Since I gave my TDI back to VW as part of Dieselgate, I've been on the hunt for a proper JDM vehicle to get back into a scene that I had departed from many years ago. After looking at a few vehicles, I've decided to finally settle on this:
After scouring the Japanese auctions and continuously being outbid (adding to the frustration) on many MT examples, I was able to score an excellent deal on a low kilometer example of a highly sought-after Japanese RWD vehicle: a '93 Toyota JZX90 Mark II Tourer V auto with 79,000 km's (49,000 miles). The 4 door S14 reference comes from the fact that it reminds me of my S14 Zenki I had in the mid 2000's. Unlike the other examples I've seen that go into auction, this is a well-kept example most likely owned by a Japanese salaryman throughout the years in the country. It was a 3.5 grade car and no accidents either, which is surprising given how many of them are drift missiles in Ebisu. It comes with a twin-turbo inline 6 courtesy of the legendary 1JZ-GTE engine, which is renowned for being a potent powerplant and being very receptive to modifications. Since it's an auto, there's a fat chance it doesn't have a LSD (LSD was an option for automatic models), but that's fine with me.
I've already bought S2 Kouki tail-lights for a steal on Yahoo! Auctions Japan, which will provide a more updated look on the vehicle (think of the S14 Kouki tails as an example), and will purchase some more modifications to have installed on the car before it leaves port soon.
Plans for the vehicle while in Japan:
Vertex aero kit (only using front and rear bumper add-on's along with side skirts)
HKS Hi-Power 409 Exhaust
S2 Kouki tail lights
Roof Spoiler
Windshield replacement (there's a chip on the windshield and OEM windshields are super cheap via YJA)
Any recalls that need to be done
PowerFC (if I can find one for JZZ30/JZX90)
Front strut bar
Plans once the car arrives stateside:
Manual swap with AR5 instead of R154
Full gasket and seal overhaul (to be done concurrently with the manual swap)
Take off aero kit upon arrival
Wheels - Either R34 GTR wheels, Grenade GX-01's, or Volk Racing TE-37/SL
Coilovers - Fortune Auto
SerialNine differential and subframe bushings
SerialNine tension rods
USDM JZA80 RZ/TT 4pot/2pot brake calipers
OS Giken 2-way LSD
Proper HID/LED retrofit - with projectors and clearing of the headlight lens
Possible LED retrofit of tail lights
Rear camera
Y-Pipe
FMIC
Koyo Radiator
Single turbo setup (stock twin turbos are not durable)
Aftermarket harmonic balancer - OEM ones are known to fail prematurely
Full respray with body kit
R134a retrofit
Will finally be nice to have a RWD turbocharged vehicle for a change. Looking forward to it when it arrives stateside.
After scouring the Japanese auctions and continuously being outbid (adding to the frustration) on many MT examples, I was able to score an excellent deal on a low kilometer example of a highly sought-after Japanese RWD vehicle: a '93 Toyota JZX90 Mark II Tourer V auto with 79,000 km's (49,000 miles). The 4 door S14 reference comes from the fact that it reminds me of my S14 Zenki I had in the mid 2000's. Unlike the other examples I've seen that go into auction, this is a well-kept example most likely owned by a Japanese salaryman throughout the years in the country. It was a 3.5 grade car and no accidents either, which is surprising given how many of them are drift missiles in Ebisu. It comes with a twin-turbo inline 6 courtesy of the legendary 1JZ-GTE engine, which is renowned for being a potent powerplant and being very receptive to modifications. Since it's an auto, there's a fat chance it doesn't have a LSD (LSD was an option for automatic models), but that's fine with me.
I've already bought S2 Kouki tail-lights for a steal on Yahoo! Auctions Japan, which will provide a more updated look on the vehicle (think of the S14 Kouki tails as an example), and will purchase some more modifications to have installed on the car before it leaves port soon.
Plans for the vehicle while in Japan:
Vertex aero kit (only using front and rear bumper add-on's along with side skirts)
HKS Hi-Power 409 Exhaust
S2 Kouki tail lights
Roof Spoiler
Windshield replacement (there's a chip on the windshield and OEM windshields are super cheap via YJA)
Any recalls that need to be done
PowerFC (if I can find one for JZZ30/JZX90)
Front strut bar
Plans once the car arrives stateside:
Manual swap with AR5 instead of R154
Full gasket and seal overhaul (to be done concurrently with the manual swap)
Take off aero kit upon arrival
Wheels - Either R34 GTR wheels, Grenade GX-01's, or Volk Racing TE-37/SL
Coilovers - Fortune Auto
SerialNine differential and subframe bushings
SerialNine tension rods
USDM JZA80 RZ/TT 4pot/2pot brake calipers
OS Giken 2-way LSD
Proper HID/LED retrofit - with projectors and clearing of the headlight lens
Possible LED retrofit of tail lights
Rear camera
Y-Pipe
FMIC
Koyo Radiator
Single turbo setup (stock twin turbos are not durable)
Aftermarket harmonic balancer - OEM ones are known to fail prematurely
Full respray with body kit
R134a retrofit
Will finally be nice to have a RWD turbocharged vehicle for a change. Looking forward to it when it arrives stateside.
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