Japanese Nostalgic Car

As much as I love my Land Cruiser, I’ve been fantasizing about a car that’s a bit more fun-to-drive on a daily basis. Right now the LC is the only car in my fleet that’s kid-friendly (four doors, big trunk), but I’d like something that’s a bit more exciting in the traditional sense (sharp handling, three pedals). My son is old enough now that he’d appreciate if driving wasn’t just a slow lumber through traffic.

As a bonus, it would be nice if the car didn’t cost a lot, got decent mileage, and was nondescript enough that I could park it anywhere in LA without drawing attention. I have my AE86, for example, but it fails on the parking, attention, and door count metrics. Whichever car it is, if this ever becomes more than a fantasy, wouldn’t replace the Land Cruiser; I still need that for apocalypse reasons.

What kid-friendly commuter is still fun to drive?

The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Which Japanese classic should be remade for the modern age?“. Continue reading →

One of the biggest stunners at the Tokyo Auto Salon was Rocky Auto’s remake of the Prince R380, constructed using the original body molds but with modern engines underneath. It got us thinking about which cars might be ideal for a similar treatment. This is a different question than that of which car’s body shell should be remanufactured. Those shells are pretty much only good for building track cars or providing replacement panels for rusted or damaged bodies. We’re talking about cars whose numbers are so scarce that you can’t even find a donor to begin with, like the R380 or Toyota 2000GT. You’d need not just the body, but chassis, suspension, glass, interior and more all built from scratch.

Which Japanese classic should be remade for the modern age?

The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What car from 2000 would you import from Japan?“. Continue reading →

It’s hard to believe, but Y2K was 25 years ago. It honestly doesn’t feel like that long ago, says the old man typing these words without using AI. Nevertheless, that means cars built in the year 2000 are now eligible for import under the US’s 25 year rule (thanks, Mercedes). We are almost nearing the end of the era of desirable cars, but there are still gems to be found.

What car from 2000 would you import from Japan?

The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “How do you save a car from a natural disaster?“. Continue reading →

Over the last few days I’ve been racking my brain on how I could have better prepared for the terrifying California wildfire scare we experienced last week. Aside from my family and a few heirlooms and photos, the most valuable/sentimental/precious things that I own are my cars. I packed the family into the Land Cruiser, but had to leave behind others. In retrospect I should have moved them to a nearby shopping center parking garage where there’s not much vegetation long before the fires even got close, though that leaves them open to thieves.

We’ve seen videos of ingenious saviors putting cars on concrete blocks during a flood, but are curious what other measures have you come across? We realize we’re talking about objects here and human lives come first, but if there’s the opportunity to save a car we want to hear your ideas. Oh, and we’re talking all calamities, not just fires.

How do you save a car from a natural disaster?

The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What car and color combo is the perfect fit?“. Continue reading →