Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

I'm not looking to import, but a couple of Japanese cars I've looked at are imports - my partner wants a Nissan Cube and while a few were made for the UK, most have come in from Japan.
I don't think engine spares would be an issue - they're essentially Micra's, but I'm wary of anything else that should cause me to rethink (aside from the styling!).