Five JDM performance buys to excite the loins

Ah, the '90s - due to an economic boom, the big auto companies of Japan had huge amounts of money to spend, developing sports cars that should never have existed, largely for the Japanese Domestic Market. Here are five of the best from our classifieds.

Three out of the five of these amazing imports are Nissans from the good old days. When they were turbocharged and used phrases like ‘Aero’ and ‘RS’. Back when ‘NISMO’ featured heavily.

That’s not to say the other two cars won’t give some of them a run for their money. Such is the cult around most of these machines though, that the prices are starting to get… intimidating.

Toyota Chaser (1998)

Big, blocky, so much better than a Camry...

Engine: 1JZ-GTE
Price: $21,000

We’ll start out easy - $21,000 isn’t even that bad, really. In the sea of boring Toyotas the RWD Chaser is a nice standout, and of course kept for the Japanese Domestic Market, because they get all the good stuff while we’re mostly stuck with Camrys. The 1JZ will light Toyota fan’s pants on fire despite maybe being the slowest car on this list. Factory manual is a plus.

Nissan Stagea 260RS (1998)

Don't know about those wheels...

Engine: RB26DETT
Price: $37,888

A real 260RS? One of only 1734 ever built? Apparently, and with such low kays too. It’s the Skyline GT-R wagon you never asked for but you just might want. It does all look a little glued together though… with the odd rear wing, somewhat goofy body kit and confusing dimensions. If you can get past all that though it’ll be the most practical buy here.

Nissan Silvia Spec R Aero (1999)

Fresh, stock standard import.

Engine: SR20DET
Price: $29,889

Jeez, these are worth so much now. But it’s an actual Silvia Spec R Aero import, and a fresh one at that, with no previous owners in Australia. Say what you will about the price, it’ll stand out among the thousands of abused examples rolling around Australia. This one is fitted with NISMO struts, springs and Nissan OZ wheels from the factory.

Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R (1999)

For the wealthy, discerning boy-racer.

Engine: RB26DETT
Price: $95,000

There you have it - R34s are apparently worth this much now. This one has a V-Spec body kit, and some aftermarket wheels that wouldn’t be my pick, but at least they’re not chrome. Other additions that might excite JDM fans with a spare $100k include HKS coilovers, intake and boost controller.

Honda NSX (1990)

The holy grail of stock-standard NSX finds. Hope you have a line of credit, though.

Engine: C30A
Price: $159,888

The ultimate Honda toy, this machine has a tidy history only ever having one owner, a member of the Australian military who purchased the car in Japan and had it brought back with him in 2002. It’s No. 322, making it especially early in the car’s production. If you’ve ever driven one, you’ll know how special it is. With only 40,000km on the clock, it’s a rare find. Worth the astronomical money though? We’ll let you decide.

Do these JDM finds get you excited, or are the prices too much to handle? Tell us what you think in the comments.