We’ve launched the Garage Apex Auction Portal: one place to check whether a Japanese car can be imported, see what similar cars actually sold for, read the auction sheet in English and estimate the landed cost in Australia, before you bid.
It’s free to join. Below, we follow one real Toyota Alphard through the portal, through every step, from checking it can be imported to what happens after you choose it, then explain which plan suits you.
What is the Garage Apex Auction Portal?
The Garage Apex Auction Portal is our online platform for Australians to research and buy cars from Japan car auctions. It puts the research and the purchase in one place: eligibility, live auction stock, real sold prices, translated auction sheets, landed cost estimates, your quote and your import’s progress.
We built it because buyers kept asking us the same questions before every purchase. Can I import this car? What’s it really worth? What does the auction sheet say? What will it cost here? The portal answers all four.
Behind the portal is the same team that has imported cars from Japan for more than 20 years. We’re ISO 9001 certified, we handle compliance engineering at our Epping workshop, and our customers rate us 4.8 on Google. Your Garage Apex Auction Portal account also comes with a rep you can message directly.
How it works: a real Toyota Alphard, step by step
We’ll use the Toyota Alphard: one of the most popular models with Australian buyers, and one of the busiest at auction, with 9,372 sold in Japan in the 3 months to 26 October 2026. Every figure below is real portal data from 26 October 2026.
1. Check the Alphard can be imported
Search “Alphard” in Vehicles We Can Import, which lists 253 models currently approved for import from Japan. The Alphard has two entries, which between them cover build years from 2002 to today, with approvals running until August 2028 and May 2029. Only specific build ranges qualify, each tied to its own chassis codes: for example, AGH30 and GGH30 for the 2015–2023 model, and AGH40 for the newest model from 2023.
Those details matter. Two Alphards that look identical can differ in eligibility by build year or chassis code, and newer models face tighter rules under ADR 98/00. When you click Find one at auction, the portal shows only Alphards with the approved chassis codes, so you never chase one that can’t be registered here.
Rules do change, so our team confirms the exact car before you buy. You can also see our full list of cars we can import to Australia.
2. See what similar cars actually sold for
Cars at Japanese auctions often start at ¥1,000, so the start price tells you very little. What matters is the hammer price: what similar cars actually sold for.
Open the Price Guide and choose Toyota, then Alphard. It shows real hammer prices from the last 3 months, leaving out cars that were passed in. Narrow it to the AGH30 chassis, the generation of our example car, and the typical one sold for ¥2,603,500 (about $23,600 at today’s exchange rate). But prices were up to ¥4.07 million (about $36,900) apart, so knowing which were the bargains is worth real money. Within the AGH30 alone, the build year makes a big difference: a 2018 averaged ¥2.13 million (about $19,300), while a 2022, the same year as our example car, averaged ¥3.45 million (about $31,300).
For more models, see our guide to Japanese car auction prices
On Free you see prices by year and the typical sold price. Standard unlocks six more tools, including the grade × kilometres grid, which shows which combinations sold cheapest, and the bid checker, which shows how many recent Alphards your bid would have bought. Sales Statistics shows individual results in detail, up to 5 vehicles on Free.
3. Find an Alphard at auction or One Price
Find one at auction opens Car Auction, already filtered to eligible Alphards, out of more than 66,000 live lots from auction houses including USS, TAA and JU. Narrow it by year, grade, kilometres, auction house and price.
When we checked, 173 AGH30 Alphards were coming up for auction. We picked this one: a 2022 Alphard 2.5S C Package, grade 4, 94,000 km, Lot 80 at TAA Shikoku, listed for auction on 27 October 2026. Its card showed a start price of ¥1,000 next to a market average of ¥3,117,000 (about $28,249), so we could tell at a glance it was in range. Photo and translation requests close 24 hours before the auction, and bidding 12 hours before, so don’t leave it late.
Our guide on how to bid at auction in Japan walks through auction day.
Prefer not to bid? One Price cars have a fixed price and go to the first buyer, so you know the cost up front but need to move quickly. Not signed up yet? See today’s highlights on our Japanese car auctions page.
4. Check that Alphard before you commit
Open the lot and you get everything you need to judge it.
- Auction sheet in English. The inspector’s report on the car’s condition is written in Japanese. AI translation turns it into plain English, with 5 translations a day on Free. On our example, the sheet notes small marks and scratches on the paint, light wear on the steering wheel and centre console, a small tear in one seat, and a missing remote for the rear-seat screen. That’s normal wear for a grade 4 car, and exactly what you want to know before you bid. Our guide on how to read a Japanese auction sheet explains the grades and damage codes.
- Market analysis. The estimated value of this Alphard, its price history, the 90-day trend and every comparable sale. Free accounts get 3 a day.
- Similar cars. Other Alphards matched on year and specs, each with a match score, so you can compare before you decide.
- Estimated landed cost. Based on the market average, our example came to about $41,093 in Australia, including duties and compliance, with a full breakdown. It’s calculated at today’s exchange rate, so treat it as an estimate: your quote confirms the final figure. Our guide to the cost of importing a car from Japan explains each cost.
See the Alphards coming up for auction: create your free account
5. Let us watch the auctions for you
Missed out on Lot 80, or want a different grade or colour? The right car isn’t always listed today. Add the Alphard, and up to 5 other cars, to a Dream Car Brief in under a minute and we watch the auctions every day, on every plan, including Free, with matches appearing in My Cars. Prefer to talk it through? Message your rep instead.
Alerts arrive as one email each morning. On Free, you’re alerted to searches your rep sets up for you. On Standard and Premium, you can also save your own searches and get alerts for those too.
6. Quote, deposit and track your import
When you’ve found your Alphard, tell your rep in chat or tap Ask about this car, and our team prepares a quote for that exact car. It appears in My Quotes with the full cost breakdown, and you can pay your deposit there.
Once the deposit is paid, we open an import job in My Imports. You follow your car’s progress from purchase to handing over the keys, and you can message your rep at any point. For what happens between purchase and delivery, see our import process explained.
Which Garage Apex Auction Portal plan is right for you?
Free is for browsing, Standard is for serious research, and Premium is for buying. Prices are shown monthly; yearly billing is also available, standard is $10 a month or $80 a year.
Free: start exploring. Browse every listing, check eligibility and try the research tools with daily limits. It’s the right place to start if you’re still learning the market.
Standard: research seriously. For $10 a month, less than a tank of fuel, you get unlimited market analysis, translations and HD photo requests, the full Price Guide, and saved searches with alerts.
Premium: buy your car. Premium adds bidding and One Price buying. It can’t be bought online: contact our team, or get it free for a year when you pay a deposit on a quotation. You can see every plan on the Garage Apex Auction Portal pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Garage Apex Auction Portal free?
Yes. The Free plan costs nothing and lets you browse every auction listing, check import eligibility and use the research tools with daily limits.
How much does the Standard plan cost?
Standard is $10 a month, or $80 a year. It unlocks unlimited market analysis, AI translations and HD photo requests, the full Price Guide, and saved searches with alerts.
Can I bid on a car with the Standard plan?
No. Standard is a research plan. Bidding, and buying One Price stock, are part of Premium, which you get by contacting our team or free for a year with a quotation deposit.
Do I still get a Garage Apex rep?
Yes. Your account comes with a Garage Apex rep you can message from the portal, whether you’re browsing or importing.
Is the landed cost estimate the final price?
No. It’s an estimate at today’s exchange rate, including duties and compliance. The quote our team prepares for your specific car confirms the final figure.
Do I need to read Japanese to understand an auction sheet?
No. AI translation turns the sheet into plain English, with 5 translations a day free and unlimited on Standard. If anything on the sheet is unclear, ask your rep before you commit.
Can I check whether a car is eligible to import?
Yes. Vehicles We Can Import shows the approved build years and chassis codes for 253 models, and its auction links show only eligible cars.
Start your search
Check the car is eligible, see what similar ones sold for, read the auction sheet in English and know the landed cost in Australia. Join free, upgrade when you’re ready to research seriously, and talk to us when you’re ready to buy.
Create your free Garage Apex Auction Portal account
*Garage Apex – 54 Miller Street, Epping VIC 3076 | 1300 112 220 | VicRoads approved, ISO9001 certified*
