DaiOni

Isn't there a car called 'nude' as well? Seems vaguely familiar (maybe I'm thinking of the naked). Joy Pop and Toppo BJ always get a sAfrican American out of me too. best chocolate: creamy collon/chocolate collon

I've never heard of a visor being replaced for compliance, I'll have to take your word on that one *It could also be that every car gets the same visor - with the same printing, regardless of what it is optioned with * whether it is legal or not, the japanese *seem* far less worried about ditching a factory airbag wheel * it may be possible to work out what it was optioned with, by checking the #'s (tyre placard area? not sure, that's where it is on my rx7, never checked on the skyline) - I had a full list of option codes but I gave the magazine away to my brother-in-law - maybe it's been posted here before by someone

I disagree, I think the japanese car scene and the way they perceive it is definitely legit in its own right - sure, there are US influences (nitrous, graphics and lighting are definitely following suit), but there are just as many euro influences as well (or pseudo-euro influences - I think the japanese definitely have their own take on what is 'euro'). The japanese have made an art out of remaining a tightly homogenous culture, yet picking and choosing what they like from the west. As for us not being 'cool' - probably has much more to do with us not having the $$$. It makes sense for workshops to target the US market - as it's obviously huge, with the import scene growing exponentially over the last few years or so. The japanese market itself is ultra competitive, and over regulated, so the US market can only be seen as 'ripe' for the picking. The true multinationals - HKS, etc, have been doing it well for years now. Boostmeister mentioned how cool it would be to see australia in option magazine. Unfortunately, over the last couple of years, in Option (and Opt. 2) magazine I've seen twice as much about NZ as I have Australia. It's a sad fact of life - we are small fry with few dollars to offer. Getting back to the actual thread topic - "they took a great country and turned it into a police state" was a comment I heard on a recent trip back home - and it's hard to disagree. In which direction will the car scene go?? Well, if the current progression of enforcement, rightly or wrongly, is any indication... 'sleeper' mode might be the only viable option.

were you after a map of gunma? or the city? Actually, I'm kind of curious as to why you want a map... in any case, the prefecture itself is adjacent to Saitama (Saitama is south) - which is next door to Tokyo. Niigata is on its northern side (japan alps run along the border). Both Yokohama and Niigata city are major ports, but, as I said, Yokohama is more than likely the best option. geography 101!

oh, and here's the city's website: http://www.city.maebashi.gunma.jp/ here's a smaller version, but in english: http://www.city.maebashi.gunma.jp/english/index.htm

I'd guess that the nearest port to Gunma ken would be Yokohama (Tokyo). On a map, it looks closer to Niigata (where I live) - which is a major port (biggest in the west). But being on the west coast, I wouldn't be confident that there is a company that ships to australia from there. I hope there is though, as it would be a hell of a lot cheaper for me when the time comes. In any case, it certainly would be likely that Yokohama is the easiest route from Gunma.

you'd be lucky to find a NA for 6-7k (very lucky - at least one that's worth having) - and that's from someone who lives in japan and always has his head in their car classified magazines

please don't post threads like this, you only depress the residents :thumbdwn:

The autobacs car (which is an audio-based project) is the only gts-t I can remember. Not surprising really... Judging by some of the pics I've seen so far, I'm starting to think I got the ugly shift! Maybe they only let the nice girls out later in the day

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/sh...8&highlight=rx7 it's all been said before, but to add the 2c anyway: * Fuel economy should be a bit of a mute point, given that it is a performance car... however, they're about on par with a r32 GTR - which is it's obvious oppposition (as opposed to a GTST/GTT). * 100k is the 'rule of thumb' for 13Brew rebuilds - but plenty have gone on way beyond that (depends on how you modify them) * Reliability with these cars usually has as much to do with the owner * the early JDM cars 91-95 will do a 13.6 400m and 4.9 0-100. the s7 rz model is slightly lighter and will do about 13.3 or so. From 99 they got an official 280ps (in reality, it's quite abit more) but I haven't seen any recorded times. I'd guess that a spirit-r model would be sub 13 seconds. In Australia and Europe the FD gained a little weight and some pollution gear - which means a low to flat 14 400m is standard - easily remedied though * they weigh around 1250-1280kg for the average JDM model

The real question is: would you really want a 15year old GTR that is selling at that price? Fact: The pristine, honest low km r32 GTRs are currently selling for more than the average r33 GTR

real prices were listed in recent thread by me, do a search

The team n3rd kanji above is utsuru - and it's meaning is to move (with the connotation of transfer or shift), so it's not a bad definition. But Merli's post is right on all counts

I'm going to give the obvious advice - go get it tuned! Base map is a stop-gap. Go get the full potential out of it.

The gentleman's agreement is just that, an agreement - it's not legally binding. There is a hell of a lot more mutual agreement between companies in japan, as opposed to western nations. That's one of the reasons why you often find that pricing for similar products can be very similar between different companies (ie: intercoolers, etc). The reason for the kW (or we should say, ps) limit is (apparently) to keep the companies on a level playing field and/or to stop any potential power 'wars' If you look at the cars that exceed the kW agreement - they tend to not be directly from the big companies (HSV is to holden as Nismo is to nissan). IIRC, the car with the most power over the advertised 280ps is the toyota supra (though the s8-9 FD rx7 probably has even more if you consider power:weight)

I have an rb20e 33! That's why I call her 'the slug'. Actually not a bad engine, despite how miserable it seems on paper - I've driven far worse. Okay for a shopping trolley/daily driver for the wife/snowmobile

If you're in tokyo and visiting akihabera (which most tourists do - for the electronics) there's a pretty good anime/manga shop there as well (on one of the main streets - it stands out so it is pretty easy to find). It's at least 5 levels (possibly more, I can't remember) - you'll go wild Me, I couldn't really care less about it (except trying to stop my students reading manga in class) - but some of it's okay. I finally watched 'spirited away' (mainstream, but worthwhile) the other week - not bad. The rest in that series (same company/maker?) is pretty good too, what I've seen of it.

[taken from Rezz's photo thread, because I wouldn't want to detract from the threads purity And added here because someone was obviously interested] Dealership prices (which is what you will find in car classified magazines) - (obviously could go even cheaper via the owner or via auction) * the average 95 r33 GTR is somewhere between 1.75-2million yen (you can get them a lot cheaper - but you get what you pay for). * Decent 96 GTRs seem to be around the 2.3 - 2.5million area * 97s are around 2.7-2.9ish * 98s are high 2s - early 3million yen * Add around 300,000+ for a v-spec * below average to decent early r33s (turbo) can be had for 400,000 (sometimes less) to 900,000yen. I've seen a few heavily modifed examples (with low kms) go for considerably more than that. SIIs seem to range from around 600,000 to 1.6mill. Bearing in mind that those at the higher end would be showroom condition and modified. 4-doors are a little cheaper. I've seen r34 GTRs dipping into the mid 3million mark. Nice GTTs are still around 1.8-2million-ish. Interestingly, a low km late model r32 GTR will still earn a 2million+ price tag - with v-specs worth quite a bit indeed, given their age. Definitely a few 89 models going below the 750,000yen mark - but export demand might affect that. You can pick up an early r32 turbo for next to nothing - literally. using today's exchange rate as an example: 500,000yen=$6,312 750,000yen=$9,468 1million yen=$12,624 1.25mill yen=$15,781 1.5mill yen=$18,937 1.75mill yen=$$22,093 2mill yen=$25,249 2.5mill yen=$31,562 3mill yen=$37,874 3.5mill yen=$44,186 cheapest r32 gts-t I've seen for sale at a dealership=$1,136 (but I have also seen several offered for free - as the owners don't want to pay to get them towed away...)

As was pointed out above - you have to make 250,000+ to qualify for a visa - so there's your starting wage. The JET wage has been 300,000yen/month since 1989! (would have been an awesome wage back then...). For australians, the best idea (in my opinion) is to pay japanese taxes (rather than getting raped by the aussie tax dept). I get a wage increase (something like 320,000 gross) for doing so, and my net wage per month is about 265,000 (not bad for 4.5 days 'work'). On top of that I do a couple of hours a week private work which is good for another 40,000ish. If you want to work your butt off, you could do much more on the side (opportunities are there if you look for them). But hey, life is short! Also, you pay japanese 'super' as well - and you can get a maximum of three years of that back, when you leave - which is over A$10k (if you are making 250,000ish)

6) Go up Tokyo Tower and on the Sunday for those that will stay overnight. Have you done that before? It's quite a rip-off. The metro buildings in shinjuku are just as impressive, view is better, and it's free

As for the unlocked door thing - I've had many japanese people come to my door and struggle with it for a minute or so - obviously quite perplexed that it is in fact locked! In japan the genkan (the space (dorway) just inside your house) is considered a public space! The city has keys to every house - just in case they need to get in for some reason (so I'm told) - imagine governemnts trying to get away with that in a western nation! I don't enjoy people selling me fish at 6 in the morning, so I keep mine locked (and natural habits are hard to break). This is (deep) country living though - the cities can be quite different.

Tonight's useless trivia: Gunma ken, as well as being the home of initial D, is one of the best places in japan to pick up a car - it's sometimes referred to as a used car paradise. Unsurprisingly, it has the highest people:car ownership ratio in japan So if you are thinking of coming to japan, want to buy a nice car, want some great mountain roads, want somewhere relatively rural, yet very close to tokyo - not a bad placement pick

You'd definitely want your employer to hook you up with accomodation - that tends to be the method of all the major companies and JET. That's another of those things that is like a jackpot - you get what you are given. Most city dwellers who come to my place are shocked and jealous (I have a very large place by japanese apartment standards - and it's not in the typical 'box with four rooms' layout). But then again, I live in the country. You can always move out and look for your own place - but that is easier said than done. Some (many?) agencies and/or landlords will have a no-gaijin policy. Some landlords will also insist on key money (reikin) - this is non-refundable 'thank you' money - equivalent to 1 month+ of rent (can get very expensive). Here's an example I pinched from another website, it's is an example of an initial rental payment: Key money 160,000 Deposit 80,000 Realtor 80,000 Advance 80,000 Total 400,000 ouch! the crappy apartment you may (or may not) get starts to look better and better!

Some of the other guys might have some factual info on that (visa) point. All I know is hearsay. In my case, I was issued with a three-year specialist visa before I left. This is, I hear, how it used to work. You came to japan, found a job. To get a working visa, the regulations stated that it had to be issued in a foriegn country. Most people would get around this by making a trip to korea (being quite close), getting a visa, then coming back. I think there may have been a small waiting period too - so they had to stay in korea for a little while. Again, that's just what I've heard. I believe things have changed in recent years, so you'd need to do some research into that.

Steve: a lot of people come with good intentions, but just can't/won't cope/deal with cultural difference. Coming from England to Australia is one thing - but moving to a country where: gender roles are (sometimes very) different, religion is different (and that has bigger social impact than most realise), social hierachy is different (and thus the way we deal with those 'above' and 'below' us), language is different (obviously a huge factor - when you may know far less - or nothing - of what's going on around you)......... I could go on and on and on. But let's just say, even the most culturally seasoned of us, will have to confront things every day/week or month. I like to think that this is one of my better skills, but I've felt like punching a few people in the head since I've been here (a certain licence registry officer springs to mind....). Breath.... start the mantra...