Life circumstances have made it so that you can have only one car that needs to do it all. It has to take you to work every day, look dignified enough as to not embarrass your boss/date/HOA, and be fun enough to take on a spirited drive or whatever leisure activity you prefer. Money isn’t an object but space is.
What JNC is perfect for any occasion?
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 best/worst police encounter story?“.
This week’s answers were some of the most entertaining we’ve read, so let’s dive right in.
As a testament to the popularity and performance of the Datsun Z, many of your stories involved getting into trouble back in the day when the early Z-cars were still new. Carl learned the easy way that Montana in 1970 had no daytime speed limit. Negishi no Keibajo‘s elderly parents got nabbed driving his flashy sports car in Texas with out-of-state Washington plates, but one glance at the occupants and he knew there was nothing to pin on them. Jim Daniels helped a highway patrolman lose a bet in a case of mistaken identity. MWC probably had the most devastating comment of the week thanks to a shady “friend” street racing his 280ZX.
Then there were the tales of incredible luck. Ian G., after getting pulled over in his MR2, was rescued by a minivan-driving soccer mom savior. Chet Manley was stopped by a cop who warned him of fellow LEOs that were on the lookout for modified cars. Fred Langille somehow breezed by state inspections while registering his Nissan S-Cargo. MikeRL411 was stopped by a curious officer who had likely never seen a 1960s Datsun sedan. And Jay came across the same trooper in his 510 twice on the same road trip.
Other drivers got pulled over for seemingly nothing at all. George Giese was stopped because the officer mistakenly thought his son was piloting George’s RHD car. speedie‘s Supra was stopped in a small town known for speed traps, but the officer failed to pin anything on him. Bryan Kitsune got narced on and his car searched for nothing. And Dutch 1960 had likely the most terrifying story when an officer mistook his backfiring RX-3 for a gunshot.
It was hard choosing a winner out of so many great stories, but Kevin H. cracked us up several times with his story about getting spotted by a police cruiser in his out-of-registration 1JZ-swapped, straight-piped Toyota Corona with no muffler:
I just finished installing my custom exhaust on my 1JZ swapped Corona. It was 3-inch tubing from the turbos to the end of my car: no cat, no resonator, no muffler. I planned on buying a muffler but I was so happy to drive my project for the first time.
The maiden voyage was to work on a weekday. After work, I prepared for my short but loud trip home.Side note: I was living in Charlotte NC (NASCAR Mecca) at that time and my car was just as quiet as a Cup Series car. I easily drowned out muscle cars. Think F-15 taking off with full afterburners loud.
Again, I started my 7-minute trip home. The whole time I could tell on the faces of the drivers around me my car was annoyingly loud. I pull up to a light and I’m in the left turning lane eight cars back and I notice a police car about 4 cars behind me. So I tried ever so slightly to feather the gas without ripping a hole in spacetime with the decibels this exhaust was putting out. I swear for God the car got louder as I’m sweating and looking at the cop in my rearview mirror. Oh yeah, the car had a past-due registration! The light turns green and I know I’m home free…but one of the cars ahead of me was obviously on their cell phone. Cars honk at them and they pull off, I guess realizing they were driving that day TF. Okay, I still had time to make the light, except it turned yellow… and the car in front of me decided to stop! We could have made it! I immediately look in my rearview as the police car pulls into the lane to the right of me as that cars start to go.
So he was behind me turning left and then decided to go straight, nah he was definitely giving me a ticket.
As he gets closer to me he slows down but doesn’t have his lights on. He slowly creeps parallel to me as if he is about to do a 90s-style drive-by on me. I’m squeezing the steering wheel so hard I could have juiced it. I kept my eyes looking forward hoping he wouldn’t notice me, like an ostrich with its head in a hole, but I guess I didn’t disappear. He comes to a dead stop in the middle of traffic. I feel him staring at me. At this point, I’m thinking “Can police officers shoot me for having too loud an exhaust in North Carolina?”, or “I’m for sure doing time for this loud exhaust!” Yes, those are silly thoughts, but I was so nervous that actually went through my head.
I finally look over at him, sweat pouring down my face. He removes his sunglasses (classic “son do you know how fast you were going” police move) and has a smile from ear to ear much like the OG Grinch, and says to me:
“You have a JZ in there don’t you?”I was 28 at the time but I responded with all the high-pitch puberty of a 7th grader:
“yEeS sSIr iT iS”He said “Man that’s nasty! I used to have a RB swapped 510. Keep up the good work!” and drove off.
I came back to life, drove home, and immediately ordered the largest muffler I could afford.
Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!
I was actually in that predicament several years ago. We had a ’16 Chevy Trax at the time. Decent lil small SUV in the brightest blue you could imagine. Anyway, the battery died just after the warranty ran out on it! So, the S-Cargo was pressed into daily usage … despite the fact it was not to be really used as such, due to insurance regs … as payday activities were three weeks off and, I couldn’t afford a new one until then. So, until that time, the van was outside the garage, parked next to the temporary sideline Trax. It would have been just my luck to have an insurance rep go by asking why it was out or, later on, getting grilled why there was more mileage on it that usual. Oh, let’s not forget the fact I had to pick up my birthday present from Harbor Freight … a tool cabinet my best friend got for me. Getting the cabinet into the S-Cargo was an additional Labor of Hercules, I can tell you. Driving it home and unloading it was another. Although, it was fun to drive all through that time, I was concerned about getting caught and, explaining why I was obviously using my restricted use van for yeoman duty (did I mention I had to take the old Trax’s battery out and, drive to the Interstate store to get the new one? Its always fun to drive the van but, the pressure of daily use, although needed, was a bit nerve wracking. Fortunately the blue Trax gave way to a silver one and, then to a gray Hyundai Kona which was replaced by a yellow Mercedes-Benz. Hopefully, there will be no problems here as the dealer is 37 miles away and I have NO desire to drive the van on I-64 much.
The kind that runs without unscheduled stops, is road legal and doesn’t attract the attention of every potential thief.
if you mean an all year round type car, then any Mitsubishi Lan-Evo, because you can use it for offroad driving and driving in the winter, due to the AWD.
My Infiniti J30T.
80 series Land Cruiser/Lexus LX 450. It’s not fast BUT you can still get your adrenaline pumping going up a 50 degree incline, deep water, etc. It will do regular duties with ease; soccer practice, hauling cargo, towing your HOA’s fancier vehicles to their respective dealerships, and not skip a beat until you stop doing oil changes.
My Z20 Soarer. Nice of you to put up a Z10 in this article. Its a 2 door coupe, but capable to seat 5 people, though it can be cramped at the back since i am 5ft 10″ and do need some legroom in the drivers seat, but hey it has 3 seats in the back with 3 lap belts.Compared to it’s stablemate the A70 supra, it has more rear headroom thanks to it having no sloping rear glass. Having the style of a 2 door coupe which looks better than a 4 door, enough power and lots of comfort for long distance drives, a working cruise control, working AC. Easy to drive even my wife can just drive it since it’s AT. Reliable and dependable even though its 35 years old.
Best combination of style, comfort, power and handling. Even my two Pomeranians love the car since it has low belt line and great visibility, they love looking outside, which they have trouble doing in my wife’s Mazda CX-8.
Well, if it needs to do it ALL, then that includes living in it. And that whittles things down until there’s only one choice, a 100-series Land Cruiser, or more accurately, the Lexus LX470. It fits the 25 y.o. definition of a JNC, it’s nicer inside than many people’s homes, nobody will be embarrassed when a Lexus rolls up to take them anywhere or is parked in front of anything, it has convertible seating spaces in the way back for those impromptu dinner parties in the cargo area, has a tailgate to, you know, tailgate on, and there’s nothing more fun than kareening through the wilderness smirking at the Land Rover that may get Mr. Snooty McSnootSnoot all the way out there, but perhaps isn’t so good at getting him back without a major mechanical or more likely electrical malfunction. Or just enjoying communing with nature way off the beaten path while sleeping in it with all the seats folded down. And of course a Navigation system so nobody has to figure out how to refold those paper map things while fjording a river in the Congo.
Jzx 100 or Jzx 90 any one… Mark II, Cresta or Chaser .
A five speed would be nice but not needed.
An FJ40 on a J70 chassis of course. Take it off road or let a bride and groom use it for their wedding. So versatile.
There are many different choices but the answer is clear and simple. A Subaru Legacy GT Limited Wagon Manuel Transmission. It meets everything listed in your criteria and it flies well under the radar.
I love these types of questions as they really test my creativity. For me, I’m at the age where it’s not about buying the most expensive car, but something that’s all-around. As always, it’s hard to just nail down one car, so I will respond with a few different approaches:
OEM: If it’s going to be stock from the factory, and no aftermarket modifications, then I’ll go for a 1999 Accord / Torneo Euro R. These 6th gen three-box Accords still look good, and my family had a USDM Accord SE back then. It had lots of room, and the rear seat accommodated three abreast without issue. Yes, today’s cars all do that, but at the expense of moving up to into large car categories. The Accord was smooth, quiet, and refined, BUT lacked the powertrain that the Euro R had. The LSD-equipped five-speed would really uncork that “big block” H22A, as would all the suspension / structural enhancements. I know the close-ratio transmission would probably mean higher revs on the interstate, but I guess that’s one slight drawback.
Modified JNC: I had a 1994 Accord EX wagon that I converted to manual transmission from a donor Accord LX. That wagon was wonderful: great sightlines, hauled anything, nice shifter, and great fuel economy. Lowered slightly on Tokico Blues, the side profile just screamed “hotness.” The one thing I couldn’t afford, at that time, was an H22A swap. THAT would have made it an all-around package. I don’t think I’d upgrade the transmission to the LSD-equipped T2W4, as I’d prefer the slightly higher gearing of the stock unit. A Legacy GT Wagon of that era would be nice, but its fuel economy would curb my driving enthusiasm. The Nissan Stagea would be almighty, but I just don’t care for the front end look, very “lopsided,” if that’s the correct word. Maybe that’s why so many folks swap in the R34 front end. The 6th gen Accord wagon is definitely improved over the 5th gen, but I still haven’t warmed up to the bulbous rear end. The 5th gen wagon packages the rear nicely.
Non-nostalgic JNC: An old car is reliable up to a certain point, after that parts just start wearing out and you can’t find replacements. In that case, a “newer” used car would be a Nissan Stagea Autech Axis 350S. I never bought my 2005-6 Infiniti G35 Sedan 6MT, and so this would scratch that itch, along with being a station wagon! As a “modern” car, it still have decently-sized windows and a nice three-box shape. The body looks chiseled rather than sculpted, which I prefer; too many cars have that “waviness” look that I am not as big a fan of.
Any occasion? I would say it would have to be something AWD – I’m taking any 90s Mitsubishi (3000 GT, Evo, Eclipse)
That’s an easy one. Miata Is Always The Answer. I daily my Miata 28miles to work. I go to car events with it. I piss-off Texas pickup drivers with my Miata for just existing. I go on road trips with the top down. I have a trunk rack, so I can double the Miata’s utility. I’ve even carried a powerwheel on the rack to an event! Just last month a fellow Houstonian accidentally almost crushed me with their ram truck so I had to avoid them and hopped on top of a 6″ median… i guess I even do a little rock climbing in my MX5. (Don’t know how, but no damage) I can challenge men’s perception of masculinity with my Miata. I go driving spritedly on backroads in my little roadster. And best of all; kids think my sports car is fast! (I eventually correct them)
A Subaru Forester for me. It works well as a daily, works well for trips, off road driving (not the hardcore for which I will have to use something else) and being very practical. Its something that you will enjoy driving daily with the right amount of power and handling, and it wont be left out from any function that you need to attend.
What’s old, grey and fun? Me! and also a 1972 Nissan skyline 2000 GT! Who can say no to one of these right? As it’s not a genuine GTR you don’t need to sell the house to buy one and you won’t worry too much modifying it here and there. It’s guaranteed to impress the boss and get you the job. For the single folk, it will get you a date with a hot chic you otherwise had no chance with. Apart from looking great, it’s reliable, easy to work on and always fun to drive. The mrs loves all the chrome which she uses like a mirror to fix her makeup and even if it’s a 2 door coupe, there is still plenty of back-seat room to keep the kids comfy too. Any decent car can tick the spirited drive box but this one is easy to live with as a daily driver. Did I mention the generous boot space that’s great for when I go overboard with the shopping?