The Japanese car manufacturers have built some of the most popular cars in the world, though at first, they were a laughingstock to the many. Nowadays, every gearhead enjoys driving a Japanese sports car, but who can blame them, as the cars are brimming with speed, have flashy looks, and will cause an adrenaline explosion once you are behind the wheel.
However, JDM cars aren't all as well-engineered and reliable as the world so often makes them out to be, and some of them are actually dangerous money pits. Being able to recognize a good deal from the bad will save you a lot of headaches, and this list will help you learn about some of the disadvantages of buying a few beloved Japanese sports cars. Let's look at five Japanese cars we wouldn't recommend and five we wouldn't think twice about buying.
10 Stay Away From: Nissan 350Z
The Nissan 350Z is one of the most beautiful cars that has come from the Japanese market, however, there are a lot of things to consider before getting one of these for yourself.
Namely, its reliability and safety are rather questionable, since this car has been rendered as the deadliest car by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. According to reports, the Nissan 350Z has been responsible for at least 148 deaths, as a number of safety options failed. This includes the massive recalls of the Nissan 350Z in 2008 because of airbag software issues.
9 Stay Away From: Subaru SVX
When it was introduced, the Subaru SVX offered some cool features, not customary for the vehicles of the era. This enraged a number of the Subaru fans, and the Subaru SVX slipped under the radar. However, there are still 10 cool things that make this sports car a decent choice.
Although it features a 3.3-liter boxer engine and a massive 231 hp, it wasn't enough to compensate for the odd exterior, and the paired 4-speed automatic transmission wasn't as good as the car itself, which left the Subaru SVX rather powerless. It is the main reason why you should stay away from this Japanese sports car.
8 Stay Away From: Eagle Talon
The Eagle Talon, produced from 1990 to 1998 is a failed collaboration between Chrysler and Mitsubishi.
It came with either a front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive, which was nowhere near good, and an engine in the front that lacked power. Chrysler was struggling during the entire decade and the build quality is rather questionable, making this vehicle the one to avoid, though it is sporty and the turbocharged engine produces 205 hp.
7 Stay Away From: Mazda RX-8
The Mazda RX-7 is one of the best cars that have come out from the Mazda company, but its successor has had a few problems. One of the main reasons some people buy these is the one-of-a-kind 1.3-liter Wankel rotary engine under the hood, producing anywhere from 139 hp and 238 hp, depending on the model and the year.
However, the cool rotary engine is also one of its biggest weaknesses. It didn't prove as reliable as its past iterations, and after some long miles, you might need to rebuild it. If you're set on buying one of these, try to look for a later model year as these have most of the issues patched up. Still, poor maintenance and long miles can cause the apex seals to fail within the rotary engine that will require a full engine rebuild.
6 Stay Away From: Mitsubishi Eclipse
The Mitsubishi Eclipse was introduced in 1990 and it was a decent sports car offering respectable performance and lots of tuning potential. Nevertheless, the last generation was disastrous. There were too many issues and recalls. For example, the transmission paired with the engine wasn't reliable, often failing and leaving drivers stranded. Also, engine fires weren't that seldom due to the breaking of wave cushion springs that could penetrate the transmission oil system. Many other issues were revealed, including break failure and rust.
Sadly, it could have been a great end to a loveable sports car, but the last generation was nowhere near perfection, ending the production of the Mitsubishi Eclipse, with a bang, sometimes literally.
5 Buy In a Heartbeat: 1991-2005 Acura NSX
The Acura NSX is definitely one of the best (and earliest) supercars to come from the Japanese market. The first generation was produced from 1991 until 2005 and the car was initially developed using F1 technology with the help of the legendary Aryton Senna.
This special coupe features an all-aluminum 3.0-liter V6 engine which produced a stunning 250 hp, making it one of the best cars ever to come from a Japanese market.
4 Buy In a Heartbeat: Nissan GT-R
The Nissan GT-R was introduced in 2007 and was built as a successor to the mighty Nissan Skyline series. It comes equipped with the 3.6-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine that produces over 500 hp in the newest models, and you can even find the GT-R50 with the immense 710 hp, and this makes it one of the Japanese cars that we would love to drive.
It is a devastatingly quick car and extremely reliable, making it an almost perfect Japanese sports car.
3 Buy In A Heartbeat: Lexus LFA
If you've ever heard the marvelous sound of the LFA's V10 engine revving then you already know why this is regarded as one of the coolest Japanese sports cars ever. Not only is it beautiful and sounds incredible, but it also comes with the reliability and luxury of a Lexus, directly competing against exotic European sports cars such as Ferrari.
Produced only for a year from 2011 and 2012, it is a rather rare JDM sports car, and because being produced in limited numbers, the Lexus LFA comes with an exorbitant price. Nevertheless, it is worth it. The V10 engine produces over 550 hp and the Lexus LFA can hit the speed of 200 mph.
2 Buy In A Heartbeat: Toyota Supra A80
The Toyota Supra has been derived from the Toyota Celica and from 1978 until 2002 it was one of the best Japanese sports cars on the market. The fourth generation, Toyota Supra was made from 1993 until 2002 and the model came with the twin-turbocharged straight-six engine with the turbochargers working sequentially instead of in parallel.
The most powerful model came with (at least) 335 hp and had a 0-60 mph acceleration of just 4.6 seconds. It wasn't the fastest one, but it was the best.
1 Buy In A Heartbeat: Acura RSX Type S
The Acura RSX Type-S is one of the most popular Japanese sports cars; it has all the features of the sports car, a powerful motor, undeniable reliability, and top-of-the-bar steering.
In production from 2002 until 2006, it came with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produced 200 hp, while in 2005 another inline four-cylinder engine was introduced that offered 210 hp. The Acura RSX Type-S is a cheap sports car, but it's also incredibly fast as it comes with a top speed of over 145 mph.