That same connection led us to new friendships, it led us to discover a second family, the car community. To everybody else, driving is just a means of getting from point A to point B, but to us, driving is a dream. That feeling of happiness, accomplishment, and of course, freedom. From the first time we saw Paul Walker drive his Mitsubishi Eclipse in Fast and Furious, we thought that there was nothing cooler, and we wanted to do that; We wanted to be that.
The opportunity came a couple of years later with Need For Speed games. Finally, we picked the best looking car, modified it with underglow, vinyl, and decals, and we started racing. We drifted, drag raced, and circuit raced for hours, staying up after our bedtime because we were so immersed that we lost track of time.
From that point out, we knew what we wanted to do. Dreams of one day owning that car in real life finally came true, but only after sacrificing so much. The American automotive market revolved around powerful muscle cars that dominated dragstrips up until the late 80s.
Nothing even mildly similar was seen at the time, and the Japanese market had something for everyone. Whether you wanted a 4-door sedan with incredible power, a supercar, or a nimble and quick coupe that you could feel the road with, Japanese domestic market had it.
JDM, leading the way with turbos and vehicles that were tuneable and easy to work on, brought something new to America. With a clever, yet simple design and such reliable engines that could withstand so much, we entered a new automotive era. Suddenly, every magazine was writing about the Skyline, the Supra, or the RX7, and every car enthusiast wanted to know more about them.
Just to see one in person, to experience the new sounds these vehicles made was a pleasure. Everyone desired to drive one of these legendary cars that gave you a feeling of connection with the road.
Kirby Garlitos. Automotive Aftermarket Expert - kirby topspeed. Read full bio. Related Articles. What do you think? Car Finder:. Model: Model. Active filters:. About Us. Contact Us. Automotive journalist job. Then the Japanese came along with cars that could actually get you to your destination at the first attempt, and would even start in the cold.
The first Japanese car to go on sale in the UK was the Daihatsu Compagno in , but only six were sold over its five year run. Yeah, that interior belongs to a car that is made in I like that. Even the vastly more expensive Lexus RC F feels a bit cheap and dated inside. You could potentially argue this about any scene, but in my opinion nowhere makes such a tantalising array of different takes on performance.
The Nissan Stagea is my one-size-fits-all car, and the fact that it even exists sums up why I love Japanese cars. It had started as a Suzuki-developed car and used a Suzuki-sourced turbocharged cc, hp three-cylinder engine. Fewer than were made. The Nissan Figaro is larger than the Beat and more expensive.
But Simpson says the Figaro can be a bear to work on. He cautions that for true JDM cars, meaning those not originally sold outside of Japan, there is likely no English-language shop manual. For many enthusiasts, the challenge of hunting for parts to repair or restore a classic car can be a way of life. There are a couple of good sources in Japan. One is Yokohama Motors.
Many JDM cars are the home-market versions of models that were sold in North America, sometimes with different powertrains and often with different trim. For JDM enthusiasts who do their own mechanical work, Simpson cautions that some common parts often do not interchange between JDM and North American versions of the same car.
Simpson says there are enough commonalities between the Toyota Sera and Paseo to make some parts easier to get. The Paseo was known as the Cynos in Japan and other markets. Both of his current Seras are so equipped. Even for some limited-production Japanese classics, parts commonality with other models can make restoring one a tad easier. You could own one easily and drive it with reasonable reliability.
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