Ah, the wonderful and sometimes cringe-worthy world of Japanese domestic market vehicles. There's a common misconception that all cars manufactured in Japan fall into the category of JDM, but that's simply untrue. JDM refers to any car that was specifically made with the Japanese consumer in mind, taking different things like unique regulations that the island country enforces into account. Because of this, JDM cars may look completely different from other cars produced in Japan that have the intention of being exported somewhere else in the world.

The JDM market has been exploding since the late '90s as popularity for the unique-looking cars has grown. Places such as Canada have seen a massive influx of JDM cars due to laws being repealed that previously banned the importation of these cars. Japan's automotive companies' focus on keeping these cars in production has resulted in JDM cars lasting much longer and being more susceptible to modding and customization than cars from other manufacturers. This has made car enthusiasts and self-modders long for the vehicles, which come from the factory as a great starting point or 'blank canvas' for their automotive artwork.

While some of these finished products do come out as works of art, some are... lacking. The cheaper nature of these cars tends to attract a lower-income crowd than say that of Lamborghinis or Ferraris. This low cost can sometimes influence owners to also spend less money on their kits and engine upgrades, which can result in a jalopy of a car if not done correctly. Read on if you dare, and gaze upon some of the worst JDM modded cars we could find.

20 The Coolest Mom on the Block

Imagine being dropped off for soccer practice in this ridiculously large and loud custom minivan. Those giant wings must be good for aerodynamics at least, though, right? I remember how slow and unsightly my family's minivan was back in the day, but luckily, all those body mods must add an insane amount of horsepower. To the credit of the owner, all the body lines do seem pretty flush; I just want to know what would possess a person to create such a hideous and clumsy vehicle. If the owner just wanted to stand out in a crowd and get looks on the freeway, I think he's accomplished his goal.

19 A Window-shaking Saxo

We all have that neighbor who's still in high school and whom we can hear coming from a mile away. Maybe it was even you when you were younger. I know my parents got calls from neighbors more than a few times back in the day complaining about the exhaust on my GMC, but this takes it to the next level. With 18 exhaust tips, this Citroen Saxo is bound to rattle some roofs and shake some windows. A popular theme with JDM customizers is having the loudest and proudest vehicle, and this guy takes the top spot. Do you think he left his catalytic converters on? I want to encounter this thing in person just to take a look and see if all these tips are actually hooked up to anything. For any copycats out there, be wary—this is bound to void some dealer warranties.

18 What a Cheesy Chrysler

This cheddar-inspired Chrysler 300 has more hatches than a chicken coop. Styling a hood that looks like it doesn't close and an aftermarket pickup bed, this 300 would look more natural in a salvage yard rather than in a car show. I mean, come on... those seats have zero padding on them whatsoever, and the roof comes completely off!

I don't even want to know how much money was sunk into this build. I'm not lactose intolerant, but staring at this grotesque malformation of car parts is making my stomach a little woozy.

17 Six-wheeled Civic

I know what you're asking yourself: "Is this the infamous Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6x6 I've heard so much about?" Well, no, it's not. This is the infamous 1996 Honda Civic 6x6 that you can get for a fraction of the price! Currently being sold on Craigslist for a whopping $1,000, this one-of-a-kind Civic Limo has one thing guaranteed to never have been seen before: six wheels!

But in all seriousness, this Civic boasts an incredible 65 hp coming from a D16y7 non-VTEC motor that leaks oil and "is very slow." I don't care what anybody says; I wish I had this thing for my senior prom.

16 The Custom GT-30 Prius

This ground-scraping, ultra-aerodynamic riced-out Prius is the brainchild of Kuhl Racing. We all want our cars to look like they go fast but this one-off hybrid is something else entirely. A tasteful mod here and there to a car such as a Mustang is completely fine and acceptable, but this Prius is an all-out splatter painting of wannabe speed.

Boasting a rear wing, shiny new rims, and endless amounts of kit work, this Prius has been transformed into the ultimate rice rocket that just looks (and I'm sure sounds) utterly obnoxious. With those super stanced wheels, I'm sure this car goes through more tires than tanks of gas.

15 Neon Lambos

Lamborghinis are often used as status symbols to show people that you really own money. With high prices and limited stock, Lamborghinis are seen as one of the greatest and most sought-after brands of cars ever made. These factors beg the question: why on Earth would someone ruin a Lamborghini with enough neon and flashing lights to put the average person in a coma?

There are actually large groups of Japanese businessmen and rich teenagers who'll buy Lamborghinis or other supercars with the sole intent of putting the absolute most neon and other colorful features as possible on them, always one-upping the competition. These clubs are often frowned upon, as their cars can easily distract normal drivers while, at the same time, disrespecting traffic laws. All I know is that if I ever had enough money for a Lamborghini, I certainly wouldn't do this to it.

14 The DIY "Expert"

As car enthusiasts, we all know Mr. DIY—the guy that spends his weekends working to make his cheap and unimpressive car look expensive and impressive. Well, that guy is usually working to no avail. Take this car, for example. The owner probably did this in a few hours in his garage and now has a "sick whip."

If having a sick whip is supposed to make me dry heave, then yeah. Sick whip, dude. Clumsy bodywork made out of wood, a taped-on wing, and a sloppy rattle-can paint job make this car look anything but expensive or impressive. But hey... I'm sure he had fun doing it. I just don't think I'll be inviting this guy over to help me on a weekend tuneup.

13 Lip Injections

I... I'm at a loss for words. This car has so much lip, my dad wants to beat it with his leather belt, and it kind of deserves it. This massive lip, along with exhaust pipes coming straight from the engine block and actually going back and creating a wing, just screams JDM.

This style of car is popular among diehard JDM crowds, but we just can't figure out why. I'm not saying all splitters are a bad thing—there are many examples of tasteful and actually very useful front splitters. But this goes beyond the realm of useful or tasteful. Splitters are used by racecars to balance the front of the car to the back by using different methods of aerodynamics, but I think that whole use kind of goes out the window when it weighs more than the rest of the car.

12 Upsetting Underglow

There are very few times that underglow can be applied to a car without it turning out utterly repulsive. This Toyota Celica is a prime example of what not to do when thinking about buying underglow for your own car. It's often used as a way to show off what a cool car you have by accenting it in the dark, which can look very cool if done correctly. However, when applied to an already cheap and riced-out car, it just adds insult to injury by showing off how desperate you are for attention, especially when color-matched and uneven. Underglow is popular among high schoolers and JDMers alike, and maybe we should just let them keep that to themselves.

11 Total Eclipse of the Heart

The always-present but hardly-ever-wanted Mitsubishi Eclipse. This cheap race car knock-off has seen more distasteful mods than the U.S. has seen threats from North Korea. The relatively low cost of this car and the overwhelming accessibility to kits for it has made it a staple in the low-income car enthusiast's arsenal of crap.

Apart from being incredibly unreliable, these cars just look cheap and not well put together. They can often be seen sporting over-the-top body kits and useless wings, such as above. Eclipses are seen everywhere from car shows to supermarkets, and we all wish these Fast and Furious-esque cars were left in the garage.

10 Drifting into the Junkyard

Drift-racing and time-attack events are a huge part of JDM culture, brought to popularity by Keiichi Tsuchiya in the '80s. Ever since, styling your car to be the best drifter possible has been all the rage with our Japanese counterparts. A common mistake with these cars is just adjusting the bodywork to look the part. These stanced rides often don't carry the engine power or the suspension to properly take part in these adrenaline-inducing events, and there's nothing worse than a poser. If your car can't keep up with your tire-wrecking activities, then you and the people around you are in danger. Better keep this one on the street, buddy.

9 Lambo Doors

Scissor doors were made famous by the Lamborghini Diablo in 1990. Since then, they've become synonymous with expensive and ultra-speedy supercars. They often have a real purpose as well, first being used to be able to lean out of the car to see behind you when rear visibility was lacking due to other essential features. Trying to recreate this level of luxury, car owners began installing scissor door kits onto their not-so-pricey rides. All functionality and appeal disappear when a ricer parks next to you and opens his door, only to reveal they can hardly wedge their way out of their own door. Stock doors are also usually too heavy for the kits to function properly, seeing as how they were never intended for that use and thus end up falling back down once opened. Best to leave the Lamborghini doors on the Lamborghinis, lads.

8 Comfort? Functionality? Nah, Bro. I Race.

Racing seats hold an incredibly important purpose in all styles of racing such as track and off-road. They keep drivers safe in case of accidents better than traditional seatbelts ever could because of the extreme driving conditions of these events. They do not, however, have any purpose being in your '93 Honda Civic at all. Again, with racing and drifting being a big part of JDM culture, lots of people want to look like they do race, and they go all out for it. If somebody with racing seats tells you he track-races, there are a couple things you need to ask yourself, such as: Is his exhaust smoking? Does he have a roll cage installed? Is there any possible way that his vehicle could even make it around a track once? These are dead giveaways if he's actually into racing or is just a race bro.

7 Is That a Supra or a Toyota?

If you think swapping out your current taillights for a nice shiny new pair of sporty tail lights will trick people into thinking you own an expensive car, it won't. One of the tackiest things you can do to your already hopeless car is disgrace automotive perfection, such as the Supra, in the process. I have a couple problems with this, actually, the first being that taillights that aren't meant to be on your car probably won't line up correctly, leaving big and unsightly gaps. You can always fill in these gaps with Bondo, but most people don't put in the effort or money needed to do that and then color match the paint. If you see one of these abominations running down the highway, make sure to give 'em the old one-figure salute for me.

6 Don't Scratch My Rims, Dude

Ah yes; rims, d's, slabs, swangers, dubs, or whatever else people call them where you're from. Rims can add a splash of color or flare to any car if done the right way. JDM-style rims are often way too small, painted bright and obnoxious colors, and hold rubber that's completely wrong for the type of car it's on. Too small of tires often complicate the ride of the vehicle, making it bumpy and hard to handle and wearing the tires down too fast. That doesn't matter when your ride's looking fly as hell, though, right? It's become pretty easy to pick a ricer out of a crowd just by looking for those neon yellow, red, or off-gold-color- looking rims.

5 Carbon-fiber Dream

Carbon fiber is actually a relatively new technology that offers a lighter weight and stronger rigidity than aluminum or steel. It's incredibly useful on race cars and supercars for making them lighter and faster. Like many things on this list, though, it doesn't belong on your Honda. While it does look cool and gives a drastic difference in color on hoods and other body panels, there's just no practical use for having it. Saving a pound or two on your hood isn't enough to justify spending the money on it, especially when we all already know you don't race. Like many popular mods, save your money and get a nicer car that it'll actually look good on such as a Scion FR-S or a Subaru BRZ.

4 Sticker Bombing

In my opinion, sticker bombing doesn't look good on anything–laptops, phone cases, cars, or motorcycles. Eventually, those stickers are going to start peeling off and getting discolored, but you can't wash them off; otherwise, you'll peel them more and wash away their color. This is another cheap car mod that would probably have looked better just to keep the color underneath. A big problem I have with sticker bombing is that it always seems to be just a few panels here and there, never the entire car. If you're going to commit to something so ugly and uneconomical, why not just do the entire car? Could you not afford enough stickers? Again, just save up and buy a paint job next time you want to cover up the original color.

3 Annoyingly Large Shifters

Owning a manual-geared car is normal in most parts of the world. Most places rarely even see automatic cars, and high-end supercars and racecars are almost always manual. If they're so common, you'd think they'd be fun to customize. Well again, you're wrong, especially when said shifter is 10x the size of the original. People using beer handles or sword grips as shift knobs are throwing away any practical usability in order to have something bigger and flashier than their friends'. I've actually tried driving one of these before, and let me tell you, it was awful. You can never tell what gear you're in and it's incredibly clumsy to try to throw around. I think it's safe to say we should leave the beer handles on the taps and the sword grips on the swords.

2 This Intercooler Isn't Cool

Intercoolers are meant to cool down an engine when it has a turbo or a supercharger. For this purpose, intercoolers are essential to any build and can do a lot of damage if set up incorrectly. That being said, bigger intercoolers don't mean better performance. In most cases, having too big of an intercooler will actually lag your spool time, resulting in worse performance. Intercoolers like this that have replaced the entire front bumper completely are usually just for show and not actually committed to performance. This is just a bad idea all around because you're hurting your performance while at the same time putting your expensive and shiny new intercooler at complete risk in case of an accident. It would be much smarter to downsize the intercooler to match the size of the turbo or supercharger and add a bumper to that bad boy.

1 Horrible, Ugly, Awful Wraps

Vinyl wraps on a car are a great way to protect your paint while changing the color or design without permanently ruining it. We've all seen those glorious pictures of gold-wrapped Ferraris or intricately designed GTR wraps. That's exactly what wraps are for and should be limited to. Not for this. To each his own, but this anime-inspired "Squid Girl" vinyl wrap is just hideous and should've been left in the garage. For the price of this wrap, the owner could've bought a whole other car or bought a flamethrower to torch this one. Some upgrades just aren't worth the money, and this is a prime example. Better luck next year, Squid Girl.

Sources: wikipedia.com; superstreetonline.com; reddit.com