Japanese auction grades, and what can actually be checked
A Japanese auction car is sold on a sheet: one page, filled in by the auction house's own inspector, describing the car's condition. Learning to read it is the difference between buying well sight-unseen and gambling.
The overall grade
| Grade | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| 5 | Exceptional. Very low mileage, effectively as new. |
| 4.5 | Excellent, minimal wear. |
| 4 | Sound and average for its age. Some wear, nothing structural. |
| 3.5 | Visible wear — marks, scratches, tired trim. |
| 3 | Noticeable condition issues. Read the notes closely. |
| 2 and 1 | Poor, or heavily modified. Bought on the notes, not the grade. |
| R / RA | Accident-repaired. Not automatically bad, but understand it first. |
Four and above is generally sound. A 3.5 with honest, detailed notes often tells you more than a 4 with vague ones, and on a heavily modified car the notes matter more than the number.
The interior grade and the diagram
Beside the overall grade sits a separate interior grade, lettered A to D, covering seats, trim and smell. Then there is the damage diagram: an outline of the car marked with codes where the inspector found something. A is a scratch, U a dent, W a repaired or repainted panel, and X and XX a panel needing replacement or already replaced.
The diagram is where a repaired front end shows up even when the grade looks acceptable — which is exactly why it is worth reading rather than skimming to the number.
What we can check for you, and what nobody can
We can have the car inspected in person at any USS auction house. USS is the largest auction group in Japan and every one of their sites allows it, so somebody can walk round the car, look down the panels, and check the underside and the engine bay before it crosses the block. Several other houses allow it too, and each listing says whether this particular lot is at one that does.
What is not available anywhere in Japan: a test drive, a compression or leakdown test, a scan-tool reading, or putting the car on a lift. Anyone who tells you otherwise is describing a service that does not exist. Where a risk cannot be checked — engine health on a modified turbo car, say — it is money to budget for, not a test to book.
Everything else the sheet gives you
The auction house grade, the interior grade, the inspector's written notes, the damage diagram, the photographs, the recorded odometer and whether it is marked verified, the shaken (roadworthiness) expiry, whether a service book is noted, and the declared repair history. We translate all of it before you decide.
Dealer cars have no sheet at all
Not every car on this site is an auction lot. A dealer car is stock standing on a forecourt: no auction sheet and no grade, which is not a gap so much as a different set of evidence — the dealer's photographs, the odometer, the declared history, the asking price against what the same model is listed at, and questions we can put to the seller directly. Judging one by a grade it was never given is a mistake in the other direction.
Frequently asked
What does a grade 4 mean at a Japanese car auction?
Grade 4 is a sound, average car for its age: some wear, nothing structural. Grades run from 5 down to 1, and 4 and above is generally sound.
What does grade R or RA mean?
R and RA mark a car that has had accident repair. It is not automatically a bad car — a properly repaired panel is common on a thirty-year-old vehicle — but it must be understood before bidding, and it affects value.
Can I get a car inspected before I bid?
At USS, yes. USS is the largest auction group in Japan and every one of their sites allows it, so we can send someone to walk round the car, look down the panels and check the underside and engine bay before the hammer. Several other houses allow it too.
Can I get a compression test or a test drive?
No. No test drive, no compression or leakdown test, no scan-tool reading and no putting the car on a lift — none of that is available anywhere in Japan. A Japanese auction inspection is a careful look, not a workshop appointment.