In the last installments, we left off with my entirely sensible decision to import a 1996 Renault Twingo as my new-to-me practical car, along with my explanation of why a Twingo seemed like a good idea. This time, the adventure moves from temptation to transaction: buying the car, navigating the export process, and waiting for those all-important pre-shipping photos. The entire purchase rested on a handful of dealer images. Would reality match the promise, or was I about to feel très mal?
As mentioned before, I had looked at a few Twingo ads. I always found them appealing, but every option I came across seemed too expensive. There was a purple one which, while a funky color, was not really my favorite. There was also a green one that looked good but had 229,000 kilometres on it, or about 142,000 miles, which was getting up there for a small car. The biggest problem, though, was that the importer included only a single photo. A single 600-pixel-wide image was not really enough to go on. On a brief side rant, I do not understand why so many Japanese ads use such low-resolution photos. For a country traditionally associated with advanced technology, cameras, and digital cameras in particular, they seem oddly stuck in the Stone Age when it comes to sharing high-resolution images.
When the green one was suddenly marked down by a significant amount, I became very interested. The single photo was still a major stumbling block, and this is where I may have outsmarted myself. I ran the image through a reverse image search and found a local Japanese classified ad for the same car, this time with a full set of photos showing the interior and all exterior angles. They were still in that blasted low resolution, but at least I could get a much better feel of the car. The paint appeared to be in good condition, with no major dents or obvious flaws, and the interior looked intact. Crucially, the windshield appeared to be crack-free, which mattered because finding a replacement would likely be nearly impossible.
Feeling smart and confident that I alone had found the additional images, and that everyone else would pass on this single-photo car, I clicked Buy Now. The payment process was a little complicated. I could either send an international money order or put it on a credit card. It was cheap enough, and I figured the credit card might offer some modest additional protection, so I chose that route. My Buy Now transaction was accepted, but my payment was blocked by my bank. I had done enough research on the importer to be very confident that they were legitimate, but this still meant a lengthy call with the fraud protection people at the bank. That led to an interesting conversation when they asked what I was buying. I casually explained that I was buying a used French car in Japan and having it shipped to Canada. They were surprisingly unfazed by this and were able to unblock the transaction.
At this point, I learned that because the car was not in the importer’s own stock, but rather part of an affiliated third-party dealer’s inventory, there would be a three-to four-week holding period before transportation was arranged. I had not really counted on this, and it pushed my intended port retrieval date back a bit. Still, it seemed doable before winter set in. Three to four weeks ended up being a little over five, but we were still looking okay date-wise, except that the estimated retrieval date now coincided with my wife’s birthday week and a busy period at work. Both were things I had been carefully trying to avoid.
Sometime during this period, additional photos appeared in my account, along with a modest inspection report. These were photos from the storage area before shipping. Unfortunately, they were quite disappointing. The paintwork was certainly worse than suggested by the third-party ad I had found, or by the single featured photo. There was significant clear coat failure and what appeared to be evidence of a past respray.
Outside of exotic cars, paintwork and rust are generally the most expensive issues to correct. At least the undercarriage photos indicated a very solid car. The photos also seemed to confirm a good front windshield. The inspection report noted non-functional air conditioning, a minor oil leak, and a passenger window that did not go up or down. Given what I had planned for the car, the lack of working A/C was unfortunate but not critical. The oil leak is likely solvable with a new gasket or two, and I figured the window switch or motor could be sorted at my leisure once the car was safety inspected and on the road.
The bumpers also seemed to have something like peeling clear coat, which I would not have expected. I generally aim to break even on the cars I own, but I strongly suspect the poor paintwork means that will be impossible here, since fixing clear coat is usually a fool’s errand. That probably will not stop me from trying, however. I do still really like the overall color. It is a sort of frog green to go with the frog-like headlights.
I had one more shock when the rear view showed a sticker that said “Easy.” The Easy edition was a clutchless manual transmission introduced in 1994 for those who liked to change their own gears but did not want to, or could not, operate a clutch. It featured a Quickshift-5 gearbox and was a bit of a throwback to earlier times before automatic transmissions became widely available in small cars; think the Autostick from Volkswagen. But if it could work anywhere, surely it could be France… or Japan. Predictably, these systems were somewhat failure-prone, and many were converted to a standard clutch and transmission setup. I had no interest in the “Easy” transmission. I quickly checked the other photos and confirmed the presence of a third pedal, a clutch, as well as a shift knob with a five-speed pattern. Whew. A fully automatic transmission came to the Twingo in 1996 as the more practical clutchless option.
It was great to see my car at the storage yard, but the photos showed a mixed bag in terms of condition. Comparing them back to the original ad photos, I wondered what had happened. Had they altered the images or used old photos? Because I had outsmarted myself by buying on one site while using photos from another to assess the condition, I was probably out of luck if I wanted to appeal on the basis of false advertising. My friend Rod was able to find the dealership on Google Street View. The car had been sitting on the lot since at least October 2023. The dealership itself seems to have a variety of interesting vehicles for sale. You can see it yourself HERE.
(edit – To be clear this importer clearly marks if cars are “third party” or their own stock. I choose to roll the dice a bit with a third party car. I blame myself and the selling dealership, not the importer.)
As of August 7, 2026, the Twingo was loaded onto the Walrus Ace (V-0067A) out of Yokohama, Japan, with an estimated arrival in Canada on August 27 before customs processing. If all goes well, the next chapter will be the real test: collecting it at port and pointing its little frog-green nose toward home for a 1,130 km, or 702 mile, drive through the mountains of British Columbia and Alberta. That should answer the most important question of all: did I buy a charmingly practical French city car, or a very small green mistake?
In the Twingo Series:
Part 1 – In Search of A Practical Winter Car … And Ending With Something French?
Part 2 – Small, French and Quirky – What Is A Renault Twingo And Why Would You Want One
“For a country traditionally associated with advanced technology, cameras, and digital cameras in particular, they seem oddly stuck in the Stone Age when it comes to sharing high-resolution images.”
The digital experience in Japan is generally poor by North American standards. Japan was somewhat late to online commerce and has yet to catch up, especially in terms of user experience. On several occasions, I’ve asked my wife, who’s Japanese and also finds Japanese UX poor, what’s taking so long for matters to improve there. She attributes it to the culutre of senoirity, in which non-digitally native (and typically very stingy) old dudes still make the ultimate decisions about tech and marketing. Things are improving somewhat as they age out of management, though the stinginess remains.
Interesting insight. That does make sense.
As the saying goes: “Japan has been living in the year 2000 since 1980.”
For contrast, I bought a 2013 Honda Civic LX a few weeks ago from a used car dealer local to me. I was able to test-drive it and get a pre-purchase inspection. So far so good. You’re clearly more adventurous than I am. Two different guys, two different approaches.
Your Twingo will have two things that suit it to Canada: left hand drive and a speedometer that reads in km/h.
I understand that Canada is pretty strict about cracked windshields.
I will never have to actual nerve to do this, though lots of vehicles tempt me. I’m enjoying the ‘vicarious’ experience, and look forward to the next installment!
I agree with George – I’m enjoying these Twingo stories, though I don’t have the nerve to do this. Dang, I get nervous buying some cheap stuff from eBay, let alone a car from another continent! But many thanks for sharing these stories and the honesty that goes with them. And I’m definitely looking forward to hearing about the drive back home from the port!
Here’s hoping it all goes well ;
The clearcoat is a bummer and should have been indicated .
You’re about to go through another whole rig-a-ma-role crossing the Canada / U.S.A. border pops did that years ago with a nifty Peugeot Diesel Break .
Good luck and keep coming back to tell us more please .
-Nate
There is zero chance I am crossing the US border with a newly imported car. It will have a temporary license plate so that would just asking for complications. I will pick it up in New Westminster (part of metro Vancouver) and drive straight home. It just happens to be over a thousand kms. 🙂
If you cross the border, they’ll charge you a 50% tariff on it! I assume you won’t have time to enjoy the bright lights of Vancouver?
I suspect not. I had planned a road trip on the way home but shipping was delayed a week and then it sat in Japan for 4 weeks before shipping was arranged (practice with third party stock I did not know about). I need to get this done over a weekend as I cannot really take time off this time of year.
Interesting how the ownership trail became more complex only after you committed to buy the car.
I’m not worried at all, such a tiny car it could only be a small mistake at worst 👍
To be clear this importer clearly marks if cars are “third party” or their own stock. I choose to roll the dice a bit with a third party car.
I could have/should have done a bit more research. Not sure I could have ever found the clear coat issue but I could have seen the street view photos of it sitting a while.
Reading this, the thing that kept coming into my mind was how so many people questioned my desire for a Cadillac Cimarron. I looked for many years before I found that one for me and purchased it. However, it was about 100 miles from where I live. Anyhow, that car has since been sold and I’m down to just one daily driver (for now).
But I mention that because as I read this story, a thought kept popping up in my head asking “Why on earth would anyone want this car and go through so much trouble to get one”?
And then it hit me. I’m sure that’s the same question many asked about me as I was (and still am) looking for my Cimarron. Why!! Anyhow, I hope you get it and have a blast with that little car.
Seen today
and hold your eyes…
It’s a bit of a grab bag thing buying like this. Hope it works out for you. I’m learning about paint issues on an old cheap car as I’ve had to paint the two junkyard doors I got for my xB, the ones damaged when I slid off a road. For better or for worse, my xB is still single-stage white without clear coat, so I’ve just been using rattle cans. It looks quite a bit better than before, but it’s best viewed from about 50 feet. Close up is not so good. It’s ok for me; it’s just my beater car.
I lived in Japan for several years and it always surprised me how conservative the place is. Any change in society is glacially slow and initiated from the top. Just go to a bank in Japan and you’ll see textbook case inefficiency.
Japan is way behind most developed countries because of this.
~50 years ago I read a book by a man who’d been with the occupation forces in Japan and then stayed on as a businessman. I wish I could remember the title and the author’s name. Many interesting anecdotes. He related that he’d once tried to open a safe deposit box at a bank. He ran into resistance because he hadn’t been referred by anyone who already had a relationship with the bank. Among other things, he said, “Even if I had a criminal record as long as my arm, what nefarious thing could I do by renting a safe deposit box?” and “Don’t you want to rent out your safe deposit boxes and make money?” It was no go. He was fluent in Japanese, so that wasn’t an issue.
One thing I noticed is there was almost no public Wi-Fi anywhere, even in places where it should be, like resorts and hotels.. Compare that with SK.
David, what is the advantage of buying a used French car in Japan compared to buying it in France? I guess that many more Twingos are for sale in France than in Japan and a lot of them for less than 2000 Euro. On the other hand it seems that you are living much nearer to the Canadian west coast which makes the transfer from the ship to your home easier.
There are a couple reasons:
The cars out of Japan are generally in better condition.
Japan has a well defined export industry with several vendors which makes the experience easier and selection bigger.
Given how common it is the shipping is easier/cheaper as well.
Plus I would much rather pick up on the west coast versus the east.
The overall car cost was probably similar to France.
For a high dollar collector car the math probably changes.
Wow, that dealership has an interesting inventory indeed. A Citroën XM that appears to have fallen into a tub of Tipp-Ex (never seen one that ‘whited-out’, usually there’s some black trim here and there and I can’t see any). A Citroën AX (brilliant little things in their own right). A Fiat barchetta in orange of all colors (you’d struggle to find one in Europe, I think). A bunch of Alfa Romeos that are post-75 so interest me little personally, but are still cool especially being all the way in Japan. A Lancia Ypsilon. A Citroën C6 in beige metallic (again, never seen that color). And do I spot a Renault 4 as well? I wonder if that stock pays the bills, but I applaud them for at least trying!
Another good read, and promises of more interesting adventures to come. Does the importer pick it up from the dock? Annacis Island I’d guess. Just wonder what they will say when they see it.
I am on the board of directors with a sister city / twinning society with a city in Hokkaido, and they struggle with virtual meetings, Zoom, Teams, etc. as well as sharing digital information. So I am not surprised at the relatively poor photo quality, and not too many photos either.
I’d offer to pick it up for you but then it would have to go to Dawson City before we get to Edmonton on our fall road trip, and even then it would be a bit too far north for you I think for a quick pick up.
I paid a little extra for the import details to be taking care of so I believe they clear the customs and more it locations from the docks or within the docks. We shall see. Home via Dawson City would have been a circular route. Have fun with that road trip. We did a similar one a few years back and I loved it up north.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/road-trip/cc-road-trip-curbside-classics-up-north-british-columbia-and-a-little-bit-of-the-yukon-part-1/
Probably a good idea to get those import details looked after by the pros, especially as it seems you will have a pretty tight time frame to pick it up and get back home.
And thanks for reminding me about your trip report, I recall reading it when it came out and its good to re-read it.
Very interesting. No, I’m serious.
I’ve always been fascinated by the Twingo for its looks and practicality. I mean, how could you not love a car that looks as cute as that?
But at the same time Renault is a very small operation in my country, and being LHD-only they could not have sold the Twingo here anyway. So no Twingo for me. I’ll have to enjoy one (hopefully) by reading about yours, David,
I’ve traveled to France many times over the last 40 years and know these cars were plentiful in the early 2000’s, so why does the aftermarket not have a windshield replacement available? I would think there must be sufficient demand…
They probably do … in France. Shipping a windshield sounds risky and expensive.
If you have your ugly duckling’s green egg fully comprehensively insured, the thought of a busted windshield should no longer keep you up at night. That way, getting stone chips through tailgating uncovered soil transport trucks, parking in somewhat more cosmopolitan urban areas and arbitrary acts of the Allmighty will make it the insurer’s problem of getting a windshield.
Within the last 10 years, so many of these have visitted the crusher one way, here in Germany. If one doesen’t repair or restore one’s self, having major repairs done by a garage, even by an honest one, will run up a bill which superceeds the vehicle’s value. A local wrecker not far from my residence, earns so much from scrap that they don’t even bother with selling parts from what they’re about to crush. Not even from expensive Audis and Benzes.
I’ve seen my share of Twingos sitting in front of that wrecker’s building in visually pristine shape, even. “Cash for Clunkers” also was to thank
I imagine getting any parts will be a bit tricky but this is not your first go at a wonderfully weird car so I figure you are an old hand for that aspect. And not too worried about keeping it as matching numbers so substitutions will be used as needed.
Parts subject to normal wear such as brake pads, rotors and clutch plates shouldn’t be a problem, given that the patents for each were shared with other automakers. Of course, if he gets into a wreck, body panels which are no longer obligatory new stock will have to get sourced from overseas wrecks.
Superceeding the import age threshhold should void any safety and emissions compliance mandates which will give American ownership an advantage over European, meaning that Cuban inventiveness can get applied to the repair obstacles of which would otherwise be extremely difficult or impossible to overcome in strictly regulated markets such as in Germany, for example
What could be more sensible than buying a 1996 Renault Twingo from Japan? The world needs more of this. 🙂
Looking forward to the updates!
Interesting story and that the Twingo had clutchless transmission option. I’m going to check out the link to the VW’s. I wonder where the speedometer is? Maybe in rhe display by the windshield but it seems that would be hard to see. Same with the narrow display in front of the driver.
The speedometer was misplaced into a central pod where you would need to divert your attention to one side while in motion. And it’s digital, to make matters worse. I’ve added one of these to my Suzuki, primarilly because it’s a GPS-regulated unit, assuring the accuracy required for driving in Switzerland where certified speedometers are mandated for vehicles sold in their market and fines for exeeding the legal limit are comparitively steep. The obvious advantage to digital readings, in this respect, is that of not needing to stare at a needle’s exact location for determining exact speed
This is exactly the car I would import to Australia. I wouldn’t even register it. Just having it is nice.
Buying online is risky – descriptions by sellers can be erronious.
We hauled a cheap “non-running” VW T2 out of a garden, finding that it turned over once a healthy battery was attached, started once it had fuel, and drove, with great, even compression readings and a working transmission. Turned out to be a solid vehicle and a great deal.
So it can sometimes work out – I hope you can get the clearcoat fixed, or otherwise mabe wrap the Twingo, because they really are great, fun little cars.
I briefly toyed with the idea of bringing back a 15 year old Lexus from South Korea. They go comparatively cheap, the steering wheel is on the correct side, and almost no salt and winters.
I was thwarted by A)not being a resident of Canada yet and having no address to ship to,(re-establishing that was a story in itself)
B )in the Covid era shipping container costs were insane, C) did I really want to live there long enough to justify the hassle?
In the end, I was only sentenced, er, resident, for 355 days, then I left again.
Oh, hey, neat! This article came up when I was googling for this exact voyage on the Walrus Ace — because my own import is also on it, and it’s also coming to BC! Your Twingo’s probably sitting right next to my Mazdaspeed Autozam AZ-1.
Hopefully it all goes well for us! I’ve got a broker doing the paperwork: he does say it tends to take a while to clear customs once it lands.
Quite an adventure!
Careful: unsafe to drive it at night ’til you source and install a set of RH-traffic headlamps; the cars in Japan all have LH-traffic ones.