We call the dealer in Japanese, so you don't have to
Buying from a Japanese dealer by email can be slow. Questions go unanswered, extra photos don't arrive, and the paperwork is in Japanese.
For a Remote Check, we phone the dealer in Japanese, ask your questions, ask for the photos you're missing, and translate the documents they send. You get a short English report.
What we do
- Call the dealer and confirm:
- the car is still for sale
- the total price, including the dealer's fees
- what the dealer says about repair history, accident damage and flood damage
- whether there are maintenance records
- when the current roadworthiness certificate (shaken) expires
- whether they sell to overseas buyers
- whether they'll let an independent viewer see the car
- Ask your questions: up to five, in Japanese
- Ask for extra photos or video: underneath, the engine bay, a panel you're unsure about
- Translate the paperwork the dealer sends: auction sheet, maintenance records, third-party grading reports
We tell the dealer we're calling on behalf of an overseas buyer. We don't pretend to be you. Personal details in documents, such as a previous owner's name and address, are hidden before we send them on.
What a Remote Check can't do
We don't see the car. Everything in a Remote Check comes from the dealer: their answers, their photos, their paperwork. We mark all of it as Reported.
Every Remote Check report ends with a list of what photos and phone calls can't show for that car — the things you'd only learn by seeing it in person.
If the car is in the Tokai region, or worth the trip, the next step is an On-Site Vehicle Viewing.
Price
| Price | |
|---|---|
| Remote Check (one car, one dealer) | ¥20,000 |
Book an On-Site Vehicle Viewing of the same car within 14 days and we deduct the ¥20,000 from the viewing price.
You get the report within 2 business days of the dealer's answers.
We place a hold on your card when you order and take the payment when we send the report. If the dealer won't answer any of our questions, we tell you, release the hold, and you pay nothing.
Prices don't include Japanese consumption tax where it applies. We confirm this in your quote.
FAQ
Why is it cheaper than a viewing? We don't travel and we don't see the car. It's a phone call, a translation and a report.
Can you judge the condition from the dealer's photos? Only what's visible in them, and we say so. That's why every report lists what the photos can't show.
Where in Japan does this work? Anywhere. The dealer can be in any prefecture.
Will the dealer talk to you? It's the same kind of enquiry any buyer would make about a car that's for sale. If a dealer won't answer any of our questions, we release the hold and you pay nothing.
Can you negotiate the price? No. We ask questions and report the answers. Negotiation is between you and the dealer.