Like a half-finished Datsun B210 project bringing down the property value of an otherwise respectable neighborhood, I made an appearance on After/DRIVE last week. JNC was in town for the New York Auto Show, and it was a great honor to be invited onto the program by Mike Spinelli, esteemed Jalopnik editor and distinguished Toyota MR2 Spyder owner whose writing I have admired for years. If you’re interested in watching me blab about old Japanese cars for 25 minutes, or simply have a severe case of insomnia that needs curing, check out the video below.
great video Ben, i have to say i felt proud to be a fellow jnc lover being represented by someone with such knowledge.you need to be a regular guest on after drive or just on the drive network.
Wow, thanks! I am humbled. It’s been a strange ride since the days of scouring junkyards for old Toyota parts!
Hey Ben,
I seen your video on drive and i was amazed by your knowledge for nostalgic japenese cars. I found this car and i was hoping to get some advice from you; how much is a reasonable price for this car.
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/city-of-toronto/1980-toyota-celica-gt-coupe-5-speed-manual/1063001585?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
Thanks,
Albert.
The second generation Celicas haven’t yet begun to appreciate. That one has the right transmission and low miles, but it appears to have been modified. In the US it’d be worth $2,000 at most but I imagine they’d be a bit rarer in Canada.
Oh, wow. That one is a true 1980’s survivor.
I dunno; I am guessing it would actually be worth a little more than a totally stock car because of the add-ons that command so much money (on this and the Celica forums): the “CELICA” tail panel, Enkei 92s, and the front air dam (looks like Kamei or FOHA?).
Perhaps not as much in demand, but I have been searching and searching for those air dams along the sides of the hood.
Always pleasant to see two car lover chatting.
Well done Ben.
‘ car lovers’
Great presentation, I could see the two of you doing a car a month overview. Ben presenting a specific model one month and Mike the next month or something like that. Actually have a car present and do a walk around pointing out interesting and historical aspect of the different vehicles.
I enjoyed watching the presentation and felt as if I could have been in the conversation.Well, I was in this type of conversations with Ben while at Monterey. However,kept thinking that I recognize the host Mike and realized that I think have hung out with Mike also, must have been Monterey also. Good job
i was thinking the same thing about the two of them doing a monthly show.
it would be awesome. maybe they could even bring guests and their ride and tell us their stories about their JNC. the 100 000$ question was a nice thing, i mean who would not like to go nuts and make it rain on a JNC? so yeah…
good show!
Thanks, Jim! I would be honored if they wanted me back. Logistically it’s a bit hard since the show tapes in NY and I live in LA but you never know.
Great piece. Hope you do consider a regular installment. I have to admit I cringe a bit when the subject of auctions come up. I get visions of “portfolio” managers creating a “market” for them to rat-hole investments (that wouldn’t even “get” the Hot-Wheels”).
I agree. I cringe when I hear of people buying cars just to turn a profit. But on the other hand I do think the time for Japanese classics to get their recognition is long overdue. The two seem to go hand in hand.
I do recognize that of it weren’t for the money, there would be a lot of classics, sorry, nostalgic’s headed for the crusher.
My next door neighbor works at a high end restoration “facility”. Very humble guy who works the English Wheel; an absolute artisan. He showed me an actual Ball Turret for a B-29 he was doing from scratch. He sees me with my wacky projects, no garage and too many cars. He comes over and I jokingly said would you take on a small job of rust? Long story short, next week, he has my Suzuki Samurai torn apart among aluminum Jaguars and very old Alfas. I’m still in awe…
As others have said – Great video! Didn’t cure my insomnia though…
I like the way you addressed those who didn’t really know about J-cars, and are now learning more about them. I’m kind of one of them. MOST of my family had ONLY American iron. A couple of relatives had Hondas, but for the most part, you were GM or Mopar, with the occasional Ford thrown in.
My sister and I were the first 2 in our immediate family to go Japanese (Lexus ES250 and Mazda 626, respectively), and now the only relatives who still will only own “American” (probably built in Canada) are an uncle and aunt. Admittedly, a part of the hesitance in buying Japanese was the belief that service/repairs would cost more-enough to warrant not buying them. It’s nice that now the prices are in line with American, and that they need so much less service.
My grandmother liked the original RX-7 (but never had a driver’s license), and I can just imagine what my grandfather would have said about that. (He was already out of the Navy by the time Pearl Harbor happened, so that tells you that…)
That means that I – being the last “mechanically-inclined” member of the family – am the one looking at the history, so for me, this is a VERY useful site. Even when one of the “geeks” refers to a vehicle by chassis code, at least I can look them up, and catch some history, design, etc.
So Ben, we’ve seen the Supra and wagon, but I don’t recall seeing the AE86…
Great job Ben!
Thanks, Mike!
Mine isn’t 100% mint. The previous owner installed a stereo amp and alarm, so the wiring harness is a bit hacked up. To replace it, I’d probably do more damage to the dash and other bits so I left it alone. It’s got some dings, scratches and wear as well, but it was the best I could find at the time. I should probably photograph it and write an article on it, but it’s in storage right now.
Yes, you should!
As far as the stereo and alarm, that was pretty much standard to do back then, and unfortunately, VERY few people took the time to see how things were SUPPOSED to be put together, or to work AROUND the factory pieces..
I had a car that the previous owner put in an alarm, and somehow crossed up the wiring for the horn and wipers. Didn’t know exactly what was going to happen when you hit either control, or that things would stop when you turned them off.
The alarm never did work during my ownership.
As far as “dings, scratches and wear,” that means you’re more able to drive it, like an actual car, to wherever daily life takes you, without being concerned about something happening to your $10,000 paint job.
Just make sure you put a kill switch on there somewhere…
I have a huge problem with this video; it’s way too short! I could have listened to you guys for hours. Please find a way to keep the conversation going.
Thanks Myron! Maybe Mike will have me back on If I find myself in NY again.
I enjoyed it. I’d even watch one of you jokers skyping i bet. About cars.
Good job Ben! Love the “do do” comment 😛
I don’t normally watch his video series as it can be a bit dry. But, this was the first I’ve watched all the way through! Your knowledge of kyusha is amazing, I would love to sit down with you rattle on about old Japanese cars. Just be prepared for some geeking out with chassis codes!
Geeking out is what we do best at JNC!
Fantastic, really enjoyed watching that. It can’t be easy to go on a show like that, but you did awesomely.
Thank you, Tom. I was a bit nervous I have to admit. It definitely gave me a greater appreciation for show guests (and hosts)!