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kensei posted:If one was to want one of those Honda Beats, how hard is it to source parts? In what way? The Beat is the most produced sports kei of the ABC era and has a very large fanbase, both in Japan and now the USA. Stuff like oil filters use off the shelf ones that are still used on modern Civics. The community is there for say, doing timing belts and other assorted in-depth work, and that's just in the USA. We've got full diagrams and schematics including full parts lists, we've got multiple places to order parts from: https://partsouq.com/, https://www.amayama.com/en , https://www.megazip.net/ are some of my favorites that I have used multiple times in the past. What I tell most people is that ordering parts for these imports (Beats or otherwise)is like ordering from Amazon, just you pay a bit more because of shipping and wait a little bit longer because of distance. You don't have to call anyone, talk to anyone if you don't want to, just find part, add to cart, press buy, wait a bit.
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Dec 28, 2019 19:23
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What's the ABC era? All I could find was https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_(1906_automobile)
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Dec 28, 2019 20:50
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taqueso posted:What's the ABC era? All I could find was https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_(1906_automobile) https://oppositelock.kinja.com/which-japanese-went-craziest-in-the-80-90s-bubble-econo-1689073200 quote:Japanese motoring enthusiasts called them "ABC", which denotes Mazda AZ-1, Honda Beat and Suzuki Cappucino.
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Dec 28, 2019 20:52
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If I can buy an out of production power steering pump off eBay from some guy in Greece for my Fargo, you can find parts for a Beat.
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Dec 28, 2019 21:21
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Cursed video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2tFE86fQX0
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Dec 29, 2019 01:47
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IDK what happened but drat it.
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Dec 29, 2019 02:14
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KakerMix posted:In what way? Well that's pretty cool. Now I have to figure out if I really want to learn to shift with my left hand.
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Dec 29, 2019 02:40
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kensei posted:Well that's pretty cool. Now I have to figure out if I really want to learn to shift with my left hand. It’s not hard to pick up.
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Dec 29, 2019 02:50
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taqueso posted:What's the ABC era? All I could find was https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_(1906_automobile) Answered in a reply, but I have this in the second post of this thread: quote:The kei ABCs, the 90s kei-class sports cars everyone loves. Then Japan's economy tanked. The AZ-1 and the Cappuccino really are brothers though, the AZ-1 being built by Suzuki. Same engines. We've had two of them, and while nothing can replace those gullwing doors, they are a severe compromise to live with if you don't live alone. We've never had a Beat or Cappo, though the ~noise~ from the crowd says that the Honda 'feels' the best because peak Honda, but the Cappo is faster and more practical to live with because it's engine is up front. Beat is mid-engine, like a tiny drop top NSX. Different people will pick either the Beat or Cappo, but nothing beats the drama of the AZ-1. Extremely cursed, and while a fire is a fire and it really doesn't matter how or why, Japan Car Direct uses is Hoegh, whose ships all look like this:  Completely enclosed giant ships. Like I said though, a fire is a fire but perhaps an enclosed ship is more able to control fires. Maybe. I hope.  kensei posted:Well that's pretty cool. Now I have to figure out if I really want to learn to shift with my left hand. I can not overstate how not a thing that is. Every person, most of them driving RHD for the first time, do two things. One, they get in and start driving and go "Oh this isn't that weird at all" and drive within the lines and shift OK and get in the groove extremely quickly. Two, they flip on the wipers when they go to signal because the stalk is on the right instead of the left.
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Dec 29, 2019 02:52
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Riding on the opposite side feels stranger at first than driving for some reason, at least for me. First time I rode in a RHD car it was really loving weird  VVV [e] yeah now that I think about it, being on the "wrong" side of the road as well made it even weirder. I imagine if you're able to do it the first time on the side of the road you're used to it's not as bad. Applebees Appetizer fucked around with this message at 04:14 on Dec 29, 2019 |
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Dec 29, 2019 02:59
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First time I drove a RHD car, on the "wrong side" of the road was when I rented a R34 GT-R with Fun2Drive Japan. It was weird, but not hard to adjust to. That being said, driving spiritedly and keeping up with the aussies and guides in really narrow mountain roads with deep trenches the width of a wheel just to the side of the lane was a little nerve wracking. Also, you're going to turn on your windshield wipers when you try to use the turn signal.
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Dec 29, 2019 03:41
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I've only driven RHD once but it was much harder than I expected to judge the location of the corners of the car. It seems like it should be the same skill, just opposite sides, but somehow it wasn't.
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Dec 29, 2019 04:16
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taqueso posted:judge the location of the corners of the car Yeah, that was my issue too. It was fine in the kei that I drove, but the GTR kinda sucked on the really narrow single lane roads that you'd have to move all the way over and stop to let other cars by. Also, those drainage canals on the side of the rural roads in Japan are no joke.
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Dec 29, 2019 04:33
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Oh god yeah, those things would gently caress you up if the tiles broke or you found a spot with no cover, the ones in tochigi were easily 20cm deep. Japanese drivers are very good at squeezing through tight spaces at speed, with oncoming traffic.
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Dec 29, 2019 04:42
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I basically just trusted that the spotters/guides would tell us if there was oncoming traffic, because between the overgrowth hanging into the lanes and the ditches, I didn't want to scratch up the car or tear off a wheel. And yeah, I totally agree that judging where the corners were on the car was hard. Although I think it's mostly fair to assume that with any unfamiliar car that can be an issue.
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Dec 29, 2019 04:48
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taqueso posted:Oh god yeah, those things would gently caress you up if the tiles broke or you found a spot with no cover, the ones in tochigi were easily 20cm deep. Lots of two lane roads that you'd swear were one way, definitely takes some getting used to. I remember having a harder time going from a pretty loving small Honda City to a Toyota Soarer. With the Honda I'd get brave and go down any street, the Toyota not so much.
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Dec 29, 2019 04:59
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If you live in the USA and are used to driving here, sitting on the other side of the car, shifting with your other hand is extremely minor. Would be a different thing if you also had to try to override your intuitions about directions to turn and what side of the road to be on like if you were driving a RHD vehicle for the first time while also driving in a country that drives on the left for the first time. Here though, at home? All you're doing is sitting a couple to few feet to the right side of the vehicle. Same rules, same assholes, same roads.
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Dec 29, 2019 05:13
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I drive manual RHD every day at home. My first few times in the US driving LHD I found it difficult to judge the car’s position in the lane, and it took a lot of focus to do so. I’ve done probably 800-1000mi in the US now. In March I went to Tahiti and got my first manual LHD. The lane position I was fine with, even with narrow windy roads, but the gear position messed with my head a bit. I think the biggest thing was that I’m used to steering mostly with my right hand, so flipping that to mostly with my left was kind of like brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand.
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Dec 29, 2019 08:48
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Yeah, it's super weird like that. I can handle rhd fine, but shifting with my left hand just feels 'wrong' though I can do it just fine.
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Dec 29, 2019 16:34
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When I came home to the states on leave after being in Japan for two years, driving around I'd be constantly going into the wrong lane when pulling out of a gas station or whatever. Luckily my brother was with me to yell WHAT THE gently caress ARE YOU DOING
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Dec 29, 2019 18:40
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KakerMix posted:Extremely cursed, and while a fire is a fire and it really doesn't matter how or why, Japan Car Direct uses is Hoegh, whose ships all look like this: Kaker I have bad news for you https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXOteVVjKk8 But you should be very grateful your cars are coming across enclosed and not exposed to ocean spray for thousands of miles. WTF? I assume that was meant to be a short passage.
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Dec 29, 2019 21:13
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Yeesh, in the comments it says there were 37 Porsches on it with 4 of them being GT2 RS's. As well as a bunch of RS Audis.
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Dec 29, 2019 21:19
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I just bought an MR2 GT-S from Japanese Classics. Adiabatic referred me to you, but by the time I had contacted him I had already pretty much decided to get the car. It's Tropical Blue, which is a rare color and what I wanted. I wish I had gone with you guys though - I had seen this thread and didn't realize you had made a business of it! They 100% do not budge on price. The ad said the tie rods had been done and it had two tires. Note that it didn't say they were "new tires", because they were take offs from another car. They also didn't fit - it rubbed in the front badly. The tie rods were not done yet either, they told me the part was on order. One of them was very, very dead. If I had bought a plane ticket to drive the car back I would have been PISSED - these are minor repairs and they are being taken care of, but it's not like the knocked off the price any for that. The guy inspecting the car noted the throwout bearing is probably toast as it is making the tell-tale noise, but they won't fix it - too much labor for them and they don't view it as a serious enough problem. Believe me, I tried. They had another buyer lined up right behind me and refused to budge. Not something that encourages me to be a repeat customer. They did however let a friend come over, test drive the car, and put it up on their own lift so he can inspect it. The salesman claimed he paid for expedited shipping so they could fix the car sooner and get it to me more quickly. It just felt kinda dirty. Someone in the MR2 FB group was trying to buy the same car apparently, and I just referred him to you. Hopefully he contacts y'all!
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Dec 29, 2019 23:27
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Applebees Appetizer posted:Yeesh, in the comments it says there were 37 Porsches on it with 4 of them being GT2 RS's. As well as a bunch of RS Audis. If I remember right that happened after Porsche had officially ended production of those GT2 RS’s, but they reopened the line to make those customers their cars
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Dec 30, 2019 00:57
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Party Alarm posted:I just bought an MR2 GT-S from Japanese Classics. drat sorry you had a poo poo experience 
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Dec 30, 2019 04:03
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Party Alarm posted:I just bought an MR2 GT-S from Japanese Classics. Adiabatic referred me to you, but by the time I had contacted him I had already pretty much decided to get the car. It's Tropical Blue, which is a rare color and what I wanted. I uh, hm. My own experience buying from them (a 90 Acty van that started this whole JDM import thing for us) was a little...I dunno, like yours. Friendly and all but kinda flat when it came to certain things. Like they said the tires had plenty of tread left, and yeah that's true. But they were also cracked with age pretty severely and rode terribly because of it. As an importer are large enough and in the spotlight enough that they can afford to be short with customers. Kind of expected though with such high demand, essentially limitless customers and very limited resources. I don't think Japanese Classics are as thorough as they present themselves, nor how people tend to think of them. Listing the tie rods as being done, when they actually aren't, is straight up hosed and there is no excuse for that poo poo. We have cars that need things done, and either we list them as needing that stuff done, or we fix them, THEN list them. You know, common sense. If you want a tropic blue MR2 revision 3 then sure yeah, you are limited for supply. Though the mileage on that one is quite high (there was about an hour here while I had this reply typed up, I wandered off and did something else) Ok so, check this out. I am quite sure I've found this specific MR2 that Japanese Classics is selling you, here is the link and a copy of the sheet and the pictures at auction. https://auc.japancardirect.com/st-YKyI20GvvHEOJB.htm          It was sold at auction on October 2nd, 2019. Based on where Japanese Classics is located means that it takes them 2~ months or so to get things delivered from Japan. The mileage lines up, the details like the exhaust pipe out the back, the little JDM circle on the back window along with the larger 'MR2' mirrored-thing filling in the bottom of that rear window. Steering wheel is similar (though not exactly the same) but to me it looks like the same pedal covers. Same side decals. It's the same car. Did they happen to share the VIN/Chassis ID with you? I notice they don't list it on their website. The one at auction is SW20-0097587 While I'm sure you noticed the price they paid first, I want to point out the things about this car that might matter to you, and since I don't know what Japanese Classics has told you about this MR2, this might not be new information. The grade is R, meaning it's been repaired. The diagram shows that the front end has been replaced in so much as the body work is concerned, that's what the 'XX' mean. The pictures clearly show that the front bumper has been repainted by Japanese Classics. The wheels too have been replaced, though if they were replacing the wheels surely they could have put on new tires for you that would fit, my guess is they replaced the steering wheel with one similar (or repaired the one it came with I guess?) and the wheels with ones they had at their shop, hence the 'two tires' that rub on the fenders. The sheet descriptor box (lower left square) itself lists the panels are being replaced, some warning lights being on, something about the battery/charging system, some burns inside and the paint fade you can see in the pictures. So yeah man I dunno, this seems ultra-sketch to me if they didn't disclose this information to you. Not that I want to call Japanese Classics like, crooks or whatever but if they didn't disclose all this information to you then the evidence speaks for itself. They have this information, they know exactly what they bought. You can't feign ignorance on this.
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Dec 30, 2019 05:02
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Party Alarm, please walk away from this car.
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Dec 30, 2019 05:04
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I already wired them the money, but I think I still have a way to back out. The thing is, it looked amazing in person, and aside from the obvious issues Adiabatic reported that it drove great and looked fantastic. The engine bay was pristine and there weren't even any of the typical 3SGTE oil leaks. *sigh* I'm not sure what I want to do. gently caress! Thanks for finding this. e: Here are the pictures Adiabatic took of the same car:     Here are the dings:   And here's the weird part - the car in those photos is definitely the same one, but look at the engine bay:    Unless the detail guy did it, someone marked their drat hoseclamps. The car looks too clean both in photos and to adiabatic in person to have been a shitbox, but the pictures in that auction look pretty bad. Maybe it was under a tree or something? I'm confused. Adiabatic still have to test drive the car once they complete the repairs, so if there's any mechanical faults he'll find them... Should I really try to back out? Party Alarm fucked around with this message at 05:41 on Dec 30, 2019 |
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Dec 30, 2019 05:23
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You'd be surprised what a good cleaning and some paint can do to the look of a car. All those paint marks are something you'd see as a result of someone being smart before disassembly. The car's had the front end damaged so it's likely the paint marks were to aid reassembly during repairs.
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Dec 30, 2019 05:48
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Fermented Tinal posted:You'd be surprised what a good cleaning and some paint can do to the look of a car. The engine is in the back tho
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Dec 30, 2019 05:50
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Party Alarm posted:The engine is in the back tho I had a brain fart. 
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Dec 30, 2019 05:54
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Party Alarm posted:I already wired them the money, but I think I still have a way to back out. I don't want to wade into trying to determine anything about stuff I don't know, but I do know that Japanese Classics bought this car, at auction, with accident history. The hood and both front fenders are shown to be replaced. They have repainted the front bumper. They have replaced the wheels with front tires that don't fit. I see too that they have heavily detailed the engine, maybe that means they replaced hoses and clamps and maybe marked them with yellow pens, I don't know. All I know for certain is they have intentionally held back information that you'd probably would have liked to know and there is absolutely no excuse for it. That's enough for me to completely write off everything having to do with Japanese Classics because they are doing the literal exact thing every other fly-by-night JDM import bro does which is lie through their goddamed teeth, pretend to be ignorant (oh how many tropical blue MR2s are there tee hee hee we don't know btw don't ask if this MR2 has tboned someone) and it loving sucks because it seems like every other JDM import company/operation/dealership is ran by shitheads trying to make a buck. They are established and know better, but yet here we are. I know you're excited to have the MR2 in the color you've wanted but I really think you should walk away. Japanese Classics lost their footing with you when the tie rods weren't replaced, lost more when the tires didn't fit, and now we know what they bought and the information they held back from you, why bother even thinking about continuing with the purchase? They aren't being honest with you, full stop. Talk to Adiabatic about it and see what he says.
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Dec 30, 2019 06:07
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This might be camera fisheye, but "bad tie rod" my rear end. Did this car smell like smoke? That looks like a portable ashtray in the cupholder. Seat Safety Switch fucked around with this message at 06:17 on Dec 30, 2019 |
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Dec 30, 2019 06:13
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Like check this out, the auction history goes back 3 months, right? So that one that Japanese Classics has was in October, means that come Janurary it will be flushed from the system. In the last three months though: https://auc.japancardirect.com/st-2unyisuHzLeurOZ.htm  https://auc.japancardirect.com/st-YKR99jQ76Ho7dl.htm  https://auc.japancardirect.com/st-6YMcIzIy4coYMPm.htm  https://auc.japancardirect.com/st-OoLN0EGg4GTZXO.htm  That makes a total of 5 SW20 MR2s in the last 3 months that have come up for sale with Tropical Blue, though I admit that last one might not be the right blue. Like dang dude you could buy two MR2s for what the one cost. They might be rare but not that rare. Plus I bet their tires don't rub
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Dec 30, 2019 06:35
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Yeah I think they got a great deal at auction, because the MR2 I looked at was in good shape aside from the mentioned issues. Definitely needs a front right inner tie rod, the rest of the suspension is tight. The front wheels being offset enough that it rubs is annoying but easily fixable. There's small stuff like the seat belt not wanting to retract. No oil leaks and the body is in good condition. I think it's slightly overpriced, but it's absolutely a solid car. That being said, Japanese Classics is shady and they absolutely let you find the issues with the car instead of being honest about them. I think I found everything I could when I spent like 2 hours on this blue MR2, but then again who knows. I bit on the red one despite the price, and I dont regret it, but it certainly wasn't as advertised and I've already had to replace all the struts. Hell they didnt even tell me about that or offer anything other than a fortune auto discount. If I didnt live here Id be pissed to fly all the way out to them just to show up and find what I did.
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Dec 30, 2019 07:19
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Adiabatic posted:Yeah I think they got a great deal at auction, because the MR2 I looked at was in good shape aside from the mentioned issues. Definitely needs a front right inner tie rod, the rest of the suspension is tight. The front wheels being offset enough that it rubs is annoying but easily fixable. There's small stuff like the seat belt not wanting to retract. No oil leaks and the body is in good condition. I think it's slightly overpriced, but it's absolutely a solid car. Man this is totally inexcusable on their part, you have to go out of your way to be an rear end in a top hat like this and just go "oh welp I dunno hyuk" and that's total bullshit. Selfishly I wish people wouldn't reward businesses like this, there is nothing at all special about Japanese Classics. They do absolutely nothing unique, they do not have access to special auctions or inventory (as I went and found their blue MR2 when I went to go see how common Tropical Blue MR2s come up for sale and saw it) and as far as I can tell, simply be scummy as gently caress like all the other rear end in a top hat import dealers littering the county. They are charging more because they are popular, and are getting away with holding back information like "we repainted this" and "it was totally in a front end collision in its past" because ??? Party Alarm, you can find a better condition Tropical Blue MR2 that hasn't been in a wreck, with lower mileage, in Japan. This whole thread details how to do it yourself, just do that. You'll be in complete control, get to make the call on what you buy, and not have to deal with any middle man. You can do whatever you want, but goddamn will I be so dissapointed to have someone that knows better go ahead and give Japanese Classics their business when they have every reason NOT to, just because it's within reach and is the color they want.
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Dec 30, 2019 07:48
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Re: handed-driveness chat - As someone who goes between the two every now and then, I always remind myself that the driver needs to be towards the centreline and that usually sorts me. I've also found that as I've gone back and forth between the US and Japan/Australia it gets easier to make the switch each time. When I've let Americans/Canadians drive over here, I find they have a hard time with lane positioning as someone else mentioned - usually within bare cms of the outside edge of the road. I usually ask to take back over as riding in the passenger seat when that's happening as it's a bit nerve wracking. I dunno how I'd handle an RHD car in an LHD country - I've got an extra layer of habits to break. Still might try it someday though!
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Dec 30, 2019 08:02
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KakerMix posted:Man this is totally inexcusable on their part, you have to go out of your way to be an rear end in a top hat like this and just go "oh welp I dunno hyuk" and that's total bullshit. gently caress's sake.
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Dec 30, 2019 11:22
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Adiabatic posted:I think it's slightly overpriced, but it's absolutely a solid car. Slightly overpriced? They're charging over 100% markup. I get it's a niche market and margins can be high but the average going rate for one of these at auction is $3,500, add that again to get it delivered (and that's a high estimate on importation and freight). This car isn't worth $8,000 cost of convenience on top of the $7,000 total they've probably spent on it. Fermented Tinal fucked around with this message at 13:14 on Dec 30, 2019 |
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Dec 30, 2019 13:08
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I like the Japanese Classics website because there are lots of fapworthy pics and I dig the startup videos but that poo poo all sounds like a RUN DONT WALK AWAY FROM THIS CAR. Red flag city. Which is a bummer because that is a beautiful loving color on the SW20. Wow. Of course this kind of thing would attract actual, literal scalpers (  I guess) but I wish all these folks were actually passionate about cool cars and not just movers.
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Dec 30, 2019 14:47
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