Some people consider buying through Provide Cars cars from the Japanese used car auctions as a risk.  How do you know the cars in the auctions are alright?

Personally, I would find buying from a dealers stock list as a greater risk!

Is the appraisal of the car exporter unbiased?

Is there something the exporter doesn’t want you to know about the car?  It may be major, it may be minor!

Are you sure the car has done 53,766kms not 153,766kms?

The obvious point in this argument is that of course a Japanese used car dealer is always going to be biased about his stock that he is selling to you!

Now, the important question:  is the appraisal of a car purchased through Provide Cars in the Japanese car auctions unbiased?

Although the appraisal system in the auctions is not perfect, it needs to be excellent, or at the very least, “good”, for the whole process to work.

You need to understand that the majority of vehicles sold in the Japanese car auctions are bought and sold for the Japanese local market.  Exports are a minor in the whole process.  If the appraisal system of a certain auction was biased in favor of the seller, unsatisfied buyers would stop buying from that auction, the auction would have no income from commissions from the sale of vehicles and then would fail to be a viable economic entity for the owners.  For an auction to function and exist, there needs to be happy buyers.

Secondly, there is a claim period after purchase (usually about 4 days) where the purchaser of a vehicle can claim to the auction about defect unlisted on the auction sheet.  If the fault that is listed on the auction sheet can not be claimed on.  Any fault that is NOT listed on the auction sheet can be claimed on.  It is in the interest of the auctions to reduce, or even better, have no claims involved in cars sold each week.

Finally, odometer readings.  The auctions run together a computer system recording all chassis numbers of vehicles and odometer readings at time of sale in any auction.  If any vehicle appears that has differing data (kms reduced) to that which is on the systems history, the auction “pounces” on the seller demanding to know an explanation.  If a good explanation is not given, the seller can be banned from purchasing from that auction.  Worse still it could involve being investigated by the police.  I have known of a dealer who spent 6 months in prison for altering odometers.

No such case with used car exporters selling their stock.

It is common for exporters selling from their stock to adjust the odometer.  A car with 53,000kms on the clock is worth a lot more than a car with 153,000kms on the clock.  The exporter knows that in certain countries it is not possible to sell an adjusted odometer reading vehicle (like New Zealand), so they make you “Log In” to your region before viewing their stock page.  If your region is New Zealand, you will see the stock listed as 153,000kms.  If your region is not like New Zealand then they will show you the stock as having 53,000kms.  As they are not sure which region will buy the stock, they do not adjust the odometer until the car is sold.  If it is sold to New Zealand, it is not adjusted.  If they sell it to another region with 53,000kms odometer reading, they adjust it.  If there happens to be a whistle blower, informing the Japanese police about the crime, then they can claim it was an input mistake on their stock page.

Differing companies may vary their tricks like above, but their motivation is the same: deceiving you!

To make it clear on odometers:  used car exporters can modify and deceive at will, auctions can not.

So I ask you:  which is riskier to buy from?  A used car exporters stock list or by purchasing through the auctions through Provide Cars?