FAQ's

Since opening for business in 1998 we have been asked this question often. The very fact we’re one of the U.K.’s longest established import specialist for sports cars should speak volumes. Most of our enthusiast customers say they have heard great things about our company over the years from their friends or seen Newera’s high-quality of our cars themselves at U.K. events. You only have to search on the internet to know many others continue to say Newera is the best. Through our 2004 Skylines & Skyscrapers documentary, you’ll be able to see who we are, what we do and the passion we put into our work. Finally, it’s worth remembering that our reputation would not be what it is today if we did not run Newera Imports just as we say we do. See Testimonials.

We do not offer finance directly on cars we supply. Usually, banks and building societies, as well as specialist loan companies, typically offer better deals than most car finance companies. Pegasus Financeis a well-established specialist that covers imports and may be able to offer a competitive deal. Contact them directly for a quotation.

When you’re ready, complete our online form to confirm you’d like to reserve. We will promptly reply to confirm with details to proceed. We will provide you with information on shipping, estimated arrival date to UK, completion and registration, etc. You can then remit a deposit with your name as reference - directly into Newera Imports UK account or if preferred, you can pay via debit or credit card.

First and foremost, here at Newera Imports, we are each dedicated car enthusiasts, with decades of specialist knowledge & experience for not just Japanese, but many Europe manufactured cars too. It is of vital importance to have this experience when choosing a modern classic and this is one of the most beneficial virtues Newera can offer you. Something that other so-called specialists cannot offer when sourcing a modern classic from Japan to special order. Our founding director takes the responsibility of personally checking & making sure each car we consider is up to Newera’s standards (taking into account decades of experience in not only selecting specialist cars daily but working on them) before a decision is made of intent to purchase yours. We never buy average cars, but only the best examples available within budget. To each client we will describe the car bought to the finest detail, inclusive of all known faults, so you know exactly what’s what. We are aware this is a car being bought as someone’s pride and joy, paid for with hard-earned money – so we only ever buy cars we would be happy to own ourselves. Our ethos is to reject all cars we wouldn’t wish to personally own and we’re very detailed in how to appraise cars. In the event of not finding the right car and the customer choosing to cancel his order before we can locate his order, we will return the deposit (less costs incurred). Our reputation has been earned through decades of dedication & hard work which is worth a lot more to us that the fee for sourcing and supplying a car from Japan.

For example, some customers place an order for a Classic Mercedes with full options, etc. They are then in an advantageous position to be the first in line to reserve such a car if / when we buy one. If it’s a very specific car, we will only buy to order anyway. Some people believe they may be able to find the car elsewhere, which makes them wary of placing a deposit. Remember - it is of vital importance to have the benefit of our experience when choosing a modern classic and this is one of the most beneficial virtues Newera can offer you. Something other suppliers cannot offer when sourcing a modern classic from Japan. Your deposit is refundable (less costs incurred) in the event we don’t buy a car for you, so there’s no risk. When a car costs less than budgeted for, you make the full corresponding saving. Some people don't place a deposit and hope to find the car they're after on our stock list in future. In our experience, this is not the best way, as other customers can order in the meantime and instead of you may get the first choice as a result, or we may choose not to invest in the particular car you're specifically after for our stock. Note also - We don’t always show cars on our website that have been sourced to special order.

Japan is a large country with high costs of transport, so it's not feasible for us to travel through the country to inspect possible individual cars. Not least, not all cars will be as described. Where it's a very rare classic car and it is not available except a specific source, in such cases we may make an exception, but first obtain as much information as possible to ascertain whether it's likely to be the right vehicle to fulfil your specific order. Usually, for most cars it is far better in our experience - to source cars from the same place the dealerships purchase their stock (professional trade auctions), so you make the corresponding saving and get the best possible value.

Yes, within reason. We send you an order form and on it, you specify your preferences. In each case, as our buyers usually attend auctions every day, they know how probable it is that they'll find what you want, and so can advise accordingly. If the car you are after is likely to be too difficult to locate, we will discuss this with you before accepting your order. We also offer a service of customizing your car throughout, from fitted floor mats to complete in-house restorations. We offer our in-house specialist workshops in Japan and are therefore able to fit your choice of components, from O.E.M. to tuning specialist and can also offer top quality workmanship from re-trim work to Japanese specialist engine builds, all completed whilst your car is still in Japan, complete with pictures and information along the way. As a specialist, the services we can offer within Japan are unique. You’ll be amazed at the level of service and range of facilities Newera can offer, which others cannot.

From your order form have the full listing of your requirements. If a car we find for you is of a different specification to what your order form states & we feel the car is an excellent example, which you might like, we will contact you and describe in detail. In such cases, you will be able to decide if you want the car or not, although having done this work for since 1998 we know what people are likely to like a lot and what they’re not (See Legacy Stock).

We will usually send you auction information of possible targets 12-24 hours before we view. The ultimate decision on whether to bid for a car is our responsibility since we're able to closely inspect and check cars and only then make the decision whether it's up to Newera’s standard or not and whether it would be the best car we can find within your budget. We carefully check each car in detail before buying, but usually, only do so on the actual day of the auction. Checking can sometimes take place 30 mins – 5 hours before the time of auction sale. As we often have a lot of different vehicles to check, we cannot always take pictures and send to the customer before bidding, unfortunately. Remember also, that even if we find a beautiful example, we’re not guaranteed to get it, as we are restricted by your maximum budget. We can only do our very best based on the maximum OTR budget agreed. Having said this, we are well aware of what price is expected for each car and advised budgets are usually realistic, based on actual auction histories as a guide. We typically select 10-20 cars to inspect per day, in auctions ranging from 1,500 – 15,000 cars on offer, daily. Of the cars we inspect, we will typically reject over 85% due to unacceptable condition, even if of grade 4, etc. Yes, we’re fussy, but that’s ultimately to your benefit.

Be careful not to place too much merit in the auction grade of a car. One cannot accurately judge the condition of a car by a single number. We have seen grade 4 cars that were very rough indeed, and we have bought grade 3 cars that have been excellent. There are different inspectors and auctions also differing in quality themselves. Auction grade 5 is generally the highest grade, for cars that are almost off the showroom floor, and of course, their prices reflect their condition. A 10+ year-old car, for example, would normally not be awarded a grade 5 unless perhaps it was a rare very low mileage car that had always been stored indoors. We believe it’s of paramount importance to check out each potential car personally, taking a close look for any signs of abuse or neglect. A number can’t tell you about these things. Worth bearing in mind typically of the grade 4 cars we see, we usually don’t bid on a large proportion of them because they’re not of the high standard we feel is necessary.

The car is transported on a flatbed truck to our facilities in Chiba, where it is safely stored, whilst we professionally detail it and prepare it for departure. During this time, your 2ndpayment to cover balance outstanding in Japan for costs of the car, transport, documentation and preparation costs. These are part of the total On the Road Budget. Where extras are recommended, such as repairs to pin dents, scratches, replacement trim where original has faded, etc. this is agreed before such work is carried out on your behalf. During this time your car is promptly de-registered and prepared for export, Customs cleared, transported to the boat, loaded and secured. It then leaves for Southampton. This trip is usually 7-8 weeks from Yokohama to Southampton, or if it is shipped to another country where you are based, we will provide expected shipping times when initially quoting. Where a vehicle is going to the U.K. the final payment is requested 2 weeks before the vessel's arrival and consists of the total price less the base car payment made to Japan, less the deposit initially paid by yourself. When a car costs less than budgeted for, our clients makes the full corresponding saving.

All cars are fully insured by Newera from the day they’re bought, to the time of collection of the car by the customer. We also remove expensive audio equipment & interior accessories and store securely / ship separately, when applicable – to avoid possible petty pilferage whilst the car is not with us. We also clear cars through customs immediately upon arrival to UK and arrange prompt collection. In this way, we ensure cars and their valuable accessories are kept safely.

The deposit is simply there as security that you’ll pay for the car you asked for, once it has been bought / reserved for you. Provided the car has not already been purchased when our office in Tokyo is made aware of your decision, your order can be cancelled and regardless of groundwork done, your deposit will be returned – less admin & search costs incurred.

Service histories are kept on a database with dealers in Japan, rather than on paper. For this reason, for example, when we take our cars in Japan to a local dealer, he knows what was last done to it, when, where, what's due, etc. They even know the registered keeper's address in case there's a reason to contact, such as for recall. Many cars come with manuals and service books, but most will only have the delivery date and pre-delivery check documented. Some owners insist on having each inspection/service documented. Where a car is supplied with such, we will post this documentation to you, whilst the car is shipped. In our experience, it's very rare for a car to come with lots of receipts, etc. Service histories are available only to registered keepers of vehicles, dealers and authorized companies, such as auctions - for example. It's through this history that auctions are also able to verify a car's original mileage. It may be interesting to know that oil changes are recommended every 3,000 - 4,000 km in Japan. The Japanese, being the rule-abiding people they generally are, especially those who care about their cars - do have oil changes done regularly. This is the reason why most cars we inspect at auctions have very clean oil and rarely is it black - as seen on cars in the U.K. with longer oil change intervals. Note that we verify mileages from documentation also, before purchase.

No used car is ever perfect, to begin with. Wherever possible, provided a car is purchased at below maximum budget we aim to include the cost of small repairs such as professional paintwork refinishing, specialist pin dent removal, headlight lens refinishing, repair of small scratches or minor interior trim repairs within the total cost of your new car. Sometimes exterior trim is aged and needs replacement. For example, door weather strips on Japanese cars can sometimes be aged from exposure to UV, or tyres on low mileage cars can be aged and cracked and would benefit the new owner in being replaced. Where additional costs of repair or renewal cannot be included in the total cost of the car, we will advise you and offer the most cost effective options. For example, a piece of new trim for a 20+ year old car is a lot cheaper to buy & fit in Japan, than when the car is arrived to the U.K., Europe or another continent.

Whilst the car is on route, export documents are sent to our U.K. facilities. You'll pay your final instalment shortly before the car arrives to the U.K. Around 1 week before the vessel’s arrival, the documents for your car are processed through UK Customs Clearance procedures, so it can be collected from the port promptly upon arrival. Once your car is unloaded from the vessel, it is transported to our appointed facility for UK conversions, registration, final preparation & detailing, etc. ______________________________________________________________________

We have two workshops in the U.K. to complete work on customer’s cars. For specialist cars where IVA testing or mapping is required, www.rktuning.com is easily accessible by car or train - in Benfleet, Essex. Most cars, including European cars, go to www.jtautoclassics.com Here, your car receives UK conversions, registration, final preparation & detailing, etc. Once your car is nearing completion, staff will be in contact with you to arrange collection. Should you want additional extras such as anti-corrosion cavity or underside protection, alarm fitment, head unit replacement, etc. this can be arranged before your car is completed. Just before completion, your car is finally valeted, so it is presented to our usual high standards. Once we have the V5C registration document, you just need to arrange road tax and insurance and can finally collect your new car and drive it home.

In each case, we examine the situation. We road test each car for every small conceivable fault before writing the original description. If there’s a fault, serious – or not we ought to have known about or taken care of – Newera takes full responsibility. This is rare, however – as cars are rigorously checked before & after purchase. Where there is a fault due to fair wear and tear, then this may be repaired or replaced at the owner’s option.

Yes, of course. We offer our own warranty, for 90 days from date of collection. Most things including mechanical or electrical failure but excluding normal wear and tear or abuse are covered. As we will only select the best quality and prepare each and every vehicle to the standards we would want for ourselves, the cars we supply are generally reliable & trouble free.

Through our appointed U.K. facilities we offer anti-corrosion protection, qualified Alarm & Tracker fitment, laser geometry setting, new tyres, full servicing and any remaining requirements you may have, each completed to the best possible standards of workmanship, treating your pride & joy as if it were our own.

Yes - we can supply parts & fit before shipping, or after arrival to the U.K. – to save you money. We can also sometimes find rare and discontinued parts or new original items which may be unobtainable outside of Japan. We offer this aftersales service to all customers.

Bearing in mind the time-zone differences between UK & Japan, we answer the phones early am – 1 pm UK time MON – FRI. If we are closed, there is an answering service where you can leave a brief message. You can also complete the simple enquiry form. We will usually get back to you within 24 hours. Newera Imports is a business run with huge passion & knowledge for Japanese cars and resultant professionalism in how we work. We feel this is the way a car supply business should be operated, with a conscious emphasis on service and informative direct customer contact throughout the supply process. We do this in combination with only sourcing the cars we’d be delighted to own ourselves. Since 1998 many customers have embraced our system & fully experienced the benefits of having their car sourced directly by Newera in Japan. With a sincere commitment to always supplying the best car possible, we hope that you too will enjoy the Newera Difference and therein choose Newera to supply your own specially selected Japanese Car.