Brian serves as the Information Technology Manager for Sports Car Market magazine. As a fourth-generation automotive enthusiast, he has a particular passion for Japanese cars spanning the 1970s to the 2000s and is actively involved in the North American kaido racer community.
1988 Subaru XT GL 4WD S/N JF1AX7329JD304854. 102k miles. “1.8-liter flat-4, 5-speed manual 4WD, pop-up headlights, cloth upholstery, automatic front shoulder belts, power windows and locks, air conditioning, single front wiper blade, pistol-grip shifter, tilt and telescoping steering column, pneumatic suspension system and AM/FM radio.” Condition: 2+. SOLD AT $5,434. Cars & Bids, 11/17/22. The XT was Subaru’s state-of-the-art experiment from the golden age of the 1980s. Any new or interesting technology they could think of was included in the car. The wedge shape sought to lower the coefficient of drag, and much of the interior was organized or inspired by […]
1988 Subaru XT GL 4WD
S/N JF1AX7329JD304854. 102k miles. “1.8-liter flat-4, 5-speed manual 4WD, pop-up headlights, cloth upholstery, automatic front shoulder belts, power windows and locks, air conditioning, single front wiper blade, pistol-grip shifter, tilt and telescoping steering column, pneumatic suspension system and AM/FM radio.” Condition: 2+. SOLD AT $5,434. Cars & Bids, 11/17/22.
The XT was Subaru’s state-of-the-art experiment from the golden age of the 1980s. Any new or interesting technology they could think of was included in the car. The wedge shape sought to lower the coefficient of drag, and much of the interior was organized or inspired by an aircraft cockpit, including the pistol-grip shifter. The XT isn’t really viewed the same as other classic Japanese cars, and has little to no following. Oddly enough, nobody is modifying it, despite it being loaded with interesting features. A small community of die-hard XT enthusiasts is on Facebook, but this is tiny compared to other cars from the era. Examples do not come up for sale often and most that do are basket cases or non-running. This example, however, is a running and driving car, in nice, clean condition and includes some extra parts like the digital dashboard out of the turbo model. In Japan, where the domestic model of the XT is known as the Subaru Alcyone, a car in similar condition would be in the $18k–$25k range. This is an underrated classic, especially considering the limited numbers of remaining survivors. Well bought.
1997 Toyota Celsior Comrade CS500
S/N JF1GD706X4L521320. 54k miles (101,500 kilometers). “Modified 4.9-liter V8 engine, 4-speed automatic transmission, custom exhaust system, sport suspension system, Brembo brakes, 18-inch RAYS wheels, Comrade CS500 wide-body kit, fog lights, trunk-lid spoiler, strut-tower brace, Comrade-branded instrument cluster.” Condition: 1-. SOLD AT $16,981. Cars & Bids, 11/16/22.
The Toyota Celsior is the JDM name for the Lexus LS400. It has proven to be one of the most reliable Toyotas ever produced, with podcaster Matt Farah racking up a million miles on his without any major repairs. The Celsior is fairly cheap to buy in Japan, with many cars selling for under $10k before import costs. This example, however, is quite different. Tuning shop Comrade built an estimated 10 of these CS500 cars, equipped with a fiberglass wide-body kit, strut-tower brace and engine displacement increased to 4,892 cc (the “500” part of the badging). The seller and buyers may have been unaware of some of this car’s history. While researching it, I came across a Japanese body shop’s blog detailing its restoration, with the matching number plate to prove it. This car had extensive work done in 2018 to exchange the original fiberglass body kit for a custom metal wide-body conversion at Custom2, a shop in Yaizu, Japan. Rust under the original fiberglass and body filler was fixed as well. The shop also did the timing belt, water pump, plugs, radiator, gaskets and hoses just 3,417 miles before the car was sold here. Given its custom exterior work and fresh tune-up, the sale price under $17k seems like a steal for an another underrated Japanese import.
2002 Honda S2000
S/N JHMAP11432T002042. 101k miles. “2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, 6-speed manual transmission, 16-inch wheels, limited-slip differential, power-operated soft top, leather upholstery, power windows, mirrors, and locks, wind deflector, air conditioning, CD player, cruise control and ceramic window tint.” Condition: 2. SOLD AT $18,026. Cars & Bids, 12/13/22.
The S2000 was quite a departure from the rest of the Honda lineup at the time, a real rear-wheel-drive, 2-seater convertible sports car. The only other RWD car Honda made at the time was the Acura NSX, which wasn’t even badged as a Honda here. The S2000 market has shot up in the past three years. Previously you could get a sub-30k-mile car for under $20k. Now many low-mileage cars are selling from $60k to $130k, depending on the model and color. I would have expected a higher-mileage car such as this example to land in the mid-$20k range. Buying a car like this for under $20k would usually only be possible in a private sale, from a seller who hasn’t been watching the market. Knowledgeable S2000 buyers pay attention to the 10 matching VINs placed on the main body panels. The seller posted nine of the 10 here, except for the rear bumper. Despite that possible issue, this is a fairly clean car that has lived its life without being modified. In a market of high-priced S2000s, the buyer was able to score a nice deal.
