From Vladivostok (Russia) with Love

[miktechni]

I’ve been a Honda fan for a long time. I’ve owned a CR-X SiR, a Civic Type R EK9, three S2000s (two AP1s and one AP2), an Integra Type R DC5, and of course an FK8.

I wasn’t planning to buy a FL5, but at the beginning of July there was news that they were going to increase the tax for private owners on cars with more than 160 hp. At first there were no exact dates — people were saying August 1st, then September 1st. So I figured it was either “buy now or never.”

The new Civic Type R has been produced in Japan since September 2022, which actually makes it especially attractive to buy in 2025 because it still falls under the lower tax bracket. While studying Japanese auction statistics, I noticed that prices are always around 5 million yen no matter what — whether it’s a 2022 or a 2025 model, brand new or with 30,000 km on it.

But when looking specifically at September 2022 cars, there are very few of them, and there’s always that feeling that the very first production cars are a bit “raw.” Honestly, that’s true for almost everything — phones, cars, any complicated tech. It’s usually better to buy a later production version where the manufacturer has already fixed the small issues from the first batches. Obviously I wasn’t worried about the engine, transmission, or suspension, since Honda has been using the K20C engine and gearbox since the FK2 generation in 2015, and the suspension setup since the FK8 in 2017. But assembly quirks or electronic issues are always possible, especially considering the semiconductor shortage back in 2022.

After calculating the extra cost of buying a brand-new car, thinking through the risks of specifically getting an early September production car, and also considering the risks of importing a sanctioned car into Russia, I decided to go for the newest possible car instead.

The color wasn’t a huge deal for me, but I didn’t want a car that would visually look almost identical to the FL1 and FL4 except for the wider body. Worldwide, the FL5 only has one truly unique color — Championship White. On the Japanese market there are two exclusive colors: the classic Championship White, which I originally wanted because it’s such an iconic Type R color, and Boost Blue Pearl.

By July 8th I had fully decided that I was ready to buy the car. The first auction I joined was on July 10th. There were five cars available: two white, two gray, and one blue. The blue one had only 5 km on it and was registered in June — basically as new as it gets.

I placed a bid of 5.2 million yen, and we won the auction for 5.175 million yen.

 

[miktechni]

My previous car was a 410 whp Civic Type R FK8 2018.

 

[TheFactor]

Nice love the Boost blue

 

[miktechni]

Photos from Japan. At a Japanese stock yard before being shipped to Russia.

 

[Daddarussia23civicsi]

Beautiful car bro . I’m also Russian and I have the sonic grey pearl I just bought a few days ago .

 

[miktechni]

For you it’s one day, for me it’s three months of waiting. In the second half of September the car arrived in Vladivostok. From acquaintances who work at the port, I received fresh photos, and all that was left was to wait for customs clearance. While all the bureaucratic procedures were ongoing, more and more acquaintances were sending me photos from the storage lot. In the end, the car sat there for two weeks until the documents were ready and I could go pick it up. The next day I went through the inspection lab, where it was the usual: “you need to remove the spoiler, why are the seats red, the hood with a hole also needs to be replaced,” and I took the car to detailing so that, before the first chips appeared, I could wrap the body in clear polyurethane. I chose a glossy GSWF film.

 

[miktechni]

Right after the car arrived in Russia, I took it to get the body wrapped in PPF. I’d already ordered 15 mm wheel spacers beforehand to give the car a better stance and overall look.

 

[maranelloboy05]

Curious what the process is like for import to Russia, does the car go through China or somewhere as an intermediary?

 

[miktechni]

If the car falls under sanctions (engine displacement over 1.9 liters), it gets imported through third countries. If the engine displacement is smaller, then it can be imported directly.

 

[Evox787]

Wow, what an amazing thread to know that information! And over there, y’all have just RHD? Or is it both?

 

[miktechni]

Because Vladivostok is so close to the Japanese islands, the vast majority of cars in the city — more than 80% — are right-hand drive, even though Russia has right-hand traffic.

Cars from Japan are way cheaper than ones imported from Europe, China, or the US. For example, my right-hand drive FL5 from Japan ended up costing me around $60,000 including all taxes. If I bought and imported the same new car from Europe, the US, or China, it would’ve cost closer to $90,000.

 

[Evox787]

Because Vladivostok is so close to the Japanese islands, the vast majority of cars in the city — more than 80% — are right-hand drive, even though Russia has right-hand traffic.

Cars from Japan are way cheaper than ones imported from Europe, China, or the US. For example, my right-hand drive FL5 from Japan ended up costing me around $60,000 including all taxes. If I bought and imported the same new car from Europe, the US, or China, it would’ve cost closer to $90,000.

Wow! It’s pretty cool that you don’t need to wait until the car becomes legal to import it. That’s really amazing!

Do those cars get imported to regular dealers or something similar? I’m wondering if they have the information on the screen and everything in your language. Or, because of this, are people used to it and able to understand, for example, Japanese?

Sorry if my question sounds dumb, but I just find it really interesting how importing a car from another country can add a third to the price!

I’m not completely unfamiliar with the concept, though. Where I’m from even as a territory of the U.S. we have to pay an additional tax on every car, regardless of its country of origin.

When I tried to move back and bring my EVO 10, and if I had to pay this tax based on the car’s value when new , not the price I originally paid. The value is calculated as the brand-new price plus adjusted for inflation. For example, an FL5 now is close to $70k or even more!

 

[miktechni]

Wow! It’s pretty cool that you don’t need to wait until the car becomes legal to import it. That’s really amazing!

Do those cars get imported to regular dealers or something similar? I’m wondering if they have the information on the screen and everything in your language. Or, because of this, are people used to it and able to understand, for example, Japanese?

Sorry if my question sounds dumb, but I just find it really interesting how importing a car from another country can add a third to the price!

I’m not completely unfamiliar with the concept, though. Where I’m from even as a territory of the U.S. we have to pay an additional tax on every car, regardless of its country of origin.

When I tried to move back and bring my EVO 10, and if I had to pay this tax based on the car’s value when new , not the price I originally paid. The value is calculated as the brand-new price plus adjusted for inflation. For example, an FL5 now is close to $70k or even more!

Unfortunately, Honda started using Android-based systems in the FL5, and right now there’s no way to change the language from Japanese to English or Russian. I think Russian programmers will figure it out soon — they already made translations for Chinese-market Honda cars, so now I’m just waiting for the Japanese version too. But since I use wireless CarPlay anyway, I only really need the screen info in R+ mode, and honestly that stuff is easy enough to understand even without a translation.

Every country has its own taxes and rules. In Russia, if you want to import a brand new car from abroad, you have to pay an extra 48% of the car’s original price in taxes. For example, my new FL5 cost $36,000 in Japan when I bought it, and I paid another $17,280 in Russian taxes. The rest of the expenses were basically shipping costs for getting a sanctioned car through third countries.

Importing cars from Japan to Vladivostok has been around for a long time, since the 1970s, but the real boom happened after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. Nowadays, about half of all imported used cars come from Japan, and most of them are right-hand drive. The process is pretty simple: you pick a car you like at a Japanese auction, decide how much you’re willing to pay, place your bids, buy the car, and then the import companies handle bringing it over to Russia. The whole car importing system in Russia is actually really well organized and easy for buyers.

 

[Sporky McGeuschky]

Wow! It’s pretty cool that you don’t need to wait until the car becomes legal to import it. That’s really amazing!

Do those cars get imported to regular dealers or something similar? I’m wondering if they have the information on the screen and everything in your language. Or, because of this, are people used to it and able to understand, for example, Japanese?

Sorry if my question sounds dumb, but I just find it really interesting how importing a car from another country can add a third to the price!

I’m not completely unfamiliar with the concept, though. Where I’m from even as a territory of the U.S. we have to pay an additional tax on every car, regardless of its country of origin.

When I tried to move back and bring my EVO 10, and if I had to pay this tax based on the car’s value when new , not the price I originally paid. The value is calculated as the brand-new price plus adjusted for inflation. For example, an FL5 now is close to $70k or even more!

Dang man, that sucks.
How much extra?
I didn't know that Pueto Rico got screwed on imports to the U.S. I alway figured that PR paid what we pay in the US, plus maybe a couple grand for shipping from Texas, Louisiana, or Florida.
Puerto Rico is broke enough already. Y'all don't need all that extra tax.
I feel bad for y'all.

Congrats on your car, @miktechni !

Cheers.

 

[miktechni]

The Japanese Civic Type R is a bit different from the American one when it comes to some interior details. The US version is more practical: cloth rear seats, low-pile floor mats, and a leather steering wheel. The Japanese version gets Alcantara rear seats, thick high-pile mats, and an Alcantara steering wheel. I really loved the Alcantara wheel, but if you want it to stay looking brand new, you have to be really careful with it, and that’s not easy. Grabbing a quick bite on the road or using a tire pressure gauge at the track without getting your hands dirty is pretty hard. Both Japan and the US offer optional leather and Alcantara steering wheels. I tried to buy the leather one, even found the original part number, but my order got canceled as “out of stock,” even though it’s still available in the configurator on Honda’s Japanese website when ordering a new car. I’m not really into aftermarket "forged carbon" steering wheels, and I didn’t want to install something sporty like my favorite MOMO Tuner because I wanted to keep the car authentic. Plus, the factory wheel is already awesome. In the end, I decided to buy a second OEM steering wheel and have it reupholstered in genuine leather while keeping the original “macrame” stitching.