10 AFFORDABLE JDM SPORTS CARS PERFECT FOR BUDGET ENTHUSIASTS

Japanese cars have always been popular since the first properly fun ones began to export to Western countries. These sports cars showed that lightness and less power could be just as fun as the big land yachts with V8 motors.

The late 1980s and most of the 1990s were the golden age of Japanese sports cars, with the Toyota Supra Mk 4, Nissan Skyline GT-R and Mazda RX-7 being sold at roughly the same time. While those cars have skyrocketed in value, other awesome Japanese Domestic Market sports cars are on sale for a lot cheaper and well within the budget range for most gearheads.

While some JDM cars are very expensive, others are surprisingly cheap to come by. Here are ten affordable JDM sports cars which are perfect for motoring enthusiasts – all without breaking the budget.

Toyota Sera – $9,000

The Toyota Sera is a weird compact coupe produced by the Japanese automaker in the early 1990s. While it only came with a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine producing 104 hp, it only weighed in at around 2,000 lbs – making up for its lack of performance. Interestingly, the powertrain is the least interesting part of the Sera.

The body is quite unique as it is technically a 3-door hatchback disguised as a coupe. The doors were unlike many others as it opened upwards and forwards – much like a McLaren F1’s. The coolest part of the Sera though is the glass roof, which extends from the top of the windshield to the bottom of the rear hatch, offering excellent visibility. The Sera is currently available on various importing websites for around the $9,000 mark; however, some low-mileage examples cost quite a bit more.

Nissan Fairlady Z Twin-Turbo – $15,000

Most people know the Nissan 300ZX and often comment that it isn’t exactly the best of the Nissan Z cars – mostly due to its weight. In Japan, the same car is known as the Fairlady Z, featuring the same 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 producing 276 hp. Thanks to the slightly iffy performance, the Fairlady Z Twin-Turbo is still selling for reasonable prices, with the average example going for around $15,000.

The 300ZX/Fairlady Z Twin-Turbo is no slouch though, getting to 60 mph in about six seconds. It also sounds pretty great and minor modifications can result in a wonderful Japanese sports car for a weekend blast down a back road. The Fairlady Z is also available with a manual transmission in addition to the regular automatic.

Toyota MR-2 – $10,000

The second-generation Toyota MR-2 takes things to another level as the first-gen from the 1980s was already quite a great car. The JDM-spec MR-2 GT-S trim is spectacular as it features the 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 from the regular MR-2, but with a bit more power than the US version – sitting at 218 hp.

All the power is sent to the rear wheels only via a 5-speed manual transmission. The GT-S trim also featured smoother lines from its panels, giving the car a sleeker look. The light weight (2,700 lbs) coupled with the mid-engine layout and the punchy engine makes the MR-2 a pretty great sports car - accentuated by dependable Toyota reliability - all for around $10,000.

Mazda Eunos Roadster – $9,000

The Mazda Eunos Roadster may get a fancier name, but it is essentially the same MX-5 we get all over the world. Eunos was the higher-end sub-brand of Mazda operating between 1991 and 1997, before sales integrated with ÉÌfini - which went defunct in 1997. The Eunos Roadster featured the same 1.6 and 1.8-liter engines as the MX-5, producing between 88 and 133 hp.

The Eunos Roadster - the MX-5 for that matter - remains one of the best small sports cars around, capturing the pre-war British sports car philosophy of lightness. The Eunos Roadster is still quite affordable, costing less than $10,000 to import straight from Japan.

Honda Beat – $10,000

The Honda Beat is part of the Japanese car class known as ‘Keijodosha’ or simply Kei cars. This class was designed by the Japanese government to get more vehicles into the hands of its citizens to build the economy faster. The Honda Beat is a sports car version of the traditional Kei car, exploring the fun side of the class.

The Beat was sold between 1991 and 1996 and featured a tiny 656cc (40 cui) 3-cylinder engine which produced just 63 hp – as per the Kei car rules. This does not sound like much, but the Beat weighs just 1,680 lbs, meaning the mid-engine, rear-drive layout resulted in quite the excitable little sports convertible. With Kei cars now being old enough to be imported into the US, their prices are going up, meaning an average Honda Beat now costs around $10,000.

Suzuki Cappuccino – $8,000

Another Kei car of the same era was the Suzuki Cappuccino. It followed much of the Honda Beat’s philosophy but placed the engine in front of the cabin, rather than behind it. It also featured a slightly larger 657cc engine with a turbocharger bolted to the side, producing the same 63 hp as per the Kei rules, but the torque was a little more.

The Cappuccino featured various trims which all had different roof arrangements – ranging from a closed coupe to a Targa-top, a T-top, or a full convertible. The Targa, T-Top, and convertible featured manual removal, with the panels being able to be stored in the trunk. The Cappuccino was part of the Kei car ABCs (Autozam AZ-1, Honda Beat, and Suzuki Cappuccino) and is currently still available for around the $8,000 mark.

Honda Prelude – $15,000

The Honda Prelude is among the most famous Japanese coupes, mostly due to its styling and the impressive reliability associated with Honda. The third-generation Prelude shared some design cues with the legendary Honda NSX which was released at around the same time, but that was where the similarities ended.

The Prelude in Japan featured much of the same engines as the US and European versions, except the most powerful 2.1-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder making 145 hp as opposed to the North American version’s measly 140 hp. Preludes are steadily rising in price, but an imported JDM version will set anyone back around $15,000. Not too bad for a pretty cool Japanese coupe.

Mitsubishi GTO – $14,000

The Mitsubishi GTO is basically the same as the North American 3000GT but with a different name. The GTO is based on the Mitsubishi Diamante sedan and so retained the transverse engine layout – even though the GTO/3000GT is fitted with all-wheel-drive. Mitsubishi marketed the GTO as more of a grand tourer than a sports car – even though GTO stands for Gran Turismo Omologata, meaning ‘homologation’.

The GTO features three different V6s, of which the top-spec version is fitted with a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged engine producing the Japanese Gentleman’s Agreement-approved 276 hp – even though it really made over 300 hp. The Mitsubishi GTO is a great car available on import sites for around $14,000, and only slightly ruined by the later Dodge Stealth.

Toyota Supra Mark III – $20,000

Everyone wants a Toyota Supra, specifically the Supra Mk4. Sadly, the Mk4 costs anywhere from $50,000 to a ridiculous $200,000, so the model is well out of reach for most people. Luckily, the Mk3 Supra costs way less and has more or less the same type of engine – or the first-generation version of the famous 2JZ anyway.

The Supra Mk3 features a few good engines, including the aforementioned 1JZ-GTE, but the 7M-GTE provides ample oomph to keep things interesting. The Mk3 Supra was launched in the era when most Japanese sports cars resembled each other but still had great attributes. For anyone interested, the Mk3 Supra is available in Japan for around $20,000.

Nissan Silvia S15 – $15,000

While the Skyline GT-Rs are by far the most popular models in the Nissan catalog, the Silvia also has quite an impressive following. The Silvia is mostly built up and used for drifting, often featuring in tournaments and tough challenges up and down Japanese mountain passes.

In Silvia communities, the S14 and S15 generations are by far the most popular, but for some reason the S15 remains the more affordable option, costing around $15,000 before import fees. In Japan, the S15 Turbo produced an impressive 247 hp from its 2.0-liter 4-cylinder – while similar 6-cylinder turbos made 276 hp. Interestingly, the Silvia S15 was only ever sold in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand – in the latter of which the car was known as the 200SX.

2023-05-27T18:35:54Z dg43tfdfdgfd