Hi, A friendly hello from Canada. I'm in the process of importing a 2003 yellow Copen from Japan. ETA April 2023. I was thrilled to find this forum containing previews of some of the repair adventures I'm sure to experience. This info is invaluable. I'll provide periodic updates in case my importing experience helps another Canadian in the future. Thanks Copenworld!
Looking forward to hearing your experiences. I'm looking at getting one also. Please keep us posted. I'm in Rossland BC
I am now in the process of importing mine! Waiting for confirmation as to what ship it will be on so, no ETA yet for me. Since I am just getting started here, do you have a good local, ie Canadian, supplier of consumables? Oil filters, brake pads, belts, tires, etc? How much work did you have to do to get it road legal?
Hi checking to see if you got yours through inspection? I’ve done several jdm imports over the years, seems like rules are looser now than before. Ours arrives April 28th to New Westminster.
Sorry for the late reply, Paul- I just got the inspection done on Saturday. It took 15-20 minutes! The guy from Canadian Tire was young and looked excited to drive the car. After checking turn signals, wipers etc he took it for a road test. When he came back I asked him if he liked it. He said it was an 'easy pass' for him. He didn't even check under the hood or, put it on the rack. Easiest import yet. I did put new tires on it because the originals weren't DOT but I think they would have passed because I never saw him check them. The next time I import from Japan I expect it will be much easier. Having gone through the process already really helped. I found a website to track the boat's progress. marine traffic.com Input the name of the ship carrying your vehicle and you can follow it via AIS. I will be sure to bring a can of gas and battery booster pack. Mine barely idled for a few minutes before sputtering out. The battery needed to be boosted 3 times. Once I got fuel in it and re-started, it ran to the ferries and charged itself just fine. I understand that you now need to arrange a tow truck to take it off the lot. The Public is no longer allowed. I called Richmond towing (because it was at the port on Steveston Hwy) and they sent David Nasimi from Aria towing. He was fantastic! I would love it if you would share if and when you find a good parts supplier. I will want to do the brakes at some point so I have a fresh "starting point".
Ours is at sea, arrives in a few days. I’ve used amayama.com for parts for our other jdm cars, they don’t have Daihatsu though. Typically cars are shipped almost empty of gas for safety. I’ll probably just wire the fogs as Daytime running lights and get the inspection done. Years ago inspection was a real bear, headlights had to have certain codes etc, not now apparently.
