QotW: What’s your favorite Japanese car from 1995?

Today is Coming of Age Day in Japan, the day when all those who turn 20 years old between April 2 of the previous year and April 1 of the current one officially become adults. It’s fitting, because as is the custom when we change our calendars, our QotW is all about the cars that pass the 25-year threshold to become official classics. For 2020, that marker is 1995, the year of Braveheart in theaters, Chrono Trigger on the Super Nintendo, and Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” blaring from every double-DIN head unit. That’s right, cars from the year that eBay launched are now importable into the US, eligible for historic plates, and qualify for classic car insurance. Tell us why you picked what you did.

What’s your favorite Japanese car from 1995?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s your JNC New Year’s resolution?

There were many worthy resolutions, and we at JNC hope we can help you to keep them. Jayrdee wants more track time in his AE86. Danny Padden plans to take more road trips in his FB RX-7. Banpei intends to sell his AE86, and Dirty_S30 immediately responded that his resolution was to buy it. That almost won it, even though Dirty_S30 later clarified that his real objective was to get his 240Z finished. However, in the end it was young Sam who won the week, with his noble goal of starting his first JNC project.

I think my New Years resolution is to educate myself more on cars, and finally get myself my first JNC project car to restore. I want the pride of owning a JNC and being able to say “I fixed this!” In addition to learning more about the car and everything that makes it tick, becoming closer with it.

 

 

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13 Responses to QotW: What’s your favorite Japanese car from 1995?

  1. Troy says:

    https://youtu.be/Jy2d6Qsb5CM

    Don’t expect me to explain any more than this video already does…

  2. teddy says:

    I’d have to go with a 1995 Toyota Crown Wagon. Many of these came equipped with 1JZ-GE engines, and were RWD. You can haul the wife and kids around during the week, and shred the track on weekends. I’ve always seen these as the Japanese version of a Volvo 240 wagon, except a lot cooler. And it’s got that boxy 80’s styling as well, and there’s plenty of room in the engine bay!

    Also I showed one of these to my friends talking about importing one and they said “what are you planning on starting a funeral home?”

  3. MikeRL411 says:

    The Infiniti J30 series [without the overcomplicated rear wheel steering]. I believe 1995 was the first year with this deletion.

  4. Lee L says:

    When it comes to Japanese Cars I’m all about the 70s and 80s, but the 90s did have plenty of awesome cars. There are a few that don’t get much love, one of which is the 3rd Gen Toyota Carina ED (ST205). More specifically the 2000GT-4WD model, which had the same AWD system as a Celica GT-4 paired with a 3S-GE and available 5 speed manual. All of this in a pretty non-descript, but attractive sedan that could easily be mistaken for a 90s Camry.

  5. cesariojpn says:

    I’m a bit of an oddball, but the Toyota Crown Comfort. Yes, it was a downgrade for the Taxi market, but figure the 95’s have been shaken’d out of being road driven. That means, I could theoretically do this:

    http://noriyaro.com/2011/10/driver-follow-that-car-toyota-comfort-gt-z-supercharger/

    Yep, even base cars got the modified treatment. Imagine these cars on the track…..

  6. エーイダン says:

    Easily the R33 Skyline GT-R. Play some original Gran Turismo and you’ll know why.

  7. speedie says:

    I like oddball cars and there is nothing more so than the new for 95 Suzuki X-90! It has two seats, T-Tops, and AWD (on some models). Of course you can claim it is ugly but I would argue it is a cute ugly the way a goldfish looks nice in the water but bad on land kind of way. It came with a 1.6 L that produced a whopping 95 hp. Its like Suzuki looked at the Ford Escort EXP from the early 80s (which was a bad idea to begin with) and fifteen years later thought “we can do better”. With only 7,000 or so sold over a 3 year period in the US I’m thinking I should get one soon before the junkyards crush them all.

  8. dankan says:

    I think my favourite might be a Mazda Lantis Type-R. We didn’t get them in Canada, but it’s basically similar to the Integra GS-R in concept, and I love that classic 90s Mazda styling. It’d be a really fun little car that combines a lot of practicality with plenty of fun, which is having your cake and eating it too.

  9. nlpnt says:

    1995 was the last year you could buy a new Civic Si hatchback in America, it’ll have to be that. Wouldn’t kick a manual Corolla wagon out of the driveway either even if the good cornering had to come out of the TRD catalog.

  10. robin says:

    HONDA CIVIC FERIO EG9…

    thats why i own one and i can tell you some amazing stories about this chassis but Jodie Foster says it best ” yes the civic is quite the car!”

  11. Art says:

    I´m a big fan of Japanese cars, and as any of us could easily says R33, JZA80 Supra i´ll be a little bit more conservative. I´m a man who grown´s between that golden era of JNC´s, seeing and playing them in many videogames such as Gran Turismo (big sigh, how many memories) but lived in a country where we only see them in that form or rare magazines because there was no internet. There was no many options to own, so when i got graduated my dad gave me as a present a ´95 Nissan Lucino GSR (B14 200SX SE-R in US), since that day it become a nice obsession with this econo cars and it´s SR20 (it got totaled and bought 2 more which I still own). It appears in 1995 and I must say it´s my facorite JNC, not only because I own 2, because it´s such a noble car, so easy to repair and play with them… I really enjoy to get my hands dirty repairing them.

  12. Raúl says:

    The Suzuki X-90, in my country only 5 where sold so it’s super rare, it was a pretty odd car even for the 90’s Japanese standards. More remarkable is that a small automaker like Suzuki took the risk on design it, building and a put it on sale…and sold around of 8500 of them! Surely clean ones will become a desired collectible in a not so far future.

  13. emuman says:

    The bubble Mazda 121 DB aka Autozam Revue. Drove one (1995 model year) for 18 month and 40,000 km. It was loud, ugly and weird – my wife and me loved it!

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