A novices guide to Elgrand acquisition

[LeStempy]

Will you help me find one

Best place to start looking is the forum trade section.

 

[Ben bury]

This overfilling thing I've never heard of. I'll check that out

 

[Monobob]

Thanks for the detailed info will print this one

 

[xsoherewearex]

Wow what a great thread. About to start the process of buying one so this is a great starting point. These cars look amazing.

 

[LeStempy]

Amazing they are.

 

[kazarami]

Here’s my Elgrand buying experience in case it helps anyone else in the buying process.

After deciding that I really wanted an Elgrand, I found a dealer quite near to me. I had already decided I didn’t want to spend time and expense trawling up and down the country looking for my new car, so some internet research led me to the more local options.

Being a novice in the import vehicle field I also decided that I was willing to pay a bit more for someone else to deal with procedures involved in bringing a car in from Japan rather than trying to do it myself. I could also be sure to see the vehicle before making my purchase.

I found a likely candidate at my nearest dealer who were advertising it as low mileage and top quality on their website and ebay. The vehicle in question had not yet landed from Japan, it was a silver Rider model but sounded from the description that it would be just what I wanted.

I visited the dealer and left a deposit on the strength of their pictures, advertisement and description. Then, whist awaiting its arrival I thought it might be a good idea to do some further research online and signed up to this club to seek advice and information about my impending purchase. Good move.

After much reading and advice from those more experienced in Elgrandery, I discovered the many ways of checking how closely the dealers spiel matched reality. As it happens I saved myself a wait for a vehicle that wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. It turns out that the dealer in question are importing low grade auction vehicles then tarting them up on arrival. Happily, they refunded my deposit without quibble when I approached them with the discrepancies I had found.

Here’s what I checked using the vehicles chassis number.

Firstly, they claimed the the vehicle had Jevic mileage certification. I checked the chassis number on the Jevic website https://www.jevic.co.uk/index.html but it returned no results. Warning bells started to ring.

I next paid for a CarVX report at https://carvx.jp/ costing £25 plus £3.50 for the translation of the Japanese auction sheet. The report showed that this vehicle was a low R grade auction rating, had been repaired following accident damage and had a replacement door panel which was an incorrect shade of silver. It was rusty underneath, dirty, smelly and marked inside and full of pet hair, and had numerous dings to the bodywork amongst other horrors.

On the plus side, the recall history was complete which can be checked here http://www.Nissan.co.jp/RECALL/search.html and this shows that important recall work has been carried out, most importantly correction to the over fuelling problem which adds to the premature disintegration of the catalytic converters, and also the dodgy fuel gauge issue. But even so, this seemed to be a poorly maintained vehicle and certainly best avoided I thought, and I note it was subsequently removed from sale by the dealer.

Finally, I also checked https://Nissan.epc-data.com/Elgrand/ which shows up some basic info on specification, including factory options, but doesn’t show any spec for vehicles which finished production at Autech such as Rider models, as they all leave Nissan as basic VG models before receiving the Autech upgrades. For any further information, Nissan are quite helpful and can be emailed at postoffice@Nissan.co.jp.

Further searches found two more likely vehicles. The first I checked was a white Rider but it had not had the over fuelling recall carried out and although it showed a full Japanese service history it didn’t have Jevic mileage certification either, so I passed. It had also been pimped somewhat in Japan and I was looking for something that had not been too interfered with.

Third time lucky I found a gem from an ebay trader and Japanese import specialist in Kent. A low mileage 4x4 twin sun roof white Rider with verified Jevic mileage certificate, full service history and 4.5 auction grade shown on the CarVX report with no issues reported on the auction sheet. All recalls have been carried out and on inspection I found it had been very well looked after by its Japanese owner, modifications being to the side and mirror repeater indicators, a remapped ECU and a throttle control unit.

It is quite hard to believe that this is a 15 year old vehicle, with only 44k miles it looks only two or three years old and is in super condition. As you can tell I am delighted, as without this splendid club I could well have ended up with a lemon.

Just as an addendum, when you have acquired your piece of masterful engineering you MUST have the secondary catalytic converters de-cored or fit bypass pipes or your lovely new Elgrand WILL die prematurely. It's also a very good idea to have them undersealed as JDM vehicles are bare underneath, so factor the cost of these things into the cost of the purchase or risk an unnecessarily short ownership or huge expense down the line.

It's also worth checking the age of the tyres as many ship over with the original factory fitted tyres due to the much lower annual mileage that the Japanese do. So even though they have tread enough to pass the MOT they will have degraded and there have been numerous reports of blowouts due to disintegration.

I've added a PDF of this and more for download below.

How do you find out everything as im no to good on computers

 

[LeStempy]

Best ask someone to help. Don't think it would be easy by letter.

 

[supergrabby]

same

 

[xsoherewearex]

Wow what a great thread. About to start the process of buying one so this is a great starting point. These cars look amazing.

Well it didn't take long. A week ago we picked the one we wanted. On it's way.

 

[Rob6716]

I will echo everyone else, this thread was invaluable to me. The car I placed a deposit on turned out to be an R grade, accident repaired with the mileage not confirmed and a number of other bodywork marks that were not declared in the advert.
I lost the deposit (although still in dispute) but with a bit of patience I ended up with one with a FSH, Jevic confirmed mileage, 4 new tyres undersealed, MPH speedo conversion etc .... without this advice I would have gone through the original purchase and ignored some of the issues because I had already travelled to buy
Bloody marvellous thread!

 

[LeStempy]

Bingo!

 

[JohnK]

I will echo everyone else, this thread was invaluable to me. The car I placed a deposit on turned out to be an R grade, accident repaired with the mileage not confirmed and a number of other bodywork marks that were not declared in the advert.
I lost the deposit (although still in dispute) but with a bit of patience I ended up with one with a FSH, Jevic confirmed mileage, 4 new tyres undersealed, MPH speedo conversion etc .... without this advice I would have gone through the original purchase and ignored some of the issues because I had already travelled to buy
Bloody marvellous thread!

Lucky escape! Good luck getting deposit back. Trading standards/citizens advice may help if needed.

 

[Chopper]

Top tip before buying (may well be elsewhere on the site) get a UV torch and have a look behind the nearside rear wheel at the area by the aircon hatch, any hint of UV aircon dye, knock a few hundred off the price - I wish I'd done this! I hope my noob error will save you ££.

 

[m1kks]

Here’s my Elgrand buying experience in case it helps anyone else in the buying process.

After deciding that I really wanted an Elgrand, I found a dealer quite near to me. I had already decided I didn’t want to spend time and expense trawling up and down the country looking for my new car, so some internet research led me to the more local options.

Being a novice in the import vehicle field I also decided that I was willing to pay a bit more for someone else to deal with procedures involved in bringing a car in from Japan rather than trying to do it myself. I could also be sure to see the vehicle before making my purchase.

I found a likely candidate at my nearest dealer who were advertising it as low mileage and top quality on their website and ebay. The vehicle in question had not yet landed from Japan, it was a silver Rider model but sounded from the description that it would be just what I wanted.

I visited the dealer and left a deposit on the strength of their pictures, advertisement and description. Then, whist awaiting its arrival I thought it might be a good idea to do some further research online and signed up to this club to seek advice and information about my impending purchase. Good move.

After much reading and advice from those more experienced in Elgrandery, I discovered the many ways of checking how closely the dealers spiel matched reality. As it happens I saved myself a wait for a vehicle that wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. It turns out that the dealer in question are importing low grade auction vehicles then tarting them up on arrival. Happily, they refunded my deposit without quibble when I approached them with the discrepancies I had found.

Here’s what I checked using the vehicles chassis number.

Firstly, they claimed the the vehicle had Jevic mileage certification. I checked the chassis number on the Jevic website https://www.jevic.co.uk/index.html but it returned no results. Warning bells started to ring.

I next paid for a CarVX report at https://carvx.jp/ costing £25 plus £3.50 for the translation of the Japanese auction sheet. The report showed that this vehicle was a low R grade auction rating, had been repaired following accident damage and had a replacement door panel which was an incorrect shade of silver. It was rusty underneath, dirty, smelly and marked inside and full of pet hair, and had numerous dings to the bodywork amongst other horrors.

On the plus side, the recall history was complete which can be checked here http://www.Nissan.co.jp/RECALL/search.html and this shows that important recall work has been carried out, most importantly correction to the over fuelling problem which adds to the premature disintegration of the catalytic converters, and also the dodgy fuel gauge issue. But even so, this seemed to be a poorly maintained vehicle and certainly best avoided I thought, and I note it was subsequently removed from sale by the dealer.

Finally, I also checked https://Nissan.epc-data.com/Elgrand/ which shows up some basic info on specification, including factory options, but doesn’t show any spec for vehicles which finished production at Autech such as Rider models, as they all leave Nissan as basic VG models before receiving the Autech upgrades. For any further information, Nissan are quite helpful and can be emailed at postoffice@Nissan.co.jp.

Further searches found two more likely vehicles. The first I checked was a white Rider but it had not had the over fuelling recall carried out and although it showed a full Japanese service history it didn’t have Jevic mileage certification either, so I passed. It had also been pimped somewhat in Japan and I was looking for something that had not been too interfered with.

Third time lucky I found a gem from an ebay trader and Japanese import specialist in Kent. A low mileage 4x4 twin sun roof white Rider with verified Jevic mileage certificate, full service history and 4.5 auction grade shown on the CarVX report with no issues reported on the auction sheet. All recalls have been carried out and on inspection I found it had been very well looked after by its Japanese owner, modifications being to the side and mirror repeater indicators, a remapped ECU and a throttle control unit.

It is quite hard to believe that this is a 15 year old vehicle, with only 44k miles it looks only two or three years old and is in super condition. As you can tell I am delighted, as without this splendid club I could well have ended up with a lemon.

Just as an addendum, when you have acquired your piece of masterful engineering you MUST have the secondary catalytic converters de-cored or fit bypass pipes or your lovely new Elgrand WILL die prematurely. It's also a very good idea to have them undersealed as JDM vehicles are bare underneath, so factor the cost of these things into the cost of the purchase or risk an unnecessarily short ownership or huge expense down the line.

It's also worth checking the age of the tyres as many ship over with the original factory fitted tyres due to the much lower annual mileage that the Japanese do. So even though they have tread enough to pass the MOT they will have degraded and there have been numerous reports of blowouts due to disintegration.

I've added a PDF of this and more for download below.

What a great post for a newbie like me. Thanks for taking the time to create the PDF so handy. Feel a bit better about this now

 

[MarkH]

What an excellent post. I have no experience of Japanese Imports, so your information will save me time and money!

 

[JF77]

Agree, it’s a brilliant guide @Stempy

I’m almost about to buy having used all the tips in guide - I wouldn’t have dared otherwise

My issue now is which one to buy??

Options are a 2004 E51 on 27000 miles (verified)

Or a 2006 E51 on 67000 miles (verified)

Both meet all the checks in the guide (both Grade 4s on CarVX & reputable deale)

The higher mileage is £2K less than the lower mileage which is attractive

Wondering if it’s worth paying extra for the lower mileage??

Any thoughts / advice extremely welcome

Cheers

 

[JohnK]

Agree, it’s a brilliant guide @Stempy

I’m almost about to buy having used all the tips in guide - I wouldn’t have dared otherwise

My issue now is which one to buy??

Options are a 2004 E51 on 27000 miles (verified)

Or a 2006 E51 on 67000 miles (verified)

Both meet all the checks in the guide (both Grade 4s on CarVX & reputable deale)

The higher mileage is £2K less than the lower mileage which is attractive

Wondering if it’s worth paying extra for the lower mileage??

Any thoughts / advice extremely welcome

Cheers

Mileage not really an issue on either. 27k on a 17 year old vehicle means it has been used hardly at all or laid up for a number of years. 67k on a 15 year old on is still less than 5k a year so we'll below uk averages and should have plenty of life left.
A 2006 model (assuming 06 or 56 reg) would be ULEZ compliant which could be a big advantage. Appreciate your not in London so probably not an immediate issue for you but other towns and cities are introducing or considering clean air zones so could become a greater issue in time.
Other than that what about the specs of the respective vehicles? Does one have more features that are important to you?
Whichever you choose I'm sure you'll be well pleased.

 

[LeStempy]

You might be better off with the higher mileage as lack of use can cause its own problems.

 

[Mr.v]

Really useful tips on. Cheers.

 

[JF77]

Thanks a lot Guys, massive help as usual
The only real difference between the two on specification is the higher mileage is a 2.5L & the lower mileage is a 3.5L

This doesn’t bother me as I’m happy with 2.5L (unless something I’m not aware of!)

Also the higher mileage, 2.5L is a £2K saving which would pay for the LPG conversion

Much Appreciated as usual, cheers