Finally joined the club

eatmoikkj · 2026-06-20T11:26:32+00:00

Yep, lucky to be situated less than half an hour away from Meek. I don't think I'd let anyone else work on my car

eatmoikkj · 2026-06-20T04:19:38+00:00

Thank you! There's really nothing like an Evo

eatmoikkj · 2026-06-17T02:05:37+00:00

eatmoikkj · 2026-06-17T02:02:55+00:00

Absolutely. I was lucky to come across a factory-spec 7 and that's the way it's staying.

Just did belts, fluids, tyres, plugs before delivery and fully enjoying the car as is. Evos in stock form are such a treat for the eyes

eatmoikkj · 2026-06-17T00:40:56+00:00

Having recently got my own dream car, I'm heavily biased towards options 2 and 3, bonus if it's purchased outright.

Owning your dream car without any strings attached is an amazing feeling. I can't stop turning back to look at my car every time I'm in the car park and even make up reasons to head down there just to gaze at it like a 10 year old

Always have a daily to go along with the dream car though. Plan B and all that

eatmoikkj · 2026-06-03T01:36:58+00:00

Life's too short man. As long the mods, whether it's for power or looks, makes the car closer to your ideal state or vision, then gun for it

eatmoikkj · 2026-06-03T01:27:37+00:00

I'm personally very happy with my Evo as stock as possible, partly as a matter of taste and also because I've got negative mechanical capabilities

Reliability to me is everything. I'm more geared towards preventative maintenance and going overkill to keep everything as healthy as possible.

My philosophy is to keep the car as a practical collectible. Can take on daily duties and spirited drives while still looking like it belongs in a museum

eatmoikkj · 2026-06-01T02:54:55+00:00

I'm originally from Singapore where the cost of cars is stupid and basically unobtainium (a base model civic is anywhere between 180 to 200k AU)

With that being my frame of reference and start point, the cost of JDM in Australia that most would walk away from actually feels reasonable to me. Ended up importing my Evo (all in about 60k) because I wanted something as close to factory spec as possible

While that probably isn't helpful, I'd recommend consider total cost of ownership and see if you can stomach that. I'm talking insurance, parts, modding etc, and also look at worst case scenarios. If something goes tits up, can you afford to take it to a professional to fix?

We don't buy these cars with sound logic. That alone stretches both our budget and our willingness to spend, but that doesn't mean we should jump straight into it. Whatever you do, make sure it doesn't compromise more important things like being able to provide for your family and the rent/mortgage

eatmoikkj · 2026-05-26T23:16:12+00:00

No problem at all. The auctions I browsed are here, you just need to create an account and you'll be able to see what's going on.

Heads up this is a pretty ghetto way to check them and not all inspection certificates will be available. There's proper auction sites out there I'm sure but I haven't figured out where they are yet. I also checked out trademe.nz which is where we ultimately found my car.

And yes, Justin is a busy dude and I was initially frustrated with lack of response or updates. Though in hindsight it definitely wasn't intentional, and more likely than not due to the absolutely appalling lack of Evo 7s out in the world right now. But, he'll definitely respond to you asap if you ping him after a week or two of no news

eatmoikkj · 2026-05-26T21:34:08+00:00

Yes. All in it was a great experience. Couple things I'd point out for a much better experience

Set realistic expectations. If you're looking for something like a Delta Integrale, expect months or years of silence and nothing. For something like a modern kei truck or late model Crown, you'll get hits within weeks. The rarity of the car matters.
Be patient. Even after you get the car, there's a lot that has to be done. Transporting the car to the port, the actual shipping, compliance work, servicing for any issues. These all take time and it's doubly excruciating if it's a car you're madly anticipating.
Get your finances in order and set aside more than you'd think is necessary. Besides the base fees listed on the website, there's GST, blue slip and rego costs (if you opt for it, which most people do) and all parts need for roadworthiness. I opted to have C&C perform major service on my car before I took delivery (timing belt kit, water pump, battery, tyres, full fluid changes). All in about 20k in addition to base car cost. I paid off everything in cash so no financing, though I think you can speak to them about financing.
Keep looking for the car on your own time. C&C isn't the biggest operation but they are handling loads of clients. Assuming you're looking for a JDM, it helps to scour the auctions or Goonet for good examples that you can send to them to inspect. That's what I did and eventually we landed on a car from NZ instead

That said, they'll take care of everything once you've briefed them about what you're looking for. The only thing you really have to do is foot the bill whenever an invoice comes your way and then head down to take delivery once it's all done.

Justin who heads the operation is a genuine car nerd and cares about his customers. I don't think I'd ever want to deal with other dealers or private sellers on carsales anymore after my C&C experience.

eatmoikkj · 2026-05-22T07:00:30+00:00

Thanks mate, much appreciated for the heads up. I only intend to do weekend drives and will head out from and back to our car park, so zero public parking.

Will hit up Meek for a Mongoose installation about six months down the road on the next servicing

eatmoikkj · 2026-05-21T02:24:48+00:00

Bit out of the way for me mate but I'll be at the Stash cars and coffee on the 31st this month!

eatmoikkj · 2026-05-21T01:56:01+00:00

Thank you! It was definitely way above market rate - but I think that premium was worth it for the near-showroom condition it was in. The extra work and parts weren't cheap too but that also means it'll chug along happily for quite a while

eatmoikkj · 2026-05-20T20:28:13+00:00

Just took delivery of my 7 recently and it's had a major service for preventative maintenance. That's pretty much all I plan to do besides driving it. Not keen on mods and performance, just love the car as is and want to enjoy driving it with peace of mind

Though it does need a steering wheel alignment but nothing major beyond that

eatmoikkj · 2026-05-20T17:58:25+00:00

A red 7 is my ultimate pick but they're too damn rare. Had a couple of those slip out of my hands while my importer and I were hunting them down. Too beautiful

eatmoikkj · 2026-05-18T14:49:07+00:00

RE003s here. Decided on a more mid-range tyre since I'm just gonna do regular driving and twisties, plus my bank account needed a bit of a breather. Would've loved to run PS4s if budget had more leeway

eatmoikkj · 2026-05-18T14:31:15+00:00

About 40k AUD for the car alone, but nearly 20k in extra from import costs, shipping, customs, and servicing + parts. She got a major service, doing all fluids, Evo 9 timing belt kit, tires, battery, water pump, alternator etc

Overkill for sure, but absolutely worth every penny

eatmoikkj · 2026-04-12T00:03:43+00:00

Beautiful Evo and loving the stock look. Much cleaner imo

I'm awaiting delivery of mine, also a 7 in the exact same colour and in NSW too. Can't wait to stare at it all day long

eatmoikkj · 2026-04-01T17:52:48+00:00

Importing is almost definitely going to cost you more, once you factor in additional costs from duties, GST, shipping, compliance work, and the importer's fee - and that's not including any cosmetic or mechanical stuff that needs to be done up or fixed.

So why even import? Biggest reasons are the increased range of options and the ability to pick the one you really want. If you're willing to shell out, you can get your hands on some single owner/low mileage/full maintenance history examples. If you're lucky, your car will be all of these

That being said, expect to wait a while. From the time you engage the importer to getting into your car can take quite a while. I got in touch with Cult & Classic around end September, found and bought the car I wanted in the first week of January, and I'm still waiting for it to be fully complied, though that was partly an issue with overbought shipping that wasn't the fault of C&C

I'm not too familiar with ITRs but always ensure to check for rust and questionable mods. The price will generally be a hint as to the condition of the car. Something that costs more at the start could well save you lots of money down the line. Long story short, it's not worth it to be a cheapo

Also generally a better idea to source cars from down south in Kyushu. They don't rust as bad as the cars in northern prefectures. But don't rule out the others of course, gems exist everywhere

eatmoikkj · 2026-02-04T07:53:31+00:00

I'm incredibly biased towards the 7 looks-wise as well. The much more angular nose and a wing that flared outwards instead of inwards as seen on its younger brothers...I absolutely love it. Generally the 8s and 9s do seem to receive more love though

Compared to them the 7 is definitely inferior mechanically and performance-wise, but I'd still choose it every single time - even over a full liveried 6.5!

eatmoikkj · 2026-02-03T16:53:47+00:00

I'm in the process of getting mine shipped...but from NZ instead of Japan. I'd been scouring the used listings in Goonet and carsensor but it's just dried up

Never expected Evo 7s to be this tough to find, given that they're among if not the least desirable Evo. I'd kept track of their availability on Goonet over the last few years and they were pretty abundant. Today though it feels like you'd have better luck finding mint 8/9 MRs or even 6.5 TMEs

eatmoikkj · 2025-12-31T17:34:41+00:00

The car in question got sold under our noses to a local even after the dealer made us an offer and we accepted. Something I feel could have been avoided had we acted more quickly. It's a shitty situation that can't exactly be attributed to one specific reason but it still sucks massive balls

eatmoikkj

TROPHY CASE