At Garage Apex, we make importing vehicles simple and stress-free. Our step-by-step Import Process guides you from the initial consultation to driving away in your fully registered and compliant car. With expert support at every stage—from auction bidding to shipping, compliance, and registration—we ensure a smooth, transparent, and efficient experience from Japan to your driveway.
1
You tell us what you’re after, e.g. year, specifications, etc. We’ll check recent market averages and send you an estimate. If you’re happy with it, you’ll pay the Broker Fee at this point.
2
Our specialist buyer team searches daily and sends through relevant vehicles before bidding. You can also set a budget and we’ll automatically bid on matching listings.
3
Congratulations! You’ve won the car of your dreams. We’ll convert the currency based on the current exchange rate, and you’ll have 5 business days to settle payment.
4
The vehicle is transported to our depot in Japan for dispatch. Allow an average of 2 months for shipping.
5
The vehicle arrives in Australia. Allow 2 weeks for customs clearance. After that, it’s transported to our workshop.
6
We perform a Vehicle Compliance Check per ADR. Allow an average of 2 weeks for this step. If the car is over 25 years old, it instead goes through the VASS engineering channel.
7
As a one-stop-shop service, we can conduct roadworthy inspection and register your car for you, making sure it’s both safe and legal to drive.
8
We’ll arrange a day for handover when you’ll settle the final shipping and compliance or engineering costs. Then, you can just hop in and drive your new whip!
