Fun2Drive: Fun cars rental in Japan

"Flavien Vidal" (flyingfrenchy) 01/18/2015 at 08:30 • Filed to: None

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As I am still torn appart trying to figure out what car I’m gonna buy that I will be driving every single day for the next 3 or 4 years (first world problems, I know...) and since I don’t know much about Japanese cars in general, I decided earlier this week to give a call to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , a car rental company based in Hakone, Kanagawa. This place is mostly famous for its proximity with mount Fuji which you can see very well from pretty much anywhere and for being the mountains where Takumi and Keisuke fight it out against a Toyota MR-S and a Mark IV Supra in Initial D.

The name of the company may tip you as not being the kind of car rental place you go to when you need a minivan to move out. They only rent cars that, we Jalop, may consider as “interesting”. R32 GTR, Miata, R34 GTR, FC or FD Rx7s, Hakosuka replica, S30 Z....etc etc etc

Originally, my goal was to rent the R32 GTR, an FD-Rx7, the AE86 and the 240Z (last one solely because I find it to be the most beautiful affordable car today...). An hour and a half in each, to see if I won’t get bored too fast with a 4WD Godzilla, with an underpowered Toyota or with a torqueless Mazda as daily drivers.

Unfortunatly for me, with winter approaching, they were about to close the shop for a couple of months and most of their cars were stored for winter or uninsured for those 2 winter months. They had 4 cars left: A tuned S2000, an NSX, an R34 GTR and the AE86.

So I could still test the AE86 and while I was there, I might as well play around with the other cars. So I left early morning and a bit over 2 hours later, I was on the spot, with the cars lined up just for me as I was almost the last client of the season. Not really interested by the R34 GTR, I chose the other cars and focused on the NSX, AE86 and S2000.

Rental agreement papers signed, quick driving assessement test with the owner as passenger, a reminder that “reckless driving” voids the insurance (After first thinking “oh cool, they even have radar detectors in the cars!”, I realized this was actually a dash cam filming how I drive and a reminder that I better not screw up), cars were finally mine for 90 minutes each.

Reviews of the cars:

*AE86

There I was in the seat of Takumi, with japanese roads waiting for me. Seats are confortable, clutch and gas pedals are light and precise, it’s not too noisy. First impression was really good! Then once I get to the bottom of the empty toll road and start putting my foot down, I realize that I better keep my speed into corners if I want to get back to fun2drive in less than 90 minutes! It’s not fast, at all. I’d say it’s fairly similar in term of acceleration and torque to a basic miata. A miata with 4 seats. On the other hand though, that engine!! Oh my, you don’t feel that in the miata! It’s an absolute pleasure to get it to the red line! That noise, this lack of powersteering, the 80's dashboard in front of you, everything is there to provide you with a huge smile on your face!

In term of handling now, it’s a very predictable car with a natural tendency to understeer into corners but that can go sideways easily if you unbalance it quite harshly. It’s overall a VERY good car, but if you are used to something fast, it’s definitly a major change! It keeps a good place on my list of potential cars to buy. Really liked it!

OVERALL GRADE: 8.5/10

*Tuned S2000

For someone like me who keep saying I like my cars 100% stock, this was quite a change. This car is not really a S2000 anymore. Stripped, roll caged, prepped engine and suspensions, brakes mods, aero mods...etc it even had a differential cooler which I had only read about in the past! Not really the kind of car I’d even think of buying. But now I want one. As a trackday/mountain roads car. I want one desperatly (without the stickers, even if it loses 50hp without them). Oh my god was this car awesome!! It’s noisy as hell, the hartop is the noisiest thing I’ve ever witnessed as it spends its time cracking constantly, it’s unconfortable as hell and the engine does not like to be under 2000rpm (I even stalled doing 10mph) but holy shit is it fun!

You think you can take this corner at 25mph in your car? Well, it will pass at 50mph in this one, with your face stucked against the window. So much grip despite the cheap ass Federal hard compound semi-slick DOT approved tires. And the road was humid wherever the sun did not show up, but it did not matter. When the rear would get a little bit loose, a quick 90 degrees countersteer was enough to put the whole car back on track, thanks to the ridicously tight steering rack of the car. “Pure awesomeness” is the perfect term to describe this car. It was just awesome!

One little downside though. I’ve never owned a car with no torque before and with this car, NOTHING would happen under 6500rpm. 180 degrees tight hairpins had to be taken in first gear despite the car being thrown in pretty fast thanks to the grippy setup. So you had to downshift into first at about 8000rpm just to be able to climb up the damn corner without losing too much speed! It takes lots of practice to keep the car in the power band all the time in all situations while being on an open road. It’s a skill I wouldn’t mind learning really.

OVERALL GRADE: 9.25/10. It loses .5 due to the crazy lack of torque.

*Honda NSX

The last car of the day. It started snowing a little bit as I was coming back with the S2000 so the roads were definitly humid and I knew there would be some sideways actions if I were to push the car a little. One thing I was worried about though is this thing I was told about mid-engine cars: They don’t like to go sideways, they are tricky to recover and require some pretty good reflexes. Alright, we’ll hope for the best then!

First impressions were good. I was actually surpised by the torque! It’s no corvette, but it’s more than enough and from pretty low rpm! It’s pretty quiet, it has this “german saloon car” type of acceleration feel with great low-end torque, it’s very confortable and stable at high speeds. Really fun! Then comes the twisty slightly wet roads. I took the 401, the actual road used on Inital D and let’s say that it’s not as wide as in the anime. Some places are very narrow with barely anough space to cross with another car. Typical japanese mountain road basically...

But what about this “mid-engine cars don’t like to get a loose rear” thing? Well, it’s not wrong. I didn’t find it very amusing to get it sideways. It does happen quite often as the car gets quickly unsettled in the never ending fast twists that come one after another, but when it happens, you don’t want to maintain it... It happens really fast and the only thing you want is to bring it back to find grip again. Unless you are very much used to it, without a proper fully working LSD (not a 150000km and 24 year old clutch based one), you’re not going to enjoy having the rear of a NSX go out of its way. I did get it loose a lot of time on that 401 road, and I just did not enjoy it. Get the car out when it’s dry and sunny if you want to go fast in the mountains. It would be much more fun, but the lack of a proper LSD would still kill it a little...

OVERALL GRADE: 8/10 (because not THAT fun unless you’re Senna.)

At the end I talked a little bit with the owners, about the cars I’ve owned, what they plan on buying...etc. To those who wonder about the reliability of the NSX: It’s true. The one I drove had 166000km and it’s by far the most reliable car of the entire fleet. Never a problem. On second place came the R32 GTR and as dead-last the FD Rx7.

At the end of the day, I learned three things: tuned cars can be freaking awesome, the AE86 is definitly a car I can live with everyday and the NSX is just not that great... (flame away! )

PS: Yes I have filmed the sessions with each cars and no, I will not put the videos online as I’m not as stupid as Afroduck... speed limits are set at 40kph in the mountains...

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 08:48

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So jealous. What did it cost to rent those for 90 minutes apiece?

Flavien Vidal > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms 01/18/2015 at 08:50

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It varies depending on the car... The NSX was about 150$ and total for the whole day with the trip to go there (highways are expensive in Japan) and everything, it ended up costing about 500$ which is quite reasonnable really, considering it,s not a crappy "luxury car rental company" that rents you supercar to go parade downtown New York lol :)

You can actually drive those cars for what they were built. And a tuned S2000 time attack S2000 in the empty japanese mountains... Oh my, that's awesome! :)

Jonathan Harper > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 09:06

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Ouuuuu the videos man!

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 09:18

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On the other hand though, that engine!! Oh my, you don't feel that in the miata! It's an absolute pleasure to get it to the red line!

Seriously, 4AGEs are magic. One of my favorite engines ever. The only way I know how to describe the way this thing screams towards the redline is as being the happiest engine in the world.

Jayhawk Jake > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 09:33

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Damn! $500 all in for 3 rentals? That's a ludicrously good deal!

Flavien Vidal > Jonathan Harper 01/18/2015 at 09:38

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lol

Honestly not going to post them online. Speedometer is clearly visible in all the videos and it's even digital and bright in the s2000, so maybe I'm a few years :)

it would be possible to blur out of course, but it's still not the kind of driving you put on a website.

Flavien Vidal > Jayhawk Jake 01/18/2015 at 09:41

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Well it's more around 300$lol

500$ is how much my entire day/trip cost me

Jonathan Harper > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 09:42

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Eh I understand. I've posted tons of shit I probably shouldn't have.

avens > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 09:44

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Please make this a running series.

(I find this topic 10 times more interesting than anything demuro has ever written and probably ever will).

Jayhawk Jake > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 09:44

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Even better!

Flavien Vidal > avens 01/18/2015 at 09:52

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ohhh i like Demuro's articles! Even his articles on less interesting subjects are interesting because you can easily picture him in his short waving his long goofy arms around while telling you the story :)

I'll go back there and will probably end up renting all their cars so I'll have more stuff to write about :)

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 10:20

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You oughta ask Fun2Drive whatever happened to their affiliation with 7Tune.

Hope you had a lot of fun!

472CID > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 10:25

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That's really cool there's a rental place that has cars like this. I'm sure for any JDM fan driving an AE86 around Mt Fuji would be worlds better than puttering around Las Vegas in an old Ferrari or Lamborghini.

My dream vehicle of choice for exploring Japan has always been their 400cc bikes, like this ZRX400. However, from what I understand it's not easy for a foreigner to motorbike over there.

TorchWINsky > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 10:44

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This. Is. AWESOME!!!!

I have an R32 GTR but it's old and rattly. Mine needed quite a bit of maintenace to get it to a comfortable drive but even then it's still a 20 year old car.

It goes okay in a straight line and it's fun to see the little AWD needle flick up and down in the corners but I reckon for a 3-4 year car it's probably not what you're looking for.

Justin is driven > 472CID 01/18/2015 at 10:55

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That really depends, man. If you have a motorcycle license ad an international diving permit, you're actually good for anything (for a year). In Japan, they have a graduated licensing system for motorcycles. Anything =<50cc is included int he car license, 50-150cc (I think) is level one, then 150-400-600, and >600. All numbers are approximate - it's been awhile since I looked at it - but the whole concept is definitely the system in Japan.

It IS a pain in the ass to get a motorcycle license here, but that's because they test you to make sure you won't die. If you're a decent rider you should be fine with a little study time.

EveryCarIBuyIsDiscontinued > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 11:07

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What kind of driving license do you need? If I were to come from America on vacation, could I do this?

Justin Hughes > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 11:08

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I wish I'd been driving in the Japanese mountains with you instead of at the New England International Auto Show yesterday. You clearly had a lot more fun!

I've never driven an AE86, but I had an AW11 MR2 with the same 4AGE engine, and yes, that is a sweet motor. It makes wonderful noises. It doesn't make a ton of power by today's standards, but I've always been a "slow car fast" kind of guy.

I've ridden in a few mostly stock S2000s, but clearly I can't compare them to the one you drove.

I have taken a couple of NSXs for runs on autocross courses, and I mostly agree with what you said about them. They're quite wide, and it can be hard to get the car close to the cones without hitting them unless you've had some practice. Being mid-engine it doesn't kick the back out easily, but once it's sliding, it can be a bit of a handful to get back. Not that this ever happened to me in track prepared NSX with disabled power steering where I had to let go of the wheel to bring it back because I couldn't physically turn the steering wheel fast enough by hand...

Nice article! Thanks for sharing.

inlinesexzylinder > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 11:18

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Thanks for sharing, man. Great read and it is something different. :) Would love to go there and drive on the mountain roads in a proper JDM car. The car culture there must be amazing!

LongbowMk2 > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 11:32

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uninterested in the R34 GT-R?

Really?

Really?

I'm just going to assume you have driven one and was unimpressed.

FloridaMan > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 11:34

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Is there any comparable rental agency in America? The best rental car I've ever had was a Camaro SS from Avis (automatic of course, because rental car.) I know you can rent a Corvette or Porsche from some mainstream companies, but they charge something like a grand a day, and the exotic car rental places are even more expensive. I want a rental Miata!

hyperlemon > Justin is driven 01/18/2015 at 11:39

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It really depends... also where your license is from. In my case there is no international driving license neccessary. I can drive in Japan for a year with just an official translation, which you can get at JAF for like 30$.

And for the Japanese license I was able to transfer mine without any real test. I needed an eye exam, fill out a questionaire and provide a Japanese translation of my license, and then I got my Japanese license.

Had two motorcycles there and loved it. Also enjoyed the motorcycle community over there.

AeroStang > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 12:01

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I'm not an NSX guy, I just appreciate them. From your review, it sounds perfect. Neglecting storage and fuel economy, it does everything right. Can drive slow, can be used to develop driving, incredibly reliable, performs extremely well while still being calm and understated. The plus is, most people will probably think its a weird Prelude- but car people know what it is. You described an amazing vehicle here, and I appreciate you sharing this experience, overall.

alape8 > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 12:04

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Great article, and thank you for letting me know this exists! I'll be working this into my trip in April, can't wait! And it's ridiculously affordable!

vsdvgfd > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 12:17

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Start working at home with Google! It's by-far the best job I've had. Last Wednesday I got a brand new BMW since getting a check for $6474 this - 4 weeks past. I began this 8-months ago and immediately was bringing home at least $77 per hour. I work through this link, go to tech tab for work detail

———————————> http://www.jobs700.com

DonKeybals > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 12:33

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I want that Forester.

T-Marr > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 12:41

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Japan is badass, the toll roads are a bummer though. My buddy and I rented a Mazda 3 to get us to Mt. Fuji. The best part was the drive back to Tokyo avoiding toll roads. Their are some really beautiful and fun roads there.

captainsadbeard > DonKeybals 01/18/2015 at 13:14

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That's a Legacy.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > DonKeybals 01/18/2015 at 13:25

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That's a Legacy, not a Forester! :)

tbooth77 > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 13:50

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am I the only one who was wondering about the station wagon in the nsx pic? Stagea?

LongbowMk2 > tbooth77 01/18/2015 at 14:01

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Legacy wagon.

The Guy who Drives ( A Aw11 Named Inari) > 472CID 01/18/2015 at 14:02

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I give to 20 extra internet points and 5 Kudos for Posting one of my favorite motorcycles, Though I am partial to the 1100cc But 400cc is just right.

Keep on good sir.

Birddog > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 14:02

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Fitst.. Thank you so much for not turning into a gushing 13 year old in your assessment of the AE86.

Second.. AE86 seems to be an odd choice for daily duties in Japan. I thought it was insanely expensive to keep older cars on the road there. Or is it just keeping them preserved/maintained that hurts the most?

The Guy who Drives ( A Aw11 Named Inari) > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 14:05

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Another good article, I did not know they had rentals like that, I'd be happy with a Mitsubishi Spacevan or a kei car.

Considering your experience with those cars on the nimble road, How would you think it would be in the R32 or a fairly wide car. I figure it would be a little nerve wracking, I get nervous on some country roads in my Little Ranger. Also, that being said, What about those smaller kei cars such as a beat or a AZ-1?

Great article!

Biased Plies > DonKeybals 01/18/2015 at 14:05

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*Legacy

The Guy who Drives ( A Aw11 Named Inari) > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 14:07

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And side note, After viewing the website, I'd love to see an article on the SA22 and the Beat.

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 14:19

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>Drive a JDM AE86

>You didn't play Eurobeat while driving it.

>Into the trash it goes.jpeg

DonKeybals > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 01/18/2015 at 14:23

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My bad. I had my hopes up.

CALUSA > DonKeybals 01/18/2015 at 14:43

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vdgbvf > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 14:50

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Start working at home with Google! It's by-far the best job I've had. Last Wednesday I got a brand new BMW since getting a check for $6474 this - 4 weeks past. I began this 8-months ago and immediately was bringing home at least $77 per hour. I work through this link, go to tech tab for work detail

———————————> http://www.jobs700.com

Xazzaphonic (previously known as Vicarious-Chair) > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 15:04

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thats fantastic. We'll charge customers 180 a day for a suburban some times of the year. 300+ trip fees for 3 awesome cars is a steal.

enfuegobuddha > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 15:10

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"speed limits are set at 40kph in the mountains..."

lol, that is slower than Usain Bolt

PG; the scalpel wielder > DonKeybals 01/18/2015 at 15:14

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its an animal. When I drove the NSX earlier this year I followed the owner driving that so we could really haul ass up the mountain (because I was new to the roads). It makes more than 400Hp and goes like stink.

PG; the scalpel wielder > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 15:17

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Glad you enjoyed it mate. The NSX was perfection in my eyes (but since I daily a fwd honda I didn't have much issues with the getting the rear end loose thing).

Now when you go back through the videos you'll realise how incredible the scenary was as well. I was too focused on the car the entire time I had ignored it (i did 3 hours at almost full tilt in sort of a tour or hokone, Mt Fuji and the Initial D roads) :)

Shaggy > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 15:19

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Very fun article, but you definitly need a spell checker.

DonKeybals > PG; the scalpel wielder 01/18/2015 at 15:34

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I can only imagine. We get left out of a lot of cool Subie models in the U.S. The STi versions of the Foresters, such as the SH and SJ models. Stupid emission standards.

rasmus.hvid > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 16:36

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How about isntead of pulling an Afroduck, you wait the full year it takes and then release the videos.

Vinne_4S > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 17:29

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Stickers are not as tacky as you might think in this case, Honda and Keihin have a very long relationship, all the way back to the start of Honda. At least like the early 60's and I even think the carb on the first honda motorcycle ever was a keihin. Nice article though, must be amazing to drive those on a road like that.

mctomch > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 17:38

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How much are early NA1 NSXs in Japan? I'm moving there this summer and that car is my dream car. What better place to own one than in Japan?

MK1000 > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 17:42

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Great article! Would you happen to have a larger version of the top picture showing Mt. Fuji? I really like it and would love to have it as my wallpaper!

Flavien Vidal > Shaggy 01/18/2015 at 19:29

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I know, didn't proof read this one very much, my bad.

On the other hand: definitely ;)

I also make the mistake when typing too fast though :)

Flavien Vidal > 472CID 01/18/2015 at 19:34

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Competly depends where you're from.

With an american license, forget it, you'll have to pass the entire exam again and it's freaking hard in Japan because totally unrelated to what happens in real life...

If you have a Canadian license for exemple though, you just go to the japanese equivalent of a DMV and exchange your license. It takes a couple hours and you're good to go.

Flavien Vidal > Justin Hughes 01/18/2015 at 19:36

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I'm also more of a slow car fast, but it's starting to change now that I've tried this S2000 lol

If only the engine of the NSX had been in the S2000... oh my! :)

Flavien Vidal > PG; the scalpel wielder 01/18/2015 at 19:38

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I'm lucky enough to actually live in Japan and I've spent LOTS of time in Japan before even living here, so I had time to look at the scenery before ;)

Now I can solely focus on driving haha (which justifies the total lack of pictures in this article, which i don't usually do. I didn't even turn off the engine to the pictures of each car lol)

Flavien Vidal > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 01/18/2015 at 19:39

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They are indeed awesome fun!

Flavien Vidal > Birddog 01/18/2015 at 19:40

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Not really no. It costs a couple hundred bucks extra to register the car and it costs maybe 1 or 200$ extra every two years, but overally it's very similar.

Flavien Vidal > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 01/18/2015 at 19:41

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No idea, my lack of japanese cars knowledge means that I also rarely visited 7tune :)

Flavien Vidal > TorchWINsky 01/18/2015 at 19:45

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How do you like it... I'm not much of a 4WD guy, but I know that only a little fuse transforms it to RWD so I might get one.

But how is it? Does it understeer like a pig? Does the car rotate pretty well on corner entries or does it plow into corners? If it understeers like crazy do you think it's something that can be corrected without an excessive amount of money?

Birddog > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 19:46

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Wow! Thanks! I was under the wrong impression.

Flavien Vidal > FloridaMan 01/18/2015 at 19:47

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I don't know really... And if there is, it's probably very annoying legally wise ("You rented me a 300hp racecar near windy mountain roads and it was too powerful for me so I crashed! It's your fault, you shouldn't rent cars like this near roads like that! I sue you!") and expensive to compensate the risks of that legal annoyance...

Flavien Vidal > AeroStang 01/18/2015 at 19:50

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The NSX seemed pretty economical really. Probably around 8 or 9L/100km when cruising around slowly. Of course in the mountains, it's different :)

Flavien Vidal > The Guy who Drives ( A Aw11 Named Inari) 01/18/2015 at 20:00

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The R32 is actually very tiny for such a car. If you compare it with a Ford Fusion, it's 3 inches thiner and 12 inches shorter. It's also 5 inches smaller.

I've never had a problem with wider cars so I don't know. I know my mother freaks out with anything bigger than a Golf so it really depends on people.

If driving a Ford Ranger on american country roads freaks you out at times, I wouldn't recommend japanese mountain roads though... It's A LOT narrower and an NSX is A LOT wider than Ranger :)

The Honda Beat is very slow as it has no turbo though. I'd recommend the AZ-1 or the Cappuccino as they have one and end up being roughly as fast as a Miata.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 20:00

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This sounds like the most jalop way to spend a day, blasting around in great JDM cars around mountain roads, me is REALLY jelly

Flavien Vidal > Vinne_4S 01/18/2015 at 20:00

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Not too used to drive tacky cars like this so... :)

Flavien Vidal > EveryCarIBuyIsDiscontinued 01/18/2015 at 20:03

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Yep, just get an international driver license before you leave. No problem for americans to temporaly drive in Japan. It's more complicated when they decide to stay as their license is not transferable. Any american who stay in Japan has to pass the entire driver license test all over again in Japan, which is long and complicated.

Flavien Vidal > inlinesexzylinder 01/18/2015 at 20:03

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It is indeed lots of fun :)

Flavien Vidal > LongbowMk2 01/18/2015 at 20:04

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lol

No I haven't even driven one... Just not interested in it haha

I'll probably end up renting the one they have someday, but it's just not my thing...

Flavien Vidal > alape8 01/18/2015 at 20:04

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You won't regret it :)

Flavien Vidal > T-Marr 01/18/2015 at 20:04

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I think the cost of using the freeway is around 20cts per kilometer... It gets expensive quickly...

Flavien Vidal > The Guy who Drives ( A Aw11 Named Inari) 01/18/2015 at 20:05

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I'll do it someday yes :)

Flavien Vidal > enfuegobuddha 01/18/2015 at 20:05

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Speed limits on the 401, the Inital D road are set at 30kph most of the time... Good thing is that it's completly empty.

Flavien Vidal > rasmus.hvid 01/18/2015 at 20:07

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That is the prescription status in the US, but I'm not sure about Japan. I live here and just don't want to get kicked out. Imagine with a speed limit set at 40kmh in the mountains... If you're not careful, you can easily go 3 or 4 times over it...

Flavien Vidal > mctomch 01/18/2015 at 20:07

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Very cheap for what it is actually... One in similar shape to the one I've driven will probably go for about 20k$, maybe even a bit less...

Flavien Vidal > MK1000 01/18/2015 at 20:09

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There you go:

http://www.filedropper.com/fun2drive5

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 20:21

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I'm visiting Japan later this year, but I can't speak a lick of Japanese, would I need a translator?

because that Hakosuka is calling to me.

Flavien Vidal > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard 01/18/2015 at 20:30

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Nah, the owner can speak english little bit :)

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 20:44

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awesome!, I'll put it on my list of things to do.

The Guy who Drives ( A Aw11 Named Inari) > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 20:46

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Thanks for the reply and insight!

I have yet to see an r-32 in person to equate it's size, but Thanks for the visual.

segascott > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 20:55

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man, same deal in Korea - if you've got a CA license you need to take a test and bring an apostilled document... but if you're Canadian you just trade and go. [sarcasm] IT'S LIKE THE WORLD DOESN'T EVEN APPRECIATE THE FREEDOM WE BROUGHT TO EBBRYWUN! [/sarcasm]

MK1000 > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 21:20

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Awesome, thank you!

Kabob > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 21:28

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From driving impressions given by owners in other English speaking countries, being that the R32 GT-R's AWD is rear-wheel drive based, it actually overcomes understeers quickly into oversteer. The analog g-sensor of the R32 isn't as responsive as the newer electronic units in the R33 and R34 so there's not as much quick transfer of torque to the front wheels. I bought one last fall to get to the States in March. She's about to be laden aboard a RORO ship in the next week. My goal is to hit 450 hp or so and an aftermarket ATESSA ECU and g-sensor to bring responsiveness more in line with modern standards. I'm crossing my fingers that it'll indeed be as reliable as fun2drive's R32 but I've got broken-shite money set aside just in case.

ZenkiChukiKouki > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 21:47

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Japan just seems more and more appealing (if not already a dream) every single day.

Kuroneko > hyperlemon 01/18/2015 at 21:48

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Be careful! While an International Drivers Permit is valid for one year, it is against the law to drive on one in Japan - as a resident. Visitors, no problems. But if you're a resident, you are breaking the law. Simply because the Permit is merely a statement of a real license being held in another country, not a license of any sort by itself.

With a friend in the consular service, I can confirm the Japanese can, and do, put you in jail for not having a license to the same effect as not having a license in any other country. Try showing your Japanese license to a cop in Washington DC after being pulled over for going double-up and see what happens... Same here. Neko.

Kuroneko > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 21:53

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This is simply due to reciprocal agreements between countries, and not due to anything else. Britishers can convert simply because the Japanese can convert in Britain. Same same for the US. The US license cannot convert because the US does not allow Japanese licenses to convert...

The whole paper-license and holiday-in-Guam routine can be discussed at some point too! Neko.

AeroStang > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 22:00

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I don't understand...lol, but when I said neglecting I meant only that you omitted it from your review- I imagine storage is fine for people who aren't movers or landscapers, and FE is decent. But I still don't understand what you're saying lol

Flavien Vidal > AeroStang 01/18/2015 at 22:19

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lol, I'm talking aboutthe gas consumption. You consumme about 8 to 9 liters pour 100km driven when driving slowly :)

In "american" that would be 26 to 30mpg :)

Variance > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 22:20

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Does Japan actually have a statute of limitations? Might be worth looking in to if they could even prosecute you.

Flavien Vidal > Kabob 01/18/2015 at 22:20

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Hum ok... I'm really interested in buying one... I' m just worried that it's not going to be a fun car... Just something fast.

Flavien Vidal > Variance 01/18/2015 at 22:22

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Tried to look at it quickly a while ago, but couldn't find much informations...

Nonetheless, I'm writing here under my real name and I'm not a Japanese citizen. I only know that they can fairly easily deport me if I break the law... and "if" I broke the law on the videos, I'd be way too easily traceable.

Evan Hahne > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 22:28

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Thanks so much for posting this review!!!
I'm in the process of bringing over an AE86 from Japan right now, but I've never met anyone who owns one. I'm glad to hear how enjoyable the car is, it makes me all the more excited to drive it!
Very cool that you got to drive an NSX! My dad bought and sold a couple back in the late 90's but as an old muscle car kind of guy, he'll only tell me that it's "not as fast as my old Mustang" whenever I ask him.

Kabob > Flavien Vidal 01/18/2015 at 22:44

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Flavien Vidal > Kabob 01/18/2015 at 22:45

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lol yeah... but no, just not my thing... Not much of a 4WD guy really :)

biturboism, the cult > Flavien Vidal 01/19/2015 at 02:04

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And here I am, renting a van to move out... For the price if a fun car! I hate it!!!

Flavien Vidal > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man 01/19/2015 at 02:46

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It was a lot of fun! Can't recommend it enough to anyone who comes to Japan :)

Flavien Vidal > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you 01/19/2015 at 02:47

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Hey, you don't know that :)

Flavien Vidal > biturboism, the cult 01/19/2015 at 02:48

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Haha, yeah you probably spend a full 24h with a Honda Beat for the price you're paying for that Van :)

On the other hand a Honda Beat is worth 2500$ here :)

Dave Smith > DonKeybals 01/19/2015 at 03:10

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That's a Legacy BH5 GT-B. Had a twin-turbo 2.0 H4, putting out the agreed 280PS/276 horse power.

Kuroneko > Flavien Vidal 01/19/2015 at 04:47

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Plus, the rest of us locals would report you anyway. Especially for calling one of their cars a 'Hakosuka replica', when its obviously a real Hako - though it might be a 'GT-R replica'. Arigato.

Flavien Vidal > Kuroneko 01/19/2015 at 05:42

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haha yeah, I only call gtrs "hakosuka"... I call the other ones 2000 gt :)

They all are boxed skyline I know, but always called gtr only that way :)

Where do you live BTW?

AeroStang > Flavien Vidal 01/19/2015 at 07:07

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I didn't understand most of that, but the last part I get! :)

Chris P > Flavien Vidal 01/19/2015 at 07:31

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can you share whom did you contact to get all these cars? I would go to japan just to drive them.