Welcome to another edition of Daily, Garage, or Sell, the JNC version of Bang, Marry, or Kill. We’ve modified the game a bit and turned “Drive” into “Daily” to further distinguish it from “Garage,” You can, of course, drive both of them, but one lives indoors, receives the royal treatment and is saved for posterity, while the other is vulnerable to door dings, road salt, and pigeon droppings.
In today’s version, we offer you three JNCs from the golden era from which you must choose: first-generation examples of the three most iconic nameplates from Aichi, Hiroshima, and Kanagawa: the Supra, RX-7, and Z. For the purposes of this game, you can choose any variant you like. Want a GSL-SE? Fine. Want a 280Z instead of a 240Z? Also fine. Just keep in mind that the Z432 is off-limits.
Daily, Sell, or Garage? A40, Toyota Celica Supra, SA22/FB Mazda RX-7, HLS30 Datsun 240Z/260Z/280Z.
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What do you want to know about Japan? (Part 2)”
The most best comment this week is actually a reply to BlitzPig‘s question about what Japan is like outside of the big cities. KW had the most enlightening and entertaining answer:
-There are enclaves of the countryside that attract the wealthy…people who don’t have to be in the rat-race of Tokyo proper.
-In some areas (IE: around Toyoma) private home size rivals or exceeds home sizes in the US. They are occasionally even on very generous plots of land.
-When the economy was strong, average citizens could afford secondary vacation homes that many continue to own.
-Dialects can differ significantly to the point of challenging native Japanese speakers.
-A significant number of train lines in Shikoku actually still use diesel locomotives…rather than electric.
-Wild monkeys can be startling and pose problems. Huntsman spiders are HUGE and fast. Mosquitos can be a major nuisance….and can carry Japanese encephalitis. Snakes are rare, but I’ve seen one.
-Oh, rice paddies.
-Despite the wildlife, rabies cases are essentially nonexistent. Lyme disease cases used to be abnormally low.
-Many rural towns tend to have “specialties” that appeal to visiting Tokyoites…like Yugawara’s onsens.
-Unlike Tokyo, many people in rural areas depend on cars rather than public transport. Taxis are rarer too.
-Modified cars appear to be slightly “easier to own” outside of major cities. That said, your odds of seeing a mint Ferrari Testarossa are exponentially higher in Tokyo.
-Shinkansen train stops become spartan (or nonexistent) in some regions.
-Some senior citizens seasoned on curvy, mountain roads drive exceedingly well…with shockingly quick reflexes.
-Vending machines remain supernaturally ubiquitous.
Omedetou! Your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop.
This has got to be the easiest one for me thus far. Daily a 240ZG(how could you not being such a beautiful and reliable beast) and garage an RX-7 I M P A C T turbo, although I’d like it to be interchangeable, a turbo rotary isn’t very wallet friendly for a daily being a bit of a gas hog and maintenance is a little more often in comparison, so 240ZG it is with its drop dead gorgeous looks and bulletproof 6 with lots of aftermarket support(preferably in the iconic maroon please).
Although the A40 Celica XX/Supra is neato, it’s a pretty bland car to drive in comparison to the others and… well… its a bit of a hodgepodge in design being mostly just a bigger and comfier 2nd gen celica hatch although in 2000GT,2800GT or turbo form they’re pretty fun for a daily but as I’m still a young lad and doesnt care too much about comfort I’ll stick with the Z and RX-7.
P.S. I would’ve chose a Z432R as it is technically different to the Z432 but I won’t pull a fast one on ya
Changing the “drive” into “daily makes it much easier for me: I’m a family man nowadays, so daily the Celica Supra (I need to haul my kids to school and this is the most “practical” car of the bunch), garage the RX-7 and drive it occasionally during weekends to car shows (with my daughter as my son dislikes car shows) and sell the S30 as it loses by far to the RX-7 engine note.
Daily – A40 Celica Supra. Great car in the old Grand Touring tradition. Not very fast, not the best handling, but it makes the highway miles melt away in comfort. Due to the low performance numbers, and their love it or hate it styling, the A40s will never be a collector car so putting some miles on it is not something that would concern me.
Garage – RX-7. The SA22/FB generation are finally getting the collector car notice they deserve with low mileage original examples in the $15K range. This would be my drive through the mountains of New England weekend car.
Sell – The Datsun, sadly. They are easily worth the most money and I could use that money to keep the Supra looking good (since it will not likely need any repairs) and to feed the RX-7’s wonderful sounding rotary.
Garage the pristine bone stock first year Z. You get art in the garage, envy at cars and coffee, and money in the bank. Sell the RX-7 and the Supra and get a W10 to daily, especially if your commute is over fun two-lane roads. Trunks too small? Grocery shop more often.
Well, I daily a ’71 240Z (the same one I took to the JNC Touge California 2016), so that about covers the “drive”. I’d probably sell the Supra into the hype going on around Supras right now, and keep the RX-7 garaged because the Lord knows I can’t keep a rotary properly running to save my life.
I would drive the first gen RX-7 because it’s my dream car and rotary’s need to be driven to stay healthy. I would also park it in the garage when not driving it if possible. I would garage the Datsun Z because they will probably only go higher in value; therefore an investment. Lastly I would sell the Supra because, although I appreciate older Toyotas, I don’t desire to own one.
I would drive the Supra. This was my dream car in high school (a dream almost met when my daily driver was a 79 Celica hatchback several years ago, which I reluctantly sold when I got too old to crawl in/out of it) and would still buy one if I found a decent one. I’ve never been an RX-7 fan, much to the dismay of my RX-7 driving friend, so that would sell. The Z would sit cherished in the garage– until I found a pristine 1980 Supra to buy!
Daily: 240Z. Drove a ’72 240Z recently and it genuinely felt like a liveable car – no nasty surprises, steering that isn’t too heavy, brakes that brake, and even fairly comfortable. Getting to walk out to it each morning would be a highlight too.
Garage: RX-7. I’ve tried a pristine one of these too and while I’m sure it’d be capable of being driven daily, I suspect it may protest more in the longer term than a 240Z. Since I wouldn’t want to sell it, it goes in the garage.
Sell: If we’d not been restricted to the first-generation models here I’d have shaken up my list by dailying an A60 Supra, garaging the 240Z and selling the Mazda. But as it is, I’ve very little interest in first-gen Supras, so this is an easy sell.
OK, so since I can choose any iteration of the Iconic nameplates specified, here’s how it would go.
Garage: The SA22 RX-7 GTS. Why? It’s a rotary, want to keep it in good shape. Dizzy engines have developed a bit of a following and Canada’s winters and rotary engines don’t mix.
Drive: Supra. Of the 3 it has the lowest value and is the most practical. Granted, I’d modify the car heavily to suit the local climate
Sell: The Datsun 280Z-T. I may LOVE Z-cars but the rules say I had to pick one to garage, one to sell and one to drive. The upside is that after the tears I would be able to cash the cheque from the sale and use the money to modify the Supra to a winterised version.
No race option? One of the cars I campaigned in my early days of autocrossing was an SA22 RX-7. They were just cheap used sports cars back in the 80s. And man, were they fun to run around the cones! Even if you spun, you’d find yourself laughing.
Supra is a natural choice for a daily. Especially a “roachback”. Toyota reliability, modern-ish ergos and practicality, all wrapped in styling that fits the mix of Japanese jazz and 70s funkadelic that fills my iPod. (Dailies are allowed to have an “aux-in” mod to the original radio, right?)
Any 240-280Z should be garaged. If for no other reason than to keep it from rusting faster than a first-gen RX-7 can spin out. And since Dad wanted one when they were new (and Mom said no), we could take it out for a spin when he visits.
Now before anybody says that I have to pick one to sell, remember where I work. We can’t say that word there! In fact, we recently had to add a 9,000 sq-ft storage building to the back because all we do is add to the collection. But if I really have to choose something to sell from this list, I guess it’s the race car. I’ve gotten too old to fold myself through cages any more. Let that move on to some other young guy with a dream.