Skyline HQ

What a JDM import actually costs to land in your driveway

The listing price is never the price. Freight, duty, broker fees and your state's vehicle tax typically add 35–40% on top. This works out the whole stack, line by line, so nothing shows up as a surprise.

Here for the checklist? You're in the right place — it's free. Grab it here, or work out your own car's real landed cost first — the calculator below is the other half of it.

Your import

Start with the listing price. Everything else is an estimate you can adjust.

Vehicle price (FOB Japan)The listing price, including delivery to the Japanese port.

What the listing quotes as the totalOptional — paste their headline number and I'll show you the gap.

Model yearDrives the 25-year eligibility check.

Arrival portClosest US coast to you.

Shipping method

Registering inSets the vehicle tax charged at registration.

Listing linkOptional. Nothing is fetched from it — it just tells me which platforms people actually shop.

Marine insurance~2% of value. Covers total loss at sea.Pre-purchase inspectionAuction sheet + mechanical verification in Japan.

Estimated all-in, landed at your door

$25,515

Realistic range $23,474 – $27,556 · about 42% over the listing price

A 1997 is 29 years old — past the 25-year line, so it imports without DOT or EPA conformity work, and it is exempt from the Section 232 tariff that hits newer cars.

Where the money goes

The car

Vehicle (FOB Japan)$18,000.00
Purchase price including transport to the Japanese port.

In Japan

Japan collection to port$350.00
Only applies if it is not already bundled into the FOB price.
Pre-purchase inspection (Japan)$450.00
Auction-sheet verification, undercarriage and mechanical check.

Ocean crossing

Ocean freight (RoRo)$3,000.00
Japan to Gulf Coast — Houston, Galveston, New Orleans. Transit ~8–14 weeks.
Marine insurance$360.00
Covers total loss in transit. Roughly 2% of declared value.

US customs

US import duty (2.5%)$450.00
25+ years old means Section 232 exempt. Newer cars face far more.
Harbor Maintenance Fee$22.50
0.125% of entry value. Mandatory.
Merchandise Processing Fee$62.35
0.3464% of entered value, floored at $32 and capped at $634.
Customs brokerage$600.00
Licensed broker filing your entry. Complexity dependent.
Bank wire / telegraphic transfer$45.00
Sending funds to the Japanese exporter.

Landing it at home

US inland transport$900.00
Port to your door. Highly distance dependent — adjust this one.
Title, registration & inspection fees$150.00
Varies by county everywhere. Small relative to the total.
Texas vehicle tax (6.25%)$1,125.00
Applied to greater of price or Standard Presumptive Value.

These are planning-level figures built from public 2026 data — not quotes. The two biggest swing factors are ocean freight (RoRo vs container, and which coast) and your state's tax basis. A real quote from an importer and a licensed customs broker will tighten this number considerably.

Want this breakdown in your inbox?

I'll send this estimate plus the import checklist I'm using for my own R33 — the auction-grade cheat sheet, the questions to ask an exporter, and the paperwork order that trips people up at customs.

Why I built this

I'm selling a V8 Mustang to import a Nissan Skyline R33 from Japan, and I'm documenting the whole thing — including the parts I get wrong. Every number in this calculator is one I had to work out for my own import, which is also why every one of them is adjustable. When real quotes come back, these defaults get updated.

Nothing here is a quote, and I'm not a customs broker. Verify duty rates and your state's tax basis before you wire anyone money.