Japanese cars

[SonicBlue03]

Meh. To each their own. I have an 03 Cobra I'm the original owner of - not stock at all, but only 21K miles (she only comes out when it's sunny and 70+...I don't like putting the top up on her unless I have to.) My daily car is my '11 Outback and my two-wheel fun is my KTM Adventure. So I have 'Merkin, Jap, and Kraut. All make something I like, and something I can use. (I think only the KTM is built overseas...pretty sure my Outback is from Tennessee.)

 

[Tactical SS]

My Japanese truck was built in America. Bottom line is it's Japanese, but it supports American jobs all the way there.

I try to purchase goods from American companies that make them in America. It's better that way. The bottom line for me though is it has to work for me. Might be selfish but I'm not paying $100 more for a $100 item made in American vs one made abroad (exclusions apply).

 

[supergenius]

hi.


2.2 liters. 134 CU inches roughly........ 850HP 650 tq. 759/579 at the wheels


Ya its a honda,,, Accord... That walks on liter bikes sits on hubcaps, Ive had some 10.xx second v8 cars... not 1 EVER pulled on the top like this thing does.

 

[H2O MAN]

I have owned over 50 different cars and a few trucks.

Many of the cars were nice late 60's & early 70's Pontiac Tempest, LeMans & GTO plus a POS Firebird.




Then I tried a couple of '78 Datsun 280Z cars and that began my appreciation for Japanese vehicles...
Datsun lead to Honda & Acura and that lead to Toyota & Lexus. I also tried a few POS Fords in the 90's.
I talked my dad into selling his Town Car and buying an Acura RL ... best, most reliable car he as ever owned.
I owned a Toyota T1OO that I sold a few years ago with 208K and pass it from time to time - it now has over 300K.
I drive a Tundra now and just picked up a '95 V6 Camry with 235K on it for my run about economy car.
My wife drives an older RX300 and my son drives an '05 Matrix all of them are reliable long term keepers.

Most Japanese cars are very good and the best Toyota/Lexus were produced in Japan between '88 & '96 before CAFE standards forced changes.

My all time favorite Jap car is the 1st generation of NSX super cars and I would like to own one some day.


That said, I do like most of what I see coming from FoMoCo, Obama Motors and MOPAR these days - huge improvements have been made in US vehicles.

 

[Spitpatch]

These two per Redcap's request and preferences:



1967 Ford Fairlane 500 2d Hardtop. 289 V-8. Ongoing labor of love (like the Cruiser).




1968 International Scout 800A. This one I sold in 2005 (after a 3-year restoration on it, and taking 2nd Place at the Binders NW show)

 

[JimmyS1985]

Well the issue was more about the guy being ignorant as bubblegum towards me liking a different country of origins cars. He kept telling me Im not an American, even though I was born and raised here. I mean you have no idea how ignorant people are sometimes, they act like monkeys in a zoo, or psychotic schizophrenics if someone doesn't love American badged cars as much as they do.

You wanna know what got me interested in gun ownership? It was actually a bad road rage incident I had in my MR2 Turbo. I had a funny license plate on the back that said URV8SX, and this stupid redneck on the roads started asking me about it from his girlfriends car while I was driving on the road. I told him oh yea its got about 300whp and is good for 12's, I was pretty proud of myself at the time as I had built it myself and was the fastest car I had built to date, even if it is not considered very fast, I was proud of it. Then the guy all of a sudden started calling it a toy car, calling me a homosexual, and how great v8 muscle was. I was kinda pissed Ill admit, he kept having his girl friend drive along beside me, now keep in mind I got the T-tops off so I can't really drown out the noise, and continues to yell at me. Eventually I boiled over, and threw one single penny at his car and then he got really mad, and I hit the boost and got well ahead of traffic.

So I thinking Im ahead of this guy, Im ok. But then he weaves through traffic gets right behind me. Girl friend gets out the car walks up to me and throws a piece of trash at me. Im like what the bubblegum is with these people, i mean they start a road rage incident and are all of a sudden surprised that they get a negative response? So then the man comes up alongside my car and has his fist cocked back like hes going to punch me, I rev it up to 6500rpms and pop the clutch and do a U-turn and get out of there.

Instead of making me think, Oh maybe I should avoid pissing these types of people off, or taking off my license plate, I looked into buy a gun because you can legally have a firearm in your glove-compartment in Missouri. I dont know if I would of had legal authority to pull it on the man, but since I found myself in the middle of a bad road rage incident over something as silly as a license plate, I wanted to be prepared for the next time.

Btw, Ive analyzed the incident so before you tell me how stupid I was for acknowledging his taunts and throwing a penny at the guy, I already know that was a bad move. This is what it comes down to, and Ive done in later road rage incidents. Now that I usually carry a cellphone on my car, I didn't before at the time, If the other driver absolutely wants my attention to get their view point across, I will listen to them and try to defuse the situation. If they are threatening though, I call their plates into 911. I should of done that with the angry v8 muscle redneck but hindsight is 20/20.

My dad owns a Miata, hes had 3 of them to be exact. He served his country for 15 months in Vietnam. He also worked for the Federal government for over 20 years and votes democratic. Does he not count as an American either? He got super pissed when Sarah Palin was talking to some stupid small town poor folk claiming that they were the good americans or something along those lines, as if my dad didn't count.

 

[Jasonsan]

When I was in the market for a 4-door V6 truck, the American versions rated very poorly compared to the Tacoma or Frontier. I went with the Tacoma and in 120,000 miles, the only thing that has broken is the electric compass.

I dont know much about the reviews but I have an 01 Ford F150 SuperCrew with the 5.4 v8 (not the six) that has 150,000 and never an issue! Ive also been in some VERY fast cars but nothing has ever held a candle to my dads 1970 GTO Judge with the Ram Air IV (and that includes the 1976 Chevelle SS with the 396 big block). Both were very impressive cars that I will never forget! On the other hand my Grandmother did have a pretty awesome Z-Car but that was after she got rid of the 1968 Firebird..... lol! Guess I was just raised in and around American Muscle and it stuck.

 

[JimmyS1985]

I dont know much about the reviews but I have an 01 Ford F150 SuperCrew with the 5.4 v8 (not the six) that has 150,000 and never an issue! Ive also been in some VERY fast cars but nothing has ever held a candle to my dads 1970 GTO Judge with the Ram Air IV (and that includes the 1976 Chevelle SS with the 396 big block). Both were very impressive cars that I will never forget! On the other hand my Grandmother did have a pretty awesome Z-Car but that was after she got rid of the 1968 Firebird..... lol! Guess I was just raised in and around American Muscle and it stuck.

I really like the Ford Lightning. My first race in my first MR2 Turbo was against a ford lightning, I nosed ahead of him before we both shut it down.

Id like to get a GMC Syclone, but its hard to find one that runs a decent quartermile inspite of its 4.3l turbo v6. I think its because no major after-market manufacturers build parts for the turbo 4.3l chevy v6.

 

[Redcap]

These two per Redcap's request and preferences:



1967 Ford Fairlane 500 2d Hardtop. 289 V-8. Ongoing labor of love (like the Cruiser).




1968 International Scout 800A. This one I sold in 2005 (after a 3-year restoration on it, and taking 2nd Place at the Binders NW show)

Bad ***!

 

[drew]

And when you start turning bolts on your newer Ford, you'll find "made in Mexico" or such all over it. I'm very proud of Ford for not "feeding at the trougth": just one more reason I'll keep buying them, but I harbor no illusions about them being truly "made in America" anymore. Not even my "pure" '67 Fairlane has escaped. Replacement parts more often than not (and I try to buy quality stuff) come not from these shores.

And, as for durabiity, ruggedness, and quality of workmanship, It might be difficult argue against this stablemate (vintage 1971) to my Fairlane:

That's nice.

 

[korntera]

there are many fine cars out there, the best of them are not built in america or japan. To call an RX7 one of the best driving machines out there is simply ridiculous. Try a Holden, Lotus, Fiat, porsche, et cetera. The idiot level here is astounding.

Haha agreed. I drive a Lotus Elise and except for some $100k plus cars I have driven(Lamborghini, Ferrari etc.) nothing drives like it. I have had multiple sport bikes, two 400+ HP WRX STIs and even though they are faster in a straight line nothing is as thrilling as my Elise. I also should be the proud owner of a Porsche Cayenne S(the Lotus isnt very practical but my "practical" vehicle still has to be fun and fast) this week if all goes well. I have owned in this order...
Acura, Toyota, Subaru, Subaru, Yamaha, Honda, Subaru, Yamaha, Subaru, Toyota, Lotus, Porsche. Hopefully in the next five years I will have something Italian

 

[Buddhalux]

You'll love the R33. My buddy has one and it's been in a magazine or two for show.

Now unless you've driven the FD then you can't knock it. That car is one fast, quick, agile mofo! Especially if you get some work done on it at Pineapple racing and get the triple rotary. The only real weakness that the Genesis motor has is the Apex seals. You can however buy thicker ones that do help some of the issues.

I do have a love hate relationship with my 1G DSM and it's tempermental 4G63 engine. However, it is heavily modified and set up for 4-500 AWHP once it's done.

 

[supergenius]

I know a couple guys with Rotary bubblegum that run in the 8 second range... They piss my ears off... LOL

 

[iomatic]

It's an international world and multi-dependent economy more complex than it was 50 years ago — one way, way bigger than the United States; if you can't figure that out, well then, I guess that's your problem.

 

[korntera]

Buddhalux are you talking about Dave? He is a member of this forum he goes as BrewPubBeaver and he had an award winning magazine featured R33.

 

[hyejinlove]

I miss my rx7. Had a RHD 93 RX. Full tune. I have drove and sold high end cars in the past but would consider the rx7 the ultimate driving machine. I drove a fully tuned RE 99 spec model once with full sequential gear box and would have given a testicle and first born for it. Nothing to date has compared to the RE Amemiya. Yah they require constant Maitnence and gas mileage is bubblegum but for the balance it can not be beat.

 

[supergenius]

cute wing

 

[Burt Gummer]

I rode in one of those tricked out RX-7s once. Damn that car was under-rated. That was a hell of a car for the money.

 

[DieselScout]

1968 International Scout 800A. This one I sold in 2005 (after a 3-year restoration on it, and taking 2nd Place at the Binders NW show)

That picture was taken at the International Scout and Truck of Oregon's Great Western Binder Bee.... I know cause I was there!! Great looking 800 by the way!

 

[coop44]

There is american made, but no such thing as a 100% american sourced car. Everything comes from somewhere, think about it. Where did the base petroleum come from that makes the polymers that make the plastic that makes up a huge percentage of your car? Where was your wiring harness made? I was working for a Harley dealer when I found out that harley wiring harnesses were made in Malaysia! If you really researched it you will probably find that even 40 year "American" old cars have original imported parts. Outsourcing is not anything new. Do you really think no one knew 40 years ago that labor was cheaper elsewhere?

But that being said, I don't care, I drive what I want. If it happens to be assembled here great!


(BTW RX7's DON'T LAST, neat cars but don't fill my criteria)