By Ben Collins
The obsession begins
I did it again… I bought another Japanese import.
It started years ago with the MK4 Toyota Supra, which I stupidly crashed. I wrote it off ‘in period,’ and since then, it has multiplied in value by a factor of five.
My latest purchase was a Lancia Delta Integrale 16V that has just enough in common with the machine that won five World Rally titles, keeping my eyes fixed on the road and my heart in my mouth when I drive it.
It’s the best car I’ve ever owned, although the headlights are so weak that I need my iPhone flashlight to see where I’m going at night.
Italian car… Japanese market?
You’re probably thinking: “hang on, Lancia is Italian – not Japanese.” You’re right, of course, but it turns out that we have far more in common with the Japanese market than first meets the eye.
They get all the European models that we know and love, plus a few that we never had in the UK. Then of course there are the Japanese domestic cars, some, but not all, of which are supplied outside of Japan.
Like in the UK, all cars in Japan are right-hand drive, another reason they slot straight into our market.
Why Japanese cars are so attractive
The secret ingredient that makes cars from Japan so attractive is that they are considerably better looked after and less expensive to buy if you do it properly.
Unlike the UK, they don’t salt the roads in Japan, so their cars have less corrosion, and they are far better maintained to keep up with Japan’s equivalent of the MOT (which is easier to fail than an interview with Dragon’s Den).
The birth of Motorcap
That realisation was the spark that motivated me to set up a new business called Motorcap, to start importing these quality motors into the UK en masse and putting them in the hands of dealers, forecourt ready.
Motorcap only buys premium-grade cars from Japan, and once they land, we take care of all the checks, coding and registration processes before selling them either through auction or ‘Buy It Now’ at BCA.
So far, the results have been fantastic.
Dealers buying our cars are making a healthy 35+% margin when they sell the cars on to their customers. And best of all, Warranty Solutions Group are happy to vouch for these cars, after seeing how our business operates and reaching the same conclusion I did: these are quality motors. That means you as dealers can benefit from upselling a warranty at the point of purchase.
WSG data highlight
WARRANTY CLAIMS ON JAPANESE IMPORTS ARE [over 70%] LOWER THAN UK EQUIVALENT CARS
What we’re importing
Our current focus is on the main staples of the second-hand market, BMW, VW, Volvo and Audi, with plans to grow the offering as the business expands. With the cost of living hitting everyone hard and the occasional shortfalls, ahem, in modern technology, we believe that we can fill a gap in the UK market which desperately needs reliable used cars.
The market opportunity
Every year, over £500 million worth of used cars are imported from Japan into the UK that were originally built in Europe and return in far better condition and with much lower mileage over potholes and salty roads than their UK counterparts.
A quick (but accurate) warning about Lancias…
With Lancias, rust isn’t a possibility- it’s a promise, and it always delivers.
Commit with confidence when you buy from Motorcap.
Browse our stock
Click here to see our latest stock on sale:
👉 www.tinyurl.com/MotorCapBUYNOW
