government mechanical and safety inspection
- A certified accurate odometer reading
- A lien free guarantee
- A 90-day Power Train Warranty at no extra charge
- A professionally detailed vehicle; front to back, top to bottom, inside and out

As you! mentioned that there was overspray all over this car.......perhaps you guys should get a new "professional detailer" seeing as all your vehicles are professionally detailed as you claim.

As for "rigorous BC government mechanical and safety inspection", when the inspections being done do they check things like fake MOMO steering wheels that are bent and not round and during a crash will completely separate from the car?
What about those gauges that are shoved in a pocket that are not even fastened down....or connected in any way shape or form.

Big claims you guys make about stuff yet everything I have seen coming fro you is very low quality and would fail a basic vehicle inspection.

Uhhh, Tyee Imports, Brave Auto, Pacific Coast... regardless of whether or not you are a paying advertiser on this site, if you lie about your cars (a 70xxx+ FD is NOT low mileage, it's nearly dead) you're gonna have a bad time. Also, why would I go to you guys when for the cost of a ferry ride, I can get an FD for almost half of what you guys charge from Tyee? At least they actually use the proper pictures for each car.

Also, please fix your site. It's hideous.

Coles notes,

- Shady service, not disclosing information when asked.
- Claim to professionally detail cars but are covers in scratches and defect that would be solved by a detailing. Such simple things as overspray.
- Supply CarFax report despite it being completely useless for imported vehicles.
- Hi priced/low grade cars
- Poorly listed cars (500hp MKIV on stock twins with no fuel system upgrades also listed as BBS wheels and they are not BBS wheels)
- Claimed these are inspected and up to standard yet many lot vehicles are missing very simple things that are required yet have been approved. eg. proper lights/reflectors/proper steering wheels etc
- The GM "moved on" to other business opportunity and seemed to be the only one trying to hold the place together.
- Claim vehicles go through a reconditioning process yet done have simple maintenance like oil changes/replacing batteries
- Customer test drove vehicle and engine blew up
- Customers receiving vehicles in poor running condition yet having passed an inspection (would not have passed if it was actually driven)

This is what I have gather from the posts on here, on other forums and from working on and viewing cars that have just been picked up from you.

lol what? story to this?

Was on FB a while back now but since been removed......

I have first hand experience with this so called "detail" job. My car was delayed a full week for pick-up because they wanted to give my car a detail.. So when I went to pick up my it had dust over it like it had sat outside for a couple of days and the swirls were massive and water streaks coming from the wiper washer nozzle which has stained the clear. My rear window was half ass'd cleaned because the detailer got lazy around the wiper. I'd think my detail only consisted of a wash with a brush and then lathered on wax. As for mechanical issues the boost gauge didn't work and when I went to check it under the hood it was tee'd to the FPR and left loose causing it to run lean and for how long I don't even know. I solved this issue within 10 seconds looking under the hood when I got home but their "mechanics" couldn't see that when I was getting my car fully inspected?

Post #4:

I am very appreciative of your feedback. We are the only dealership on the continent where you are able to pick 1 of 5 RX-7's that are parked side by side, pop the hood, run it, sit in it and take it for a test drive. Providing that you like the car and you are happy with the condition that it is in, you are then able to take it to a 3rd party inspection at a mechanic of your choice! You are then able to choose a warranty package that best suits your individual driving needs.

Have I mentioned that we are able to finance these cars? We offer low interest rate financing to all of our customers!

Velocity Cars is the biggest JDM dealership in North America and we are confident that the quality of our vehicles is superb! Come check it out for yourself @ 4349 Dawson St. in Burnaby, BC.

All of our new arrival inventory and finance application is on our website: Vancouver Velocity Cars | Used Car Dealer in Burnaby

Dan

dan your cars are not detailed....im more than willing to help on that part of the issue. your a dealer. cars must be detailed. contact me for more information.

5 years experience.

lol dan its funny how all of ur replies are just sales talk about how great ur cars are and u do not even care to provide any answers to the last few posts about ur negative business practices... despite everyone calling u out on it based on peoples experiences u have nothing else to say but u have mint high end cars and suggest that we come check them out - guess what many people have already came by many times which is why they are sharing their horror stories here. This bad rep that u carry has already been known for a few yrs now and yet there has been no improvement at all and its possible that things are just getting worse instead

so keep at it with ur sales talk lol since there really isnt anything worth mentioning about ur place :lol

bruce > dan :lol

Friend bought an Evo IV from this dealership, when we were debadging the car we took off this rectangular bumper sticker that the shop had put on the car to reveal a huge 3 inch gash on the rear bumper lol