The Modern Japanese Equivalent of a Barnfind

Wow! I've only seen one of those...it's too bad how far Acura has fallen since the Integra/RSX bit the dust. Crazy to think that an Integra would be nearing the half-century mark, even as a Type-R.

 

I loved the Type-R but it was not a JDM only vehicle. I drove only MR2's from 1985 until 2006 when I swapped my '92 Turbo for a 2JZGTE/T78 Lexus SC300 (worst car mistake I ever made) so I am a tad familiar with Japanese vehicles. Circa 1985 I drove one of the first Integra's delivered to Houston but went with the MR2 instead.

$43K is a insane price for a almost 20yr old Honda but the Type-R is a rare bird especially on US shores. About 15yrs ago I heard a noise that was dreamy and it was a Type-R downshifting and it must have been hitting 9Krpm's. Of course my T66 powered MR2 spanked it but I wished I could have sounded like that car.

Deep thoughts,
Jack Handy

 

Half century?

Didn't they first appear about 25 years ago... maybe a couple more, but not 50, that would be the mid-60's.

 

I think there's a lot of love for JDM here on this forum. Personally, I grew up admiring Japanese culture - movies, toys, automobiles, etc. Have owned multiple Hondas, Datsuns, Toyotas, as well as things like old pachinko machines, tin toys, etc.

I have requested a dedicated forum for Japanese market cars here - would love to see it happen.

 

I was big into the import scene in High School. My friends and I all dumped a ton of money into our Hondas. The ITR was always such a cool care. I wouldn't pay that much for one...

 

I was referring to price...

 

I had one of these. Great car. It was stolen from my building's parking lot. Cops found it a month later after I got the insurance payout. It had been completely stripped: no motor, wheels or interior. Still miss that car.

 

Sounds familiar. My Del Sol got stolen from my school parking garage and was found striped in DC a few days later. 2 other friends of mine had their Hondas stolen that same week.

There was a large car theft ring in MD/DC at the time targeting modified imports, Honda's especially.

 

I had a '99 GSR which was great, but I always wanted a yellow Type-R...That price seems a bit crazy, but on the other hand you hardly ever see a stock, low mileage Type R.

 

Awesome car! I have lots of love for Japanese as my car progression so far has gone Mitsubishi Galant - Acura RSX - Lexus ISF. Love them all and all great car for the $$.

 

I was never into the import scene, but was in the sport truck scene and even I had a Type-R poster on my wall. It was a good looking car. And still is.

 

I had two friends in my car club that had an integra type r. They were awesome for their time. 1 wrecked his the other got impounded during a street race.

I had another friend that did a b-16 swap, it was quick for its time also. Plenty of LS vtec integras and civics with turbos. I miss those days. It was much simpler and those cars take all of 2 hours to tear down.

 

As per Suddard's top 10 of Japanese import classics likely to gain in value: article from 2009..


1997-2001 Acura Integra Type R

This car was sold through Acura dealerships and had one mission in life: to win races. It features a lightened, reinforced body, reworked suspension, bigger brakes and hand-assembled engine. U.S. production was limited to about 3,850.

 

Tried to buy one when they were new-great little cars. During the test drive, I just couldn't get comfortable in the car-I was just a bit too tall and didn't want to spend years driving in the reclined seat position.
I ended up walking across the street to the Chevy dealer and purchased a 6spd, Camaro Z/28 SS. It was a much faster car and it served me well, but I've always had a soft spot for the Type R. In many ways they remind me of a BMW E30 M3.
Very rare to find one that hasn't been hacked or modded.

 

Not really into them. But its very popular here. Canada has a rule that cars 15 years or older don't have to meet our regulations anymore. So many cars come from Japan to here. Several dealers specialize in JDM cars. Almost every day I see a right hand drive car on the road.

one of our local dealers: http://www.velocitycars.ca/en/

 

While the US has to wait 25yrs, does not make sense.

 

I don't know why its different. 15 is better then 25 though. The auto auctions in Japan sell cars for crazy cheap. Several brokers here to go through. Besides the rare Japanese cars; Porsches, Mercedes, Jaguars, Bentleys and even Ferrari's are available. They all sell for almost half of North American prices. Used cars are expensive to keep on the road in Japan, unless its collectible, the Japanese are just not interested in it. Hence the low prices.

 

Yes sir it is crazy.

 

This is a proper Type R Honda. I remember when it launched around 1999 and there was spotlight on the fact that they had relocated the battery so that the car had better balance, it's just so focused.

The price is crazy, must have been bought by a collector!

 

My brother watches the auctions in Japan and gives me prices. Its totally nuts.

Drawback most here know its cheap and now Japanese market cars are discounted heavily.

This guy: BMW 7 Series B11 3 5 | eBay did a lot of importing European cars from Japan. Did lots of 928's, etc. Not so much anymore because our market is saturated with JDM vehicles.

 

Money does not equate into common sense. Edmonds values a 2000 Type-R's US value w/10.5K miles at $8.7K in great condition. I have been shopping around, testing the market, for another Toyota MR2, MKI and MKII-T market, for over one year and the owners think these cars are rare and are asking three times what the cars are worth. They get pissed when I tell them there car's market value is 70% less than what they are asking (and I drove nothing but MR2's for 21yr's).

Crazy stuff man.