In the market again...

[Sgt. Pepper]

I dont speak to many people here who are "car people"... But when people ask me what car I am planning on buying or what the reason I am working so hard is, when I drop the name NSX I get a reaction more often then not. It seems older people here know what they are, and the younger college generation like myself dont.

I think that has to do more with the fact that the younger generation here is less and less interested in cars and car culture in general.

There is still a sizable following, and no better playground than Japan for a lot of auto enthusiasts... SO many great race tracks all a few hours from each other. And on top of that also smaller venues to do things like drifting in relative safety.

It used to be way bigger in the past, which is why I think older folks recognize it more.

As far as buying a car to modify... I would NEVER touch a Type R.

Its my personal perspective that such cars are comparable to works of art. They are the culmination of a lot of effort on the part of many engineers who had the passion to create a car that was the best car possible for the constraints being put on them by their company and time itself. I almost feel as though to use a special edition car like the Type R is like saying to those engineers: " Nice try, but I know better..."

Of course, my feelings towards a base NSX are exactly the opposite. Its a blank canvas which is begging for you to put your own spin on it. To see what can be done with the time and money you are willing to devote to it.

For that reason, ( and obviously budget concerns ) I will almost certainly be buying a base coupe. Because then I would have absolutely no reservations about modifications, modernizing it, and driving the hell out of it.

I live surprisingly close to Spoon's Tokyo shop, so when things finally get real in terms of my financing options ( as in having any options at all cause it is thus far impossible for me to do anything without a guarantor [REGARDLESS of how much I make per month] ) my next leisure outing will probably have me strolling past their shop for some more helpful information.

 

[usafdarkhorse]

Since I have no credit history in Japan, I am unable to finance outright for anything; be it an old tattered AZ-1 or their cheapest Type R on the showroom floor

I am in the process NOW of trying to find out the quickest way to build a tangible credit history in the country now.

This concerns me now. I know many US banks cannot operate in Japan and most western European countries, but it mostly had to do with opening new accounts (IE, you could open a new account to finance a car if your current address was in the US). You need to have credit history in the country in which you plan to finance the car? Even if you have credit history with the US bank which is financing your Japanese car?

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

You need to have credit history in the country in which you plan to finance the car? Even if you have credit history with the US bank which is financing your Japanese car?

I think if you have a US bank already approved to give you a loan to pay for a Japanese car, and also assuming they know where this money is going, then you should be golden.

My trouble is that say for example the only American bank I do business with here ( citi ) does not do car loans of any kind. Because of this my only real option is to try and play ball with the Japanese banks, and since I am a foreigner here on visa its as miserable of an experience as it sounds right now.

Its ridiculous the notion that anyone would tell you to " yeah, just go out and find someone willing to cosign you " in a country where I have no real ties or family.

The search for solutions continues.

As for you though if you have the money on hand you should be fine?

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

While I indefinitely hang in limbo over what to do next for an NSX I am seriously considering picking up one of these!

I hear from the folks at MAC's that almost all of their customers (who own NSX's) also have one OR two of these little things sitting around to use as daily drivers and keep the miles off their precious super cars.

 

[NZNick]

Carsensor should be your first (online) stop for finding a car in Japan:

If you use Google Chrome when browsing, you can get an instant translation from Japanese to English.

It is really easy to use, and probably has 90%+ of all NSX's in Japan that are for sale listed. Anything that is not on Carsensor can be found on Goo-net.

As you have already found out, Macs Tokyo are the best for NSX, followed by Route-KS , Vogue Sports and iS-group.

Good luck in your search for an NSX - my search will commence in earnest when I have my finances a little better sorted......:redface:

Here are some of the Honda Beats for sale now.

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

Anyone have any opinions on whether they would buy a Mazda RX7 FD3S Type VI or an old AP1 S2000??? Just for the sake of conversation, and this would probably be one of the less bias forums.

These cars are all over the country in huge numbers, and it would be incredibly difficult for me to choose between the two...

I used to own an S2000 and my love for Honda still runs strong. I also live 45 mins from Shigehara Ueharas residence and I hear from the folks at Macs that he throws BBQ's on occasion for owners of NSX's and S2000's. Which sounds incredibly awesome.

Then again, the RX7 is still a little faster with a huge aftermarket pretty unique to here. You can get them in America, but lets be honest, there aren't many in great shape anymore and the ones that are, are incredibly expensive for what they are.


choices

Also to the post above regarding the Autozam AZ-1... I absolutely love the gullwing doors, but I cannot get over how cartoonish the headlights are. Still haven't seen a body kit that makes it tolerable.

 

[usafdarkhorse]

Running into the same roadblocks you are with financing. My bank will only finance a brand new car up to US spec in Japan, so obviously no NSXs. If you find a Japanese bank that can play ball, let me know.

Otherwise, my options are to continue saving over my 3 year stay (which isn't out of the question) or possibly secure a personal loan for the last little bit that I couldn't save.

Or just settle for an R32 GTR....but idk how I feel about that yet.


On your FD vs AP1 S2000 conundrum, you've already owned an AP1 and know what you'd be getting, which is nice, but you've never owned an FD, especially a later model which you would never be able to get in America until it becomes old enough, so I would opt for the Mazda.
Japan is pretty big on them and I'm sure there's more than enough shops that could work on it should something happen. That, paired with the nice condition most used Japanese cars tend to be would put me a little more at ease with buying an FD.

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

If you are staying in Japan for such a long time try starting small and working your way up. I have a bank account with a Japanese bank and have had it for the last six months. after six months pass you qualify for temporary residence and can to begin applying for loans and credit cards so long as you can prove income. I am in the middle of this process now to apply for a card to start building precious credit history and will be applying for a smaller loan perhaps for an AP1 or FD. if successful ill update you further.

You bring up a good point about the FD as well, but I am still torn. would love more talking points. keep it coming!