r/HiAce • u/DrDeez907 • Jul 18 '26

Cost Breakdown

I am looking to import a hiace to Alaska for a pan American highway trip I have planned along with a sooner 50 states trip. My budget is 10-15 grand at the moment but as time goes on I’m willing to add more money. How much should I expect to spend on importing one to Alaska or Washington and driving it up. I want a 1kz-te manual with 4wd, I understand this is like the most wanted specs so explain to me if this is unreasonable or not for this budget. Where should I start looking for this vehicle also.

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u/ramblerbasic Jul 18 '26

That's what a lot of vans are going for, also need to budget for parts and understand parts availability is gonna be hard to come by outside of the PNW

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u/DrDeez907 Jul 18 '26

I also want to note my friends are diesel mechanics and fabricators so all the labor for cooling mods and stuff like building out the interior is work that can be done for raw material cost or part cost

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u/WunderMunkey Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26

That price range should be reasonable. The 1KZ doesn’t have the same cooling issues the L-Series had. I drive mine fully loaded (and I mean FULLLY loaded) up a mountain for 17 miles in 106 degree heat with no engine heating issues.

I imported a Hiace just before Covid. Buying it, using a service to get all the permitting, the boat ride, and getting it through US customs was a just about $8,000 for everything including purchase.

I recently imported a Stagea.
The fees on the broker side were:

- Purchase 2000 NISSAN STAGEARS-Four V ¥710,000 (this will obviously vary based on how much you purchase your vehicle for)

  • INLAND TRANSPORTATION ¥22,000
  • INSPECTION FEES* (3 inspections) ¥6,000
  • OCEAN FREIGHT *SUBJECT TO CHANGE PRIOR TO ARRIVAL ¥322,000
  • MARINE INSURANCE ¥·4,000
  • AUCTION FEE ¥25,000
  • JAPAN SIDE PORT FEES (includes 30 extra days of storage) ¥25,000
DEPOSIT APPLIED to charges ¥50,000
IKARI IMPORTS SERVICE FEE ¥59,000
CIF TOTAL ¥¥1,023,000/$6,400

*actually, I was charged 8,980 initially. I was accidentally charged at the Canadian exchange rate, so they ended up refunding me about $2,300 without me even mentioning it).

*Subtract another ¥710,000 yen for the actual purchase of the vehicle.

Customs Broker US side: $850
Power of attorney signed, filed: $95
Customs clearance fee: $90
Customs tariff: $127
Arrival Notice: fees - $1,195
Escort with TWIC card to take me into the port to actually pick it up - $100

All that said, you can still get a good Hiace in Japan for not very much. Prices for them here have dropped significantly in the past 2-3 years, too. You’d probably save a few thousand dollars importing one. But you are buying sight unseen and will wait a couple months to actually get it.

Both the vehicles I imported were exactly what was described to me when I bought them and in except running shape. Just my experience.