For some gearheads, the ultimate dream when it comes to car ownership does not lie with a racy Italian number screaming at high revs, or the deep bellow of American V8 muscle, but in the frantic turbo chattering of a Japanese classic.

Renowned for gaining high power outputs from complicated, lesser-displacement engines, the Japanese sports car offers a unique perspective and a distinct engineering approach on what is needed to make a car go fast. Regarded as some of the world's most reliable vehicles, Japanese classic cars offer a tempting opportunity for those looking to acquire a special slice of motoring history.

Scratch beneath the surface though, and pushing the myths of unbreakable reliability to one side, any potential purchaser should know that not all classic Japanese cars are a joy to own, and with great power can come many hours of knuckle-skinning displeasure, as what should be a simple maintenance task ends up in a three-day full mechanical strip down.

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10 Toyota MR2 Turbo

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When Toyota decided that the second generation MR2 could do with a bit more power, they simply took the 2.0-liter 16-valve engine and strapped on a turbocharger to deliver up to 250 hp on a very tunable platform.

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The problem with this, however, is that thanks to the mid-engine layout and the amount of plumbing that has been stuffed into such a small space, doing any form of maintenance on the engine either requires the lump to come out or the owner to give up.

Related: You Have To Buy These 10 Japanese Cars Before Prices Skyrocket

9 Mazda RX7

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Ferociously fast, the third-generation RX-7 was powered by a sequential twin-turbo Wankel engine that spat out a frantic 276 hp in top-spec trim, allowing for a very rapid sub-five-second 0-60 mph time.

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Immensely complicated even before you consider the addition of two turbos, the Wankel engine is a nightmare to work on. On top of this, when the inevitable happens and the apex seals fail, the wiring harness dies, and the turbo manifolds crack only big bills and sleepless nights await.

8 Honda Beat

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Fairly cheap to buy and run, the Honda Beat is a cute little open-top kei car that, due to a tiny 656cc naturally aspirated engine that wheezes out a pathetic 63 hp, lulls potential buyers into a false sense of mechanical security.

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Hated by mechanics the world over, the Honda Beat packs so many oily parts into such a small space that maintenance becomes a living hell. To change the timing belt, both the engine and transaxle must be removed on a lift, otherwise failure is guaranteed.

Related: Here's Everything You Need to Know About The Toyota Chaser JZX100

7 Mitsubishi GTO

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Also known as the Mitsubishi GT3000 or the Dodge Stealth, the GTO was a technological marvel that boasted a 300-hp twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 mated to four-wheel steering, four-wheel drive, active aerodynamics, and electronically controlled suspension.

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Packing more computing power than NASA at the time, the GTO will happily spit its dummy and suffer a glut of electronic faults that need specialist knowledge, and deep pockets, to remedy. Even Mitsubishi ditched the tech on later cars as it was so unreliable.

6 Nissan 300ZX

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More than happy to wedge far too many mechanicals into a tight space, Nissan once again came up trumps with the twin-turbo 300ZX, a 300-hp Targa roof coupe that would scurry to 60 mph in a Corvette-baiting 5.0 seconds.

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Another complicated engine that will ultimately need to be removed to work on when it goes wrong thanks to a lack of any underhood space. Owners might as well rebuild their automatic transmissions while it is out, as that is guaranteed to fail.

5 Subaru Impreza

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A superb way to cover ground quickly, the all-wheel-drive Impreza kicked its competitor's teeth in when on the road and dirt tracks of the World Rally Championship, with early cars now considered modern classics.

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Skip an oil change though, and catastrophic engine failure could be the reward, with a complete rebuild required. With parts such as the common-to-fail plastic oil baffle and clutch assembly being ridiculously fiddly to replace, jobs need days, not hours, to complete.

Related: Auction Dilemma: Nissan 300ZX Vs. Toyota Supra

4 Suzuki Cara

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A mid-engined kei car with gullwing doors, the feisty little Suzuki Cara, also available as the Autozam AZ-1, was actually made by a subdivision of Mazda but developed via a Suzuki project and was equipped with a three-cylinder turbo-fed 657cc engine with 63 hp.

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With less than 5,000 models having been sold, the Kara is yet another headache to work on with access to just about all components being non-existent and replacement parts being harder to find than a unicorn.

3 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34

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Nicknamed “Godzilla”, the Skyline is an icon not only amongst those who adore performance cars, but for anyone who has ever picked up a PlayStation controller and has become one of Japan's most lusted after machines.

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Built when Nissan was having to count the pennies, the R34 isn't as bulletproof as one might think, blown head gaskets are common as are porous engine blocks resulting in the engine coming out. In addition, all the fancy electronics require expensive software to diagnose regular faults, too.

2 Subaru SVX

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Quite possibly the wildest design Subaru has ever dared to release onto an unsuspecting public, the SVX is a bizarre, yet awesome, looking coupe featuring a naturally aspirated 3.3-liter boxer engine with 250 hp under the hood.

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Far more complicated than it needed to be, the SVX will smugly drop into limp mode thanks to its sensitive computer-controlled brain, leading to hours of head-scratching diagnosis. Plus, the seat belt mechanism, of all things, is ridiculously sophisticated and prone to failure.

Related: These Are The Sickest Cars Tuned By Blitz

1 Mitsubishi Ralliart Pajero Evolution

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A rally raid vehicle for the road, the Pajero Evolution was way ahead of its time, offering powerful SUV utilitarian appeal twenty years ahead of the boom. Equipped with a 3.5-liter 24-valve V6 and 280 hp, the Mitsubishi loved to drink premium gasoline at an alarming rate.

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Decked out in a bespoke body kit, of which replacement parts are harder to find than pixie dust, the Pajero is notoriously unreliable. Mechanical parts are hugely expensive, and the rally-bred monster requires specialist Mitsubishi-supplied items for most jobs to be completed.