Subaru cars from Japan

Most Subarus sold in Japan have all-wheel drive and a horizontally opposed "boxer" engine. That suits buyers in hilly or rough-road markets. At auction the Forester, XV/Crosstrek and Impreza are the everyday choices, the Levorg is a Japan-focused performance wagon, and the WRX S4 and WRX STI serve enthusiasts. The Sambar kei truck is listed with the kei trucks.

On AWD cars, check that all four tyres match and that the auction sheet does not note drivetrain noise. On turbo models, look for signs of tuning or hard use and ask for service records.

Japan's shaken roadworthiness inspection (first at three years, then every two) and the country's low average annual mileage mean many cars reach auction with a documented history and modest kilometres for their age.

Japan gets Subaru models that are rare or unknown elsewhere, such as the Levorg wagon and the WRX S4, which uses a CVT automatic rather than the STI's manual gearbox. Most recent Japanese Subarus have EyeSight, a driver-assist system that uses cameras mounted behind the windscreen; if the windscreen is ever replaced, the cameras need recalibration, so check that a local workshop can do it before you import. On older boxer engines, ask about any oil-leak notes on the auction sheet.

Our catalog prices run from about $5,000–$10,000 FOB for an Impreza and $5,000–$20,000 for a Forester, depending on generation. An XV costs about $10,000–$15,000, a Levorg $15,000–$20,000 and a WRX S4 or STI $20,000–$35,000. Clean export examples typically carry auction grades of 3.5 to 4.5. Our country guides list the Forester among popular imports in Tanzania, Uganda and Papua New Guinea, where all-wheel drive helps on rough roads. The Sambar kei truck costs about $2,000–$5,500. Most other Subarus in our catalog are model years 2013 to 2022, so a car that has passed two or three shaken inspections is typical.

We track 6 Subaru models from model years 1990 to 2022. Recent Japanese auction prices run from about $2,000 to $35,000 FOB, depending on model, grade and mileage (estimates, as of 2026-07-06).