Japanese listings quote FOB Japan — the price at the port of departure. Ocean freight, inland collection, customs brokerage and US delivery add a near-constant block of roughly $4,700 regardless of what the car costs, and duty plus federal fees go on top of that. On a $22,500 car that is a 24% surprise. Here is the whole thing, itemised.
Published landed-cost examples show total uplift anywhere from about 15% to 55% of the vehicle price, and that range gets quoted as if it were negotiating room. It is not. Between 80% and 95% of that uplift is the fixed logistics block divided by a variable vehicle price. On a cheap car it looks enormous; on an expensive one it looks small. It is the same money either way.
The practical consequence: cheap imports are the worst value. Below roughly $35,000 all-in, fixed logistics plus any viable coordination fee exceed a quarter of the sticker, and you would generally do better buying domestically.
The federal 25-year rule runs from the actual month of manufacture, not the model year — which catches a lot of people out by up to eleven months.
Check the exact eligibility date