Buying a Japanese car from the auctions can be quite scary, in fact buying anything sight unseen can be scary! This is why there is an auction grading sheet with every vehicle auction in Japan.

Unfortunately I'm unable to read and understand Japanese so I cannot make heads or tails of the written issues but I can get by knowing how the grading and marking system works.

For example the above auction sheet I can tell you right off the bat that the car has had a body panel replaced. Has a few minor dents and scratches and a fairly rated interior and exterior. How do I know this? Easy.. below is the decoding sheet.

A1 Small scratch often negligible
A2 Larger scratch possibly only clearcoat damage
A3 Very large scratch often paint deep

E1 Small dent negligible
E2 A few small dents in a close by area
E3 Many small dents

U1 Single Small Dent
U2 Dent
U3 Big Dent

W1 Repaired paintwork negligible
W2 Repair paintwork visible
W3 Repair paintwork must be repaired bad workmanship

S1 Small rust
S2 larger rust

C1 Corrosion
C2 Visible Corrosion

B1 Small defect on bumper size of thumb
B2 Large noticeable defect on bumber

Y1 Small crack
Y2 Crack
Y3 Big Crack

X1 Crack on windshield 1cm

R Repaired cracon on windshield
RX Replace windshield

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Now there are a few other things to look out for on the auction sheets which will assist you in making the right purchase

Auction Grade rating, these are between 1(E) and 5(A). 1 being a complete wreck and 5 being less than 12 months old with less than 10,000km essentially a brand
new car.

5 - Less than 10,000km
4.5 - Very high grade, minor repair work to get it to a top grading
4 - Vehicle may have scratches and dents but is in above average condition, can be repaired easily
3 - Noticeably large scratches and scraped, possible paint blemishes and may have large dents
2 - Very bad condition but still passes as a driving legal car
1 - A complete wreck
RA - Minor accident damage, repaired very well
R - Accident damage, repaired but can be repaired better

Interior grading and Exterior is graded with A - E.

A - New condition
B - Minor repairs are not needed but can be done
C - Possible interior tears missing dash screws, warped dashboard (This is probably the most misleading grade as it
also could mean that the interior is dirty and just needs a wash)
D - Multiple cigarette burn marks in the interior, dashboard major warp,dirty patches remain after cleaning.
E - Major tears, bad interior smell and very dirty interior needing to be replaced

A few abbreviations to take note of

FAT - Fully Automatic
F5 - 5 Speed Manual transmission
F6 - 6 Speed Manual transmission
PS - Power Steering
AC - Air Conditioning
PW - Power Windows
KAWA - Leather Seats

I hope the above guide will give you good idea of what you could potentially be bidding on and assist you from making poor mistakes.

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