What JDMs / non-JDMs are you interested in in 2022?

[jdmvip]

A lot of new vehicles have been slowly opening up for our friends in the US and many of us here in Canada.

With world fuel prices being so high I believe a lot of people are looking for some interesting but less fuel inefficient vehicles, so what's on your list? I'm making a quick article on the jdmvip.com blog that looks at some of these options.

I was considering a JDM Lexus LS600HL (which is just really the hybrid LS460L) but I am concerned about the battery and we all know they are very expensive from the factory (likely nearly the same as the car itself!). Then there's the air suspension which we know is not that reliable (on my old Celsior the airbags went at less than 100K KM but I think part of it was that a suspension controller was used and the car was run low at times before I got it).

So I'm curious guys, are you looking for something efficient or are you looking for the next driftcar like a Chaser, Crown Athlete, or Silvia after playing Forza ?

[rhdgc8]

I would love to buy a Supra been on my list for awhile, but the cost is far to much now so I can't see me ever owning one unfortunately.

[jdmvip]

I think a lot of us are shocked, the cars we bought years ago are now worth so much more. Even a nice GC8 is approaching as new prices and of course many vehicles are selling for more than new! I didn't realize that so many younger people are aware and into these cars now, due to games like Forza etc.. Need For Speed.

However, I'm sure there will be something cool we can all find that suits us. One thing for me is that having kids makes it a bit harder to find the practicality in a smaller vehicle but I am still planning on getting a GDB in the future.

[wolfd89]

Honestly, i'm thinking of getting a plug in hybrid in the next few years. The day to day commuting is starting to cost an arm and a leg so having something that can drive on the battery alone for a 60-70 km would be perfect. Problem is that no one is offering a 7/8 seater mid sized SUV 'cause it would need to tow a trailer in the summer. Sort of in a wait and see approach for now. Hoping they apply the Rav4 prime tech to the highlander. Nothing on the JDM side at this time seeing as I just picked up a RHD lancer Wagon. :P

[bmart]

Looking at only JDM Legacy TT.

[jdmvip]

Nice so you which series do you mean? I am guessing being in NC that would be a 25 year old Legacy BE5 RSK or similar? Those were classics.

[bmart]

Correct. BH5. Looking for stock/unmolested. Any mods would be mild. Maybe sway bars, cat back if I can find a quiet one. Sources for missing OEM stuff (knowing it is the same as USDM or if they have to be JDM. Just a daily driver and something to hit the local cars & coffee shows with. What can those little twin turbos tow?

[jdmvip]

I had a BH5 before, they are very nice. I would actually say the build quality on the BH5 feels better than BP5. Let me know if you need help finding a good example. Like you say, most parts are the same as USDM so parts are not an issue. In fact for most of my JDMs I just buy parts off rockauto even though I'm in Canada

I am not sure if they would be the best for towing but in theory they have enough power to tow some items. If you start towing stuff though I would be very frequent with diff and transmission fluid changes.

[bmart]

Thanks! I was hoping to find a nice table or list of same vs. different parts, but no luck so far. I also can't seem to find the maintenance schedule. Some things don't make sense, like timing belt changes are 105k miles in US but 105 km on the JDM cars. It is a lot to take in and save for reference.

My US cars (2.5L) all tow 2500#. I'd be surprised if the twin turbo couldn't do at least that.

[jdmvip]

I have some info for some different Subaru's but normally use the Subaru FAST software or you can use online sites like amayama etc... for maintenance I just go very aggressive such as changing engine and transmission oil twice a year. The parts for the JDMs like timing belts are the same so I think Japan is just more conservative. In our case though, with old cars, it is better to be trigger happy and to more maintenance than you think you need because of the age of the vehicle.

One thing in the Subaru you will need to do is definitely wheel bearings. In my BP5 I have now changed them all before 130K kilometers and suspect they were going bad even when the car was 15 years old and had 56K.