'70s and '80s Japanese Cars: Too Practical For Collectors?
hpmctorque
Member Posts: 4,600
in Toyota
Although there seems to be a mild uptick in collector interest in pre-1990 Japanese cars, it remains sub-proportional to the numbers sold. Will their appliance-like practicality preclude them from ever achieving significant collector status?
One could argue that most of the collector excitement associated with American and European cars predates the significant increase in Japanese cars on North American highways. While there seems to be little interest in cars of the '70s and '80s, in general, American and European models form this period seem to garner most of what interest does exist.
One could argue that most of the collector excitement associated with American and European cars predates the significant increase in Japanese cars on North American highways. While there seems to be little interest in cars of the '70s and '80s, in general, American and European models form this period seem to garner most of what interest does exist.
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Seems like the japanese cars possess very few of these qualities. Even some very fast, very powerful Japanese cars (NSX, Supra Turbo, RX7-TT) are so inconspicuous that you'd trip over them in a parking lot.
Let's face it--older Japanese cars just aren't sexy or very interesting to look at for very long.
But who knows how today's 25 year olds, who will be tomorrow's pot-bellied 55 years olds, might feel about what they want to collect?
That's the big question because, in my opinion, the muscle car craze will crest (if it hasn't already) and recede, and some of the other cars that today's collectors hold in high regard will also be less interesting to those who didn't own one, or know someone who did. Although it's hard to imagine today that all but a few pre-'90 Japanese cars will be of interest to tomorrow's collectors, the next generation of collectors may have a very different set of priorities than we do. For example, brute power may not be as much of an attribute as it is today, while other features, which I'm at a loss to even identify at the moment, may gain traction.
Another possibility is that there may be a reduced interest in older cars compared to now.
I always liked the little Japanese hardtop coupes that seemed to proliferate around the 1979-83 timeframe. Stuff like the Corolla, which offered a hardtop notchback coupe and a sort of a 3-door wagon/hatch, the 200SX notchback, Plymouth Saporro/Dodge Challenger, and the Mazda 626 from that timeframe. I know any of them would be pretty worthless, and by this time, probably hard to find parts for. I guess I just appreciate the fact that the Japanese were still offering hardtops after the domestics abandoned them.
Datsun Z
Mazda RX-7
Toyota Supra
Isuzu Impulse
To a lesser extent - the Toyota Celica
for quirkiness:
Honda 600
Early Honda Civic CVCC
Subaru BRAT
I'd say the early 240Z was the purest version of the car.
You mean besides the AE86 Corolla? There are some candidates like the gen3 Prelude and the gen2 CRX, but the Japanese cars that made it over here didn't really start getting good until the tail end of the '80s.
I'd stick with good looking cars with decent performance for future collectibility. The early (pre-huge bumpers and pre-messed up carbs) Z-cars are one of the few that meet that criteria.
It's almost impossible for any older Japanese car in the world to break $30,000, which is chump change in the collector car market. A Ford Bucket T sells for more than an NSX!!
Love the article on the 1965-66 Cadillacs. Remember the 1966 Fleetwood Brougham we saw at Carlisle? I kept thinking about that car when I read the article. Too bad it wouldn't fit in my garage. It would've been a heck of a lot cheaper than the new DTS Performance I just bought. I'm just recovering from the horrible buyer's remorse I always get and accepting the fact.
Lemko!! When did this happen?! This is the first I heard about it. Anyway, congrats on the new ride! I'm sure that buyer's remorse will go away really fast.
Fords aren't Japanese of course (not yet anyway) so we should stay on topic here.
How did it happen? I took my Seville STS in because the belt was squealing and driving me nuts. I know it was the idler pulley as I could hear the bearing going bad. Anyway, I'm waiting for the car and I walk around the showroom and the lot. The salesman who sold me the Seville starts BS'ing with me and tells me he has a loaded leftover 2007 DTS Performance with the 0% financing. My car had 68K miles on it and I figured, I'd try to get something for it while I still could as it was going to be a 6 year-old car and Caddies, unfortunately, depreciate faster than a brick thrown off the Empire State Building.
I'm not really serious, but I take the new DTS out as a lark and it's amazing! I love the XM Satellite radio! Our local stations play too much crap and commercials and my arm is ready to fall off from hitting the "SEEK" button so often. Next thing you know, I'm in love with the car and one thing leads to another and I have a new car.
I really didn't want to get a car until after the winter, or at least not until after the holidays. I usually buy my Cadillacs at the end of January. I guess I lost my head.
The next morning was tough. It was kind of like being out on the town in Vegas the previous night. You were wasted, you were having a great time, but then you wake up the next morning hung over with a fresh tattoo and married to a showgirl. I'm wondering, "Oh man! What did I do?" I was hating myself for the next couple of days.
The Seville did make the transition easier for me. As I moved my old car next to the new one to transfer all of my junk from one car to the other, the ABS and Traction Control lights came on with a resounding "BONG!" I guess I made the move just in time. Nothing is a bigger white elephant than a luxury car out of warranty. Who knows what was going to be next?
I haven't seen you or grbeck on the forums much lately. I was wondering about you guys.
The Mark IV twin-turbo Supras do, since they reside at the pinnacle of the Japanese sports car pantheon along with the Nissan Skyline GT-Rs. The 1993 Supra TTs were about $40k but the appreciating yen pushed them up toward $55k for 1996, so Toyota cut the price for 1997 and sold them at a loss, then stopped bringing them over here after 1998 (they lived on at home until 2002). The MkIV was one of the massively overengineered cars that came out of the Japanese boom of the late '80s; the 2JZ-GTE inline six is already legendary.
The earlier Supras are just old cars and the value declines on them in the usual fashion. The normally-aspirated MkIVs float between the halo effect of the TT and the banality of their powerplant (the same one in the Lexus SC300).
A good 2-door early 510 coupe is still desirable, as are the Japanese micros---the rest seem stagnant.
The Japanese offered larger hardtop coupes as well. At least, I remember there being an 810 hardtop, Toyota Cressida, etc, but they were older styles that were pretty lumpy. Once the crisper, boxier styles were introduced, I think they went 4-door only.
Some old Japanese cars interest me mildly too, mainly for their wacky style or very period looks.
I hought a new Mitsubishi in 1985-in three years I had perforation-in five years, most of the hood was rusted.
What I do see a lot of is 70s/80a domestic pickups and vans and for some reason, a lot of beater Cadillacs.
I do see a 78-81 Celica in the area now and then, and a Datsun 810 wagon, but none others come to mind. Oh, there's an early Civic parked on the street near where the fintail is stored.
Old Euro and American cars are still very common here.
For the Japanese, quite a few first gen Camry and pop up headlight Accords in the area.
Interesting read, with photos. Collecting Japanese cars is gaining traction, as was bound to happen. With very rare exceptions, it's a cheap way to get in the game.
My '88 300 ZX 2+2 manual with T-top is my alternate daily driver. I'm the second owner, and, with 193,000 miles, it's been very low maintenance. Hardly a month goes by that someone doesn't approach me to buy it. I'll keep it as long as it's fun to own, and remains relatively low maintenance. I have no illusions that it'll ever be worth anything, but it should hold what little market value it has; maybe $1,800-$2,800 [on a good day] in a sale by owner. I maintain it, but it's probably a 3.
If I had had the space I would have kept the '87 3-Series that I sold in Spring 2010 to make room for my wife's '07 A4 Quattro 2.0T. The A4 drives and handles really well, but I'm wandering far from the topic of collectible Japanese cars.
here's the link to the NY times article:
REVENGE OF THE ECONOBOX
Still, if the prices don't start going up along with the "collector" enthusiasm, then the survivors won't survive too much longer.
Consider how many vintage American makes that once thrived are now down to a handful of survivors, for this very reason. Their value did not justify their restoration.
Over time, the number of posts on this discussion may be a good indicator of whether interest in old Japanese cars grows or stagnates.
I guess in a way ANY 60 year old car is a "collectible", if for no other reason than it having lasted that long.
Some people do collect and restore Datsun Fairlady roadsters, and Datsun 510s (they even still race them in SCCA) and of course, we're STILL waiting for the Datsun 240Z to break $20,000 bucks.