One large group of foreign buyers in the auctions target the classic cars sold in Japan. Classic BMWs, classic Mercedes Benz, Kharman Ghia and VW Kombis. They are readily available though often suffering from age with signs of rust and corrosion underneath and in the engine bays.
Take the VW Kombi: here on sale privately in Japan
Top condition, original and sold for 700,000yen.
When looking for these classics in the auctions there are a few tricks you need to know when searching. When doing an auction search for old vehicle such as these, their first date of registration may hide their existence. If the vehicle was first imported into Japan in 1996, though it may be a 1966, and it was registered in Japan in 1996, the car will appear in the auctions as a 1996 vehicle. So when searching, don’t restrict the age to less than 1980 for example as you may miss these imported vehicles.
Provide Cars, we provide you with the largest selection of vehicles available from 115 car auctions in Japan each week
