If you've owned a Japanese car, you can attest to the reliability and durability that the cars provide. Honda and Toyota are regular entrants to Consumer Reports' Most Reliable List and are the most stolen vehicles in the United States because the parts have a high resale value. Nobody can deny that the Japanese make some of the best vehicles in the world that are affordable and provide a comfortable ride. While most Japanese vehicles are reliable, the design of some of the cars is simple. The Toyota Prius and the Honda Accord are good vehicles but lack the exterior appeal that other vehicles in their class possess. Some Japanese car owners are unimpressed with the design of the vehicles and have taken the responsibility to redesign their vehicles.
The owners who acquired professional assistance managed to transform their vehicle into impressive ones, while the owners who embarked on solo projects usually produced a laughable product. To distinguish the professional customizers from the ones who lack knowledge about modifying a vehicle, we searched the market for Japanese cars. What we discovered will shock people. Our search led us to discover car owners who modified their vehicle but ended up with a product that's a joke. Put on your funny hats as we explore the weirdest things that car owners have done to Japanese vehicles.
21 The Angelic Knight
Batman is a force to be reckoned with and maintains a dark persona, but some enthusiasts of the vigilante want to depict the Dark Knight as an angel. Not only would Batman not agree with changing his persona, but he'd also insist on keeping his Tumbler as opposed to driving a Toyota Yaris. I've seen many vehicles decorated as the Batmobile, but the Yaris is the slowest one. Batman would keep this ride hidden deep in his cave.
20 Rocket Bunny
Vehicles that have a Rocket Bunny kit convey that the car is fast and featured in the Fast and Furious. Some Rocket Bunny kits cost thousands of dollars, which some Toyota drivers cannot afford.
To not miss out on the experience of fitting a vehicle with a Rocket Bunny kit, some Toyota owners use cardboard instead.
Although the vehicle has supposedly transformed into a lowrider, this Toyota Matrix isn't fooling anyone into believing that it's faster or cooler.
19 Lowrider
The Civic Shuttle is the third-generation Honda Civic that the Japanese manufacturer produced from 1983 to 1987. The car is a three-door hatchback that the United States market referred to as the 'Wagovan.' This car is anything but a wagon, as it looks like it'll struggle to transport three people, never mind more. The owner of this Shuttle thought the car would look like a performance vehicle if he lowered the suspension and installed a Rocket Bunny kit. He was wrong, though, as the car looks like the wheels are about to fall off and like the engine will cease.
18 Too Much Of A Good Thing
A spoiler is a device intended to automatically 'spoil' the undesirable movement of air through the body of a moving vehicle, this undesirable movement usually called 'drag' or 'turbulence.' While a spoiler can propel your vehicle to go faster, in this case, this Mazda will go slower, as the spoiler is heavy.
Considering the spoiler is so big, the whole purpose of it spoiling unfavorable air movement will be defeated.
Sometimes, going overboard can be more detrimental than favorable. To get the optimal performance from the Mazda, the owner should fit a smaller spoiler.
17 Chimney
When you watch a Lamborghini exhaust spurt out flames as the owner revs the engine, you surmise that your vehicle will be more extravagant if you fit a different exhaust. Although that's possible if you fit the right exhaust, fitting an exhaust that resembles a chimney will make your vehicle look ridiculous. While the owner of this Honda took measures to ensure that no debris falls into the exhaust, he's chosen a design that makes the car look like a train.
16 Extinct
Whoever said that cavemen didn't drive cars hasn't watched the Flintstones or seen this vehicle. By fitting the car with wooden spikes, the owner of this Honda has made the vehicle look like its owner lived during the dinosaur era. To ensure that the engine doesn't overheat, the owner installed a ventilation system on the bonnet. The car also has a wooden ramp as a front bumper in case baby dinosaurs need a lift. This is a one-of-a-kind car that shouldn't exist in the modern age.
15 Transformer
Transforming a vehicle by fitting a bulkier body frame on top of the existing one can cause devastating consequences for some vehicles. It may be difficult to believe that under the makeup of this vehicle lies a Mazda 626.
The owner got tired of the dull design of the 626 and wanted to transform his car into a speed demon.
We'll give him credit for making the Mazda 626 unrecognizable but won't praise his end product. The car looks as if he molded it from mud, and the added body will make the 626 slower.
14 Exhausted
Fitting an extra exhaust on a car may make the vehicle rumble a bit louder and give you a false belief that your vehicle is faster. When you fit several exhausts on a vehicle, such as this owner has done, the only person you're fooling is yourself. Too much of a good thing can be bad, and that's the case with this modification. The extra exhausts won't propel the vehicle to faster speeds or make it look like a speed demon. The only consequences are the diminishing of the car's aesthetics and an increase in the owner's car costs.
13 Donk Mobile
While pickup trucks have gained a tremendous amount of popularity over the last few years and pimp vehicles may look cool, converting a Mazda RX8 into a combination of a pickup and a pimp mobile will make your vehicle the talk of the town. The owner of this RX8 wanted to get a better view of the road while cruising down the road with new rims. He got the elevation, as well as the new rims, right, but the combination makes this Mazda look as if it belongs in the junkyard.
12 High Rider
Pickup manufacturers elevate the vehicles so that drivers can enjoy a comfortable ride off-road, as well as on the road, without worrying about the bottom of the vehicle scraping against rocks and other debris. Some pickup owners are unsatisfied with the regular height of the vehicle and want to experience a more advanced drive. The owner of this pickup managed to elevate the vehicle while simultaneously ruining the appeal of the Nissan pickup. The car looks like a bodybuilder who has a bulky upper body and chicken legs.
11 Bosozoku
The Japanese word means 'violent speed tribes' and is a Japanese youth subculture associated with customized motorcycles. The subculture doesn't stem from nefarious activities; instead, it refers to a style that car customizers adopt to their vehicles. The owner of this Nissan adopted the Bosozoku style when customizing his vehicle but built a vehicle that'll slow the performance and obstruct the driver's view. Some modifications are unnecessary and ruin the vehicle.
10 You Can Never Be Too Careful
Double checking and triple checking is a habit I sometimes adopt, but sometimes, you can be too careful. Having a clear vision of the road is vital, especially at night, but some owners get carried away with the amount of lighting they need to drive a vehicle. The owner of this Subaru fitted the vehicle with an additional four front lights to make sure that he can detect an ant crossing the road. The copious lights will light up the road but may also get him a ticket, as the excessive lights can obscure the vision of others.
9 Clunker
It seems that it's possible to take a performance vehicle such as a Subaru and convert it into a clunker that looks as if it belongs in the junkyard. Subaru vehicles are known for their speed, but this vehicle looks as if the owner struggles to ignite the engine.
Besides the combination of the blue and lime green color, numerous body parts of the vehicle have fallen off or are hanging loose.
Customizers who want a lesson in ruining a vehicle should take notes from this car owner who had no idea what he was doing.
8 Nissan Cube
Nissan markets the Cube car as a mini MVP, with the operative word being 'mini' and not 'MVP.' Initially, Nissan sold the Cube in Japan but has extended it to the North American market since 2009. Since 2014, Nissan has sold the Cube only in Japan. As if the vehicle wasn't small enough, the owner wanted to make a smaller version. The car is so small that little people will struggle to get inside. Maybe this vehicle should be reserved for only small children as a practice vehicle for their license.
7 Toyota Ninja
I was unaware that Toyota makes a model called 'Ninja,' but maybe this owner knows more than me. While the Japanese manufacturer produced the Toyota Celica from 1971 to 2006, the owner of this Celica wanted his car to have a brand-new design. He fitted massive rear tires, two exhausts, and a spoiler to make the Celica deceive everyone to believe that it's a performance vehicle. Nice try, but you're not fooling anyone with the bulky body and the 2-liter engine that's under the bonnet.
6 Lego
Building legos is an activity that many kids love. The activity lets children develop their minds while providing entertainment. Some pickup owners are like children and want to extend their childhood into their forties. The owner of this pickup thought his car would look awesome if he painted it with eccentric colors and fitted blocks on the bonnet, making it look like a lego car. Although he may have accomplished his objective, he's driving a vehicle that only children will envy.
5 Best Of Both Worlds
Trying to satisfy every car consumer is almost impossible. Some consumers want a minivan, while others want a pickup truck. Then, some consumers want a minivan and a pickup in one package. While some salesmen can sell you a minivan and a pickup as a package, they cannot combine the vehicles. This customizer incorporated the body of a Toyota Sienna and the bed of a Silverado to make a minivan pickup. His efforts are commendable, but the end product looks as if two vehicles smashed into each other and got stuck.
4 Bumper Cars
Finding the right color to match all the accessories you want to have on the vehicle can be a challenging task. The owner of this Nissan pickup, at least, matched the rims' color to the body of the vehicle. Then, he wanted to add a few accessories to the front bumper to make the car look cool. He strapped on a bumper instead of installing it properly and added a number plate and other accessories that'll ensure that the front bumper won't get damaged during a collision. If anybody needs spare Nissan parts, they can get it from the front bumper of this car.
3 Speed Demon
Some cars have a bigger bark than their bite. Trying to make your vehicle look intimidating may get you a few glances from onlookers but won't improve the performance of the engine.
The owner of this Mazda Miata wanted to make the vehicle appear to be faster than what it is by fitting a demon-like body.
Maybe he wanted to make the vehicle look like a Batmobile. Whatever his intention, he failed at improving the aesthetics of the vehicle, as it looks like a demon but without the speed.
2 Confused
What happens when you try to fuse a Honda Coupé body, a BMW grille, and the headlights of a Mercedes-Benz CLK? You get a vehicle that makes no sense. The headlights suggest that the vehicle is a Mercedes, but the emblem and the grille tell a different story. The car suggests that the owner couldn't make up his mind about the car he wanted to drive and decided to incorporate all three of his favorite vehicles into one. The end product might be fascinating to see, but it's not an accomplishment to be proud of.