Best car to EVER come from japan?

  • Thread starter SupraMKIV
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Keef
That's what I was coming in here to say. Miatas are the single best Japanese car ever created.
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Fixed.

Nothing really captures the joy of motoring better than an MX-5. Well... unless you happen to be driving on the Autobahn and are being passed by 1.4 liter Corollas...

Even then... I've driven cars that are more boring at 250 km/h than a Miata at 60 km/h. The car just screams "DRIVEdriveDRIVE!" at any speed. Pure, unadulterated motoring. Without the danger of bursting into flame or breaking down every few kilometers.
 
Well, the MX5 for afordability and the fact that it's a great sports car that provides you with a whole lot of fun for very little money.
It's not exactly pracitcal, but there's no other car that offers the joy of a convertible sports car that cheap. About the best secondary car you can have, if you're not exactly drowning in money. Still, it's not a replacement for another car, in my opinion. I'd want something with a fixed roof that's a little more roomy as my primariy daily driver.

To me, I'd probably pick an Impreza STi as my personal choice. I don't really know which one, but that's as good as it gets for what i want out of a car.
Decent performance, quite practical and roomy, with four doors and a boot. And still an affordable car.
Personally, I'd rather go with something like this over an MX5 and another daily driver, but that's just me.
 
is the mx-5/miata really that fun to drive? i have a 05 corolla xrs as my first car and im bored to death with it, i was thinking of getting a new car in the future.

i havent driven a miata yet, but i have driven a 2007 honda S2000 and that was quite a blast. do both cars feel similar? what do you people suggest? mx-5 or s2000? id love to own a new impreza STi or a Supra, but those cars are way beyond my budget.
 
Yes, they're great fun to drive! Watch the Wheelers and Dealers MX-5 episode, first part on youtube, about 4 minutes in.

I've only driven a s2000 once, so I can't give a proper comparison, but it was also fun to drive. A bit different than the Miata though, more edgy or something...
 
The S2000 is edgier, stiffer, buzzier... takes more skill to drive on the limit...

The MX-5... well... it's like putting on an old glove. It just fits... With some sports cars, you gingerly tiptoe your way through a challenging corner that you would take at full speed in a front-wheel drive hatchback, because the limits are too high, the breakaway behavior too twitchy. The MX-5 is more like a go-kart. Get in, drive, enjoy.

For some, the low grip limits, the lack of power and the pitiful brakes (on the older NA cars) are reason enough to go for something more hardcore, but an MX-5, true to its Mazda roots, is a car you can enjoy anywhere from 1/10ths to 10/10ths.
 
I'm going with the LF-A, based on engine sound, speed and engineering complexity.
 
Classic: Toyota 2000GT
Roadster: Mazda MX-5 (S2000 is a very close 2nd which is what I prefer)
Sport Car: Honda NSX
Exotic: Lexus LFA
Monster Killer: Skyline R32

Now to narrow it down to 1..... is hard
 
Just 1?

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Rice Burner
 
My favourite (best?) Japanese cars are, in order:

1. Subaru SVX (wish it made it to GT5)
2. Toyota Soarer/Lexus SC400 (the 90's ver.)
3. Lexus LFA
4. Nissan 300ZX
5. Nissan GT-R
6. Nissan Skyline R33
7. Toyota Supra ('90s ver.)
8. Subaru Impreza WRX STi
9. Subaru 360
10. Toyota MR2 ('90s ver)
11. Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. 10
12. Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT

There are probably more, but those are the ones that immediately spring to mind.
 
Best car depends on your tastes, but I'd say either the Honda Civic or the Toyota Corolla. It was cheap, well made, reliable transportation for the masses. How can you get better then that?

Favourite car and my personal best car from Japan is between the Datsun 510 and the Toyota Land Cruiser. Both did what they were designed to do very well.
 
BigYoSpeck
What Korean car looks as good as a European? (and I don't mean bog standard hatches)
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None - that was my point... their cars are cheaper, uglier imitations of other people's stuff for the most part. It's only been very recently that the Koreans have started to develop their own design philosophy, but they are still largely wed to following (and, in my opinion, messing up) other people's car designs.

Just my .02.
 
AMCNUT
None - that was my point... their cars are cheaper, uglier imitations of other people's stuff for the most part. It's only been very recently that the Koreans have started to develop their own design philosophy, but they are still largely wed to following (and, in my opinion, messing up) other people's car designs.

Just my .02.
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Ahh gotcha ;)

Bit of a mix up because my point was how the Japanese used to shamelessly copy Europe and American cars for looks but then actually screw them together properly.

That Toyota 2000GT for instance looks like the love child of an E Type Jag and a Corvette but is better mechanically than both.

I guess to some degree they do it a little with the Lexus cars trying to look German. But what we want is something that looks like a TVR or an Alfa but is put together like a Toyota or Honda.

The last car the Japanese made with a hope of being a classic was the NSX.
 
BigYoSpeck
Ahh gotcha ;)

Bit of a mix up because my point was how the Japanese used to shamelessly copy Europe and American cars for looks but then actually screw them together properly.

That Toyota 2000GT for instance looks like the love child of an E Type Jag and a Corvette but is better mechanically than both.

I guess to some degree they do it a little with the Lexus cars trying to look German. But what we want is something that looks like a TVR or an Alfa but is put together like a Toyota or Honda.

The last car the Japanese made with a hope of being a classic was the NSX.
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Yeah, the Japanese made better-built European knocckoffs, and now I guess the Koreans are making Japanese knockoffs that are only now starting to achieve on-par build quality. Can't wait to see who the Chinese decide to copy if (when?) they come to North America!

But I think there have been several Japanese cars since the NSX that will achieve classic status one day; the Lexus LFA and ISF spring to mind, as do the Honda S2000, and who knows what else... I guess classic is in the eyes of the beholder eh?
 
Hmm...

Some very good selections here. My personal bets being the R32 GT-R, Toyota 2000GT, Toyota Land Cruiser, and the LF-A, all in their respective categories.
 
AMCNUT
But I think there have been several Japanese cars since the NSX that will achieve classic status one day; the Lexus LFA and ISF spring to mind, as do the Honda S2000, and who knows what else... I guess classic is in the eyes of the beholder eh?
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The S2000 maybe by the skin of it's teeth by merit of it's engine, but the 2 Lexus? Not a chance. The ISF is not interesting, not pretty, not cool and not rare. It'll be about as much a classic as a Galant VR-4. The LFA will just be one of those obscure mad old cars. It will hold it's value better than say a GTR but it's never going to achieve true classic status like a 240Z or the 2000GT.
 
I have many that I would consider to be the best but my favourite would be any generation of the Skyline GT-R (including the R35, but without the Skyline moniker). Favourite generation? Either the R32 or the original KPGC10.

Close second would be the MX-5 for reasons that many of us have made very abundantly clear over the past few months.
 
BigYoSpeck
The S2000 maybe by the skin of it's teeth by merit of it's engine, but the 2 Lexus? Not a chance. The ISF is not interesting, not pretty, not cool and not rare. It'll be about as much a classic as a Galant VR-4. The LFA will just be one of those obscure mad old cars. It will hold it's value better than say a GTR but it's never going to achieve true classic status like a 240Z or the 2000GT.
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I don't know - I never used to be into Lexus, but the past couple of years they've really hit a stride. I suppose things like engaging and attractiveness are subjective, but I'd be willing to be the number of F versions of the IS series will be roughly on par with the year-to-year production numbers of say, an NSX (would have to verify, of course!). But for the LFA, I definitely think it will have carved out its own niche in the history books 50 years from now. And I personally wouldn't be so quick to call it obscure. It's got all the right stuff, with the possible exception of the badge, that a supercar should be.

But it will be tough to say for sure which cars will hold 'true classic' status as that's also largely subjective. Ultimately, and car is worth whatever someone is willing to pay, and I can't see there being any less demand for an LFA 50 years from now than there currently is. I think that it will definitely be a classic - it's a modern Toyota halo car - a spiritual update on your beloved 2000GT!

But I like the Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 - had fun with those in past GTs. Don't think that'll turn out to be a classic in the same vein as a 2000GT or an LFA, but I bet it will have a small following. Time will tell, and it will be an interesting story for sure.

Also, I would add the first two generations of the Toyota MR2, and of the TOM's, Spoons, NISMOs, etc. to the lists of classics.
 
The only true measure of classic is if people look after them enough that they survive the intermediate years and reach the age at which they can be cherished as a classic. And all normal Lexi (plural) become cheap barges.

The LFA has the problem that it has no real stand out characteristic other than price. It does nothing that no other car does better and it costs 4x too much.
 
It does have a stand out characteristic other than the price, the unique V10 noise it makes....
 
Gtr all the way. Definately not the s2k, the car isnt all that stand out and in the end its not really any faster than the fd2.

The gtr on the otherhand has a legacy of amazing perfomance and classis but unique looks. If not the gtr I'd say the rx7 is a strong contender as well.
If any honda was to be mentioned Id say its the nsx for obvious reasons or the type r ff cars for their budget enthusiast status (but those still dont deserve status amongst those already mentioned).
 
BigYoSpeck
The only true measure of classic is if people look after them enough that they survive the intermediate years and reach the age at which they can be cherished as a classic. And all normal Lexi (plural) become cheap barges.

The LFA has the problem that it has no real stand out characteristic other than price. It does nothing that no other car does better and it costs 4x too much.
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I think Lexus products hold their value well... most don't become THAT cheap. But I love big cars - I'm looking to get my first car about a year from now, and the short list of cars I'm considering includes the '90s Lexus SC400, Cadillac Eldorado, and Lincoln Town Car.

But Lexus cars are built really well, so you can pick up a cheap, high-mileage example and know it'll work. So they'll definitely be around x number of years form now. But I think the LFA has a few standout features - the car looks gorgeous inside and out, has a unique sound, and at that price, I'd imagine the ownership perks/lifestyle associated with the car are pretty unique in the world of supercars at this point in time.

Also, cars like the Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR (1.5 mil in 1997 dollars), and McLaren F1 (997,000 in 1997 USD) are widely considered to be 'classics' and their prices are MANY times higher than the LFA. So price is moot, especially with people who actually HAVE the money to spend...
 

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