Demon Dave

As for price - varies a lot dependant on number of bumpers they've had Seriously, had a brief look on Yahoo Auctions Japan (not the best place to get a used car, cheaper than a dealer but much more risky) and I found these: with a reserve price of 650,000 yen. or this, with 160,000KM on the clock going for 300,000 yen: Again, I'd highly recommend an importer or having someone familiar with AE86's be with you to check the car out before you hand over any money... If you do decide to get one, it'd probably be a good idea to source a set of spares for it (filters, belts etc) while you here too.

Topi - As Evo_Lee said AE86's have held their value well...too well and given the age/condition of most of them, they're way over-priced IMO. While they are THE classic drift car, be aware most are well passed their prime and had a hard life. Finding a clean example is tricky, and their popularity means they command a premium. I'd also be concerned about the availability/cost of parts for them back in the UK. Might be wise to check that out before you commit. As for where to buy, I haven't seen many for sale - the best place would be the auctions or try checking out local garages in the area you're staying. I'd highly recommend being able to thoroughly examine any car before you commit to buying it. If you're definitely not going to use an importer (though I would recommend Newera if you're in the UK) then the best place to get info on self imports would be the GTROC UK. Have a look at this thread and this one to get you started. You need to check on the specifics for the AE86's regarding sva, but being over 10 yrs old you shouldn't have any probs... Dave

most drifters are pretty friendly, even towards foreigners - so I wouldn't worry about trying to catch some action. After reading this you'll be more worried about the general public than the drifters themselves...

hehehe - probably so! Nah, if I remember my history correctly the reason we drive on the right was because knights were generally right-handed (holding their lance in their right hand) and thus always passed their opponent on the right and it went on from there...

The short version: They copied it from us Brits nice find and some interesting background to Japan's motoring history

Hey there, glad you found your way over here - this is the place for us N/A boys re: your exhaust - if it was designed for a turbo model you might be not getting the full benefit of it - indeed you could even lose some power. I'm running a kakimoto system (main bore is 70mm, tailpipe 110mm) and I definitely notice a power drop at lower revs (compared with stock) due to lower backpressure. The pod could cost you some power in the summer (not that it ever gets that hot in Old Blighty ) but without an intercooler reducing intake temps, I'd recommend some kind of cold air partition. Or maybe even ditch the pod and got with an uprated panel filter and a modified airbox....

hehehe - am trying to resist I don't want to give up my 34 and be practical but it's a bit of pain since rearward facing baby seats don't fit in the rear of the car. Our other car is a cube, which is about half the size of a skyline and feels very sluggish with 4 people in it... no immediate plans to change anytime soon, but if I do it's either a turbo stagea or a *cough* Subaru WRX STI

Some more taken at the winery (Suntory) just behind my place: and a couple more here and here Dave

Troy - have a read of Saturdays Daily Yomiuri (front page) It says, and I quote: " DaimlerChrysler AG said Thursday it would pull out of Mitsubishi Motor Corp.....putting the Japanese firms future in doubt" It goes on to say: " It (DC) would not provide anymore financial support to Mitsubishi, Japans only unprofitable car maker. "This clearly means separation" a DC spokesman said, adding that the company (DC) would book it's 37% stake as a discontinued business until it can find a buyer...."

Ouch Skylines in pain....not a pretty sight. Glad no one was seriously hurt.

Read in the paper today DC are pulling out of Mitsubishi. A lot of people are saying on their own, Mitsubishi won't last more than a couple of years unless someone bails them out...was wondering what people's thought were... their reputation in Japan has taken a big knock in recent years with a string of recalls, cover-ups and bad publicity. Can they recover? Would be a shame to see the 3 diamonds disappear...

Link is working now I should hope my computer isn't having trouble reading Japanese - it is, afterall, a Japanese spec machine :)

I have to agree with Evo_Lee - with the arrival of our second son, I've been contemplating getting a late model Stagea with the neo RB25DET (280P) - for a clean example with low km's you're talking at around 2 mil JPY....

link doesn't seem to be working at the mo. Me thinks I need to change my student population - currently 90% of my students are under the age of 6 and regularly emit large quantities of a green like slime from their nasal cavities.... :)

Dino - I'll see if I can arrange some sick leave :)

Dino any chance you could make that on the 15th? I have to work on the friday and since I'm taking the entire previous week off (Golden Week) I doubt I'll be able to get that friday off too