Bad Relationship?

[Mr Eps]

I'm writing a story here because i simply have nowhere else to vessel my thoughts..

What is it, about "us" and the Japanese car...

This is not a Fast and Furious inspired piece, but rather the thoughts of a man who has - nay - will refuse to grow up...

When i first got my license, I was 17. i had a HSV astra 1800 (google it - the car on google images was the one i had... like *that* one)

anyway

ever since i was 14/15 years old, i was always the promoter in my school of Japanese cars.. everyone else wanted the commodore, or the falcon, or the torana, or which ever they wanted, and i was always BLASTED for wanting a japanese car.. ostricised even, but i didn't care, i wanted one, and loved them all.. not *just* the GT-R.. but the Cefiro, the Stagea, the Legnum, the Cima, i was literally "JDM" obsessed..

When i was 19, i spoke to a broker in Japan. "Seto-San"

it was the beginning of the year 2004. and i was cashed up and ready to import. i decided on the Cefiro. i wanted something TRULY unique..

i purchased, imported, nearly lost my car due to (back then) there being so many things that could go wrong - i was literally inches away from having my car deported at one stage. very scary times. but i didn't care - i was getting a japanese car!

i got my cefiro stock. 47xxx kms on the clock. since then, i've modified it with different parts and knowledge and very unique items such as the wheels.. formerly from a malaysian D1 competitor.

i'm sorry i'm getting way ahead of myself.

you must be asking 'what's the point of this"

well. nearly six years have passed in my journey. i've had defects issued. troubles with police. lost my license due to discrimination. threatened to have my car confiscated under hoon laws for unwarranted reasoning. had it spat on. egged out of jealousy. but i didn't care. i had a japanese car. everyone loved it.

and that was more than enough to keep me happily driving it.

but over the last year or so, naturally ... the love for my car has faded. i didn't look at it every day and think how proud i am to OWN such a car. to have a car 20 years old that still turned more heads on the street than ANY new car. a car with so much character, history, sentimental value... all of that had faded... all i saw was just an old piece of machinery.. i was starting to lose my rose coloured glasses and was starting to see it for what it was... a time bomb waiting to fall apart.. it wasn't starting the way it used to.. the interior has no cup holders. there's not much space in the cabin... the paint looks like rubbish.. things like that.. i was considering selling... because i was sick of it all..

over the weekend, i realised that the battery is well overdue - a painfull reminder of this was it would not start at all.. so i replaced the battery. and gave it a thourough wash.. especially the wheels, which i had forgotten how beautiful they really are from the caked on brake carbon..

the battery being replaced, it now starts like a brand new car again... and the body washed, and the wheels cleaned, and the tyre with "tyre black" on it...

...looking again.. i ask myself.. is it possible to love this car again? is it possible to re-ignite that passion i once had for it?

i think it could be... i would need the paint to be cut back to remove the stains from the road, and the bodykit could do with some repair. ocne this is done.. it could be retained to it's former showcar glory days. (not that it was ever entered in shows. i only ever did this for self fulfillment and love)

Fellow WA User NIC_A31 (who i think i'm still yet to meet) referred me to a thread i started years ago. Click

This is my car - before the D1 wheels were added. before the mercedes style chrome exterior trim was added. and this thread too, seeing what people had to say about it years ago... reminded me of what strangers say about it to this day... in part. Nic_A31 and this thread has restored the love i felt for my Cefiro.

Other Cefiro owners have sold and bought and moved on, but i haven't been able to.

...it's a sick love we feel for out japanese cars. they're old. they're unreliable. they're a headache. they're difficult to insure. difficult to repair. difficult to maintain. and in the end... it's pointless. we gain nothing from it.

yet... there are no police, no authority, no money, no opinion, no laws... nothing will change the way we feel about our japanese cars.

Nobody will understand why a father or two will purchase a Stagea over a Commodore Wagon.

Nobody will understand why a Company Director i once worked with. makes in excess of a hundred thousand dollars a year... and drives an extremely modified highly powerful S14 Silvia to work - and doesn't like the S14a.

Nobody will understand why a grown man can't let go of his 20 year old Cefiro and keeps hold of it and doesn't know why himself.

and nobody will understand exactly what this love feels like - until they get bitten by the bug themselves.

I love my Japanese car - and i love that I've taken this path that my life has lead. even after all these years.

[GTR-N1]

I understand about your relationship > Aw Shucks!

Let's say "happy marriage" is everything!

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/post-a217871-

[Mr Eps]

Terry you're a perfect example. You have so many qualifications and so much nkowledge - you're more advanced than any health professional i've ever come across.. you *should* be in a mercedes benz. or a maserati. or soemthing euro

...yet you're in an R34 GTR.

and i bet none of your colleagues will understand why

i once bumped into a guy at my old work, who had a cefiro - total shitter example. and he had a cefiro when he was younger. sold it.. and bought it back for 3 thousand more than he paid for it.. a few people on here have done similar, bought the cefiro, grown tired of it. sold it.. only to re-purchase it a few months after at a higher price because they miss it.

then i saw This Thread - telling all the stories of users who departed ownership of a japanese car - only to return afterwards.

it's simply a bug. and we can't shake it

[GTR-N1]

My 1st car Mr Eps was supposed to be an MGB because I couldn't tell my folks that I NEEDED it to get chicks.

My Dad canned the idea saying, "You'll kill yourself"!

So Plan B it became. It had to be a Holden HK Monaro or a Datsun 1600.

And so a 'loyalty' kid and Datsun 'tragic' was born hehe.

I had so much pride in that thing!

My mods list was...

1) a number "1" pool ball with a bench drill of my Dad's to make the hole for the gear stick. F%#kin' hard composite that!

It took me 2 hours and 3 drill bits. The pool ball had to be yellow to match the paintwork.

2) wheels got chromed at a local foundry. I couldn't give a stuff about how heavy they became. The word 'bling' didn't exist!

3) back rear panel had to be painted black (on my Nathane yellow Datto) and it DID go quicker.

4) new induction manifold by Lynx to adapt to my shiny Weber dual throat carbie.

Haha, I never knew until I was about to sell the car that the jets were too big (this being the cause of my fuel consumption doubling)

5) under-dash pushbutton radio

6) tints

7) hotdog muffler at the rear

8) lower profile Kleber tyres (better than that Dunlop Aquajet sh/t)

So even if a Monaro did beat me at the lights, I learned quickly how to cheat the lights by planting it on a countdown system and an extra 1/10th of a second made all the difference > especially if you took off from lane #2 and wedged the sucker behind a parked car.

Oh yes, those were the days...

I could imagine myself as Bond, Geoghagan, Jane as I watched them at Warwick Farm. Sigh....

Sorry, it's in the system! And now Datsun 'er Nissan has invented the R35

[Mr Eps]

We need to speak to a therapist don't we.

[Ultimategtr]

Dude - thats one good write up! I think all of us should read it and reflect.

Personally - its not how fast my car goes, or that it runs xx psi, or runs a 55mm external on the stock turbo. Its all about how it makes you feel OWNING it.

[GTR-N1]

About my OCD on...

1) Datsuns/Nissans ?

2) mortars & pestles ?

3) pens made by drug companies ?

4) posting on SAU ?

Sorry Rowan, but I'm still in DENIAL!!!

Unless of course we form a therapy group over a beer lol

Yeh Ray, in case you're part of it too, weekly meetings might start after AA? Then at the next AA meeting, we can honestly say that we've been dry for 6.5 days lol

[Mr Eps]

*golf claps for the dryness*

but seriously, that's exactly right, we here all have a different mindset, not all import owners feel the same, to some, it's about how much power the car makes, or how much they can get it sideways.

certain people are simply cut from a different cloth.. we are just happy to have that car.. it's not a feeling that can be bought or sold, nor can it be owned. there is no "mutual respect" among people face to face. i was just out walking on lunch, and i saw a really nice black R34 GTT in east perth.. naturally i was admiring the car, the driver looked at me through his sunglasses as if to say "oh look another pedestrian city dwelling office clerk... admiring my car" meaning, without thinking "maybe "this guy" is a fellow japanese car owner"... and as the light went green and he accelerated away... the driver wasn't thrashing his car, or booting it or anything.. he just drove away nonchilauntly... he did nothing to "impress me" or "show me who's boss"... and that's when i knew, he too... understood... what it's like to own a japanese car... he was just proud to be the owner of a black R34 Gt-T.

it's love cut from a different cloth. we keep it under wraps. we tell ourselves that there are things mroe important in life, travel, kids, work, all sorts of things.but the truth is... if you are proud to own your japanese car. then you'll also understand that nobody else "Gets it" unless they own one themselves.

you can buy XR6T, you can buy a monaro, you can buy anything in the world. it may be worth more. may be safer. may be faster. may get more "chicks"

but nothing can sum up to that feeling of pride we all get when we get into our japanese cars. they may not be brand new. they may not be as safe as later model cars. they may attract the worst kind of attention from the law. they may flag immaturity to theopposite sex. none of us care. we're just happy to be here with something nobody else understands other than us.

Edited October 19, 2009 by Mr Eps

[Mr Eps]

in short - my advice is... if you - like so many of us here... own a japanese car...

give it a wash. as soon as you can, ...don't forget to clean the wheels! vaccum the interior. degrease your engine bay. if it is making a funny noise. FIX IT. and polish your FUCKING HEADLIGHTS (r33 owners) - do SOMETHING that will make your car say thankyou.

because you drive something that nobody else understands. you're lucky to have it. we should all take a lot of pride in what we've worked - and DO WORK - so hard to keep.

the laws may pigeon hole us, the governments want to criminalise us. communities want to ban us. and bogans want to destroy our reputation.

let's retain our pride, let's continue to make those who don't "get it" scratch their heads and wonder why we do our inexplicably thankless actions. don't give up on your cars guys!

Edited October 19, 2009 by Mr Eps

[GTR-N1]

^^^ spoken like a true 'tragic'.

How do I know?

How does one recognise one?

Unless one = one of course.

lol... unless I am one. LOL

[DC33VN]

[DRD-00F]

arg

this thread hits too close to home...

My car was defected 3 times (latest time filled the entire box THEN he decided to just stop) and de-registered (twice- once on purpose, once by mistake, ruining a long weekend, making my car undriveable for 2 weeks, had my license plates lost by the police and had a $774 fine in my name). What did I do? Did I just sell it? Get a new one? At least change the license plates?

HELL NO!

I've bought about 10K worth of hardware to modify it, it's going to the shop soon where it will have everything attached, have everything engineered and be re-registered with enough paperwork to make the blokes at the paper mill shy. To say this has been a hassle is an understatement. I had to get a tow vehicle and a trailor just to get it to an event I wanted to enter! But the thought of cruising along on a hot summers day in a car that I have made my own makes it all worth it

I know there are a tonne of white 33s around, but I don't give a shit.

I know I could have spent that 10K and gotten another one but I really don't care.

I know I could sell mine and save that 10K and buy a 34 but I don't want to.

It's got problems only I know about. Some things don't work in it and I don't care (like the radio for instance). 2It's mine

I've spent a lot of time on that car, I really don't think I will ever sell it. The prospect of getting maybe 10 grand for it (by the time I NEED to sell it) would be peanuts in comparison to what it was worth (to me) or what I would need.

So to sum up this year, it has taken all my spare money, taken all my spare time, barely moved an inch (no shit, 4 tanks of fuel this year, and it has a nearly full tank) and yet I'm still happy to live like this...

And yet all I want is to see it back on the road in all its glory

[TALBO]

[jase-r34]

Lol that vid was gold.

I hear ya though Rowan. It's something that is in the blood I think. For the money I have spent on my car I could have bought a pretty much brand new SS or similar, but the thought never even crossed my mind. I think the only thing I would ever sell my car for, is a GTR.

My GF gives me shit quite regularly about how much I 'love' my car. But I don't care. It's mine, and I love driving it and owning it. Even my bike is Japanese! Lol!

[PM-R33]

Bahahhahahahahahhahahaha

[BoyWhoCriedWolf]

I love my GTR, I dont drive it much (collector), but I touch it every day, the car that is. I touch the other thing every day also, just so you know.

[Jack88]

My missus is always in aw of how the carpets and interior of my 1993 car are still cleaner and in better condition then her 2005 hyundai no matter how many times she cleans it.

My response is clean them when they get dirty lol.

Or the other day when i went around a round about at a reasonable pace and there was no tyre noise no nothing out of the ordinary and she said when i go around about at a quarter the speed my tyres make all this noise and the car feels like its about to fall over.

My response: it might have something to do with my tyres being twice the width of yours.

[mxfly]

I see a lot of ppl lately who are selling up their imports, not because they have lost passion, but because of their pride and joys being defected constantly. These people are not young or hoons or looking for trouble. These owners are simply driving their cars to and from work, day in and day out minding their own business and just picked on because they drive an import.

[Tony de Wonderful]

I know there are a tonne of white 33s around, but I don't give a shit.

I know I could have spent that 10K and gotten another one but I really don't care.

I know I could sell mine and save that 10K and buy a 34 but I don't want to.

Sounds like my situation. I brought a white R33 40th anniversary a couple of months ago...next thing I knew I'd dropped ~10k onto it.

Didn't plan to er do that.

Glad I did though.

You may be surprised to know I'm 31 and it's only the 2nd car I've owned. Yeah maybe I'm not very mature but to me Skylines have a certain mystique having grown up in the 90's....they were a VERY rare sight in the UK...very cool/tough and 'unobtainable'...exotic.

I guess that is why I bought one to maybe recapture some part of my youth. LOL. Mid-life crisis at 31? I've gone through a turbulent time lately with injuries and stuff putting my 'normal life' on hold - my whole 'life' is normally based around sport/gym etc - so maybe that explains it?

Wish I'd had one back in the 90's. I was 19 when my car was made. At that age my peers were lusting after XR3i's, XT2's etc..much different than here in Oz where V8's rule. Insurance is mega-expensive in the UK also.

I'm normally fairly frugal with cash and stuff hence why I've never splashed out on an expensive car before. Also I've been working here there and everywhere all over the world so didn't have much need. Ah well I've saved a fair bit up (over the years) so I'll put a bit more cash into my car and what the hell? Have a bit of fun.

I can't see myself getting rid of it soon. I'd rather die than drive a Camry or something. LOL.

Edited October 19, 2009 by Tony de Wonderful

[Mayuri Krab]

Its like what Jeremy Clarkson says: "You buy these cars not with your head, but with your heart."

If I were to buy a car with my head, then there's very little doubt that I'll end up with a Collora or Camry, like what my parents is doing for their next car.