FYI - Here are some interesting facts about "low-mileage motors from Japan".

Premise 1)
The way that registration taxes worked in Japan were that taxes (safety checks) increased exponentially after 3-4 years. In year 4+ you had car taxes that, at some point, equaled or exceeded the value of the car itself. People often sold/got rid of 4-5 year old cars and bought new ones even though those cars were perfectly fine. This was/is the source of most JDM motors coming in from the motherland.

Premise 2)
This changed in 1997-1998 (source: LA Times circa 1997-1998). This tax structure was recended and THERE IS NO LONGER ANY STIMULUS in Japan to buy new cars to avoid this tax. Consequently, the amount of low-mileage motors "falling into the recycling bin" is at a much lower level than before. How much lower? That is unknown...

Observation:
It is a common misperception (and advertising ploy) to advertise low-mileage motors from Japan based on a lingering belief that Premise 1 still holds true. Certainly one could interprate that based on 1) high gas prices, 2) an xlnt transportation infrastructure & 3) a basic lack of open roads (aka montana), motors with lower mileage ON AVERAGE (relative to US junkyard engines) are still falling into recycling centers and being shipped here. But that average mileage is certainly higher than it was pre 1997 and will average higher as the years go on.

Thus....buy carefully.

 

great post and good to know!

 

thanks for the info man

 

thats nice to know

 

Pretty good info.

I would also like to add that even if the motor is of low mileage, if the car was driven in the cities, more than likely it has been exposed to a lot of bad traffic.

 

what it comes down to is you dont have a clue what the real mileage is and how well cared for the engine is.

 

We import a hell of alot of cars into NZ from Japan

Here's a user experience from a local Honda Forum:

well, all I can say is, have you people seen the condition of some of these cars from japan before they get to the caryards? well I have, and have seen some shocking stuff. amazing what a good grooming does, and replacment of worn pedal rubbers etc, makes the car look new doesn't it. ( I worked at a car groomer for 2 weeks a few years back and saw this). I even saw a late model mazda (for the time) with a huge rust hole on the boot, and watched someone bog it and paint over it with a spraycan, I was shocked at how dodgy it all was and left.
I bought my SIR Accord with 112,000K on the clock, there was a japanese service sticker that said when oil changes were due etc, it all looked legit, but the otherday I noticed there was a sticker behind that sticker, (could see the overlap) I peeled off the top sticker and revealed 205,000, so chances are my cars done about 220,000ks, Oil change date on 6/12/02, I only got this car 6 months ago. Chances are most imports are wound back by there owners in japan before they go to the auctions.

Yikes!

Raz

 

The only sure way to know the mileage and condition on any car is to buy it brand new.

 

I noctice that since the Japanese were not worried about the longevity of their cars, engine maintenance would be very poor.

 

^that's why you buy from reputable importers who stand behind their motors if they are crap and this is why you should do compression tests before installing.

also, i would assume that good dyno #s would mean a pretty decent motor too. luckily mine is a '93, so hopefully mine was scrapped before the law was taken back.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by WuWarrior &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I noctice that since the Japanese were not worried about the longevity of their cars, engine maintenance would be very poor. </TD></TR></TABLE>
thats a great bullshit blanket statement.