The Upside of the 25 Year Rule

"Wilsonic" (wilsonic)
05/03/2016 at 20:48 • Filed to: None

Photo Taken by Wilsonic at the Simeone Museum.

The 25 year rule is much loathed by car enthusiasts in the United States. But maybe its a good thing certain cars have remained out of reach. Look at what we did with the good cars we had access to in the states, like the CRX and Supra. Think about how they were all ruthlessly destroyed during the Tunerpocalypse.

When I say Tunerpocalypse, I am referring to the decade kicked off by a certain movie about going fast and being furious. From 2000 to 2010, people saw everything as a potential race car and sometimes a rolling light show. And unfortunately, many of those cars were already great to begin with and really did not need much in the way of modification. Integras, CRX’s, Supras, Celicas, 300ZX’s, 240SX’s all saw abuse in the way of hair brained engine swaps and ill fitting body kits. Yes, these cars responded well to modifications. Some would say the factory intended for them to be tune-able so they could reach a state beyond what law or industry standards would approve of. But these cars were not just modified, they were butchered and their bones are sold on Craigslist as $500 “shells.” A lot of good cars were lost to the Tunerpocalypse.

Recently, I was searching for a second car that I could drive daily but still be sporty and enjoyable. I wanted something that I could wrench on too, something older, with crank windows, with character . I wanted a CRX. I did not want a CRX with a Stage 4 Sooper Money Tite Broseph Turbocharged Intercooled B1618H22ABC V-TECH (spelled with an H to make me cringe more because GODDAMN CRAIGSLIST HATES ME). I just wanted a CRX, a stock one, sporty but reliable and thrifty as Honda intended. The only place I could find a clean CRX? Japanese Classics, where they import cars under the 25 year rule. And then I had an epiphany: the 25 year rule may have saved cars that we in the states would have otherwise destroyed.

Could you imagine if we could have been importing cars of any year all this time? The junkyards full of S15 Silvias, all with the rear quarter panels severely dented in the same exact spot from “aspiring” drifters? The plethora of ads for Skyline GT-R “shells”, devoid of their RB26's that either grenaded under too much boost or was swapped into something else? I know it sounds like I am supporting laws and policies that make no sense and bashing tuner culture in the process. Yes, I do agree that the 25 year rule makes no sense. I also think we should have the freedom to do what we want with our cars. But goddammit , don’t tear up a perfectly good car and leave it a half complete project that results in a wholly unholy mess. Because the only way I can get a clean CRX at this point is to import one from half way around the world, despite the fact that thousands were sold right in my backyard.

DISCUSSION (19)

PanchoVilleneuve ST > Wilsonic
05/03/2016 at 20:52

I take it you haven’t spent much time browsing Japanese classifieds.

The tunerpocalypse hit there, too. 99% of the desirable cars have been modified to hell and back, with varying degrees of quality.

Wilsonic > PanchoVilleneuve ST
05/03/2016 at 20:55

I have noticed many of their cars are modded but most of them are tasteful and reversible mods. Most of their mods I would keep. Also, if I am not mistaken Japanese car inspections are strict and their cars have to be safe and reliable, even when modded. In the states, we can get away with a lot.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > Wilsonic
05/03/2016 at 20:58

The reason why most are for sale is because of a failed inspection/upcoming inspection they are likely to fail. It’s why most used JDM engines tend to have such low milage.

For every nicely-modded car I’ve seen on Goo I’ve seen dozens upon dozens of ziptied hackjobs with dangling wiring harnesses and off-brand wheels.

Probenja > PanchoVilleneuve ST
05/03/2016 at 21:05

So true! In my country you can basically import whatever car you want without restrictions* and they are usually in terrible condition, even if they have low miles they have been poorly mantained or badly modified. There are exceptions but for the most part most are in bad shape.

*You can only get imports in certain parts that are “Trade Free Zones”

Wilsonic > PanchoVilleneuve ST
05/03/2016 at 21:06

Interesting. Some importers advertise they only bring in cars of decent condition and even maintenance them and drive them when they are received. But it does make a lot of sense that the best thing to do with a car that is about to become “unable to register” is to sell it to a market that won’t care.

Kinja'd!!!

Still, I can’t find a clean CRX in my backyard and I have seen relatively clean CRX’s on Japanese Classics. And come 2018, I hope the inflated Mark 4 Supra market crashes. I’ll take an SZ-R, I just want the shape I fell in love with from Gran Turismo.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > Wilsonic
05/03/2016 at 21:13

I’d imagine the Supra will go through the same kind of thing the R32 GT-R did, where the prices shot WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY up in the first few weeks of being import-legal, only to very quickly plummet down to even lower prices than they were before the 25 year point. It happened with SR20 S13s, and I bet it will happen again next year with the first-gen WRX.

interstate366, now In The Industry > PanchoVilleneuve ST
05/03/2016 at 21:29

This. I’ve seen quite a few shockingly bad DC2Rs on GooNet and auction listings. The 4th and 5th gen Preludes are usually relatively well-sorted, though.

itranthelasttimeiparkedit > Wilsonic
05/03/2016 at 21:36

Man I just may buy an mr2 from there when I am ready. I can pay $6k for a beat to shit turbo here, or go on that site and get a minty low(ish) mileage one for 9k...

PanchoVilleneuve ST > interstate366, now In The Industry
05/03/2016 at 21:40

Goo has made me realize that the the world’s rarest car is an unmolsted Pulsar GTI-R.

interstate366, now In The Industry > PanchoVilleneuve ST
05/03/2016 at 21:52

Yeah, IIRC even the ones Japanese Classics had were modded. The 4G Prelude I’d been eyeing for awhile (a 1993 H22 non-4WS model that was completely stock aside from a driver’s Recaro) is gone. Shame, because it was immaculate and only about $3000. Whoever bought it got a screaming deal.

tacogx > Wilsonic
05/03/2016 at 22:21

I think most tuners were responsible with upping their cars, but the reason why you only see crappy overtuned cars on craigslist is because the tasteful ones are held onto.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > interstate366, now In The Industry
05/03/2016 at 22:43

The best current trend I’ve seen recently on Goo is immaculate examples of vintage cars, which are either restorations or incredibly well-preserved examples. They have prices to match but my god, some are museum-quality.

My two current objects of overwhelming lust:

http://www.goo-net-exchange.com/usedcars/TOYOT…

http://www.goo-net-exchange.com/usedcars/NISSA…

That Celica is exactly my dream Japanese vintage car. GT-spec coupe with an 18R-G, the lightest, stiffest body with the most powerful engine and all the factory suspension upgrades.

And the Prince GT-B really should be in a museum. It’s flawless.

interstate366, now In The Industry > PanchoVilleneuve ST
05/03/2016 at 23:30

Those are gorgeous. The Prelude I was eyeing was sort of like that Celica, almost as light as you could get it. All it needed was the sunroof delete and it would have been perfect. The 4G Prelude becomes importable this year. In the next few years if I find one that has an H22/LSD combo and absolutely nothing else (no ABS, no 4WS, no airbags, sunroof delete), I’m going to buy one. If not, I’ll just wait for one of these:

http://www.goo-net-exchange.com/usedcars/HONDA…

PanchoVilleneuve ST > interstate366, now In The Industry
05/03/2016 at 23:40

I love the Prelude, but the design, as far as I see it, was always half beautiful. The early rear end would look so much better when paired with the later front, and the early front would look so much better with the later rear.

Svend > Wilsonic
05/04/2016 at 02:49

“But it does make a lot of sense that the best thing to do with a car that is about to become “unable to register” is to sell it to a market that won’t care .”

I love that bit. “you can’t have the car for 25 years as we consider it unsafe”, after 25 years “oh hell, who really cares, it’s 25 year old, do what you want”. Lol.

Nauraushaun > Wilsonic
05/04/2016 at 04:12

The junkyards full of S15 Silvias, all with the rear quarter panels severely dented in the same exact spot from “aspiring” drifters? The plethora of ads for Skyline GT-R “shells”, devoid of their RB26's that either grenaded under too much boost or was swapped into something else?

You’re dead on. What you’ve done here is describe Australia exactly. We don’t have as many silly laws as the land of the free , so we’ve been importing Silvias and Skylines and Evos and Legnums and Stageas and all manner of turbo’d cars for years. They’re all haggard. Everything from petty 4-door Skyline GT-S to coveted GT-R has fallen into the hands of idiotic owners more often than not.

As someone who loves stock Japanese cars from the 90s, this is particularly upsetting.

But of course we have the best of both worlds: we can still import the same cars you can (and they’re correct-hand-drive!). So we have the choice of fresh imports as well.

Nauraushaun > Wilsonic
05/04/2016 at 04:13

As someone who loves stock Japanese cars from the 90s, this is particularly upsetting.

But of course we have the best of both worlds: we can still import the same cars you can (and they’re correct-hand-drive!). So we have the choice of fresh imports as well.

interstate366, now In The Industry > PanchoVilleneuve ST
05/04/2016 at 09:08

Somewhere I have a picture of a 4th gen front photoshopped onto a 5th gen. It does look good since the lights match. The theory I have with the 5th gen’s odd front lights is that they’re supposed to resemble open pop-ups, since the body style was essentially a larger, modernized 3rd gen.

Nimbus The Legend - Riding on air like a cloud > Wilsonic
05/04/2016 at 16:46

california needs to use the 25 year rule instead of the 1975 rule...