I’ve been hearing from many people that LHD Z32 owners are angry about the influx of RHD Z32’s changing the market prices for all Z’s and how they are not as rare as they once were. I’m wondering if any of you have bad feelings towards the importers, especially those who sell them at relatively low prices; or do you feel it’s something that really can’t be blamed on anyone.
I’ve heard similar things with SW20 MR-2 owners and I assume that FD RX-7 owners will run into the same thing at the end of 2006 when twin turbo RX-7’s will be available for less than $10,000 with some importers.
Yes, I am somewhat angry about the situation, but its not directed at the importers themselves. A couple friends of mine run one of the local importer businesses, but they at least are making an effort to maintain a certain standard of the cars they bring in. One of them is a fellow Z guy, and he doesn’t want to see the local scene will up with cheap junker Z32s any more than I do.
The biggest problem though is the kids buying these cars. They don’t understand the difference between a well maintained full history local car vs. a total unknown. If they can buy a decent mileage RHD TT import for $10k, why would they pay say $20k for a cherry TT that’s a LHD local? They just don’t “get” it. For most of the examples of the RHD imports I’ve seen, I could easily come up with a shopping list of oem replacement parts close to $10k of things that the car might need to bring it up to the same level as the other car. But these kids that are just buying whatever fits into their budget may not care about that or have the same priorities.
The only thing those of us with nice LHD Z32s can hope to do is hold on to our babies and NOT sell. (good thing I wasn’t planning to anyway).
The only thing that might still be a problem is if we get gouged on future appraisals (for insurance purposes, etc.).
I agree with almost everything Jason is saying.The difference is I am trying to sell my car and I am going to take a shit kicking when it comes down to it.I paid close to $15 000 for it about 4 years ago and have invested thousands after that.Mechanically my car is in excellent shape but I will be lucky to get $11 000 for it.I understand that this is how automotive markets work but it stil sucks.Just hopefully I will be able to find the right buyer
There are always the right buyers out there. I know that if I were to be buying a new car then I would look for something good and not cheap. If a quality LHD were to come up for 6k more than the run of the mill RHD cars coming in I wouldn’t hesitate to pick it up.
I think whenever someone buys a Canadian car they expect it to depreciate. When they mod the car, they shouldnt expect to get their money back out of it. I will never get the money out of my car, but I knew that going in so it’s fine.
For the Z32 guys, you probably have a lot more to lose than me. The Zs are more expensive to buy here than 240s and they seem to be cheaper than S13s in Japan.
I would rather buy Jason’s TT for 25 G than buy a JDM TT for 10 G. No matter how hard you try you would never find a RHD car in the condition that Jason’s is in.
It all depend on what you are REALLY looking for for when buying a car.
well the motor had to come from something that was driven into the ground…lol well if its been winter driven, then its pretty much scrap!..and u can find prestine RHD cars, but not at an auction were everyone wants a cheap one…private is the way to go, and will prob cost as much as one here…
well the motor had to come from something that was driven into the ground…lol well if its been winter driven, then its pretty much scrap!..and u can find prestine RHD cars, but not at an auction were everyone wants a cheap one…private is the way to go, and will prob cost as much as one here…[/quote]
True but at least my i know the history on my chassis and it is expected that all performance engines have been driven hard.
I also agree that there are alot of MINT RHD cars out there it is just the shitty ones that have been brought over give everyone a bad name.
There are going to be Z32 fanatics that are not interested in having a RHD vehicle soley for the fact that its RHD even if the price is that much lower. Furthermore, the importation of Z32’s has definitely decreased the LHD vehicle value. Nis240, Jason’s is an amazing car, however I think its a little too simplistic to say you will never find an RHD in the same condition. Not everyone treats their cars like crap in Japan, conversely, some owners here treat their cars like garbage. The really nice RHD will probably be seen rarely over here for the fact that responsible Jap drivers don’t want to let there car go or onto something stupid like an auction. Quality auction cars is another topic all together
I was also in the same position about a year ago when deciding about a 300zx, either RHD or LHD. Lower mileage(usually half), bodies were in excellent shape, usually came with expensive mods such as coilovers, rare rims etc was a big factor. Secondly, the price is very tempting as well. The biggest thing for me was finding a 5-speed twin turbo that didn’t have a million stickers on it, and wirings coming out the ying-yang around the cluster!!!
Someone just needs to get a Z32 into the well known drifting scene, its the only thing saving 240’s these days I think!
Responsible Jap drivers don’t want to sell their cars at Japanese auction? I think you’re misinformed, the majority of used cars in Japan are sold at digital auction by private individuals.
That’s a fair comparison: a car that costs $25,000 and a car that costs $10,000. For $25,000 I could find you a JDM 2Seater twin turbo 5 speed that has a recorded 20,000km or less and still have thousands to spare.
It’s possible to find JDM cars that have full recorded service history…I don’t see how that would be any different from our local cars.
Well you see, to us “kids” ten grand is alot of money. Not all of us are pulling down more than 30 K a year. So I’m sure “we” get it, we just can’t afford it.
That’s a fair comparison: a car that costs $25,000 and a car that costs $10,000. For $25,000 I could find you a JDM 2Seater twin turbo 5 speed that has a recorded 20,000km or less and still have thousands to spare.
It’s possible to find JDM cars that have full recorded service history…I don’t see how that would be any different from our local cars.[/quote]
Its one thing for the car to be documented with 20 000km and have records to pove it, it another thing to see the car here in person and see how Anal the owner is about the car. Jason sounds like one of the most picky people when it comes to his car. That and the fact its LHD makes it worth alot more than a RHD Z32.
Dont try to tell me that you bring in Mint cars like Jasons because that is cleary not what the market is calling for. People want cheap Turbo cars thats are in decent condition. You would never bring in a Stock Z32 with 20 xxxkm on it and sell it for 15 or 16 G when someone could buy 2 decent modified Z32’s with unknown history for that price.
Another aspect is a car’s completeness. I’ve give just a few examples:
T-top bags
T-top shades
cargo cover
mini-spare
Any of these OEM items if missing can be expensive to track down and replace.
Even with the extent of mods I have, I’ve always put the effort in to ensure what I do is reversible, meaning I could in theory put my car back to original stock condition with minimal effort (with a few exceptions). How many of these RHD cars that come over have included the original steering wheels, original seats or the original dash pieces, etc.( or whatever) that was taken out of the cars in place of whatever aftermarket stuff a person had put in there?
You wanna talk anal? How about nuts and bolts? In the cases where even I’ve found the odd mismatched fasteners (from the previous owner’s stereo/alarm install), I’ve put in the effort to restore things to the way they should be.
Another thing too i dont think the people who buy this jdm rhd 300zx, buy the car for what is it …its more of just making money by selling it to other people
I agree with everyone here and that it is safer and better buying a local car for the reason that you actually know what you’re getting. However, I am looking to purchase an RHD Z but not because of the costs but simply preference and this preference comes from when I lived back in Russia and all of my family’s and friend’s cars were RHD (I also learnt to drive cars and standard on an RHD) because they were directly imported from Japan and I loved driving my Skyline even though I had to get out to go through a car wash or pay to go out of a parking place lol.
I think if its your preference to drive an RHD (and not simply because you get more attention) then you shouldn’t be angry that there are so many of them coming in. Although mostly it is cause its cheaper and I see why some of you who have the rarest and nicest cars LHD Zs in the city who I was jealous of but could never afford are frustrated with the whole JDM situation.
