We only got the EV version of the I-Car and reviewers here fuckin' destroyed it.
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Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
Yeah, they were complete shit. At least the petrol model can actually accelerate up to highway speeds (slowly, obviously) and has a decent range. It's just meant to be a cheap and reliable daily runabout.
Plus, if you're so inclined, with a little bit of tinkering you can safely double the engine's power output and they end up being quite fun, what with the light weight and MR configuration.
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webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
Yeah, they were complete shit. At least the petrol model can actually accelerate up to highway speeds (slowly, obviously) and has a decent range. It's just meant to be a cheap and reliable daily runabout.
Plus, if you're so inclined, with a little bit of tinkering you can safely double the engine's power output and they end up being quite fun, what with the light weight and MR configuration.
Plus it is ADORABLE. That would be a great car to run around town in. Parking would be so easy.
Yeah, they were complete shit. At least the petrol model can actually accelerate up to highway speeds (slowly, obviously) and has a decent range. It's just meant to be a cheap and reliable daily runabout.
Plus, if you're so inclined, with a little bit of tinkering you can safely double the engine's power output and they end up being quite fun, what with the light weight and MR configuration.
I actually have a soft spot for the current Mitsubishi Mirage. I know it's a super shitty little car pulled straight outta 1995 but that's kind of its charm. They also come in neat colors.
They should really make a turbo'd Ralliart or Evo version. World's fastest can o' shit.
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Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
Dropping a 4G63T into one of these:
has been done a few times that I know of here in Australia, and always results in fun times. DC2 Integra Type R owners get really snotty when a ratty pile of shit absolutely demolishes their cult classic.
I think the front end of one of those (I-Cars) would be significantly improved by meeting a kangaroo somewhere between Bunbury and Collie Chris! And previously the only car I really would have made that statement about was the New Beetle.
Edit: Whoops there's a whole new page.
Funnily enough my first GF had one of those lancers, and I spent a bit of time on the MOGWA forums looking at what it would take to drop the evo motor in there.
I drove one of the new Astras the other day after dropping of a service customer's car, and that was surprisingly decent to drive.
What I'd really like is a Renault Megane GT220 wagon (I know I said I want something reliable, but hey) but I don't think they've produced them for a few years now. Drove one of them a few times and it was a great blend of being firm without being uncomfortable, plenty of get up and go and pretty practical.
McFodder on
Switch Friend Code: SW-3944-9431-0318
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I think the front end of one of those (I-Cars) would be significantly improved by meeting a kangaroo somewhere between Bunbury and Collie Chris! And previously the only car I really would have made that statement about was the New Beetle.
Edit: Whoops there's a whole new page.
Funnily enough my first GF had one of those lancers, and I spent a bit of time on the MOGWA forums looking at what it would take to drop the evo motor in there.
I drove one of the new Astras the other day after dropping of a service customer's car, and that was surprisingly decent to drive.
What I'd really like is a Renault Megane GT220 wagon (I know I said I want something reliable, but hey) but I don't think they've produced them for a few years now. Drove one of them a few times and it was a great blend of being firm without being uncomfortable, plenty of get up and go and pretty practical.
What have you currently got? Could a gas Falcon fit the bill of reliable and cheap to run? I know they're pretty big, but if you get a factory dedicated gas car (that wasn't previously a taxi, obviously), it should be pretty bulletproof and still cheap thanks to gas being half the price of petrol.
1990 Celica GT4 is the current car, I really can't complain about how it's lasted for the 11 years I've had it but it's just getting to that age.
Driving to Collie and back, fuel economy is probably the only thing stopping me from looking for something like a 6 cylinder falcon or commodore ute just because they are always handy to have, and I don't need more than 2 seats.
Realistically I need to just get mine fixed and and cross my fingers nothing else major goes wrong before November and look at my options then. My fiancee knows I enjoy my car and is open to the idea of taking it in to somewhere and getting it fully overhauled rather than by something newer, but not sure which way I'd go.
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Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
That is a really sweet car, I can see why you wouldn't want to get rid of it. Building it up into a Group A Rallye replica would be a waste of time, but giving the whole thing a ground-up refresh would be great. Spool do a nice stroker kit for the 3S-GTE motor, too. With a modern turbo you could have frankly ridiculous amounts of torque all over the rev range for excellent acceleration, but if you keep it sane on the peak horsepower numbers it wouldn't necessarily use much more fuel.
This morning, it was just a really heavy (for it's size) car as I tried to push it up the driveway haha.
But yeah, my preference would probably be to take it to these guys and throw money at them. It's not hard to make a frankenmotor 2.2 with the Camry block, or as you said there are kits around, but as long as it's reliable and fun I'd be happy. Chances are I'm not going to track it again, maybe the odd motorkhana or something, but nothing serious.
The downside of that is knowing there will still be nearly 30 year old parts to break somewhere in there....
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Switch Friend Code: SW-3944-9431-0318
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Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
This morning, it was just a really heavy (for it's size) car as I tried to push it up the driveway haha.
But yeah, my preference would probably be to take it to these guys and throw money at them. It's not hard to make a frankenmotor 2.2 with the Camry block, or as you said there are kits around, but as long as it's reliable and fun I'd be happy. Chances are I'm not going to track it again, maybe the odd motorkhana or something, but nothing serious.
The downside of that is knowing there will still be nearly 30 year old parts to break somewhere in there....
Nah, forget the Camry block, just put a 93mm stroker crank in it and bore the cylinders 0.5 mm oversize to end up with a 2.25 litre motor. With 10:1 compression, a mild set of cams, and 15 PSI of boost you should be able to make an easy 350 horsepower, but with the smallest twin-scroll turbo you can get to flow enough air to give a really fat torque curve. It'd cost a bit, and you'd want to get the whole drivetrain freshened up for example gearbox, transfer case, and both diffs overhauled, new unis in the tailshaft and new CVs in the driveshafts, new wheel bearings as well. Do all the suspension bushes and chuck some adjustable coilovers and swaybars in it, put a big brake kit and an overhauled master cylinder on it, pop an overhauled steering rack in it, basically make all the bits that move as good as new, or better.
I have only been driving for 2 years and I'm already calling other drivers names and flipping them off when they ride my ass because they need to do 15 over the limit or pass me on the right or something.
I have only been driving for 2 years and I'm already calling other drivers names and flipping them off when they ride my ass because they need to do 15 over the limit or pass me on the right or something.
This never goes away and in fact gets worse as you get more experience and are able to notice all the stupid, crazy shit people are doing that they really really shouldn't be.
Yeah, the more you look the more stupid things you see people doing. With more experience you'll notice subtle movements, road positioning, or other things that you can use to anticipate what the driver may be about to do.
One of my biggest pet peeves is people who don't use their turn signals. I always use them even if I'm the only car on the road purely out of habit. Especially at night in case I cant see a pedestrian.
A big thing is to just drive your own car and try to be ready for that may happen. That way, when people aren't shitty they're beating expectations and when they are they're just doing as expected. Below expected outcome is reserved solely for people crashing into you.
This morning, it was just a really heavy (for it's size) car as I tried to push it up the driveway haha.
But yeah, my preference would probably be to take it to these guys and throw money at them. It's not hard to make a frankenmotor 2.2 with the Camry block, or as you said there are kits around, but as long as it's reliable and fun I'd be happy. Chances are I'm not going to track it again, maybe the odd motorkhana or something, but nothing serious.
The downside of that is knowing there will still be nearly 30 year old parts to break somewhere in there....
Nah, forget the Camry block, just put a 93mm stroker crank in it and bore the cylinders 0.5 mm oversize to end up with a 2.25 litre motor. With 10:1 compression, a mild set of cams, and 15 PSI of boost you should be able to make an easy 350 horsepower, but with the smallest twin-scroll turbo you can get to flow enough air to give a really fat torque curve. It'd cost a bit, and you'd want to get the whole drivetrain freshened up for example gearbox, transfer case, and both diffs overhauled, new unis in the tailshaft and new CVs in the driveshafts, new wheel bearings as well. Do all the suspension bushes and chuck some adjustable coilovers and swaybars in it, put a big brake kit and an overhauled master cylinder on it, pop an overhauled steering rack in it, basically make all the bits that move as good as new, or better.
Yeah, gearbox overhaul has been on the cards for a while - some of the synchros started dying not long after I got it, so I did swap the gearbox for another one I was told was good (which was worse) but it doesn't really bother me clunking slightly on gear changes.
I've already got coilovers and a rear swaybar and strut brace in there (swaybar was the best money I've spent on the car bar none), but bushes and the like are definitely getting tired.
Auto electrician is having a look today so fingers crossed I'll be driving it again before long.
Switch Friend Code: SW-3944-9431-0318
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Although they say it has just 28k miles on it, I think it really has 128k based on the interior wear. Still in pretty good shape for a 27 year old car! Nothing a nice interior shampoo and a little white paint for the inside bed won't fix.
Hey sorry to all the Americans finally getting access to Japanese imports. We've already thoroughly picked over the stock. Hope there's some R34 left when it's your turn.
So I'm thinking of doing something crazy. I'm thinking of selling my 2009 Impreza and buying one of these.
It's a 1998 Mitsubishi Legnum VR-4. Wagon Variant of the Galant. Dude in town imports Japanese cars by the container and fixes them up. This thing is in immaculate condition. Twin turbo 2.5L V6 with AYC, tiptronic tranny, full size wagon, and it's green. This tickles me in many ways, most of them non-sexual.
I just can't come up with a reason to not buy this.
Although they say it has just 28k miles on it, I think it really has 128k based on the interior wear. Still in pretty good shape for a 27 year old car! Nothing a nice interior shampoo and a little white paint for the inside bed won't fix.
Oh man that seat and door card are grody. Definitely no air-con in that truck..
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Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
Although they say it has just 28k miles on it, I think it really has 128k based on the interior wear. Still in pretty good shape for a 27 year old car! Nothing a nice interior shampoo and a little white paint for the inside bed won't fix.
Yeahhh, that's been around the clock at least once, more than likely twice. It's 27 years old!
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Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
If I ever buy a Japanese import like that it'll definitely be some weird wagon or truck. Skylines are neat but I want something a bit stranger.
Some of the VIP cars like the Nissan Cedric and especially the Toyota Century are neat too.
The Y33 Nissan Cima is great, with the VH41 V8 or the turbo version of the VQ30 in it, and there's the Toyota Chaser/Mk II with the 1JZ-GTE in it, and the Crown Estate Athlete which is a sports luxury wagon like the Stagea...
We all know who can help with turbo'ing a VH41 I'm sure..
I took the door cards off the Alfa to see if I could adjust the door latch to make closing the doors less slammy as well as anything else I could find.. which was putting the rubber/fur thing back into the interior window track on the passenger side so the window doesn't rattle about while it's down, and fishing out the random part that was rattling around in the driver's side which turned out to be a linkage that allows the door to be opened from the inside while locked from the outside. No more being locked inside my own car for me!
Unfortunately the doors still suck to close. It's related to replacement door seals and the fact that they're probably not hung well (hurr durr), I have already replace the seals with repros that are meant to resolved door closing issues though, so ho hum. I probably need to find an old Italian person I can barely understand to work their magic with them.
Lately I've kind of wanted a Peugeot, which is crazy but I've become a little fascinated with them since moving to LA. I never saw a French car in the flesh while living in the Midwest, they were rare anyway in the US and rust dealt with the ones that did make it to mid-America. I've seen 6 or 7 different Peugeots on the road here, as well as a nice Citroen DS.
There's a particularly nice Peugeot 405 Mi16 near-ish our apartment that has really caught my eye. It's in superb shape and I think it's a handsome car.
We all know who can help with turbo'ing a VH41 I'm sure..
I took the door cards off the Alfa to see if I could adjust the door latch to make closing the doors less slammy as well as anything else I could find.. which was putting the rubber/fur thing back into the interior window track on the passenger side so the window doesn't rattle about while it's down, and fishing out the random part that was rattling around in the driver's side which turned out to be a linkage that allows the door to be opened from the inside while locked from the outside. No more being locked inside my own car for me!
Unfortunately the doors still suck to close. It's related to replacement door seals and the fact that they're probably not hung well (hurr durr), I have already replace the seals with repros that are meant to resolved door closing issues though, so ho hum. I probably need to find an old Italian person I can barely understand to work their magic with them.
We all know who can help with turbo'ing a VH41 I'm sure..
I took the door cards off the Alfa to see if I could adjust the door latch to make closing the doors less slammy as well as anything else I could find.. which was putting the rubber/fur thing back into the interior window track on the passenger side so the window doesn't rattle about while it's down, and fishing out the random part that was rattling around in the driver's side which turned out to be a linkage that allows the door to be opened from the inside while locked from the outside. No more being locked inside my own car for me!
Unfortunately the doors still suck to close. It's related to replacement door seals and the fact that they're probably not hung well (hurr durr), I have already replace the seals with repros that are meant to resolved door closing issues though, so ho hum. I probably need to find an old Italian person I can barely understand to work their magic with them.
Want a hand?
If you reckon you can fix it, sure. I'm not really sure where to start with them.
We all know who can help with turbo'ing a VH41 I'm sure..
I took the door cards off the Alfa to see if I could adjust the door latch to make closing the doors less slammy as well as anything else I could find.. which was putting the rubber/fur thing back into the interior window track on the passenger side so the window doesn't rattle about while it's down, and fishing out the random part that was rattling around in the driver's side which turned out to be a linkage that allows the door to be opened from the inside while locked from the outside. No more being locked inside my own car for me!
Unfortunately the doors still suck to close. It's related to replacement door seals and the fact that they're probably not hung well (hurr durr), I have already replace the seals with repros that are meant to resolved door closing issues though, so ho hum. I probably need to find an old Italian person I can barely understand to work their magic with them.
Want a hand?
If you reckon you can fix it, sure. I'm not really sure where to start with them.
Have you tried dusting the seals with talc, then closing the door and seeing where they are getting crushed/not making contact?
We all know who can help with turbo'ing a VH41 I'm sure..
I took the door cards off the Alfa to see if I could adjust the door latch to make closing the doors less slammy as well as anything else I could find.. which was putting the rubber/fur thing back into the interior window track on the passenger side so the window doesn't rattle about while it's down, and fishing out the random part that was rattling around in the driver's side which turned out to be a linkage that allows the door to be opened from the inside while locked from the outside. No more being locked inside my own car for me!
Unfortunately the doors still suck to close. It's related to replacement door seals and the fact that they're probably not hung well (hurr durr), I have already replace the seals with repros that are meant to resolved door closing issues though, so ho hum. I probably need to find an old Italian person I can barely understand to work their magic with them.
Want a hand?
If you reckon you can fix it, sure. I'm not really sure where to start with them.
Have you tried dusting the seals with talc, then closing the door and seeing where they are getting crushed/not making contact?
That sounds sensible. Pretty sure for both it's the rear edge, as the seals start to get unseated along that side.
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Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
Although they say it has just 28k miles on it, I think it really has 128k based on the interior wear. Still in pretty good shape for a 27 year old car! Nothing a nice interior shampoo and a little white paint for the inside bed won't fix.
Yeahhh, that's been around the clock at least once, more than likely twice. It's 27 years old!
Yeah I was going to say. Probably more like 1,028,000.
not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
So I've owned the Beat for a couple months now, and I figure probably some of y'all USAians might appreciate an info post. In the event you're as nuts as I am.
Buying a Motherfucking Kei Car
There are a few choices, but I went with Japanese Classics, largely due to Doug DeMuro's informative article on getting his hands on his R32 back on Jalopnik. Rather, I should say I first became aware of Japanese Classics at this time, and from time to time would amuse myself by browsing their inventory. When I made the decision back in April to seriously pursue buying a weird car, I traded emails and phone calls with JC. They did what they call an "audio walk-around" and explained every ding, scratch, crack, and anything else they could see. I'm talking details on a dent five cm long on the hood up and to the right of the emblem, that sort of thing. Questions about how the car drives were answered honestly, and in general I had a very positive experience interacting with the folks there. I suppose this makes sense, as we're talking about a very, very niche company appealing to a possibly nicher customer base. At any rate I ended up making them an offer, as one does, and they took it immediately. Which is cool, but also means I somehow didn't go low enough. (I went quite a bit lower than what they were asking for. I suspect it's because they bought six or so Beats in early 2016, and mine was the last one they had.)
Paying For Something You've Only Seen in Gran Turismo When You Were Twelve, Sight Unseen
Wire transfer.
Getting a Microcar When You Live a Thousand Miles from Where Your New Car Is
My options were to fly to Richmond, Virginia, where JC is, pick the car up in person and drive it roughly 1/3 the way across the continent, or have it shipped to me. It ended up being very close to the same money, about US $100 cheaper to fly and drive. Given that I had no idea what sort of potential mechanical demons might lurk within the Beat, being utterly unfamiliar with the car in general, and not particularly enthused at the idea of either driving this thing at frighteningly close to its 1991 top speed on the interstate highway for twelve hours, or alternatively taking perhaps two days worth of backroads, I elected to have the Beat shipped to me. This took approximately one million years to do. Well, three weeks. Apparently the holdup was getting a truck and driver scheduled to pick the car up and head west, partially because the Beat's very narrow wheelbase means a conventional car carrier truck will not work. Three weeks later, the Beat arrived in my subdivision...on the back of a 100% totally normal car carrier truck. The tires were about half on the rails on each side. It was very, very nervewracking to see the truck drive unload the car under these circumstances, but credit where it's due he rocked it. I'm only somewhat concerned that some structural damage to the tires may have occurred. On the other hand I'm likely to replace them along with the wheels before too long so whatever.
It would have been really neat to roam through JC's inventory though.
Driving a Car You've Loved Since You Were Small Even Though It Was Not Designed For Your Hemisphere
The first question everyone asks me is "how weird is it to sit on the other side"? And the answer is basically not at all. It is so completely not a thing that I wouldn't have believed you before I did it. The one caveat to this is when you're on a narrow country road--I live in ex-ranch territory--and on occasion passing a big pickup truck is a bit concerning. But you're in a kei and your wingspan is wider than the car is, so relax.
Honestly the biggest thing is getting used to shifting with my other hand. I'm left-handed, so I'm used to keeping my dominant hand on the wheel at all times. Even now I sometimes take my right hand off the wheel to grab another gear and bonk into the door, which is located 6 cm from the wheel for your convenience.
Actually scratch that, the biggest thing is the turn signal indicator being on the right. I am now accidentally turning on the wipers in both of my cars.
Wait, no, the biggest thing is the speedo is in kph and I have utterly zero idea how fast I'm going, ever. I know 100 kph is approximately 60 mph, and driving the Beat around town means that information is never useful. (Cut the kph reading in half to approximate Imperial speed???) I have elected to go about as fast as everyone else is going. I look forward to potentially being pulled over because I'm speeding in a 660cc inline three-powered "sports" kei.
Hey Before You Drive You Should Really Insure and Register That Weird Car
Bizarrely, neither of these things was remotely difficult. I called up my insurance agent, who I'm personal friends with, and explained to him that I was in the process of buying a car that would not exist in his database and that had a VIN that was both too short and in a non-standard format. He ended up getting me what amounts to a "show car/collector" policy, which has an understandable mileage restriction of 5,000 miles a year. It was really no different from insuring a normal car. Standard info, the usual pictures of the exterior and interior, sign the stuff, get your cards. Only odd thing is that for me the policy is annual, rather than the usual six month term, and it's all paid up front. Cheaper than the Evo's policy to be sure.
Even more bizarrely, when I went to register the Beat, my state's DMV could not give lesser a shit if they tried. JC had given me the Virginia title, so showing that, my proof of insurance, and the Bill of Sale (technically not required, as the title has the purchase price) was all I needed. Given the age I was eligible for an antique car plate, but I wanted a stupid vanity plate so I went that route. Pay your sales tax and your registration fee, here's your plate and registration paper, go thou and sin no more.
Something I haven't solved is that American license plates are of different dimensions from Japanese ones, and the mounting holes in the car do not match up with the ones in the plate. I'm probably just going to drill new holes in the plate once I get my permanent vanity one. I suppose one could use some sort of adapter bracket or something. Seriously though how is the entire world not on some standardized license plate size?
Final Thought As Regards This Kei Car What I Bought
I've completely pleased with the entire process from front to back. I love this weird little car that nobody has seen. I love the likely challenging and expensive repairs that will happen at some point. I like looking up exploded diagrams entirely in Japanese and using Google Translate to try to make sense of it. I like owning something that nobody else in the state owns. I like it when people come up to me in a parking lot or at the gas station and ask me what the hell this thing is. I even like getting sunburned and having my hair messed up because the aircon needs fixing and it's like 90 already. This car is awesome and you should get one too.
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Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
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We only got the EV version of the I-Car and reviewers here fuckin' destroyed it.
Plus, if you're so inclined, with a little bit of tinkering you can safely double the engine's power output and they end up being quite fun, what with the light weight and MR configuration.
Plus it is ADORABLE. That would be a great car to run around town in. Parking would be so easy.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
I actually have a soft spot for the current Mitsubishi Mirage. I know it's a super shitty little car pulled straight outta 1995 but that's kind of its charm. They also come in neat colors.
They should really make a turbo'd Ralliart or Evo version. World's fastest can o' shit.
has been done a few times that I know of here in Australia, and always results in fun times. DC2 Integra Type R owners get really snotty when a ratty pile of shit absolutely demolishes their cult classic.
Edit: Whoops there's a whole new page.
Funnily enough my first GF had one of those lancers, and I spent a bit of time on the MOGWA forums looking at what it would take to drop the evo motor in there.
I drove one of the new Astras the other day after dropping of a service customer's car, and that was surprisingly decent to drive.
What I'd really like is a Renault Megane GT220 wagon (I know I said I want something reliable, but hey) but I don't think they've produced them for a few years now. Drove one of them a few times and it was a great blend of being firm without being uncomfortable, plenty of get up and go and pretty practical.
PSN / Xbox / NNID: Fodder185
What have you currently got? Could a gas Falcon fit the bill of reliable and cheap to run? I know they're pretty big, but if you get a factory dedicated gas car (that wasn't previously a taxi, obviously), it should be pretty bulletproof and still cheap thanks to gas being half the price of petrol.
Driving to Collie and back, fuel economy is probably the only thing stopping me from looking for something like a 6 cylinder falcon or commodore ute just because they are always handy to have, and I don't need more than 2 seats.
Realistically I need to just get mine fixed and and cross my fingers nothing else major goes wrong before November and look at my options then. My fiancee knows I enjoy my car and is open to the idea of taking it in to somewhere and getting it fully overhauled rather than by something newer, but not sure which way I'd go.
PSN / Xbox / NNID: Fodder185
But yeah, my preference would probably be to take it to these guys and throw money at them. It's not hard to make a frankenmotor 2.2 with the Camry block, or as you said there are kits around, but as long as it's reliable and fun I'd be happy. Chances are I'm not going to track it again, maybe the odd motorkhana or something, but nothing serious.
The downside of that is knowing there will still be nearly 30 year old parts to break somewhere in there....
PSN / Xbox / NNID: Fodder185
Nah, forget the Camry block, just put a 93mm stroker crank in it and bore the cylinders 0.5 mm oversize to end up with a 2.25 litre motor. With 10:1 compression, a mild set of cams, and 15 PSI of boost you should be able to make an easy 350 horsepower, but with the smallest twin-scroll turbo you can get to flow enough air to give a really fat torque curve. It'd cost a bit, and you'd want to get the whole drivetrain freshened up for example gearbox, transfer case, and both diffs overhauled, new unis in the tailshaft and new CVs in the driveshafts, new wheel bearings as well. Do all the suspension bushes and chuck some adjustable coilovers and swaybars in it, put a big brake kit and an overhauled master cylinder on it, pop an overhauled steering rack in it, basically make all the bits that move as good as new, or better.
I have only been driving for 2 years and I'm already calling other drivers names and flipping them off when they ride my ass because they need to do 15 over the limit or pass me on the right or something.
This never goes away and in fact gets worse as you get more experience and are able to notice all the stupid, crazy shit people are doing that they really really shouldn't be.
One of my biggest pet peeves is people who don't use their turn signals. I always use them even if I'm the only car on the road purely out of habit. Especially at night in case I cant see a pedestrian.
This rant is often in my head when I drive/ride.
Yeah, gearbox overhaul has been on the cards for a while - some of the synchros started dying not long after I got it, so I did swap the gearbox for another one I was told was good (which was worse) but it doesn't really bother me clunking slightly on gear changes.
I've already got coilovers and a rear swaybar and strut brace in there (swaybar was the best money I've spent on the car bar none), but bushes and the like are definitely getting tired.
Auto electrician is having a look today so fingers crossed I'll be driving it again before long.
PSN / Xbox / NNID: Fodder185
PSN / Xbox / NNID: Fodder185
Although they say it has just 28k miles on it, I think it really has 128k based on the interior wear. Still in pretty good shape for a 27 year old car! Nothing a nice interior shampoo and a little white paint for the inside bed won't fix.
I never finish anyth
Some of the VIP cars like the Nissan Cedric and especially the Toyota Century are neat too.
It's does 0-60 is just a hair over 5 seconds.
I never finish anyth
Oh man that seat and door card are grody. Definitely no air-con in that truck..
Yeahhh, that's been around the clock at least once, more than likely twice. It's 27 years old!
The Y33 Nissan Cima is great, with the VH41 V8 or the turbo version of the VQ30 in it, and there's the Toyota Chaser/Mk II with the 1JZ-GTE in it, and the Crown Estate Athlete which is a sports luxury wagon like the Stagea...
I took the door cards off the Alfa to see if I could adjust the door latch to make closing the doors less slammy as well as anything else I could find.. which was putting the rubber/fur thing back into the interior window track on the passenger side so the window doesn't rattle about while it's down, and fishing out the random part that was rattling around in the driver's side which turned out to be a linkage that allows the door to be opened from the inside while locked from the outside. No more being locked inside my own car for me!
Unfortunately the doors still suck to close. It's related to replacement door seals and the fact that they're probably not hung well (hurr durr), I have already replace the seals with repros that are meant to resolved door closing issues though, so ho hum. I probably need to find an old Italian person I can barely understand to work their magic with them.
There's a particularly nice Peugeot 405 Mi16 near-ish our apartment that has really caught my eye. It's in superb shape and I think it's a handsome car.
Want a hand?
If you reckon you can fix it, sure. I'm not really sure where to start with them.
PSN / Xbox / NNID: Fodder185
Have you tried dusting the seals with talc, then closing the door and seeing where they are getting crushed/not making contact?
That sounds sensible. Pretty sure for both it's the rear edge, as the seals start to get unseated along that side.
Oui
Yeah I was going to say. Probably more like 1,028,000.
Buying a Motherfucking Kei Car
There are a few choices, but I went with Japanese Classics, largely due to Doug DeMuro's informative article on getting his hands on his R32 back on Jalopnik. Rather, I should say I first became aware of Japanese Classics at this time, and from time to time would amuse myself by browsing their inventory. When I made the decision back in April to seriously pursue buying a weird car, I traded emails and phone calls with JC. They did what they call an "audio walk-around" and explained every ding, scratch, crack, and anything else they could see. I'm talking details on a dent five cm long on the hood up and to the right of the emblem, that sort of thing. Questions about how the car drives were answered honestly, and in general I had a very positive experience interacting with the folks there. I suppose this makes sense, as we're talking about a very, very niche company appealing to a possibly nicher customer base. At any rate I ended up making them an offer, as one does, and they took it immediately. Which is cool, but also means I somehow didn't go low enough. (I went quite a bit lower than what they were asking for. I suspect it's because they bought six or so Beats in early 2016, and mine was the last one they had.)
Paying For Something You've Only Seen in Gran Turismo When You Were Twelve, Sight Unseen
Wire transfer.
Getting a Microcar When You Live a Thousand Miles from Where Your New Car Is
My options were to fly to Richmond, Virginia, where JC is, pick the car up in person and drive it roughly 1/3 the way across the continent, or have it shipped to me. It ended up being very close to the same money, about US $100 cheaper to fly and drive. Given that I had no idea what sort of potential mechanical demons might lurk within the Beat, being utterly unfamiliar with the car in general, and not particularly enthused at the idea of either driving this thing at frighteningly close to its 1991 top speed on the interstate highway for twelve hours, or alternatively taking perhaps two days worth of backroads, I elected to have the Beat shipped to me. This took approximately one million years to do. Well, three weeks. Apparently the holdup was getting a truck and driver scheduled to pick the car up and head west, partially because the Beat's very narrow wheelbase means a conventional car carrier truck will not work. Three weeks later, the Beat arrived in my subdivision...on the back of a 100% totally normal car carrier truck. The tires were about half on the rails on each side. It was very, very nervewracking to see the truck drive unload the car under these circumstances, but credit where it's due he rocked it. I'm only somewhat concerned that some structural damage to the tires may have occurred. On the other hand I'm likely to replace them along with the wheels before too long so whatever.
It would have been really neat to roam through JC's inventory though.
Driving a Car You've Loved Since You Were Small Even Though It Was Not Designed For Your Hemisphere
The first question everyone asks me is "how weird is it to sit on the other side"? And the answer is basically not at all. It is so completely not a thing that I wouldn't have believed you before I did it. The one caveat to this is when you're on a narrow country road--I live in ex-ranch territory--and on occasion passing a big pickup truck is a bit concerning. But you're in a kei and your wingspan is wider than the car is, so relax.
Honestly the biggest thing is getting used to shifting with my other hand. I'm left-handed, so I'm used to keeping my dominant hand on the wheel at all times. Even now I sometimes take my right hand off the wheel to grab another gear and bonk into the door, which is located 6 cm from the wheel for your convenience.
Actually scratch that, the biggest thing is the turn signal indicator being on the right. I am now accidentally turning on the wipers in both of my cars.
Wait, no, the biggest thing is the speedo is in kph and I have utterly zero idea how fast I'm going, ever. I know 100 kph is approximately 60 mph, and driving the Beat around town means that information is never useful. (Cut the kph reading in half to approximate Imperial speed???) I have elected to go about as fast as everyone else is going. I look forward to potentially being pulled over because I'm speeding in a 660cc inline three-powered "sports" kei.
Hey Before You Drive You Should Really Insure and Register That Weird Car
Bizarrely, neither of these things was remotely difficult. I called up my insurance agent, who I'm personal friends with, and explained to him that I was in the process of buying a car that would not exist in his database and that had a VIN that was both too short and in a non-standard format. He ended up getting me what amounts to a "show car/collector" policy, which has an understandable mileage restriction of 5,000 miles a year. It was really no different from insuring a normal car. Standard info, the usual pictures of the exterior and interior, sign the stuff, get your cards. Only odd thing is that for me the policy is annual, rather than the usual six month term, and it's all paid up front. Cheaper than the Evo's policy to be sure.
Even more bizarrely, when I went to register the Beat, my state's DMV could not give lesser a shit if they tried. JC had given me the Virginia title, so showing that, my proof of insurance, and the Bill of Sale (technically not required, as the title has the purchase price) was all I needed. Given the age I was eligible for an antique car plate, but I wanted a stupid vanity plate so I went that route. Pay your sales tax and your registration fee, here's your plate and registration paper, go thou and sin no more.
Something I haven't solved is that American license plates are of different dimensions from Japanese ones, and the mounting holes in the car do not match up with the ones in the plate. I'm probably just going to drill new holes in the plate once I get my permanent vanity one. I suppose one could use some sort of adapter bracket or something. Seriously though how is the entire world not on some standardized license plate size?
Final Thought As Regards This Kei Car What I Bought
I've completely pleased with the entire process from front to back. I love this weird little car that nobody has seen. I love the likely challenging and expensive repairs that will happen at some point. I like looking up exploded diagrams entirely in Japanese and using Google Translate to try to make sense of it. I like owning something that nobody else in the state owns. I like it when people come up to me in a parking lot or at the gas station and ask me what the hell this thing is. I even like getting sunburned and having my hair messed up because the aircon needs fixing and it's like 90 already. This car is awesome and you should get one too.