Auction Sheets Guide

Japanese Auction Sheet Codes Breakdown

Grading reports or Japanese auction sheets are used to list the details of the vehicle and its condition.

Reporting formats varies depending on the auction house that it was listed on, but generally the basic information remains the same.

Numeric values from 0 to 6 (6 being the best) are used to determine the overall grade, while A to D grades (A being the best) the interior condition of the vehicle. Sometimes, an additional A to D grade is included for the vehicle's body condition. EG: 5 A A

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.

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 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.

A, 0, R and variations (RS, R0, RA, A1) are all used to denote repaired vehicles, with RA, A1, R1 being minor repairs.

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

Fukuoka in the south of Japan has a couple of good auctions each week and can offer some good deals. Allow for additional transport of about 40,000 Yen to Osaka for shipping if required, as vessels do not always call into nearby Moji Port.

Auctions We Avoid

We specifically avoid all Sapporo 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 nearly all vehicles there are affected by rust, such that no reliable buying agents regularly attend. Transport to the nearest Port of Yokohama also costs an additional 60,000 Yen.

We also avoid auctions in Gunma on Thursday and Saturday, as like Sapporo this is a heavy snow area.

BCN Saitama auction on Wednesday has been renamed ‘MiRIVE’ and is located in Fukuya City, Saitama prefecture. It is only a small ‘outback’ style auction.

Arai Oyama auction on Thursday is not very good for the type of vehicles we source. In our experience they have loose auction gradings as it is a very “backwoods” primarily truck / 4WD vehicle auction. As the area is a very mountainous one, the vehicles generally tend to be quite rusty. It is also about a 3 hour drive from Tokyo, and quite expensive for transport to the Port.

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.

Auction Sheet Translation

• General definitions
• Benefits of the car
• General interior defects
• Defects of crashed cars

• Front window defects
• Repaired car's defects
• General defects of chasses and engine