Ridiculous Prices

One day, my friend showed me 2 cars on his phone and asked for my opinion on those. One was a Lexus CT200H and another one, I have forgotten. Judging from the way he drives (which is like a demon), I do not think those suited him at all. Then he told me, it is actually for his girlfriend/fiance. When I was out with them, she told me she wants a car that has a not too big engine that produces 200 horsepower and cheap to maintain. I was surprised by her requirement because she was so specific and knows about cars. Normally, 200 hp can be easily produced by a turbo engine but she specifically said no turbo cars because those are noisy and I suspect my friend was behind this idea. After thinking hard, I suggested them to look for either a Toyota 86 or a Subaru BRZ. The exterior is modern and sporty, it has a 2 liter engine (low road tax), rear wheel drive, could be maintained like your regular car and comes in automatic transmission for the ladies. Since both manual and automatic transmission have 6 gears, the difference is not too big. All these combination means its attractive to both my friend's fiance and on the weekends, he could bring it out for a wild drive. It also helps that the 86 and BRZ are relatively cheap for a sports car, which is good for my friend's wallet. So, my friend, being lazy, asked me to look for one.

While driving, I did noticed a few places with nice JDM sports car for sale and I went to take a look. At one place there was a Honda S2000. First, a little information on the S2000 in Malaysia. The market price for a used unit starts from Rm 145,000 cash. It is expensive due to being extremely rare to find one for sale and those here are mostly the pre-facelift, AP1 models. The one that I saw is a white, AP1 with Amuse GT1 Full Wide Body Kit, J's Racing carbon hood, a hard top, Rays Volk rims and a GT wing. It also has both the facelift AP2's, front and rear lamps. I think the suspension and exhaust system are modded as well. The list of mods will definitely increase the price of this S2000 and it is sold at RM 178,000. Although the S2000 has a legendary engine that revs up to 9000 rpm, I absolutely think that the selling price is ridiculous. Not even with all the above mods, especially the wide body kit, do I think it is worth it. Only the rich could cough up this amount of cash but I think they would rather buy something more luxurious. Regular JDM enthusiasts like me, could only dream of driving and if ever so lucky, to be able to afford a S2000.

Amuse GT1 Full Wide Body Kit

Super Long and Super Low Nose

On the same day, I went to another place where I spotted 2 JDMs. The first one was a Subaru WRX STI Version 10. Many people did not know that the version 10 came in 2 manual and 1 automatic variants. First, there is a JDM version that has a 2 liter engine with a twin scroll Turbo and only comes in 6 speed manual. Then, there is a version that has a 2.5 liter engine with a single scroll Turbo instead. These 2.5 liter models came in either a 6 speed manual or a 5 speed automatic transmission. Surprisingly, both engines make the same amount of horsepower but I heard the 2.5 liter engine causes a lot of trouble. Besides, the different engines, the JDM models gets more equipment. The one I saw was a white, pre-facelift, non-widebody unit, with automatic transmission. This particular one lacks Recaro seats and Brembo Brakes (Front 4 pot & Rear 2 pot), which is something I would want in my car. It was selling at RM 110,000 and to me that is a cheap price for a fun, turbo, AWD car. However, I prefer the sedan version and hope to buy one in the future if prices goes down.

Beautiful multi-spoke Rims

At a distance, I saw a FD2, Honda Civic Type R, parked behind. When it was launched in 2008, it caught the attention of JDM enthusiasts, especially the Honda fanboys. It is a front wheel driven (FWD) sports car with the legendary K20A engine and a 6 speed manual transmission like most previous Type R models (EP3, DC5). As it combines a 4 door sedan with Honda Racing tech for the first time, it became popular even until today. It provides convenience (big boot and rear seats) and a sporty drive in one package. That is why the market price for a used FD2R is not only high but also very stable over the years. It is also the last model to feature a Naturally Aspirated, VTEC engine because the later Civic Type Rs adopted a turbocharged engine instead. All these solidifies its selling price starting from RM 110,000. In my opinion, this is overpriced because it has a similar price to the above mentioned WRX STI. Although, the FD2R is fairly quick for a FWD and comes with equipment such as Brembo Brakes and Recaro seats, it certainly is not a WRX STI. If both prices are the same and I have to choose, the FD2R will not be my choice. It might be a tad bit ridiculous to choose 225 hp over 300 hp.

Lastly, I went to another car dealership to look at what my friend was looking for, the Toyota 86/ Subaru BRZ. When I arrived, I felt I came to the right place because there were around 5 units available. This place however, sells unregistered or reconditioned cars that are imported from Japan and mostly in stock condition. The unit that caught my eye was a red one from the photo below. At first glance, it looked like a Toyota 86 because of the 86 front bumper but I noticed the emblem was Subaru. When I looked closer, the headlights was different than the white 86 next to it. Then, I entered the red one and was greeted by the interior of a BRZ. It was a manual variant and had a lot of red bits here and there. As 7 out of 10 86/BRZ in Malaysia have automatic transmission, you could imagine how a manual variant is a nice find for me. The price range for a unregistered unit is around RM 120,000 to RM 160,000, depending on the manufactured year and if it has some mod. This price range is out of my friend's budget of below RM 110,000 and I advised him to get a used unit instead. After viewing all these different cars, I felt I would pick the WRX STI over the 86/BRZ anyday. The WRX STI is cheaper to buy and have the same road tax but is more convenient (4 doors > 2 doors) and is more powerful with its turbo and AWD. The only downside is the different in age.