Hey, it’s Tony. Thank you for checking out the video and the blog today. The title of today’s show is How To Import Unique Cars and Sell for Profit Flipping Cars Made Easy!
I found a unique car when we were in Osaka, Japan and I was scouting for deals. This is a very niched way of buying and selling cars for profit.
In the past, I’ve exported cars and have also bought from within the country but have never tried importing the car.
I wanted to try out the process and document the entire thing for everyone. Now, I know exactly the things and the hurdles that you will go through and the fees you need to pay.
So, do you want to see the truck? This is a 1989 Daihatsu Pickup Truck. It’s an awesome little truck, with 3-cylinder 500-CC mini truck.
It’s right-side drive with just 95 kilometers (5500 to 6000 miles) on it. This is a 4-speed, 2-seater truck. Mayah’s going to demonstrate how the back side of the truck converts into a flat bed.
This is not a hydraulic bed. It’s just a basic 2-wheel drive pickup. I didn’t want to spend too much on the truck since this is my first import from Japan, but you will have to add about $2000 more to get a 4-wheel drive.
I bought this for $2500 and cost me $1400 to ship it to Galveston, TX, plus additional cost on custom fees and other miscellaneous fees. It comes out to about $4500 on the truck.
My neighbor saw this yesterday and offered me $6000 for it. If you do a research, you’ll see these going for $8000 to $10,000 in good condition. I know I can sell this for about $6000 to $7000 as is.
This truck is over 25 years old which means this is street legal in most areas in the US. I’m going to try to get it on the road here in Texas. I know people are going to stare at it.
It’s only like 1500 pounds, so it’s really a mini-truck. You can probably make $3000 to $4000 a pop on these things, especially if you buy them in bulk. I think these trucks are pretty cool!
I’ll do a complete custom paint job on it so it will look cool. This is all original paint. If you buff it out, I think it will still look nice.
I’ll probably do some rhino liner on the bed. The interior is really clean so I’m not going to touch it. As you can see, everything is working, so we’ll just make it look awesome.
These trucks are all over Japan. They are street-legal and people drive it all day long. I haven’t registered this yet. I need to get insurance on it first. Again, I’ll document the entire process for you guys.
They came out with a 5-speed around 1990. They still make them today but the difference is just on the front end. It’s still looks the same but the brand new ones just have different headlights.
Imported cars that are at least 25 years old have lower taxes. In most states, if the car is no more than 25 years old, it doesn’t have to be DOT-approved. This is most likely going to pass inspection.
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Talk soon! Cheers!
Tony
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