- There's a time in everyone's life
where they finally manage to save their money,
okay, that's it, all right?
Instead of buying car parts, they've managed to make
an entire tax season, a whole year,
without blowing their entire retirement fund
on a set of like three-piece wheels.
Maybe they even saved it.
They didn't buy the Yeezys,
or they didn't buy the Races,
or whatever it is that you call 'em.
And if you've done that, congratulations,
because I'm proud of you!
This is when you get to the point in your life
where you finally managed to save a good chunk of change
and now you're saying to yourself,
"You know what I deserve?
"I deserve another car."
And you usually find yourself scouring the forums
and market places for cars.
I'm Alex @ALEX.FI on Instagram,
and today we're gonna be talking about
some of the best JDM cars you can buy
on the market right now if you're looking to make
a relatively terrible financial decision because,
why wouldn't you?
Which, speaking of buying things,
if you're looking for aftermarket
wheels, tires, or suspension,
for your newly acquired JDM car or otherwise,
just stop over at FITMENTINDUSTRIES.COM.
It's the beginning of the year,
which means you should probably get your wheels
before tax season, in case you're wondering,
so that they're not back ordered
by the time you get your tax return in March,
all right, just lettin' you know.
We literally have everything over there, okay?
Just got Fortune Auto coilovers
for the new Toyota Supra, too.
How neat is that, all right?
And if you've got commitment issues,
and you're watching our videos
but you haven't subscribed yet, come on now, brother.
When looking at JDM cars,
the first and likely most prominent choice
out there, right now, would be the Mazda RX7.
Now most people think that I'm gonna be talking about
the FD for the most part, as the car to buy.
And it definitely has its good fair share of reasons.
The FD is like the RX7,
but we'd open this up to the FC platform as well.
RX7s hold a special place in everyone's heart.
They came with a motor that truly set it apart 'n
if you like it or not,
it's one of those engines that really is the reason
that some of them hold the value that they do.
They hosted a true driving style
that couldn't be found in many other platforms,
and it's about as timeless as it gets to a 90s car.
The FD RX7 on one hand,
has everything great going for it.
The appreciation value, it's not down going anywhere,
there's plenty of modifications that exist for it.
It has got decent reliability for a rotary engine
if you can put up with that sort of thing.
And it just looks (smooching) muah, all right?
It's the perfect like box of chicken tendies
that you can get at McDonald's.
It's just the best thing you can possibly have,
and on the other hand,
you've got the FC RX7, okay?
It's absolutely no slouch when it comes to performance,
but it doesn't look as timeless as the FD,
but can still pull off an insane look and stance.
It doesn't stop it from an insanely high price,
like the FD, which means they're easier to jump into.
And even though you don't think that
they have a massive following, they actually do.
Depending on the depth of savings that you've built up,
you may find yourself snagging an FC over an FD,
but both are fantastic choices.
If you've ever actually been or driven an FC,
it's quite a bit of fun.
It really, it's just a good time.
A lot of times when we talk about JDM cars,
especially when we're at the top of the list,
we always gotta chat about like the Supra,
or we gotta talk about the NSX, you know what I'm sayin'?
Or the Skyline, and trust me, we're gonna get there,
but really, the next car on the list
that seems to be gettin' hit with the redhead stick
these days, and nobody wants to talk about it anymore,
would be the Honda S2000.
Now, the Honda S2000 came with a crazy high rev limiter,
a fun engine, that can taste for seduction super well,
like it literally has space on the passenger side
for just a big old turbski right there, just empty,
it's just askin' for it.
The interior is timeless,
and the driving experience is a blast.
The long nose and the short rear-end,
paired with the manual transmission,
some little V-Tech sauce,
and you have some of the best like,
weekend driving moments you could possibly ask for,
and S2000s look fantastic modified.
If you don't like the soft top look,
you can throw a hard top on it,
spoon body it if you want.
Throw some Volk TE37s on it from FITMENTINDUSTRIES.COM,
and you're pretty much ready to rock and roll.
The cars aren't necessarily appreciating,
nor depreciating in value,
but they are holding value extremely well.
Now the AP1s and AP2s have their fair share
of their pros and cons, but if you can find a clean one
that you can jump into and not freak out about
having to eat some Ramen for the rest of your life,
because an S2000 won't actually
crush your bank account that hard,
this is a good car to get, all right?
Apparently, not everybody likes Ramen like I do.
It's just a thing.
But hey, since we're on the fact
about appreciating cars for no apparent reason,
other than to make me mad, because I want one,
another car that you can pick up if you're looking for
the older side of the fence,
would apparently the the Datsun 240 to 280Z,
and pretty much a damn diamond these days.
I don't understand why, but clean Zs used to go
for like a little bit under $10,000 dollars,
but now they demand like 25K, and it makes me sad
because I just want one
so I can swap a ZL1 motor into it,
but I can't do that when one of the cars
costs about the same price as a new WRX.
They're classic out there.
They feature an inline six motor that just screams,
and is one of the cars that pioneered
Nissan's introduction into the sports car market
that we now know and love, especially a Z car.
If you can find a 240, 260, or 280Z with a clean body
and a decent price, you should pick one up.
This car isn't one that can usually stay stocked though,
mostly because they do have
some dated personality to it, okay?
We don't do the bump-its anymore,
we just don't have a stock 240 anymore,
but with a five lug swap that you can
throw some works on, T3 coilovers,
and some Toyo Proxes tires,
you're pretty much ready to rock and roll with these cars.
It has a visceral driving experience
that cant' be duplicated by any others on this list,
and due to its analog nature,
it's a car that you can just get to control
and have fun with.
You're just gonna wanna be careful with those frame rails,
because they do have a tendency to rust.
Seriously, Datsuns are some of the best looking cars,
once you modify them, ever.
To Toyota Supra should be a no-brainer here,
but any time we talk about it
we spend a ton of time on it,
so we're not gonna talk too much about it.
But it is a popular JDM car
that can be a little bit over-hyped.
But it is for good reason.
The 2JZ motor deserves every ounce of praise it receives,
and the cockpit-like interior
has a fantastic driving experience,
and it's got a timeless design that makes you say,
"I can see how these are $50,000 dollars."
But you are paying for all of it!
Toyota Supras have done nothing but appreciate,
and getting your hands on one for less than
the price of both your kidneys is a bit unlikely.
And truth be told, we love the Toyota Supra,
but it's becoming a little bit of a car
that is more of a collector than it is
one that people have a tendency to modify,
and that's why it's really not the first car on the list.
You are seeing the Mark X now come into the fray,
getting modified, and wide-bodied,
and all that sorta good stuff,
but the Mark IX really holds the crown.
Right behind that would be the Nissan R32 GTR.
Now the R33 is tied into this list, too,
because of what they are,
and if you've ever driven an old school GTR,
they are a bit of a unique breed.
They feel raw, but they have like a distinct feeling
when you're driving the car,
that kinda helps you along the way,
in like an odd old-school fashion.
Like instead if being, keeping you alive
with strictly electronics,
the car is built to handle what you throw at it
and that's likely the reason why so many people love them,
and then the car's like, hey buddy, don't worry,
we've got you.
The R32 is a bit more available
than the now-available R33,
but that doesn't mean that both don't have
their pros and cons.
Now the R32 has risen in value.
When it first released,
it was only around $20,000 dollars when it got imported,
and now they're a little under 30.
And you have the ability to turn it into
a 600 horsepower monster with relative ease.
Now the R33 is a bit of a dream team.
It's got a little bit softer,
it's got a little bit more technological advanced
than it's predecessor.
It's a bit more expensive and it's not as common.
A little bit heavier, but if you like that
you're good to go.
But it's still something that'll break anyone's neck
as soon as you're driving downtown.
Both cars can suffer a little bit
from limited part accessibility,
but it doesn't matter because you've got a GTR, brother.
Nissan's commitment to making banging 200 cars
has never really stopped,
and when you look at the list out there
for the best JDM cars,
the GTR will always be on the list,
and it's always for good reason.
Now if you can find me a midnight like purple,
manual, GTR R33, I will cry because I want one.
Here's somethin' for power-up,
you always wanna recommend a couple other ones out there
as fun little internet JDM cars to buy.
Some of these you're gonna know, some of it you won't.
The old-school Subaru STI GC8,
is a fun rally car that will get you pretty much anywhere.
The NSX, because it looks like a Ferrari.
That's a joke.
The NSX was Honda's answer to prove to the world
that they can make a super car that was just as reliable
and didn't have to start on fire, and they did just that.
They are likely one of the best looking JDM cars
out there right now, and I won't even argue
that they are one of the best looking cars ever made.
Fight me.
You've got the entire EVO lineup,
pretty much all of them,
but most of the focus would be on the EVO Eight,
for the new generation platform support
and overall ease of purchase,
and the fact that there's a million modifications
that you can get for 'em.
But even the older generation have become more accessible
through the use of companies now importing them
and all these other places kinda bringing them in.
As long as you can write a check.
NB Mazda Miata, because it's the best bang-for-your-buck car
ever out there forever, all right?
If you haven't driven a Mazda Miata,
or if you haven't owned a Miata, just give it a shot.
Pretty much one of the best bang-for-your-buck cars,
and you can never go wrong with a Mazda Miata.
You will never stop smiling if you drive a Mazda Miata.
You will never stop trying to do like little donuts,
and driftskis, when you have a Mazda Miata.
And the last one on the list would be
a DC2 Integra Type R, and you will not regret your decision.
The Type R has always carried a name
of just prestige, when it comes to the tuner world, okay?
Instead of the rear-wheel drive common setup
this front-wheel drive car was an absolute monster
right out of the gate, back in the day, okay?
In the current world of dabbing and rowing,
I can't believe I said that.
The DC2 Type R had a slew of changes
they made to it back in the day
that makes it a true powerhouse now.
It had a strengthened chassis,
it had weight reduction,
like even lighter windows and stuff,
it had 8500 RPM rev limiter,
it had a high compression piston system,
and the whole like slew more of stuff
that when you buy the car nowadays,
you'll read about it and be like,
"Haha damn, that's pretty neat!"
The Type R DC2s can be a little tough to come around to,
if it's just how she goes, okay?
If you can find one, it's almost always worth it.
They have a very unique and interesting driving experience
because it's front-wheel drive,
and this car also has been touted, has always been touted,
as one of the best out there from Honda,
and once you get behind the steering wheel,
(stammering)
you'll see why, all right?
It's just a good, a good car.
The problem is, is not a lot of people actually like
know them, so it's not like the super flashy car.
It's more of like a slow key car,
and in your eyes, what do you think, all right?
What do you think is one of the best JDM cars out there
that you can buy right now?
Drop it below and we can either agree or question
why you think a Camaro is a good JDM car.
That's happened before.
And if you're just looking for aftermarket
wheels, tires, or a suspension,
be sure to hit us up over at FITMENTINDUSTRIES.COM.
And if you haven't yet, don't forget to subscribe.
I'm Alex, we got a boom mic now.
(hip hop music)
(tapping mic)
How neat is that?
Ah, and I haven't said,
at the end of the day in a long time,
so at the end of the day, we'll see you later.
Peace!