Justin Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Can someone quickly tell me about the grading system? I've spotted one with auction grade 3.5 is this good or bad? Cheers Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lust2luv Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Grading as below : 5 : Immaculate Condition with mileage below 60,000km 4.5: Excellent Condition 4 : Good condition 3.5: Some repair work needed or slightly higher mileage than average 3 : Lots of repair work needed or high mileage 2 : Piss poor condition 1 : Modified, Debased or Affected Car (Submergence, damaged from salt, hailstorm etc.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted July 28, 2004 Author Share Posted July 28, 2004 Thanks very much Lusty you're a star. That adds up as the car I'm looking at has done 84000 and has a slightly knackered fibreglass front end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secondjump Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 I thought mods could cause a shift in any band e.g. a perfect car with different wheels maybe body mods would drop a grade or 2. Therefore i don't think you can condem a car just because it has a low grading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkey Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 When I was looking for a Supe - I saw a lovely Silver one in full Veilside kit - that was a 4.5 ... after my mechanic looked thru it ... the car had serious suspension issues. I saw another that was 4.0 and that had gearbox issues. Personally imo - I wouldn't rely on the auction grade at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted July 28, 2004 Author Share Posted July 28, 2004 Cheers for the advice Clarkey will bear it in mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tDR Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Originally posted by lust2luv Grading as below : 5 : Immaculate Condition with mileage below 60,000km 4.5: Excellent Condition 4 : Good condition 3.5: Some repair work needed or slightly higher mileage than average 3 : Lots of repair work needed or high mileage 2 : Piss poor condition 1 : Modified, Debased or Affected Car (Submergence, damaged from salt, hailstorm etc.) I'm sure I've seen that somewhere before lol Very modified cars tend to be graded in the majority of auctions as 1 - that's what that grading is reserved for. A grade 2 car is a shed period. Clarkey_Sparkey - Suggest something suss in the cars you looked at....... the Jap auction grading system is very accurate in my experience. A grade 4 or 4.5 car is a safe bet Justin - 3.5 sounds accurate for what you describe, so a sound car other than the cosmetic damage but again the auction sheet will detail all faults that will make you realise why it has been awarded the grading it has if you have it translated. HTH, Brian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeT Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Do not use bonsai cars:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Originally posted by ThunDeR I'm sure I've seen that somewhere before lol Me too, can't remember where though. I know you've posted it on here in the past but where did it come from originally? I wonder how official it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Justin, Im sure i have heard too that older imports, say 1993 \ 1994 even if they are immacualte may struggle to gain higher than 3 - 3.5 just because of age. I could be wrong though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt B Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Originally posted by lust2luv Grading as below : 5 : Immaculate Condition with mileage below 60,000km 4.5: Excellent Condition 4 : Good condition 3.5: Some repair work needed or slightly higher mileage than average 3 : Lots of repair work needed or high mileage 2 : Piss poor condition 1 : Modified, Debased or Affected Car (Submergence, damaged from salt, hailstorm etc.) When I got my car originally from JIC they gave me a bit of paper with grades and descriptions similar to the above... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted July 28, 2004 Author Share Posted July 28, 2004 God I wish JIC were still around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supradibbs Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Just be careful is the major point i handed over £6000 when i was first looking for a supra and the car never turned up this is very true if like i did getting someone to source a car there has been a alarming number of cases of ileagel rings operating in Japan this is what i got sucked into we found out after some investgation that all the paper work was fake auction doc shipping docs you name hell iam not sure the car even exsited. luckly the guy was honest and i got my dosh back,anyway getting back to the subject mine is a 1993 and was listed a s 4 and is in very good nick i have been told that any lower you should be looking for paint work new panel etc. Also dont forget that iam sure the interior also gets a grading with B being the adverage... My advise to you would be to find a fresh import that is in the country to view then you can say stuff the auction report to a certain degree and judge for yourself. Anyway good luck iwill sign off now as iam boring myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osso Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 My vvti supra was imported last year which had a 4.5 grade and it has been an absolute dog! i wouldnt trust the grading too much.. However on the outside my supra is in immaculate condition, its only when u look at the engine bay you get the problems! 2 blown turbos, seized aircon compressor ect ect all fixed now tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tDR Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 Originally posted by Jake Me too, can't remember where though. I know you've posted it on here in the past but where did it come from originally? I wonder how official it is. I wrote it, as a more accurate translation of what is available on the Jap auction sites in bad english. I know the gradings and have seen evidence because I import myself. ChrisR - That's incorrect, I've seen cars from 1986 with grade 4 ratings and often see '93's and '94's with grade 4 or 4.5 ratings. supradibbs - That's unlucky but the way to avoid that is to deal with someone that has a good reputation for importing honest cars. osso - The grading system only reflects what the jap auction engineers can see / feel / hear as they inspect the car in the auction house yards. Again, I've imported quite a few cars now (it's a hobby more than anything else) and have found the auction gradings to be entirely accurate if you go by the translation of the description that shows why it was awarded the grade. There's always going to be the odd one that slips through with an un-noticed fault I'd suppose though, but I'd say it's very rare. HTH, Brian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkey Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 In my experience of looking at Supes when I was buying mine - salesman were trying to hit me over the head with this Auction report. Through bad experience of looking at Supes - I take the Auction report with a pinch of salt. The grading isn't proving to me that the car is mechanically sound, suspension, gearbox, steering, brakes etc etc. For me - I take the grading as a First Glance guide (ie 2 minutes looking at a car) Seeing is believing imho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurgen-Jm-Imports Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 the importer i use is always been trumps here is the following i have purchased 180sx grade 4 = had a minor stonechip on arrival here 180sx grade 3.5 = had rear spat lose and a sratch on wing mr2 turbo 4 = was immac faint scratch on rear bumper fto grade 3 = had a small dint in door wrx grade 4 = immac wrx grade 4 = one tyre was suspect supra grade 4 = fully loaded mint wrx grade 3.5 = 112 km wrx grade 3.5 =interior had bit wear and scuff on front bumber supra tt 3.5 = high miles 65,000 thats my experience Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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