At any auction, goods are sold at unfixed prices with demand setting the eventual sales price. Every week thousands of cars are sold at Japanese car auctions and demand for older cars is low. Sales are mostly of used cars but some new cars are also amongst the vehicles at Japanese car auctions.

The atmosphere can be electric with hundreds of large screens showing the images of traded vehicles. Bidding is by push button and the competition over desirable models can be ferocious.

Auctions are exciting. Whether it be real estate, cars, antiques or whatever - people get caught up in the atmosphere and it‘s easy to over-bid.  The auction community know clean-skins when they see them. That is why Autoadvan use expert bidders who are interested in achieving the best results for you. Autoadvan have a solid reputation for quality service and expertise that has been earned from over ten years in the industry.

Japanese car auctions grade the exterior and interior of each vehicle. Included in these ratings are issues like accident damage- so read carefully because this is where it can get complicated. It’s also where you could save a lot of money if you’re looking for a parts car or rebuild.

A car that might appear a high quality purchase could have damage lurking deep and you need to consider the implications of that damage further down the track.

A car with high mileage might also get a poor grade.

If a vehicle has Japanese registration remaining it will also be factored into the price -remember that some Japanese locals may also be looking for a car.

The vehicles may be referred to as ‘Shaken’ and this is a local term for registration. Look for a vehicle with expired or no shaken for maximum savings.

Autoadvan takes the guesswork out of Japanese car auctions by sourcing you the best example based on consultation, mechanical inspection and review of the grading and vehicle history (supplied in Japanese) at the auction.

Autoadvan is driven by the quality of their imports, not by the volume of sales they make. Therefore, it is very important to Autoadvan that you get what you want. 

Having said all that that- and not wishing to scare you away -Japanese car auctions are very much in favour of the buyer. As well as the grading system for the exterior and interior, Japanese car auctions go into great additional detail about the damage that has occurred to every car on the auction sheets.

In some cases, they may also point out why the damage has occurred- such as substandard repairs following an accident. Again, the auction sheet is in Japanese, so you will need a translator, but the wealth of information you will gain from these auction sheets is worthy of the translator’s rate. Autoadvan can translate it for you.

In addition, different auction houses use different abbreviations to point out things like scratches, dents, waves in panels as well as rust and its severity. It can be confusing for a novice and lead to a bad purchase, particularly because of the subjective nature of inspections. 

The comprehensive auction sheet will detail these.

Differences between the auction houses marketing systems.

USS, CAA, BAY, JU, ARAI, AUCNET, TOYOTA, NASA, RAA, BCN and ZIP AA and Honda Auction Houses