Japan imported Prius

[kaader bhai]

Dear all,

i need  ur valuable guidance on whether or not i should buy a Japanese import. please.
I plan to buy a  Jap imported Prius Hybrid  2011 ( gen 3)  model. , very low mileage 50000 miles. I found some dealers on autotrader.
The car is in great condition, very clean and very tempting to buy one. The insurance is definitely high but ur getting cleaner car with better spec.
 My only query  is ,
1. Do we have the same model in UK?
2. Are the service and mechanical parts  the service same as the one we have it here in UK?

If its going to be difficult to source parts ill have to drop the idea of getting this car. Please share ur thoughts..thanks in advance.
 

[Bper]

Hi Kaader, No doubt many people have purchased imported cars and had no problems but it is always worth doing as much homework as possible before you purchase one.

As an example I came across this article a while ago when a similar question was posted. In my opinion I would read the replies to your post and take an overall view of them and then phone a couple of Toyota dealers and put to them your questions and if you are happy with their answers then make the decision based on the information you have.

Hope this helps👍

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/askhj/answer/88300/is-it-a-good-idea-to-buy-an-imported-toyota-prius-

 

[TonyHSD]

If the price difference is large enough to to cover the inconvenience then it’s a good deal. Usually Japan imported cars does not have warranty in uk if the car is recent, also some parts aren’t the same as the eu/uk versions like lights , bumpers, door cards, some switches, and if anything goes wrong some Toyota garages may refuse to fix or provide a parts.
You can find parts from Independent traders and fix the car in unofficial places although price for parts won’t be cheap. For regular service parts and consumables they are mostly the same as the eu spec cars and you won’t have any problems. Infotainment will be in Japanese and almost not possible to use., plus some annoying voices but that you can get used to it . 

[flash22]

Parts can be a right pain on imports things like brakes and exhaust are different UK/EU models, a main stealer will not usually touch an import what can be problematic with hybrid issue

Be aware if it's a fresh import look for rust under the car, the car is JDM spec so will be in Japanese only, the radio will not work correctly, and the gauges be in KPH/KM only - that is another added cost + plus you may want to add a cat lock

For me, i would leave it alone

[flash22]

If its the black 11 plate i see on autotrader the ad says it needs a SAS, a dealer will not sell a car off cheap for something that will cost £200 to fix, something is up

digging a bit deeper - 1st UK registration, November 2022, and it's not been taxed since January 2023

[kaader bhai]

Hi all. Thanks for the reply... .yes there r few i have shortlisted.  2011 and 2012 models costing between 7k to 8 k.  

All of these cars are rust free.   Wont these old models have the same parts as the UK models, im talking about regular service parts like brake, chain, belt etc. Also does it need to have import certificate? Not all dealers have that. 

 

[flash22]

If it has got a UK plate and MOT, it's road legal, the import paperwork is nice to have with the car

£7-8K will get you a UK car it will be cheaper to insure too

[Cyker]

If you want an easy life I'd skip it, but if you don't mind putting the work in it could be okay. With imports, esp. a hybrid, make sure you have already found some insurers who will insure the car, as you don't want to come into possession of the car then find nobody'll insure it or the insurance quotes you're getting are plain robbery, and also a Toyota specialist who can work on hybrids.

Some dealers will, but most of them won't or will just treat them as a third-party car, and won't do any specialist work on e.g. the hybrid system.

From what I've seen, most imports are not that much cheaper than UK-homologated models, certainly not enough to justify the extra hassle.

It's not so bad with normal cars, as anyone can work on them, so you only have to deal with finding an insurer, but with hybrids and EVs especially they are much more fraught on the servicing and repair side.