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Contrary to popular belief, not all JDM import cars are inexpensive, reliable, easy to keep running.
Even though the west left JDM cars under the radar for decades, imported cars from the Japanese domestic market today hold reverence and a cult following among gearheads. Now, there's something special to cars from the Land of the Rising Sun that car enthusiasts all over the world simply can not get enough of. However, for all the great drivers' and tuners' cars that the Japanese automotive industry gave us, there were quite a few that fell on their faces and left a bad taste in their owners' mouths. In fact, many of the duds on this list were a result of unnecessary experimentation just for the sake of it during a time when the industry had stagnated and innovation had run into the ground.
Sure, owning a JDM has a nice appeal to it, and telling fellow gearheads you've got an import does give you cool points, but what are they worth if the car itself is a pain to keep running? Oftentimes, many JDM cars were released off the assembly line in a state they absolutely shouldn't have been allowed, and other times, some of these cars are so expensive to fix that you'd be terrified of going to the service center if anything went wrong, with maintenance and repairs being sky-high. Before you realize too late that bringing home one of these JDM cars might not have been the best course of action, here are 8 JDM cars you'll absolutely regret buying.
The 1992 Honda CRX Del Sol came with a lot of history, and thus, it had a lot to live up to, especially the revered CRX nameplate. In fact, this is why many who don't know better could end up buying the CRX Del Sol since it replaced a great JDM icon. Sadly, however, the 1992 model was nothing but disappointing.
The Del Sol couldn't live up to the mark in terms of both build quality and reliability. The roof came with leakage problems, and the cabin was too noisy even for its age. In fact, if your luck was bad enough, you'd find yourself to be one of the many customers who got stuck with a bad engine mount, which took engine harshness and vibration to a heavily annoying level. Some of these models even had warped front brake rotors. The CRX Del Sol could never live up to the CRX name, and thus, most of the trips you'd end up making with it would be to the repair center.
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Honda is known over the world today for producing very reliable and dependable cars. However, that was not the case for the Honda Prelude, which, while looking great for a 90s JDM, was an exception to the norm. For a car that looked as good as the Prelude, it came with plenty of problems, the worst of which was a common total engine failure.
In fact, it wasn't just the engine, but the four-speed automatic transmission that was prone to failure as well. Thus, the FWD coupe remains an expensive car to maintain even today. Sure, we'll admit it looks great, but when it comes to the problems of keeping it running, we'd rather just avoid it altogether.
Toyota's Paseo was a sports-styled car, but never a sports car. The car spanned two generations, began as a coupe, and came with a convertible option in its second generation. Sadly, this '90s JDM is only one on paper, since it has no qualities that gearheads love from that iconic phase in automotive history. The car wasn't fast, but it couldn't even be called quick, being so slow you'd end up considering taking a scooter out if you were in a hurry.
This was never a formula that was going to work, as the Paseo was spawned off what was originally a Japanese economy car. While highly unremarkable, the car failed to impress with its dynamics or engineering either. However, another problem was that the radiators in the Toyota Paseo were leaky, and the engine, as underpowered as it was, seemed all too happy to devour oil.
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We admit, owning a '90s Mazda RX-7 does sound amazing, and it sure would get you some respect at a car meet, but we'd advise you against getting one unless you've got a crush on somebody at the repair center and wouldn't mind seeing them as much as possible. During its last few years in the nineties, the Mazda RX-7 ran on the 13B REW engine, which was simply a nightmare to keep running.
The 13B engine came with a whole set of problems, essentially making the RX-7 a car best-suited for those who have loads of hands-on experience with everything that goes on under the hood of a car. There was low engine compression that owners complained about, catalytic convertors that stayed failing, problematic vacuums, and radiator hoses. In fact, even the turbo manifolds were prone to cracking, and thus, despite being one of the most classic JDM cars, it is seriously going to be a car you regret bringing home.
Honda's CR-X surely had a some remarkable presence during the nineties. Launched as the Honda Ballade Sports CR-X, this was a front-wheel-drive compact car. In fact, it even managed to become quite popular in the nineties, which might be why the uninitiated might feel inclined to bring one home. However, the truth is that the engine that powered it was simply inferior.
While you'd be reeling from the size of the car after attempting to add to your JDM car collection, you would also realize that the Honda CR-X would make a tuner out of you, and not by choice. A CR-X is great for modding, tuning, and engine swaps, but it simply is out of necessity. With only 130 horsepower under the hood and unremarkably low power throughout the rev range, this was a car that will absolutely require you to mod and swap engines if you want to have any fun at all. Plus, since 1996, the car had a problem with frequent engine failures, which ultimately makes it a JDM you don't want to own if you aren't super into tuning in the first place.
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The Mazda 626, better known as the Mazda Capella, ran through six different generations for the Japanese brand. Mazda and the Ford Motor Company even partnered up during the time, and the Ford Telstar and the Probe came from the Capella's platform. By all means, the Capella was a successful car. However, despite its good handling and impressive NVH levels, it had some drawbacks which earned it a place on this list.
The Capella came with a thoroughly horrible Mazda automatic transaxle. What this meant was that the car randomly downshifted and upshifted, and was clunky. Sometimes, it even failed to respond completely. Sadly, Mazda never came to a real fix for these problems, and malfunctioning alternators, distributors, CV joints, and cooling problems added to the mess. Owning the Mazda Capella, as good as its history might sound, will only mean that you keep running into constant problems to fix.
Hold your pitchforks, we know the Eclipse being on this list is a bit unusual, but hang in there. The Eclipse is one of the most iconic JDM cars ever produced, and its first generation was produced on the DSM platform from 1990 to 1994, which it shared with the Eagle Talon and the Plymouth Laser.
This DSM platform is where all the problems cropped up from. Sure, the car looks amazing, but the frequent problems led to headaches galore. The Eclipse felt great to drive, but that driving pleasure was often short-lived, thanks to the blown gaskets, malfunctioning ACs, radiators, problematic differentials, and alternators. As such, while the 90s DSM Eclipse is a great piece of history, you'd be best served letting it stay there, and not in your garage for daily driving.
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An iconic Japanese sports car that has its name etched into the JDM history books, the Nissan 300ZX is one car every gearhead wishes they owned. However, in doing so, they'd also have to put up with the common problems the car had under the hood, consequently making most trips they take end up at the repair center.
The Nissan 300ZX hosted a number of problems within itself, which included drivability concerns caused by problematic fuel injectors which were prone to failure. Adding to the risk were exhaust manifolds which were prone to warping, resultantly causing the studs to break off sometimes. With the Nissan 300ZX, you'd be battling constant problems and also a tingling sense of regret at your purchase constantly.
Known in Japan as the Mitsubishi GTO, the Mitsubishi 3000GT is a legacy JDM that is for many gearheads a dream come true. In fact, it was also one of the fastest JDM cars out there in its time too. However, if you managed to bring this one home, you'd also be bringing plenty of problems with it. This was far from a faultless car.
The automatic transmission is the first area where you'd run into problems, with delayed shifts stealing away the feel of the drive. However, it is the transfer case's rampant oil leakage problem that would make you re-route to the mechanic. If you're reading this and thinking of how you'd much rather enjoy a manual shifting 3000GT, that gearbox isn't a breeze either, with several owners having reported difficulty in switching gears. Furthermore, with a front brake hose prone to cracking, this one is best left to the tuners and the mechanically inclined.
If it has wheels and an engine, Samarveer Singh is going to be obsessed with it. He is a budding Indian motorcycle racer, competing at the national level in his country in his very first year, chasing his dream around every corner of the racetrack. A touring enthusiast, Samarveer is forever stuck between the urge to constantly redline his bike, or save its clutch plates for longer.