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Buyer's guide
How to read an auction sheet
Every car sold at a Japanese auction has a sheet with its grade, its mileage and every mark on the body. Here is what each code means, in plain words.
The sheet, part by part
We drew this sample ourselves. Real sheets look different at each auction house, but almost every one has these parts. Tap a number.
Grades
What the grade means
Tap a grade. The grade badge on every car on our site links straight here.
Overall grade
Brand new
Less than a year old with very few kilometres - as close to new as an auction car gets.
Nearly new
Some auction houses write 6 in place of S: a very young car with almost no wear.
Excellent
Very low mileage and near-perfect paint and body; at most a tiny mark you have to look for.
Excellent, lightly used
Low mileage and very clean, with a few small marks that are hard to see. The grade most buyers ask for.
Good
A well-kept car with some small scratches or dents that a polish or a touch-up fixes. The most common grade among imports.
Fair
More marks, higher mileage or panels that need paint. Good value when the map shows no hidden repairs.
Below average
Many marks, dents or rust, or very high mileage. Keep money aside for bodywork.
R / RA: repaired after an accident
R: a structural part (a pillar or a chassis rail) was repaired after an accident. RA: a smaller repair of the same kind. Some houses write A or 0. It can still be a sound car - the map shows where the work was done.
Car map
Tap any part of the car
What the inspector looks for there, and the codes you will see most often.
Bonnet
Stone chips on the front edge are normal. W here means it was repainted - worth asking why.
Codes you will often see: A1 E1 W1
Front bumper
Parking scuffs and stone chips are normal. A replaced bumper (XX) is a cheap plastic part, not proof of a big crash.
Codes you will often see: A1 A2 U1 XX
Front wings
Bolted-on panels: a wing replaced after a light knock is common and does not make it an R car.
Codes you will often see: A1 U1 W1 XX
Windscreen and glass
G is a stone chip, R a repaired chip and X1 a small crack. A crack usually means new glass.
Codes you will often see: G R X1
Roof
Look for E (hail dimples). A repaired roof is rare - ask about it, because a roof is seldom hit.
Codes you will often see: E1 E2 E3 W1
Doors and sills
Door dings and scratches round the handles are everyday wear. Check the sills below the doors for rust (S, C).
Codes you will often see: A1 U1 E1 S1
Rear quarters
They are welded to the body, so a big repair here can turn the grade into R or RA.
Codes you will often see: A2 U2 W2
Boot lid
Dents from loading and scratches round the handle. W means the lid was repainted.
Codes you will often see: A1 U1 W1
Rear bumper
Scuffs from reversing are common; Y is a crack, often at the plastic corners.
Codes you will often see: A1 A2 Y1 XX
Wheels
Kerb scuffs on alloy wheels are written as A marks beside the wheel.
Codes you will often see: A1 A2
Codes
Every code on the sheet
Search by code or by word - for example U2, rust or sunroof.
| Code | Meaning | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Scratches and dents | ||
| A1 | Small scratch | About a fingertip long; usually polishes out. |
| A2 | Scratch | Up to about a card long; a touch-up fixes it. |
| A3 | Big scratch | Longer than a card; the panel needs paint. |
| U1 | Small dent | About a fingertip; often fixed without paint. |
| U2 | Dent | About a card in size. |
| U3 | Big dent | Bigger than a card; needs panel work. |
| E1 | A few dimples | Tiny dents, often from hail or a neighbour's door. |
| E2 | Several dimples | More of the same; still only cosmetic. |
| E3 | Many dimples | Common on a roof after a hailstorm. |
| B1–B3 | Dent with a scratch | Sized 1 to 3, small to big, like A and U. |
| Repairs, paint and parts | ||
| W1 | Repair wave, hard to see | The panel was repaired or repainted, and well. |
| W2 | Repair wave | An earlier repair you can see in the light. |
| W3 | Obvious repair wave | A rough repair; the panel needs repainting. |
| P | Paint marked | A touch-up or a slightly different shade on a panel. |
| H | Paint faded | Sun-faded or dull paint; polishing often helps. |
| X | Needs replacing | The inspector thinks the part should be replaced. |
| XX | Replaced | The part is already new - ask why. |
| Rust, cracks and holes | ||
| S1 | Rust | Surface rust, often underneath or on the sills. |
| S2 | Heavy rust | Needs treatment before it spreads. |
| C1 | Corrosion | Rust that has eaten into the metal. |
| C2 | Heavy corrosion | The part may need replacing. |
| Y1–Y3 | Crack or hole | Small to big; often in plastic bumpers and trim. |
| Glass | ||
| G | Stone chip in the glass | A small chip, usually on the windscreen. |
| X1 | Small crack in the glass | About 1 cm; a crack usually means new glass. |
| R · RX | Repaired glass | R: a chip was repaired. RX: repaired, but the glass should be replaced. |
| Equipment | ||
| AAC | Automatic climate control | Air-con that holds the temperature you set. |
| PS | Power steering | Standard on almost every import. |
| PW | Power windows | Windows that go up and down at a button. |
| SR | Sunroof | A glass panel in the roof that opens. |
| AW | Alloy wheels | Factory alloy wheels instead of steel ones. |
No code matches - try another word, or send us the sheet.
An honest note
Every auction house (USS, TAA, CAA and others) uses its own sheet layout, and a few codes or sizes differ a little between them. Use this page as a guide. For a car you are serious about, send us its sheet - we will read it, translate it and explain it.
