We’re not here to rip you off, and we’ve made our pricing structure 100% transparent to prove it. Before you commit to anything, you can see exactly what you’re paying for at each stage of the process with no hidden costs. Check out our cost breakdown here. If you are unsure about the pricing, you’re more than welcome to give us a bell or send us an email.

Some vehicle models differ slightly for the different markets they are sold in. Some Japanese cars have different model names for the Japanese and New Zealand markets. For example a Honda ‘Jazz’ in New Zealand is called a Honda ‘Fit’ in Japan.

The FM radio in most Japanese imports are designed to work on a lower bandwidth of 70-90htz. In order to receive FM stations from 90htz and above (most of the popular stations in New Zealand) a band expander will need to be installed, and of course, we can help you with this.

Newer cars from Japan may have built-in or add-on satellite navigation systems installed. These are designed to work in Japan and will not work on New Zealand roads. From our experience in most cases, attempting to convert these Japanese navigation systems to work with New Zealand maps is just too difficult and costly when compared to buying and installing a new one here in New Zealand.

You can save searches to your profile that will allow you to quickly generate a new search with the same criteria. This is particularly useful if you are actively searching for a particular make/model. When you have narrowed down your search criteria – just click the “save” button to the right of the “search” button. Next time you log in, click on your login name on the right side of the screen. Click “saved searches” and you will see all current cars that meet your saved criteria! – simple

Yes, if you are looking for a specific model of car that is not found at auction on our website please enquire with us directly and we can help.

All imports have their odometer checked at the boarder once they arrive in New Zealand. Any import found to have it’s odometer tampered wit in any way will be confiscated at the boarder, no ‘ifs’ or ‘buts’. All the cars that go through the auction houses in Japan have their odometers independently checked by JVEC before they go to auction. In addition, we guarantee all our imports to be complied in New Zealand with full refunds.

All of the key information (year, milage, colour, condition) is displayed on the auction page for that vehicle. If you have any special conditions that you are looking for in a car (eg. leather interior, 7 seats, reversing camera, etc), you can mention that in the ‘additional comments’ section of the bidding process. Once you have completed the bidding agreement we will send you through a translation of the auction sheet, which will usually have all the additional features of the car listed.

As well as that, we will arrange for one of our agents on the floor in Japan to conduct an inspection on the vehicle prior to placing your bid. If the car does not have the features you are looking for or it comes up with any faults not mentioned in the auction sheet we will cancel the bid once confirming this with you. Please note: In order for us to arrange a physical inspection on a car, the bidding agreement MUST be submitted to us BEFORE 10.00am the day of the auction.

Here is a video tutorial that may help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9dPkOCrZV8 Just go to the bidding section to the right of the page. Enter your maximum bid amount and type any special requests you have. Click on the bar twice and we will send you a translation. If you are happy with this we will send an inspector to check the car before bidding. If he is happy then we bid on the car and if you win the auction for less, then that is all you pay! We will notify with the outcome of the auction and invoice you for the initial deposit.

Yes, – you can just add this to the notes when bidding. We will only buy ONE car if you have several bids running. Once the first car id purchased, we will cancel the other bids.

In order to get the car shipped as soon as possible, we require an initial deposit of 80% of the total landed price. This is to cover the car cost, shipping and insurance. A prompt payment of this deposit means the car will be on the boat quicker. The remaining balance of 20% is the GST and customs fee to get it off the wharf here in New Zealand. This amount is due on arrival of the boat. A prompt payment of this amount means the car will get off the wharf and in your hands quicker.

The max price that you indicate to us is the total price you pay to get the car landed and complied EXCLUDING the WoF. The registration cost is not included in this price and you will need to pay for this. If your car has a diesel engine, you will need to pay for additional Road User Charges (RUC), minimum of 1000km. Prices for registration and RUCs can vary depending on the make and model of the car, but generally it’s around $250 for a 6 month rego (this amount includes the cost of your new number plates).

Yes, we can arrange finance. Most finance companies won’t provide finance on vehicles that are not yet in the country, so feel free to us about what finance options we can provide.

Six weeks is the usual time frame from the auction end date to the arrival date in New Zealand. This estimate is based on the average amount of time it takes for the car to be shipped. We usually allow an extra week for the car to get processed off the wharf and go through Customs, MAF and compliance inspection here in New Zealand. We keep you updated on the whole process as it happens.

We do accept trade-ins, although we recommended that you sell your car yourself as you will get a better sale price compared to what we are able to offer for trade-ins. Trade-ins on vehicles are at our discretion and we have the right to refuse an offer.

At Carwebs we guarantee the compliance of your car. We have robust check systems in place to ensure that any car you import through us is compliable under New Zealand standards. If, however, your car arrives and it does not pass the compliance requirement, we will cover the costs needed to get it up to the condition for it to pass. WoF is additional and we don’t cover the cost of things like new tires, batteries and brake pads/rotors. however we can source these for you at wholesale prices. This does not apply to any Classic Car imported under the 20yr rule and excludes and 'Special Interest Vehicle' (SIV).

Our partnership with some of the top Warranty providers, means we can provide you with several policy options for vehicle warranties at discounted rates, often at up to 30% off. Get in touch and we’ll talk about what policies would suit your needs best.

Carwebs has a 3 stage check system that guarantees the condition of your car BEFORE any bids are placed.

1. Carwebs uses only the most reliable auction houses in Japan. The inspection and grading of each individual vehicle is done independtly by the auction houses, not by owner/seller of the car like some other sites. The auction houses follow a strict standard grading system in Japan that lists the car condition on a scale of 1 – 5. With over 20 years of experience we have found this grading system to be extremely reliable. We recommended grades 4, 4.5 and 5. We would not suggest anything less than a grade 3.5.

2. Before any bids are placed, we always get a translation of the auction sheet. The auction sheet is a report of the vehicle, and it will list any additional sale features or caution notes listed by the inspector. If the car has any features like leather interior, reversing camera, sun roof, electric seats, etc, this will be listed in the translation. It will also list any issues of rust, dents, scratches, stains, chips in the windscreen, curbed alloy wheels, etc. Our expert staff will go over and check the translation as well as send a copy to you to confirm you are happy with the condition of the car before any bids are placed.

3. As well as the auction sheet translation we also get the car inspected by one of our qualified independent agents on the floor in Japan. This inspection is an additional measure we rely on to reveal any underlying issues that may have been missed on the auction sheet. We also use this inspection to double check for any additional feature you may be wanting on the car. If the car comes back from inspection with any concerns or it does not meet your specific requirements, no bids are placed. In addition to this 3 step safety check, Carwebs guarantees the condition and compliance of your car.

If your car arrives in New Zealand and is not in the condition that was stated in the auction sheet and inspection process, we will cover the cost of any work required to get your car back to the condition you bought it in. If you car arrives and cannot be complied for whatever reason, Carwebs will refund 100% of your deposit.

We are all about transparency at Carwebs! The auction data we use is managed by an independent 3rd party. You can double check any of the auction results on a dozen other websites to verify the validity.

There are a lot of exporters in Japan that push unsuitable cars and don’t care much once you have paid them! We have seen time and time again, unsuspecting buyers get stuck with unusable cars when they arrive in NZ. Here are some examples: - Cars that were written off in Japan and patched back together for export - Cars arrive that have rust holes under the floor - Cars that have had odometer wound back and seized by NZ customs - Cars that don’t meet NZ emission standards - Cars purchased in Japan, but a completely different car arrives in NZ! These cars are usually scrapped for parts and the poor bugger who imported it looses out big time! Check with your local compliance centre and they will have a list of similar stories!

We do guarantee that they will arrive in the condition described but we cannot guarantee that ‘20yr Classics’ or ‘SIV’ cars will pass a WoF – due to the age and nature of these vehicles, any additional work required to pass a WoF will be your responsibility.