Classic imports from Japan ?

Silvera

A few weeks ago I saw an advert in the Buy & Sell for a 1974 Toyota Carina Coupe which stated that it had "just been imported from Japan". The asking price was €5000.

Could this be the start of a new trend ?

Perhaps we will be seeing more 'classics' from Japan in the coming years ?

The above car would seem to be good value if it was in the same excellent condition as most used japanese imports.

Although, I would have thought that most secondhand cars (bar really nice classics perhaps?) would have been dismantled/crushed in Japan after c.10 years ?

Ratchet

Silvera wrote:

A
Could this be the start of a new trend ?
...............

yeah you can say that, specially boy racers will buy anything which is rwd,
i know the guy which paid close to 5000 for rwd starlet.

I don't know about this classic status tho

Delta_ie

I say there are japanese classics such as different datsuns such as Skyline 240k gtr, Bluebird 510 series etc.
The skyline and bluebird had deep roots in racing in japan, america,etc
Then there are the toyota corollas ke20, ke30 etc and the mazda rx 3,4,5, etc

But the rwd starlet and levin/trueno are not a classic and it is stupid the price some of them go for.

With the price of insurance you could start to see a demand for small engined rwd japanese cars.

I just hope that it won't be youny lads that think they know have a rwd car so they are gods gift

Silvera

???


........... perhaps we will see Used Japanese Car Importers in Ireland starting to import 240Z's, KE30's, etc.

It would make a change from the usual Morris Minor's, MG's etc. at car shows ........... no offence to MM or MG owners !

PaulK_CCI

Silvera wrote:

...... perhaps we will see Used Japanese Car Importers in Ireland starting to import 240Z's, KE30's, etc.

I don't think there is much danger for that. Japanese car and emission laws are so strict, that it's rare to find the "older" cars still running around over there, i.e being kept or sold. Classics in Japan are generally the domain of private collectors, and a lot of the cars wouldn't even venture on the road. The reason why so many ordinary Japanese import cars are shipped abroad, is because they are heavily taxed if they fall beside the strict emission and age restrictions. So the genuinely older classics from the seventies have long gone disappeared in Japan itself, other than with serious collectors who keep their cars in pristine condition.
Only places to pick up alternative RHD examples would be New Zealand and Australia!

But, you needn't go that far, because there's always the continent: my Datsun 240Z will be available for purchase from next week on... Here is a "wet" picture of the car before it went into the "Hibernation Dust Off" two weeks ago...



Contact me for more details

Silvera

Nice car Paul !

.........but it will need nice wheels to make it just right !!
Wolfrace perhaps ?

Ratchet

here is my czech version of Datsun