Matthew Sharpe wrote on Friday, August 14, 2009 - 08:30 am:The problem is usually in the early life of the car.
Many Japanese don't spend a lot of money or effort on servicing, figuring they will be buying a new car every 3 to 4 years anyway.
Lack of oil & filter changes leading to sludge buildup in the motors early life will often lead to premature failure later in life, even if the next owner(s) are religious about servicing. It pays to see if you can find some kind of evidence of a service history when importing a car, same as if you were buying a second hand local.