Japanese Car Import Guides for Ireland

The best Nissan Fairlady Z generation depends on what you value most as a buyer. The original S30 may be the best choice for someone looking for classic Japanese sports car heritage, while a Z33 may make more sense for someone wanting the best balance of performance, reliability and ownership costs. A Z32 offers 1990s performance-car appeal, while...

A Lexus IS300h from Japan can offer better value and lower mileage than many Irish-market examples, especially when you compare what the same budget actually buys. From my observations, the difference is not just price. It is the combination of mileage, condition, specification and choice. In Ireland, a 2015 IS300h with sensible mileage can still...

Sometimes buyers hesitate before importing a car from Japan because they're worried about what could go wrong. The biggest fears usually involve being scammed, unexpected VRT, shipping damage, delays, hidden mechanical problems or ending up with a car that isn't what they expected. The reality is that these concerns are perfectly reasonable, but...

If your car is damaged during shipping from Japan to Ireland, you are not simply left standing at the port with a scratched bumper and a headache. Damage is uncommon, but when it happens, there is a process: the vehicle is documented, inspected, reported to the importer, and handled through the relevant insurance or shipping claim route. It is not...

If someone showed you a 2018 Mercedes V-Class for around €19,350 in Japan, you'd probably think, "Surely there's a catch." And in a way, there is. By the time that same V-Class is sitting outside your house in Dublin with Irish plates, VRT paid, serviced, registered and ready to drive, it will have cost closer to €40,000....

Importing a Toyota RAV4 from Japan versus buying one in Ireland often comes down to two things: specification and value for money. In most real-world cases, a low-mileage Japanese-import hybrid RAV4 will land in Ireland for roughly €32,000 to €33,000 all-in, including purchase price, shipping, import duty, VAT, and VRT, while a similar or...

Importing a car from Japan to Ireland is much simpler than many buyers expect when the process is managed correctly. It typically begins with a conversation about what you're looking for, followed by sourcing suitable vehicles, verifying their condition, arranging the purchase, and managing every stage of the journey from Japan to your driveway in...

Which Mercedes V-Class generation is actually the right one to buy in Ireland depends far less on horsepower, facelift details or equipment lists than most buyers expect. The real difference between generations is how they behave in daily use, how they fit Irish driving conditions, and how they match the way people actually travel — whether that's...

Increasing numbers of Irish buyers are looking at Mercedes-Benz V-Class models from Japan because they offer a different kind of luxury. Rather than focusing primarily on driving position, road presence or SUV styling, the V-Class places passenger comfort, practicality and long-distance travel at the centre of the ownership experience. For...

Should you choose a Mercedes-Benz V-Class or a Toyota Alphard? The answer depends less on which vehicle is objectively "better" and more on which one fits the way you actually use a car. Both are excellent luxury MPVs, but they offer very different ownership experiences. The Mercedes-Benz V-Class places greater emphasis on European prestige and...

Japanese auction cars and dealer cars aren't inherently better or worse than each other. They're simply different ways of sourcing a used vehicle. The biggest difference isn't where a car is sourced—it's how much you can verify about it before making a purchase. That's why experienced buyers spend less time asking where a car came from and more...

Are Irish buyers overpaying for used cars? In many cases, yes—but not simply because vehicles have become more expensive. The bigger issue is that today's market has changed the way many buyers judge value. High asking prices have gradually become normal, making it easy to assume that paying more automatically means buying better. In reality, many...