Every vehicle that crosses a Japanese auction block carries a single sheet written by an independent inspector who has no stake in the sale. It is the closest thing the used-car world has to a lie detector, and learning to read it is the most valuable skill an importer can hand you.
The headline number is the overall grade. A 5 is close to new; 4.5 is excellent with minimal wear; 4 is a genuinely good used car; 3.5 shows honest, visible use. An R prefix means repaired accident history — not automatically a deal-breaker, but a fact you deserve to know before bidding, not after landing.
The car map
Below the grade sits an outline of the car annotated with letter–number codes. A1 is a scratch you need sunlight to find; A3 is one you will see from a stride away. U marks dents, W marks repair waves in the paint, XX marks a replaced panel. A cluster of small marks on a twenty-year-old car is normal life; a single XX on a structural panel changes the conversation.
Interior scores run A to D on a separate line. A driver-grade classic with a B interior and clean mechanicals is very often a better buy than a cosmetically perfect car with a vague sheet.
What we add
We translate every sheet in plain language and flag what the codes mean for your intended use — daily driver, investment, or working vehicle. If a sheet and our own lift inspection disagree, we tell you, and we do not bid until you have seen both.