How to Read a Japanese Auction Sheet

The Japanese Auction System operates on a vast scale

More than 80 auctions and 140,000+ vehicles every week

This Japanese Auction Guide sets out how it all works

Use our Online Auction Search to view upcoming and past auction vehicles

FREE TRIAL our Auction Alerts System to receive daily email updates

See How Auctions Work to feel more comfortable about the process

Understand the grading system and abbreviations used on a Japanese auction sheet

Preparing to Bid at Auction explains how to inspect and bid on vehicles

Contact us at any time if you need further help or advice

The video below shows a typical Japanese auction in progress. Bidding for most vehicles takes about 10 seconds before they are either sold or passed in (reserve price not met).

Auction Basics

The basic information on Japanese auction sheets is simple to understand as numbers and codes are used.

Many options, performance modifications and brand names are written in English.

Often the comments in Japanese to the left of the vehicle diagram will reiterate the damage shown.

Our agents translate relevant points from the positive and negative sections of the Japanese auction sheet, into English.

They run the engine and check the transmission while the vehicle is stationary.

Additional pictures are taken of the vehicle including underbody, interior, exterior, and any modifications.

There is much more to buying a vehicle than just the auction grade.

This is where experience is necessary to select only the best vehicles.

See How to Buy and What We Do for more detail on the auction inspection and bidding process.

We specialise in direct car import from Japan and have been sourcing vehicles to order for private Australian buyers for over 25 years.

Every vehicle is hand-picked and we only source the very best.

We make your Japanese car import process easy with physical inspections of vehicles by experienced staff at over 30 auctions every week in the Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe, and Kyushu / Fukuoka regions.

We start by focusing only on vehicles with the highest auction grades. But there is a LOT more involved than just basic auction grading !

Auction reports are often not reliable – we inspect every vehicle of interest in person to ensure it is up to our standard and has the options and features you want.

Most people (even Japanese export agents) do not realise that a significant % of vehicles in Japan are bought and sold by Japanese dealers for a quick profit between different auctions. If you are not aware of this you will almost certainly pay more than you needed to for exactly the same car.

Our experience with this situation alone will often save you more than the cost of our service fee.

Our import agent service includes a pre-check for past auction records using JCHC, at no cost to you. This allows us to rule out:

• Cars recently auctioned and moved to a different auction for quick resale

• Graded R (accident repair) cars changed to higher grades

• Cars that have passed in unsold multiple times indicating a problem with the condition and/or price.

Our thorough Japan auction inspections include checks of engine, transmission, air conditioning / electrics plus pictures inside, outside and underneath showing options / features and any condition issues. Just like the auction history checks, in-person inspections at auction are all part of our service – no extra charge.

Following these rules and being very selective on quality allows us to consistently target first-time auctioned vehicles for our clients in the best condition and at the best price.

We also ensure that any outstanding factory recalls are completed prior to export from Japan, which is essential before import to Australia / SEVS compliance. *Recall work is free in Japan and will be arranged at no extra charge before your vehicle goes to the Port, but please note there will be a small transport charge (generally $200 to $300) to send the vehicle to the nearest dealer in Japan to undertake the recall work before it goes to the Port for shipping.

Japanese Auction Sheet Codes Explained

Every auction uses a grading report or Japanese auction sheet which lists the details of the vehicle plus information about the vehicle condition.

Each auction house is a little different in the reporting format but the basic information remains the same.

Vehicles are given from 0 to 6 for the overall grade (6 is the best) with A to D used for interior grade (A is the best).

Some auctions will add an extra A to D grade for body condition, so you may see a 4 B B for example.

Interiors graded A should be virtually as new.  B is also considered extremely clean, and C is often used for average condition.

For some auctions a C is still very good, while at others it will mean the interior is dirty, has cigarette burns, or obvious wear and tear. C for a vehicle older than 10 years is generally expected, but would be cause for concern on a 2-year old vehicle.

D usually means very untidy, dirty, smoke-affected, or stripped out for racing.

Grade 3 or 3.5 can also be the result of a minor accident repair.

Repairs are usually denoted with XX on the affected panels, but can be hidden in the auction sheet notes section written in Japanese.

Very minor repairs to front panels may be considered where it’s obvious that only bumpers or front panels have been repainted and any parts replacement has not affected the front structure.

If there is any doubt about this we will avoid the vehicle as it is simply not worth the risk of rejection by your compliance workshop.

We generally source only vehicles graded 4 and higher on the Japanese auction sheet, and grade 4.5+ for cars less than 6 years old.

Occasionally a lower grade vehicle might be worth considering, e.g. some large scrapes and scratches on the bodykit / bumpers could result in a 3.5 or 4 grade for what is otherwise a nice vehicle.

This cosmetic damage may be easy to fix yet result in significant savings on newer vehicles.

Grade 2 indicates very poor condition or water damage.

Grade 1 is a sign of ‘significant modifications’ – this could be performance upgrades such as larger turbos, a transmission change from auto to manual, an engine change, or prepared for racing.

It is therefore a matter of reviewing the Japanese auction sheet and pictures for any vehicles of interest with an open mind to determine those worth further inspection.

Any that look promising will be physically inspected by our agent at auction to confirm actual condition and more pictures will be taken.

We then contact you to discuss condition and your budget.

See What We Do for more detail on the auction inspection and bidding process.

Overall grade

6              New

5              As new with no condition faults

4.5           Very clean, one panel affected by minor paint blemish

4              More than one panel affected by minor paint blemishes

3.5           Some attention to panel and paint is required

3              Rough overall condition

2              Serious panel damage, rusty or water damaged

1              Significant performance upgrades or mechanical changes

A, 0, R     Accident damage and repair

A, 0, R and variations (RS, R0, RA, A1) are all used to denote repaired vehicles, with RA, A1, R1 being minor repairs.  Repairs in the rear or any dents in structural members like chassis rails are exclusions for Australia under SEVS so we immediately avoid any of those vehicles for SEVS import.

***            Serious mechanical or body fault, e.g. engine problems, existing accident damage, fire

Interior

A              As new with no condition faults

B              Very clean and nice

C              Average / clean for age including expected wear and tear

D              Cigarette burns / smell, rips, tears, or other damage to interior, significant wear and tear

Options

SR            Sunroof

AW           Alloy Wheels

PS            Power Steering

PW           Power Windows

AB            Airbag

Vehicle Diagram

XX       Panels have been replaced due to repairs and / or painted.

W        Wavy

Can mean the affected panel has been painted, and the paint is not as smooth as the original factory paint.

However, in some cases even when marked with a W it is impossible to tell with the naked eye whether paintwork has been done.

Auction staff can make mistakes also, and mark panels W when they are uncertain.  W or W1, W2 and W3 are used, with 1 being least noticeable.

A          Scratch

A1 is a tiny scratch, and generally you would expect this to buff out or be an easy touch up.

A2 is a medium scratch through the top layer of paint, and won’t easily be hidden.

A3 is a deep scratch such as a serious scrape or intentional key mark, and will definitely require paintwork if you want to fully address it.

U         Pin dent

Only a small dent such as you would pick up in the carpark.

U1 to U4 are used to denote the size of the dent, with 1 being the smallest.

B          Larger dents

These are more serious than pin dents. They are quite noticeable dents and range from B1 to B4.

G          Chip

You might see a G, X or even an A marked on the windscreen. This usually indicates a small stone chip or scratch and often these are quite small, the size of a pin head or so, and not easily visible.

They are the sort of things most cars pick up through normal use and if you see them noted it doesn’t mean the windscreen needs replacing.

Y          Cracks

Y1 to Y4. Usually in bodykits or lights and often not a major issue as repair or replacement is fairly simple.

P          Paint damage

P1 to P4. Fading, scratches or discolouration from sun damage, polishing, peeling, crazing or poor paintwork.

S / C    Rust / Corrosion

S and C1 to C4 are generally used.

An S or C1 on the body can mean a small stone chip has some surface rust or there is a spot of rust on the edge of a sunroof which might be easily addressed.

In other cases S noted in the negative comments section could indicate extensive underbody rust. C indicated on the wheel arches is a sign there is serious corrosion due to use in snowy areas.

Physical inspections are undertaken for rust regardless of whether it is noted on the Japanese auction sheet, as even grade 4.5 vehicles can be rusty.

The Best Auctions

While Japan has more than 80 auctions each week and many agents claim coverage of them all, in reality most vehicles are sourced from a much smaller number of major auctions and these are the main auctions attended weekly by reliable auction inspection agents.

Several small auctions are held on Monday but most are online only such as AUCNET and NPS Tokyo Nyusatsu which don’t enable physical inspections as there is no centralised auction location.

Other auctions are so small that it is not viable to have an agent there to inspect vehicles.

For the best selection of vehicles, condition and prices our favourite auctions are in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe and Fukuoka:

Tuesday                USS Yokohama, JU Saitama, CAA Tokyo, CAA Gifu, TAA Kinki, TAA Kyushu, NAA Fukuoka

Wednesday          JAA, CAA Chubu, BAYAUC, BCN Saitama, KCAA Minami Kyushu, USS Fukuoka, MIRIVE Saitama, USS Kobe

Thursday              USS Tokyo, MIRIVE Osaka, KCAA Fukuoka, TAA Kantou

Friday                    USS Nagoya, USS Osaka, ARAI Bayside, JU Fukuoka, USS Saitama, NAA Tokyo

Saturday                USS HAA Kobe, USS Fukuoka, USS Gunma, TAA Yokohama

The USS company has been aggressively buying other auctions for a number of years, and now controls more than 50% of all the auction sales in Japan by volume.

TAA (Toyota Auto Auctions) and some of the smaller non-USS branded auctions tend to be cheaper than the USS auctions, and we often see cars moved from TAA (and other small auctions) to USS by dealers trying to make a quick profit.

We use JCHC to provide past auction data to our clients as part of our pre-auction checks – knowing the previous condition and sale price gives our clients an advantage over other buyers. It also allows us to target cars that are first time up for auction, which will usually be lower priced.

Fukuoka in the south of Japan has several good auctions each week and can offer some cheaper deals. Allow for additional transport of about 30,000 Yen to Osaka for shipping if required, as shipping from nearby Moji Port is less frequent.

Auctions We Avoid

We specifically avoid all Sapporo / Hokkaido auctions due to rust issues.

Sapporo is on the island of Hokkaido in the far north of Japan very near Russia, they have about 7 months of snow each year and salt the roads.  That means many vehicles there are affected by rust. Transport to the nearest Port of Yokohama also costs about 60,000 Yen extra depending on the vehicle.

We also avoid JU Gifu auction in the Nagoya region on Saturday, this auction is often used by dealers reselling vehicles from other auctions for a quick profit so many vehicles there pass in unsold as the reserve prices are too high.

There are a number of small auctions located outside the main city areas of Japan where it is not viable to arrange physical inspections due to the distance and small number of cars. But not to worry, we will help you with all the advice and information you need as vehicles of interest come up.

 

Reading a Japanese Auction Sheet – Example 1

This vehicle was a 2007 Nissan Skyline V36 370GT coupe, base model.  Graded 3.5 due to a rear repair.  Note XX in the notes section, but not shown on the vehicle diagram in this case.  Body and interior were graded C and B.

Reading a Japanese Auction Sheet – Example 2

Here is another example for a 2006 V35 Skyline Premium coupe in a slightly different handwritten format for USS auctions.  The same information is there.