Nippon Sporties

Basically, I am obssesed with Japan, learning the language, the history and the girls are hawt!

I am looking for a japanese car for around £6000/$10,000 max. Any suggestions? Which ones are good stock? Which ones are good for modifications later on?

Basically I have a few ideasw in my head, Mitsubish EVO/Subaru Impreza are always a good start aren't they? Honda S2000 is a nice car.

THanks in advance, I know it's a fairly vague question to ask but I really don't know much about racing/car modification yet.

No opinions on this so far? :(

In reply to Zman:

even though I don't drive one.... but as far as this forum is concerned the answer is

(alright now all together): MIATA

Good luck finding a S2000 for under $10,000.

EVO's and WRX's are great cars, 'til the insurance bill comes every 6 months...

If you wanna be all JDM 'yo! can't co wrong with a Civic. Especially in that price range. Will even have plenty of cash left over for those hawt girls.

Just don't put a fart can muffler on it. Please.

Over here (it looks to me like the OP is in the UK) you can get an S2000 for around $10k.

Of course, the answer is still Miata/MX-5 .

MX5 is a boring answer. These will get you ALL the hot Japanese chicks^ and also allow you to feel confidant in your masculinity.^^

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C95663/
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1313286.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1339133.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1291218.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1256512.htm

(^ not necessarily true)
(^^ definitely true)

I agree with Jay he has a great selection of cars to drool over!!!!

add the 180sx to the mix and thats a good cross section.

Check to make sure you can afford the insurance before running off and buying a car. Also check to make sure you can afford the petrol.

A UK friend of mine used to drive a WRX. He loved that car. He now drives a diesel bmw estate because the petrol was killing him.

Na, petrol is cheap over here at GBP1.07-GBP1.10[1] for the regular unleaded stuff.

That's per litre, by the way, not by gallon.

[1] Prices that I saw yesterday while travelling around the SE UK.

BoxheadTim wrote: Na, petrol is cheap over here at GBP1.07-GBP1.10[1] for the regular unleaded stuff. That's per litre, by the way, not by gallon. [1] Prices that I saw yesterday while travelling around the SE UK.

yeah but all the motors you showed require premium.

ignorant wrote:

BoxheadTim wrote: Na, petrol is cheap over here at GBP1.07-GBP1.10[1] for the regular unleaded stuff. That's per litre, by the way, not by gallon. [1] Prices that I saw yesterday while travelling around the SE UK.

yeah but all the motors you showed require premium.

If you're talking about the stuff in my profile, you'll be surprised that everything apart from the 911 runs on the regular (95 RON) fuel. The Integrale can potentially make use of 98RON as it has a knock sensor but I don't think it does. And according to my P-car specialist, even the 911 can run happily on 95RON.

Tuned Japanese cars are a slightly different matter, especially if they have been mapped in Japan for 100RON as we can't get that here. Actually that's only semi-true as BP at some point was offering 102 RON but I don't if that was still available, plus it was over twice the price of regular unleaded.

Some of the stuff Jay linked to will need 98RON, so that's usually another GBP0.07/l on top of the prices I mentioned above.

BoxheadTim wrote:

ignorant wrote:

BoxheadTim wrote: Na, petrol is cheap over here at GBP1.07-GBP1.10[1] for the regular unleaded stuff. That's per litre, by the way, not by gallon. [1] Prices that I saw yesterday while travelling around the SE UK.

yeah but all the motors you showed require premium.

If you're talking about the stuff in my profile, you'll be surprised that everything apart from the 911 runs on the regular (95 RON) fuel. The Integrale can potentially make use of 98RON as it has a knock sensor but I don't think it does. And according to my P-car specialist, even the 911 can run happily on 95RON. Tuned Japanese cars are a slightly different matter, especially if they have been mapped in Japan for 100RON as we can't get that here. Actually that's only semi-true as BP at some point was offering 102 RON but I don't if that was still available, plus it was over twice the price of regular unleaded. Some of the stuff Jay linked to will need 98RON, so that's usually another GBP0.07/l on top of the prices I mentioned above.

sorry meant jay in his post above.. stupid 4:15 in the morning baby wake up....

yeah but all the motors you showed require premium.

Meh, so does mine and I ain't going broke... Anyway Britain probably has the cheapest fuel in northern Europe right now. Over here we're paying €1.35. In the Netherlands I saw €1.55.
92 and 95 RON sell for the same price too. Figure that out.

1.35 euro = $2

DAMN, that's about $7.60 gallon.

We're at about $2.60 a gallon here. Wow.

Ya, if you're going to be a car guy over here you learn to stop wincing after a while. It helps that my commute is less than 2 miles so I only burn through a lot of gas on day trips and the like.

Jay wrote: Meh, so does mine and I ain't going broke... Anyway Britain probably has the cheapest fuel in northern Europe right now. Over here we're paying €1.35. In the Netherlands I saw €1.55. 92 and 95 RON sell for the same price too. Figure that out.

I think Austria is still a little cheaper and Switzerland tends to be around the same price as Britain at the current exchange rate.

"At the current exchange rate" being the keyword here - it used to be that fuel was really expensive here but now that the pound isn't worth much anymore...

Jay wrote: Ya, if you're going to be a car guy over here you learn to stop wincing after a while. It helps that my commute is less than 2 miles so I only burn through a lot of gas on day trips and the like.

Or you start commuting by motorbike like I do - I've got a "US-sized" commute (120 mile round trip) but it doesn't hurt quite as badly if your bike does 55mpg (UK gallon, that is). I still blow through about GBP60 worth of fuel a week on the bike alone, though.

Firstly thanks for the responses. Secondly, I gotta say good shout on the FTO and Celica GT4.

Im gonna check insurance quotes for all cars mentioned bar the miata. The little mazda is clearly a good track car but to use everyday too would be silly imo.

Thanks again for the advice

Option 1

Step 1. Eclipse / Talon AWD turbo

Option #2

Step 1. Get Reliable DD

Step 2. Then go find Nice "hawt" girl,

Step 3. Get the car that she wants you to have.

Step 4. Be happy.

Zman wrote: Im gonna check insurance quotes for all cars mentioned bar the miata. The little mazda is clearly a good track car but to use everyday too would be silly imo.

No offense like, but you've clearly not driven one.

I used to run mine as an everyday car and they worked fine including the weekly grocery shopping.

BoxheadTim wrote:

Zman wrote: Im gonna check insurance quotes for all cars mentioned bar the miata. The little mazda is clearly a good track car but to use everyday too would be silly imo.

No offense like, but you've clearly not driven one. I used to run mine as an everyday car and they worked fine including the weekly grocery shopping.

I agree, I use my 99 as a dd and the trunk will fit a weeks worth of groceries. I take mine on business trips, sometimes a 7-8 hour drive one way and fit 2 weeks worth of clothes. Just wish my base edition had cruise control though.

Yeah, I use a mk1 mr2 (aw11) as a daily and it's no problem, even for grocery runs. Depends on how many friends you want to ride around though.

Back on topic - recommendations on a "japanese car" is as broad as the day is long. You're going to get answers all over the place. If you're still learning about modifying and a maintaining cars, not to mention competition and/or performance oriented driving I'd suggest sticking with something that is:

• FWD or AWD - will possibly save you and your vehicle when (not if) you make a big driving mistake. RWD is a lot of fun, but isn't required to have fun. For your first performance car, getting something that isn't likely to bite back very hard makes learning a lot less stressful. To clarify, I'm not just talking about at-the-limit track days. A simple thunderstorm can make driving to store in your turbo rwd more interesting than you want it to be. The exception to the rule are relatively low-powered rwd cars like the miata. They're so well balanced and benign that I don't think they're that much worse than a civic. You still have to be more mindful in dangerous conditions though.

• Naturally Aspirated - until you learn more about engines and how to work on your own car, a used turbo can get really expensive and aggravating. I'd also suggest a marque with better than average reliability. Fortunately, most Japanese brands are pretty good. Unfortunately, Mistu isn't one of them. (Although I always liked the FTO, we never got them in the states)

A couple of cars that no-one has mentioned yet that match those criteria are the Integra and Prelude. The later Preludes are a little heavy for a fwd car imho, but have relatively torquey engines, low center of gravity, and excellent reflexes. They make better daily drivers than track cars I suppose, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The integra is lighter and is constantly used as a race car, but you gotta wring out the engine to get any real forward thrust (which I also find to be fun). You get honda reliability, high-revving engines, double-wishbone suspensions all around, and a HUGE aftermarket in both.

Also, the last Celica GTS comes to mind as well. It is very similar to the integra, but probably better stock. Less aftermarket support.

Matt B wrote: A couple of cars that no-one has mentioned yet that match those criteria are the Integra and Prelude. The later Preludes are a little heavy for a fwd car imho, but have relatively torquey engines, low center of gravity, and excellent reflexes. They make better daily drivers than track cars I suppose, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The integra is lighter and is constantly used as a race car, but you gotta wring out the engine to get any real forward thrust (which I also find to be fun). You get honda reliability, high-revving engines, double-wishbone suspensions all around, and a HUGE aftermarket in both.

Good point, his budget will buy him a very nice JDM import DC2 Integra Type-R here in the UK. They're much cheaper over here than in the US...

Matt B wrote: I'd also suggest a marque with better than average reliability. Fortunately, most Japanese brands are pretty good. Unfortunately, Mistu isn't one of them. (Although I always liked the FTO, we never got them in the states)

I don't agree with this. I had a Mirage around the same vintage ('95) which was bulletproof. It had a weak cylinder already when I got it and I abused it for years. Nothing major ever went wrong except things that were my fault.
Mitsu got a bad rap because of things like the Starion, which had a million miles of vaccuum lines, and the DSMs which were the go-to car for broke 18-year-olds trying to dominate the quarter mile. A lot of the other things they built will easily outlast Hondas or Toyotas. Plus they don't rust nearly as bad as other Japanese cars of the era.

Jay wrote: Mitsu got a bad rap because of things like the Starion, which had a million miles of vaccuum lines, and the DSMs which were the go-to car for broke 18-year-olds trying to dominate the quarter mile. A lot of the other things they built will easily outlast Hondas or Toyotas. Plus they don't rust nearly as bad as other Japanese cars of the era.

+1...

AFAIK, the only real mitsus that were hard to keep running were the early Laser/Talon/Eclipses. Apparently that was related to weak timing components. I knew a lot of guys who made really good power with not a lot of prodding. They just had to keep that belt from letting go.