DaiOni

can someone give more precise directions (stations) to crystal? I'm in tokyo next month and I need to pick up a few bits and pieces.

here's an overview of his pro driving career: http://www.zigzagasia.com/Default.asp?ID=81

he's pretty much a god of JGTC, D1 (started it up, IIRC) the first usage of 'drift king' was as his nickname referred to in initial D seen in many, many option and best motoring vids the 'drift bible' dvd that all the kids love - he's the instructor

not bozosoku quite a range of different car cultures there, but not bozos they average japanese might call them bozosoku in a derogatory way - but the reality is quite different

hachi is (was) cheap too - that's it's real selling point, that's why people drove them - cheap and they did the job. Then along came a cartoon and suddenly the myth outweighed the reality. it was takumi (which, incidentally, means 'skillful' in japanese) that made the car - and not the other way around. there's plenty of examples in motorsport where a top driver changed teams, and, suddenly, and 'unbeatable' car suddenly became part of the traffic. tsuchiya could drive anything, as could shumacher, mccray, etc etc etc.

...in a cartoon reality

"thats one of my friends" japanese? that pic struck me as very odd. I've never seen that happen.

Hehe, but it takes 6 hours to circumnavigate mine (and only if you are doing the speed limit, or thereabouts).

I'm not bothering until I go home -or until I move to an urban area that comes close to warranting the expense. Cars just aren't stolen where I am.

Replying to a post in another forum (about which car alarms we use in japan, hehe), a little research brought some interesting data. In the mid-90s up to about 98, the car theft rate in japan was stable - at about 35,000 incidences per year. Since then it has been steadily increasing - and currently stands at about 60-70,000 per year. The claimed reason for this - dodgy importers sending stolen cars around the world (australia being one of the key locations). Certainly reminds me of a thread on here about a big name japanese exporter... So... if you were wondering about the legitimacy of your mileage, what about the legitimacy of the car!? I guess it doesn't really matter by the time the keys are in your hands. In any case, check this out for a comparison: 2002 Japan Population: approx 126million Car theft incidences: approx 65,000 USA Population: approx 293million Car theft incidences: approx 1.2million !!! Despite the recent spike in activity, that's a pretty good highlight of the different world some of us are priviledged to live in. I'm certainly guilty of leaving my keys in the ignition on occasion - I'd never, ever do that in australia ...then again, I live on an island - where are they going to go?!

all good points. "even though the Japanese economy is picking up companies are putting a freeze on engineers salaries" hehe, the salary for my job has remained the same SINCE 1989!!! Luckily it's more than enough to live on - yet it would have been a goldmine in 89

welcome to the neighbourhood. you aren't far away from me

www.google.co.jp switch to japanese only pages - click the button below 'I'm feeling lucky' type in the car type - add ing 'club' may help in some cases - otherwise pay attention to the url of each page listed

my wife but hey, was worth it!

try this for ballpark rent prices http://classifieds.japantoday.com/ there are too many variables to give solid numbers - it's a big city! I wouldn't work in tokyo for under 400,000yen p/month - but it's definitely do-able on much less.

"if you want to save cook yourself." ...though, meals can be had very cheaply - for not much more than you would pay to put it together yourself (and without the hassle of making it and cleaning it up after). You could buy a decent meal for less than 1000yen if you know where to look (well, I can, I guess tokyo could be slightly more exxy). Grocery prices gave me my biggest scare when I first arrived ("an apple... $5...? f@ck off!") not all jobs will subsidise (anything!) but it depends who you are working for, obviously rent WILL be expensive, any way you look at it. Apartments are generally small (I assume we are talking about a teacher's wage???) - in tokyo, many are single room. as a comparison, a friend of mine (who lives near me), has a cousin who lives and works in tokyo - the cousin pays 5x the rent, apartment is a one room box (compared to 4), and he gets paid quite a bit less! Then again, while rural living has some great perks - it sure ain't tokyo!!! I don't want to scare you too much - but I know of people who live in very modest tokyo accomodation and still pay 100,00+ a month - chiba is a good option, not too far out to commute, and you can find much cheaper rent than that. (you might want to do some research on 'key money' and starting up costs, too) My advice, if it's your first time living in japan, find an employer who will place you in accomodation. (some employers have shared accomodation, which is another factor to consider) have fun, whatever you do

http://www.daijob.com/dj4/en/index.jsp http://www.gaijinpot.com/ http://www.jobsinjapan.com/ http://www.tokyoconnections.com/ to name a few

links for? exactly what kind of info do you need? try the japan links sticky on the japan forum page

yeah, and considering the amount of power it had, that's quite a statement - the wheel size, alone, is quite tragic for a car of that caliber

no, if you keep reading that sentence... "but one that takes a lot of $$$ (from the factory, or aftermarket), to make them competitive." I can think of plenty of cars that have got it right, just not from such a low price bracket. Interestingly, most would be classified as 'hard to drive' - but when you get into that sort of car (ie: supercar), there are a lot of factors that come into play. I think that sums it up completely. Unfortunately, a staggering percentage of the population 'can't drive', and we shouldn't assume otherwise

not many people love snap oversteer. MR cars are an interesting concept, but one that takes a lot of $$$ (from the factory, or aftermarket), to make them competitive. great cars, undoubtedly (the later versions in particular) - but there are good reasons why you don't see them competing at the top level - even though they had a production run of over ten years.

Gumna is above saitama which is above tokyo - in terms of distance, it really isn't THAT far away from tokyo (I'm thinking a shink line would get you there in an hour or less - the express only takes 1.5hrs to get to the next prefecture (where I live). The joetsu shinkansen line (running between niigata - tokyo) runs through gunma (90% sure it does!) - that would be one option (make sure that it stops near where you want to go, and it's not a super express). Another option would be to find the cheaper local line (which will be very slow). My advice is to go to a major station and enquire in the JR office (there should be english speakers in there). kousoku basu (highway/high speed bus) may be another option. Lastly, if possible, you could hire a car and drive there (not sure of the toll damage that might be inflicted, though). good luck.

Originally Posted by DaiOni Toyota - Mr2 In 86 toyota started the mr2 - I think there were NA and supercharged versions (there was an na version in oz, wasn't there...). In any case, the 'G Limited super charger' is the only version worth a look. They were a good car for their day - 15.39 0-400m (driver magazine, japan). Some people still love them, but they are very dated now - a bad combination of squareness and a wedge-like shape. Mid-mount engine is a novelty, but has its drawbacks (handling characteristics and ease of modification being a couple). 89 saw an updated version - totally different car, but with the same mid-mount, rwd principles. Styling was 'faux-ferrari' - which has aged a lot better than the previous shape. Again, the turbo version is the only one worth looking at. In 89 the GT was good for a mid 14 second 400m - but it got better over time, and the last versions (2000???, my memory is failing me...) were up there with the best (well into the 13s). Also, again, the engine placement still has its drawbacks. The early ones also needed some suspension revising - which didn't happen until later on (mid 90s?). A good car, I personally wouldn't waste time looking at the first edition. Celica There are too many models between the 80s and early 90s to cover here. That said, anything with a GT-FOUR (4wd + turbo) badge is worth a look (even the 1986 version could do 400m in 14.68). The 80s -> early 90s versions were 'rally-bred', thus, have good enough designs to be worthwhile prospects. bottom line: GT-FOUR = worth a look, standard celica = crap Supra The 93- supras are awesome, but I'm going to assume that isn't what you are after. There have been 3 generations of supra. The first (mk.I) looked like an 80s celica on steroids. That said, they take too much work to make something worthwhile. The second generation (mk.II) are a different matter - and can definitely be turned into a weapon. They were equipped with quite a few different engine varients, some good, some not so. It would take a supra expert to give all the details (not me) - that said, they generally got better with age. IIRC, the later 2.5 twin turbo was the best of the lot, followed by the 3L single turbo (which has some issues). There was also an early 2L turbo, and god knows what else. Thousands have been sold around the world - so there are plenty of websites that can give you far more information (and accuracy). Bluebird Sr turbo with the SR20det - not sure if that was available in the 80s (CA18det definitely was). In SR mode it's a case of great engine in a boring shell. Still, if you can put up with the aesthetics, they are a good little car. I'd stay away from the late 80s (or earlier) versions and stick with the 90s versions. In both sr and ca form, they are a 14 second car (over 400m) - but can easily be tuned. The later versions had more power, but also significantly more weight, so the performance didn't improve much. They use a version of nissans attesa 4wd system too. A wonderful 'sleeper' car Silvia The 89-9? (93?) version came in sr and ca engine varients. It's a good car, but hasn't aged well. Comes in NA and turbo - make sure you get the turbo (badged 'Silvia K's). They are still fairly common in japan, which says a lot about their popularity. The SR, in particular, is still heavily supported by tuners. Their success as a 'sideways' car, has also helped their longevity. Light weight and decent power make them a great project car. First thing you would need to do is get rid of the seats - they are atrocious. Personally, I favour the silvia's 'brother', the 180sx - essentially the same thing, but with a sexier body. You can't really go wrong woith an sr20det in a light car 300zx I don't know anything about the pre-89 models. But I will say, they look like something out of a bad science fiction movie (hey, it was the 80s!). The 89 version is blessed with a combination of high capacity (3L) and turbo - which is an equation for fun. That said, they are universally cursed by mechanics due to a cramped engine bay and some inherant issues. However, they can be made to go very hard (they went pretty hard straight out of the factory, too). I would say they are quite underestimated these days - probably because so many of them are looking tired and rough. If you like the wedge styling (I don't) and can find a good one, then definitely worth a look. Not sure how great one would be as a project car. 323 gti I also wonder if you are referring to the familia (??). The early 90s ones have issues, but are still fantastic little cars - often left in the shadow of the more popular nissan GTiR (pulsar/sunny). I don't know a lot about them - but the 4wd + 4cyl turbo equation is well known. It works with the familias, but there isn't a lot of tuning knowledge out there (from what I can see). I've heard that the gearboxes are fragile (which 4cyl + 4wd car doesn't seem to have that problem???), not sure of the severity of the issue though. Bottom line: A weapon, probably worth a good look. But good luck finding one. Cosmo Cosmo is a car with a lot of history (60s- I believe). If you want one, get one from 90-, either with the twin turbo 13b(rew) (very similar to the FD rx7 engine), or the twin turbo 20b. The 20b is the holy grail of street rotary engines - combining low-down torque and a lot of power (rated as 280ps, but thought to be quite a bit more). They were relatively heavy though (being a luxury car) - a little under 1600kg, and were burdened with an auto transmission (all?). Can easily be turned into a very, very fast car (stock they were good for a low 14 second 400m). Awesome, even if a little boring looking Prelude The late 80s prelude si 4ws (4 wheel steering - a bit of a 'so what?' addition) is a crap car - mid 16 second 400m, 145hp, suspension that falls apart. Forget it. The early 90s version was much better (still not much of a performance car), and the vtec kids still love them - as such, there is a fair bit of info you can find on the net. Civic 1.6 Vtec (Sir) I drove this car's little brother, the vti, for a couple of weeks recently (130hp vs the sir's 160hp). I like the styling (still looks okay), they are lightweight, and the engines have the ability to take a hell of a lot of revs (and still make 'power'). No turbo, so they are never going to be a true rocketship (unless you add a turbo...) - but they are a good little car. You'd have to be a honda fan to make one a project car, but I'd certainly have one as a runaround car. Good, fun, shopping trolley. It has to be said, that, for someone looking to import from japan, some of these cars would be very hard to source - and to source a decent one, even harder. 95% of cars from the 80s have either been crushed or imported to other countries already, and cars from the early 90s are also rapidly heading for that fate. Only the most popular cars will survive, and in limited numbers. Other japanese cars from the late 80s, early 90s that are also worth considering - toyota soarer (3L turbo), FC Rx7 (13b turbo), Mitsubishi GTO (3L twin turbo), toyota starlet GT, and, of course, the first r32 GTRs.