taiwan from june 3rd to august 5th

[ARKPerformance]

anyone there? anyone want anything? i think they have a superautobacs...and i was invited to visit HKS taipei.

 

[TypeRTurbo]

anyone there? anyone want anything? i think they have a superautobacs...and i was invited to visit HKS taipei.

That's funny. I'll be in Taipei when you're leaving. :biggrin:

 

[ARKPerformance]

oh that sucks. damn, it would be cool to meet up with some forum members

 

[TypeRTurbo]

oh that sucks. damn, it would be cool to meet up with some forum members

Foward me your contact info. I arrange for you to meet up with my partner in Taipei. Maybe even watch some Initial D type drifting up in the mountains if the weather is nice. :biggrin:

 

[ARKPerformance]

if you could do that it would be amazing. i'll find out where i'm staying and i'll PM you!

 

[nsxsupra]

anyone there? anyone want anything? i think they have a superautobacs...and i was invited to visit HKS taipei.

They do have Superautobacs, serveral of them.

Taipei location's phone# (02)2281-6140

And many other car parts stores that are similar.

Car Quality Taipei (02)2516-7075 (absolute must visit):
http://www.car1.com.tw

Richahaus:
http://www.richahaus.com.tw

Car culture is very big over there, a bit crazy considering all cars are virtually double the price thank to near 100% import car tax. You will be amazed by the amount of goods available in those car parts stores. Price are very reasonable, selection is incredible. Just go and pick up a Taiwan car magazine, you will see, it puts USA car magazines to shame big time.

Other than Japan and HK, nothing comes close.

Lucky, I wish I would go just for the food.

The Pivot Raizin hyper voltage system cost aprroximately $30 at Car Quality Taipei, even cheaper than in Japan. Cost $89 at Superautoback USA in OC :frown:

http://www.car1.com.tw/store/servlet/ShowDetail?&PRODNO=4941617218111

PS: don't be surprised to see NSXs in Taipei. I have had several encounters in the past.

 

[ARKPerformance]

really? i usually go back...i only see some elises or sometimes a ferrari...not many big exotics there...i'll be more on the lookout though

 

[TypeRTurbo]

really? i usually go back...i only see some elises or sometimes a ferrari...not many big exotics there...i'll be more on the lookout though

There are a lot of performance cars in Taipei. There is a group of about 15 FDs that go drifting in the mountains on weekends. There's a shop in Taipei that works on Ferraris. The shop owner owns one of the only black 355s in the world. I did see one red NSX when I was in Taipei. I'll post a link of pics of cars I saw in Taiwan when I get home tonight. :biggrin:

 

[Ben]

I lived in Taipei for 2 years, and I wasn't impressed with the availability of cars and parts. I always thought Taiwan was a really bad place for car enthusiasts.

Yes, there are the Super Autobacs and such, but most of the parts they sell are for the domestic built cars, and you definitely won't find anything for the NSX. At best, you might find some cool trinkets or universal dress up parts. There are only about 20-30 NSXs in the whole country, and they were almost all '91-'92s imported by individual owners. The exception is that Honda officially sold the NSX in 1997, and they sold only 1, which was the one car they had at the auto shows. The list price then was US$192,000 at today's exchange rates.

I have met a couple of the NSX owners there, and it's unfortunate, many of the NSXs in Taiwan are in sad states of repair, because of lack of parts, and lack of someone that knows how to fix it. Thus, a lot of the repairs are jury-rigged with parts from other Hondas. One of the owners I met was impressed with the amount of knowledge I had about the NSX and how to fix certain common problems (that he couldn't figure out), but what I shared wasn't anything extraordinary - just stuff I learned through NSX ownership (and NSXPrime). I thought of bringing my old '92 white coupe to Taiwan a few years ago, but it would have cost me close to the fair market value of the car to bring it in, because of Taiwan's protectionist policies. If imported cars were priced normally, no one would buy the Taiwanese built cars. There's also a lot of red tape to bringing in a car on your own, but I do know someone that successfully brought an S2000. Had I brought my '92 coupe, I'm told that it would have been one of the nicest example NSXs in the country, although by US standards, it was just an average condition '92 NSX.

Imported cars cost roughly 1.75x to 3x of what they should cost, and the selection of cars is very few. Manual transmissions are almost universally unavailable except on some specialty models (read: $$$$$$).

A good friend of mine and I searched for 9 months to find a pair of S2000s (about 30 in the country, no new ones available) to buy, and after 9 months, we only found one, with accident history, and not the color either of us wanted. We had no choice but to buy it. I also searched for 6 months to find a Lexus IS300 (about 100 in the country, and a 4 month wait for a new one). We both had no choice but to pay the seller's non-negotiable asking prices, which were more than the sticker prices of the US price.

That said, just because getting cars and parts in Taiwan is difficult, it hasn't damped the enthusiasm for performance, etc., and you should be able to find some car clubs that can take you racing/drifting, etc.

PM me if you need any info on places to go, things to see, etc. in Taipei.

 

[ARKPerformance]

as far as parts, i wish you guys knew me beforehand...my family friend is one of the largest importers of repair parts for cars in taiwan ...

 

[nsxsupra]

It will depend on the area, in the City you will not see much as driving exotic in that kind of traffic is asking for trouble, Go to the Foreigner distric near Takashimaya to see exotics. Each time you see them just imagine they cost near 2~3times as much as here.

Even in Superautobacs in Japan, NSX specific parts are not common, most have to be special ordered. I visit Japan bi-monthly, Taiwan once every year. Most of items in the shops are universal.

I recommend you pick up a issue of Option or Taiwan Motors, there are many shop listing in these magazines. 5 times as thick as your average USA car magazine, printing quality is unmatched.

May issue of Taiwan Motors has a big feature on NA2 type R NSX. Some of these magazines can be pick up in Taiwanese Bookstores in Irvine, San Gabriel, etc. I always pick up Option every month 400+pages of high quality color printing each month, it comes with free VCD as well, last year 3 of the VCDs contain NSX.

 

[Ben]

It will depend on the area, in the City you will not see much as driving exotic in that kind of traffic is asking for trouble, Go to the Foreigner distric near Takashimaya to see exotics. Each time you see them just imagine they cost near 2~3times as much as here.

May issue of Taiwan Motors has a big feature on NA2 type R NSX. Some of these magazines can be pick up in Taiwanese Bookstores in Irvine, San Gabriel, etc.

I'm not talking so much about exotics, which you can see quite often in many parts of the city (not just Tien Mu). I was talking more about enthusiast cars that the average person can afford. Quite abundant in the US, but nonexistent in Taiwan. Even if you did have a little bit of money, there are still a lot of cars you simply can't get. Lack of manual transmission availability in general is bad for the enthusiast. As for parts in Super Autobacs, most of what I saw were mainly for the domestic assembled cars (because that's what most people drive), or a few universal fit items. Not many of these parts are applicable outside Taiwan.

I was in Taipei 2 weeks ago, and I have the Taiwan Motor magazine that you are talking about. Was a bit disappointed in the test numbers for the NSX-R (and TL elsewhere in the issue). Even I have posted better numbers than they did, and I'm not a expert driver by any means.

Cars aside though, I love Taiwan, and was reluctant to come back to the US when my assignment ended last year.

 

[TypeRTurbo]

I've travelled all throughout Asia, and Taiwan has to be one of the top places on my list for an annual visit.

Now back to the cars:

D1 Event

My visit in Taiwan

Pay particular attention to the pics of Watt Motorsports. You have to visit their facilities.

 

[Ben]

I've travelled all throughout Asia, and Taiwan has to be one of the top places on my list for an annual visit.

Now back to the cars:

D1 Event

My visit in Taiwan

Pay particular attention to the pics of Watt Motorsports. You have to visit their facilities.

Yup, don't get me wrong. I loved living in Taiwan, and I'd move back tomorrow if I had the opportunity.

Funny, I've actually seen some of the cars in your album. I could be wrong, but a lot of them look like those at the "Car Horse Cannon" (a literal translation) used car dealership on ChengTe Road on the outskirts of Taipei. These guys are one of the few used car dealers that specialize in performance cars, and a friend of mine knows the manager there. The thing you left out is how much most of those cars cost, how hard they are to find if you are in a market for a certain make/model at any given time, and that many of them are actually automatic transmission. The only exception to that might be some of the previous generation Impreza's, because they were built in Taiwan. I'd love to check out Watt sometime though. Where are they?

Some comments on some of the specific pics:

Red NSX - try to find a clean one to buy (I tried for close to 2 years). I think I've seen the actual car in your picture. If you do come across an NSX for sale, they're around US$45,000 for a beat '91 that has accident history and needs some repairs. I once came across a black '96T for sale, but the asking price was over US$60,000, and if I remember correctly, it was an automatic transmission.

White Lexus - It's an IS200 automatic transmission. 2.0L 150hp engine, 0-60 in 11 seconds. It's a dog, I used to have one before I sold it and bought an IS300. The IS200 costs US$46,000. The IS300 costs US$56,000.

Various Silvia's - Never officially sold by Nissan in Taiwan. Imported by their individual owners at great expense. Many of them are also not street legal, and/or are using tags from another car altogether. Parts need to be shipped over from the home market the car was originally from. Hard to find one for sale at any given time. If it's not street legal, you also run the risk of having it confiscated.

Various BMW E36 M3s - Most are '95 models. Try to find one that hasn't been beat to heck, or doesn't have undesirable modifications. In 2 years, I've only seen one clean, stock E36 M3 on the road, and it wasn't for sale. I shopped around a bit for one of these too. These beat used '95 M3s are still selling for around US$30,000.

New generation WRX - Ever priced one out? When they first arrived, they cost close to US$50,000 for a WRX. I think they are slightly cheaper now. STI models cost even more. Used ones are hard, but not impossible to find, but often are beat to heck. I also shopped around for one of these for awhile.

Lancer EVOs - 99% of them are body kits only. Under the hood, most have the 1.6 or 1.8 non-turbo engine. The first batch of officially imported (by Mitsubishi) real EVOs arrived in Fall of 2004. 10 cars were originally brought in, and they were all spoken for at a cost of more than US$60,000 each before they even arrived. You can get one cheaper now, but I think it's still at least US$50,000.

RSX - expect to pay about US$40,000 for a used one, assuming you can find one (they do pop up for sale from time to time). They were never officially sold by Honda, and were brought over by individuals at great expense. Parts need to be shipped over from the US.

RX-8 - They cost about US$60,000, and are available with automatic transmission only.

Mazda 6 - Only the 2.2L and 2.3L 4 cylinder engine is available, and only automatic transmission is available. This model costs US$30,000, which in the US, buys you the V6 with sports package.

In looking at these prices, keep in mind also, that the average university educated working professional makes about 1/3 of what his counterpart in the US would make. Or, put another way, the average working professional probably can't afford most of these cars.

Oh, and did I mention the photo radar speed cameras and red light cameras all over the city and freeways? V1 is definitely your friend (but if I remember correctly, it costs US$600 over there). Ironically, the highway patrol drives BMW and Mercedes mostly.

 

[ARKPerformance]

I need help from you all. Please mail me a copy of the magazine with shops listed in there. WATT motorsports, give me the contact info! i would LOVE to find these shops. HKS is already set, so, i'll probbly make it my whole weekend. as for the person letting me go drift with his friend, i promise i'll find out my contact info. or give me his! PM me!

for the magazine, i'll pay for teh magazine and shipping obviously...please contact me via PM

 

[Ben]

I need help from you all. Please mail me a copy of the magazine with shops listed in there. WATT motorsports, give me the contact info! i would LOVE to find these shops. HKS is already set, so, i'll probbly make it my whole weekend. as for the person letting me go drift with his friend, i promise i'll find out my contact info. or give me his! PM me!

for the magazine, i'll pay for teh magazine and shipping obviously...please contact me via PM

If you mean the Taiwan motor magazine that was mentioned before, it's pretty easy to find. As soon as you arrive in Taiwan, goto any convenience store (7-11, Family Mart, OK, Hi-Life, etc.), go in and pick one up. They all have it, as well as a couple other car magazines. There are always at least 2-3 convenience stores on every corner.

If you feel comfortable having one to look at and bring over before you arrive, PM me. I'll get you one. There's a couple stores around here that should have them.

Also, if you're interested, and there are any meets while you are there, I can see if my friend can hook you up with the S2000 club, the imported Honda (Prelude, Integra, NSX, S2000) club, and the Ketagalan Honda club (mostly Accord/Civic).

 

[ARKPerformance]

that would be great! wow, i'm gonna get so much footage there. i'll send you some contact info once i get them. so these magazine list different tuning shops? if so, awesome, i'll just pick one up there...in teh meantime, i'll just read sport compact car

 

[Ben]

that would be great! wow, i'm gonna get so much footage there. i'll send you some contact info once i get them. so these magazine list different tuning shops? if so, awesome, i'll just pick one up there...in teh meantime, i'll just read sport compact car

The magazines may or may not have a list of the specific tuning shops, but there are plenty of advertisements and such for various shops, that you'll be able to find something. They are around. I'll ask my friend if there are any meets scheduled. The imported Honda group had a meet last week, which included some spirited driving. A JDM RHD S2000, and a JDM RHD Integra Type-R showed up, which would have been cool to see. Unfortunately both cars are not street legal, and can be confiscated and deported/destroyed if pulled over.

 

[ARKPerformance]

yeah definitely find out for me. not just hondas too...any car club would be cool to meet. do you guys have anything that has a list? cause that would be easiest for me to check off how to get to each one...i'll have to take teh MTR and walk

 

[TypeRTurbo]

Yup, don't get me wrong. I loved living in Taiwan, and I'd move back tomorrow if I had the opportunity.

Funny, I've actually seen some of the cars in your album. I could be wrong, but a lot of them look like those at the "Car Horse Cannon" (a literal translation) used car dealership on ChengTe Road on the outskirts of Taipei. These guys are one of the few used car dealers that specialize in performance cars, and a friend of mine knows the manager there. The thing you left out is how much most of those cars cost, how hard they are to find if you are in a market for a certain make/model at any given time, and that many of them are actually automatic transmission. The only exception to that might be some of the previous generation Impreza's, because they were built in Taiwan. I'd love to check out Watt sometime though. Where are they?

Some comments on some of the specific pics:

Red NSX - try to find a clean one to buy (I tried for close to 2 years). I think I've seen the actual car in your picture. If you do come across an NSX for sale, they're around US$45,000 for a beat '91 that has accident history and needs some repairs. I once came across a black '96T for sale, but the asking price was over US$60,000, and if I remember correctly, it was an automatic transmission.

White Lexus - It's an IS200 automatic transmission. 2.0L 150hp engine, 0-60 in 11 seconds. It's a dog, I used to have one before I sold it and bought an IS300. The IS200 costs US$46,000. The IS300 costs US$56,000.

Various Silvia's - Never officially sold by Nissan in Taiwan. Imported by their individual owners at great expense. Some of them are also not street legal, or are using tags from another car altogether. Parts need to be shipped over from the home market the car was originally from.

Various BMW E36 M3s - Most are '95 models. Try to find one that hasn't been beat to heck, or doesn't have undesirable modifications. In 2 years, I've only seen one clean, stock E36 M3 on the road, and it wasn't for sale. I shopped around a bit for one of these too. These beat used '95 M3s are still selling for around US$30,000.

New generation WRX - Ever priced one out? When they first arrived, they cost close to US$50,000 for a WRX. I think they are slightly cheaper now. STI models cost even more. Used ones are hard, but not impossible to find, but often are beat to heck. I also shopped around for one of these for awhile.

Lancer EVOs - 99% of them are body kits only. Under the hood, most have the 1.6 or 1.8 non-turbo engine. The first batch of officially imported (by Mitsubishi) real EVOs arrived in Fall of 2004. 10 cars were originally brought in, and they were all spoken for at a cost of more than US$60,000 each before they even arrived. You can get one cheaper now, but I think it's still at least US$50,000.

RSX - expect to pay about US$40,000 for a used one, assuming you can find one (they do pop up for sale from time to time). They were never officially sold by Honda, and were brought over by individuals at great expense. Parts need to be shipped over from the US.

RX-8 - They cost about US$60,000, and are available with automatic transmission only.

Mazda 6 - Only the 2.2L and 2.3L 4 cylinder engine is available, and only automatic transmission is available. This model costs US$30,000, which in the US, buys you the V6 with sports package.

In looking at these prices, keep in mind also, that the average university educated working professional makes about 1/3 of what his counterpart in the US would make. Or, put another way, the average working professional probably can't afford most of these cars.

Oh, and did I mention the photo radar speed cameras and red light cameras all over the city and freeways? V1 is definitely your friend (but if I remember correctly, it costs US$600 over there). Ironically, the highway patrol drives BMW and Mercedes mostly.

These pictures were taken in December of 2003. Ben, you're right, the cars you saw in the pics are from a car dealer on Cheng Te Road on the outskirts of Taipei. I've seen that blue widebody M3 drifting on the mountain before. The cars are throughly abused at night before they're cleaned and prepped for their unaware new owners (so I've heard, don't quote me on it). The widebody GC was the first one I've ever seen in existence.
I have Watt's business card somewhere at home. When I find it, I will forward you the information including the contact there. They were working on a cooling system for the 355 when I was there.
I took the pic of the red X while I was driving with my partner around town. The white Lexus was imported and it's a manual. The owner of a CF factory owns it and was supposed to turbo charge it.
We went to visit a friend (owns an FD) who works for Ford/Volvo/Mazda at the production plant. The plant was about 10 acres in size and is just plain ENORMOUS. We had to drive to get to the area where they were working on MazdaSpeed aftermarket products on the 6 and RX8.
My partner has GPS software on his PDA and it warns him to slow down and where the cameras are. It cost USD$600.00
I can't wait to go back this September! :biggrin:

 

[Ben]

These pictures were taken in December of 2003. Ben, you're right, the cars you saw in the pics are from a car dealer on Cheng Te Road on the outskirts of Taipei. I've seen that blue widebody M3 drifting on the mountain before. The cars are throughly abused at night before they're cleaned and prepped for their unaware new owners (so I've heard, don't quote me on it). The widebody GC was the first one I've ever seen in existence.
I have Watt's business card somewhere at home. When I find it, I will forward you the information including the contact there. They were working on a cooling system for the 355 when I was there.
I took the pic of the red X while I was driving with my partner around town. The white Lexus was imported and it's a manual. The owner of a CF factory owns it and was supposed to turbo charge it.
We went to visit a friend (owns an FD) who works for Ford/Volvo/Mazda at the production plant. The plant was about 10 acres in size and is just plain ENORMOUS. We had to drive to get to the area where they were working on MazdaSpeed aftermarket products on the 6 and RX8.
My partner has GPS software on his PDA and it warns him to slow down and where the cameras are. It cost USD$600.00
I can't wait to go back this September! :biggrin:

Interesting. In December 2003, I was there, and in the market for either an S2000, new body WRX, NSX, or IS300, whichever came up first. That's probably why I saw some of the same cars at the dealer that you did. I didn't really want to say it, out of respect for the people my friend knows there, but what you heard is pretty much the word on the street. I saw a white new body WRX there, but was advised not to buy it (or any car) from them, by my friend no less.

Cool, let me know about Watts. I don't know when I'll be back in Taiwan, but I'll definitely go check it out. I still have my apartment and car and everything there.

There are a few hopped up Lexus IS200s running around Taiwan. I've seen a couple of them. What most people do if they want any sort of performance out of that platform is to buy the IS200 in Taiwan, then install a 3S-GE engine (200hp) and/or 6-speed manual transmission from a JDM Altezza. Or, they do the "easy" route that I took, and wait for 4-6 months to buy an IS300 (auto only ). Or, what one could do, is to import an Altezza from Japan, then convert it to Left Hand Drive, but that's more trouble than the other option. The white one most likely is an IS200 with a transmission (and maybe engine) swap. Trying to get it imported, converting it to LHD, and making it street legal is too much of a pain. Either way you do it, you'll probably spend at the very least, US$40,000 or more.

There are so few NSXs, that most people who are enthusiasts have seen or at least know of and keep track of them all. There's frequently a yellow one (repainted) that drove around the area where my old apartment was.

As for the cameras, V1 is most effective, because those GPS or radio based systems don't account for if the camera is on or off. V1 alerts you only if it's on. If you slowed for every one, that would really be tiring, hehe.

I suppose the grass is always greener on the other side. All my car enthusiast friends in Taiwan are always saying that Japan and HK aside, the US is one of the more car-enthusiast friendly places, as cars are cheap, and the selection of makes/models/transmission/color/options is quite plentiful (and I definitely agree).

 

[Ben]

yeah definitely find out for me. not just hondas too...any car club would be cool to meet. do you guys have anything that has a list? cause that would be easiest for me to check off how to get to each one...i'll have to take teh MTR and walk

Hmmmm, MRT doesn't go to most places, and often times, car places are in out of the way areas, or in the suburbs. Do you read/write Chinese? If so, the bus system in the Taipei metro area should get you to most places you need to go. If not, there's always cabs (in the Taipei metro area).

Sorry, since I'm a Honda/Acura enthusiast, I only went out with the Honda clubs when I was there, so I'm not much help for other clubs. There are a plethora of different clubs out there. Maybe you can do an online search for some of them?

 

[nsxsupra]

Don't forget Taichung is the Porsche capital in Taiwan. Where else in Asia other than Japan and Hong Kong that can even come close?

Although average college graduate only make 1/3 of their counter part in the States. There are many small-mid size business that are making a killing. Many kids are born rich. Also those working in IT and hi tech, are making a killing with generous stock options.

Considering how much more people have to pay for same cars, and sports cars are not exactly pratical in Taiwan, family reasons etc. It is quite amazing that they have what they have, as far as I know, even Zonda is imported. If someone is willing to pay, any car is possible.

 

[Ben]

Don't forget Taichung is the Porsche capital in Taiwan.

Also those working in IT and hi tech, are making a killing with generous stock options.

as far as I know, even Zonda is imported. If someone is willing to pay, any car is possible.

As I said in an earlier posting, I'm not talking about the exotic cars, those are definitely available if you have money. I'm talking about cars that most people who aren't looking for a Porsche, Ferrari, etc. can buy and that we take for granted in the US. Stuff seemingly simple, like RSXs, S2000s, NSXs, GTis, Mustangs, 330i manual, the list goes on. Even then, in the case of exotics, many of those Porsches you see in Taiwan are automatic transmission. My friend did take delivery of his GT3 recently though.

I work in the tech industry, and worked at a high tech company in Taiwan in my 2 years there, and yes, while you do hear of people getting insanely rich off of stock grants (much better than options as we know them), for every one of those people you hear about, there are hundreds of people in the tech industry who make do on US$2000 per month (and that's being generous, many engineers are paid even less).

And, it's not true that you can get whatever car you want if you have $$$. Tell that to the people who want Skyline GT-Rs. RHD is not street legal in Taiwan. Sometimes cars that people try to bring in don't pass emissions inspections. Zonda, I think there is one, maybe 2 in the country, and those aren't really street driven, and are likely not street legal. Granted, if you have $$$, and it is LHD, passes inspections, etc., you can probably import it yourself, but things like no warranty, finding parts, maintenance, and repair become hassles you have to deal with.

Another damper on things is that there's only one track in the whole country, and it costs more than most clubs can afford to rent it out for the weekend. And, compared to US tracks, it's in relatively poor shape.

Anyway, I think I've said enough......I didn't mean to turn this into a debate. For the non-believers, all I can say is that you will know exactly what I am talking about once you live in Taiwan (as opposed to just visiting), and hit dead end after dead end, month after month in your car shopping.

 

[Ben]

Ok, enough debate! Here's a treat for all you guys!

I dug these videos up, because I knew I had them stashed away somewhere.

Video 1 - Taiwan Exotic Street Racing

Video 2 - Exotics Racing through Taipei at night

I don't know who made these videos, but if anyone knows how to contact these guys, I'd like to know and meet up with them. Would be cool to see an NSX at one of these gatherings.

2nd video is nuts. The place they did donuts is in front of Taipei City Hall, then they proceed to do a drive by of one of the popular Taipei clubs.

Disclaimer: I don't condone any street racing activities, and am not responsible if you try any of this and get in trouble.