Honda S2000 for sale in Japan

Buying one from here

Japanese cars are the early ones

The cars old enough to import are AP1s: 2.0 litres, 9,000rpm, and the sharper, less forgiving chassis. That is the car most people actually want, but it is worth knowing it is not the softer later AP2.

The roof and the rear window

The original soft top has a plastic rear window that clouds and cracks with age, and a replacement roof is a real cost. It shows clearly in the photographs, so check them before you bid rather than after.

Look for a standard one

Hard-used examples had the engine over-revved or the clutch abused, and neither shows on an auction sheet. An unmodified car with a clean sheet and a verified odometer is the one to chase; we can inspect it at any USS house first.

What it costs to land one in the US

Ocean freight, customs duty, clearance and our sourcing fee sit on top of the Japanese price. The duty rate is 12.5% of the car's value — the figure JDM Imports works to, and the one the calculator uses; see tariffRate in js/services/calculator.js, which is the authority. Every line of that cost is set out here, and the 25-Year Rule is explained here. The landed cost calculator works the whole figure for any car on this page before you commit to it, and cars 2002 and older clear the 25-Year Rule.