Checklist

The JDM buyer's checklist

76 checks, grouped in the order you should perform them. The purpose is not to find a flawless car — very few exist — but to know exactly what you are buying before money changes hands, so that every fault becomes either a priced repair or a reason to walk away. Print this page or open it on your phone and work down it without skipping ahead.

For failure points specific to one model, use our chassis-by-chassis inspection guides. For the wider process — budgeting, auctions, shipping and registration — read how to buy a JDM car.

Before you travel or bid

Most bad purchases can be cancelled at this stage for the price of a phone call. Do these before you spend money on travel or a deposit.

Full auction sheet or full service history seen in original form, not summarised.
Chassis number confirmed in writing and matched to the paperwork.
Export certificate or local registration document confirmed to exist.
Odometer reading cross-checked against inspection stickers or service stamps.
Known model-specific failure points researched for this exact chassis and year.
Landed cost calculated, including duty, VAT, freight and registration.
Parts availability checked for the two most expensive likely repairs.
Insurance quoted for the chassis before committing.

Structure and accident history

Structural repair is the one category that should end a purchase rather than reduce the price. Do this in daylight, on level ground, before anything else.

Panel gaps even on both sides — bonnet, doors, boot, headlight surrounds.
Factory paint thickness consistent across panels (a cheap gauge pays for itself).
Overspray on rubber seals, wiring looms, suspension turrets or under wheel arches.
Spot welds along the inner wings and rear quarters look factory, not ground back.
Seam sealer patterns match side to side and look untouched.
Strut towers, chassis rails and boot floor free of wrinkles, kinks or fresh underseal.
Bolt heads on wings, bumper mounts and bonnet hinges unmarked.
Doors close with the same effort and sound on both sides.
Front and rear glass are the same brand and date, or the difference is explained.

Corrosion

Japanese cars rust in known places, usually where drains block or where trim traps moisture. Bring a torch and a magnet, and get low.

Sills inside and out, including the jacking points and the seam under the trim.
Wheel arch lips, front and rear, inner and outer edges.
Rear quarter panels behind the wheels and around the fuel filler.
Boot floor, spare wheel well and the corners of the rear valance.
Under the carpets, especially in the footwells and behind the seats.
Battery tray, brake master area and the base of the windscreen.
Subframe mounting points and rear suspension pickup points.
Bubbling under paint anywhere near a seam or a rubber seal.
Fresh underseal or thick paint underneath the car treated as a question, not reassurance.

Engine, cold start and cooling

Insist on a genuinely cold start. A pre-warmed engine hides smoke, rattles and charging faults, and a seller who warms the car before you arrive has told you something.

Engine cold to the touch on arrival.
Starts without extended cranking, then idles evenly within a few seconds.
No blue smoke on start-up, no white smoke once warm, no black smoke under load.
Coolant clean and at level; header tank not stained or oily.
Oil level correct, not overfilled, no mayonnaise on the filler cap.
No coolant smell, no sweet residue on hoses, no crusting at joints.
Cooling fans cut in and out at temperature; gauge stable in traffic.
Cambelt or chain service documented with a date and a mileage, not a claim.
Turbo, if fitted: no shaft play, no oil in the intake, boost builds smoothly and holds.
Rotary, if fitted: hot restart immediate, compression tested by someone who does it regularly.
Aftermarket ECU or tune accompanied by a datalog or dyno sheet, plus the original part.
Wiring looms unmodified; no scotch locks, no taped joins, no relocated fuse boxes.

Gearbox, clutch and differential

Drivetrain faults are rarely visible parked. Check statically, then confirm on the drive.

Clutch bite point sensible, no judder, no smell after a hill start.
All gears select cleanly cold, including reverse and second under load.
No whine that changes with gear, no clunk on drive take-up.
Differential and gearbox casings dry, not weeping at the output seals.
Driveshaft and CV boots intact, no grease sprayed inside the arches.
Four-wheel-drive systems engage and disengage without binding on full lock.
Handbrake holds the car on an incline.

Suspension, brakes, wheels and tyres

This category is where the negotiation happens — it is all quantifiable work.

Shock absorbers dry, with no oil film on the body or the spring.
Coilovers, if fitted: known brand, rebuildable, not seized on the adjusters.
Bushes and top mounts not cracked or perished; no knock over a kerb edge.
Brake discs free of deep lipping and scoring; pads with usable material.
Brake and clutch fluid clear, not dark; hoses not cracked at the crimps.
Wheels genuine or clearly identified, without kerb damage on the inner rim.
Tyre date codes under six years old and matched across each axle.
Steering has no play at the straight-ahead position; the car tracks straight hands-light.

Interior and electrics

Cosmetics are cheap to live with and expensive to correct properly. Electrical faults are the opposite: cheap to test, tedious to chase.

Every window, mirror, lock, light and wiper operated in turn.
Air conditioning blows cold and the compressor engages audibly.
Dashboard warning lights all illuminate at ignition, then extinguish.
No aftermarket alarm, immobiliser or stereo spliced into the ignition circuit.
Seat rails, belts and mounting points undamaged; belts retract fully.
Original steering wheel, gear knob and instrument cluster present or accounted for.
Smell test: damp carpets, mould or a heavy air freshener all mean water ingress.
Boot floor dry and the spare wheel well free of standing water.

The test drive

Twenty minutes minimum, mixed roads, radio off, windows down for part of it. Drive it yourself if the law allows.

Pulls evenly through the whole rev range without hesitation or misfire.
Temperature and oil pressure stable after sustained load and again in traffic.
Brakes stop the car straight, without pulsing or a long pedal.
No vibration through the wheel or seat at motorway speed.
No knocking over broken surfaces or expansion joints.
Restarts hot without hesitation after the drive.
Nothing new on the ground under the car once parked.

Documents and closing

The paperwork determines whether the car can be registered at all, which makes it more important than anything mechanical.

Export or de-registration certificate present, with a translation.
Chassis number on the car matches every document, character for character.
Invoice states the actual price paid, in a form customs will accept.
Bill of lading details correct before the car sails.
Service records, old inspection sheets and receipts handed over.
Any outstanding finance or lien confirmed cleared in writing.
Modifications listed, with original parts included where they exist.
Payment made traceably, never in untracked cash at distance.

How to use the result

Split whatever you found into three columns. Structural repair, unexplained accident history and unclear odometer records belong in a column of their own: those are reasons to stop, not to negotiate. Cooling, drivetrain and corrosion faults go in a second column and should be priced properly with local labour rates before you make an offer. Cosmetics, tyres, fluids and trim go in a third — worth mentioning, never worth losing a good car over.

If the seller declines a cold start, a lift inspection or a proper test drive, treat that refusal as a finding in the first column.

Compiled from our own imports and inspections and reviewed in-house. It is a guide, not a substitute for a professional pre-purchase inspection. Spotted something we should add? Tell us — see our editorial standards.