which cheap japanese automatic car

[horton]

I have been driving my nasty company car for a year or two, and feel the need for something better for my day to day commute and weekend fun.

It must be automatic. I only have an automatic licence.

I live in Japan, so despite there being some great European cars, they are a touch more pricey here and parts can be a nightmare.

It must be at least a 2 plus 2 ...tiny rear seats are OK, because they are for my 2 dogs, but unfortunately MX5s, MR2s are out of the question.

Examples of what are in my price range:

Mitsubishi FTO GPX
Toyota Soarer 2.5 twin turbo
Celica SS III (6th gen)
Impreza WRX auto wagon (original shape)
Prelude SIR
Legacy B4 RSK
Skyline R33 GTS25T
Toyota Glanza V

I want to stay away from 300ZXs because of the potentially nasty repair bills.

None of the above are perfect, the Soarer, Skyline and Legacy are powerful and comfy, but a bit too large to be fun on the twisty mountain roads near my house - the FTO, WRX and Glanza would be fast(ish) and good on the corners but are crappy inside. The Prelude and Celica are a nice size, nice(ish) inside but a touch boring in my opinion.

Reliability is important, I don't want something that is going to cost as much as the buying price to repair each year, a good balance of looks/power/handling/comfort is what I am looking for, however I am willing to sacrifice looks and comfort for something a touch faster.

The Legacy is likely to be the most practical car on a day to day basis, and the Celica/Prelude seem to be the most sensible purchases.

Any opinions of the above cars?
Any cars that I have missed and should be considering?

I did look for a nice automatic 200SX, but can only find the weedy engined non-turbos.

http://www.carsensor.net/usedcar/detail/CU00018007... an FTO which would probably cost me 2 - 2.5 grand to buy, register, tax, etc

http://www.carsensor.net/usedcar/detail/CU00025083... Legacy B4 RSK which would be 2.5 - 3 grand

http://www.carsensor.net/usedcar/detail/CU00023568... celica SS III about 2.5 - 3 grand

http://www.carsensor.net/usedcar/detail/CU00025917... starlet glanza maybe 2 - 2.5 grand

http://www.carsensor.net/usedcar/detail/CG00026595... prelude SIR 2 - 2.5 grand

http://www.carsensor.net/usedcar/detail/CU00026129... impreza WRX wagon 1.5 - 2 grand

http://www.carsensor.net/usedcar/detail/CU00018043... soarer 2.5 twin turbo 2 - 2.5 grand

for all of the above prices, I have calculated purchase price plus registration, tax and the all important 2 years road test (which is a nightmare and expensive)

Idealy I want something the size of the celica, with the drivetrain of the legacy and the comfort of the soarer...but that ain't gonna happen.

[GravelBen]

Out of those I'd probably be inclined to the Legacy. Other alternatives that might fit what you want better though, have you considered an S14 or S15 Silvia? ETA:Oh I see you have, missed that before Or a Celica GT4, though I'm not sure if they made any of those with a gaymatic gearbox.

Edited by GravelBen on Thursday 3rd July 05:51

[horton]

I think the legacy would be the best to live with on a day to day basis, one of the fastest and a nice looking car - the only concern I have is the size .. is it too large to have fun with on little roads? I feel that I would need balls of steel to drive it down a narrow mountain road at speed.

[GravelBen]

Mine have never felt that big on the road - a bit bigger than a classic-shape Impreza but nothing too unweildy. They certainly aren't lacking in grip, and some people consider them better balanced than Imprezas (The only Imprezas I've driven have been Type-RA STi's which are a big step up from any 50:50 Sub for balance and turn-in so can't really compare with a WRX).

The biggest advantage I've found of Subarus over other cars is how composed they are on bumpy and slippery roads, AWD traction combined with well-sorted long-travel suspension is hard to beat. The side-effect of that is how hard you have to be pushing to get them sliding round (on sealed roads anyway), hence me now having an MX5 for a toy and an (NA) Legacy wagon for a sensible car.

With manual versions a WRX is a tad quicker than an RSK, but I suspect the sequential twin-turbo setup may be better suited to an auto box than the single of the WRX.

[Harvez]

What about a MKIV Toyota Supra? Extremly good/fast auto box's. Comfy, Fast, with the looks to, that would be my recommendation. Prices are dropping all the time and group 19 insurance which makes the difference. Handling is spot on to. And if you wanted more power they are easy and cheap to get more out of it. the twin turbos come standard with something like 328bhp i think but dont qoute me

[Wadeski]

why not get something tiptronic (auto with paddles) like an Altezza RS200?

[horton]

mk IV supras are out of my price range, well the twin-turbo ones are .. I can afford the non-turbo ones, but they are not so fast, especially when automatic.

An RS200 altezza would be nice, they are a touch too expensive as well, but if one turns up for the right price, I would consider it.

With all of these cars, if I am prepared to get something 8 or 10yrs old, there are some real bargains - especially the soarer, its a lot of car for the money.

[GravelBen]

Supras are also wider (1810 v 1695 mm) than a Legacy RSK and similar weight (RSK 1480kg, Supra NA 1440 TT 1500), so your concerns about car size on narrow roads would apply to them as well.

Soarers are similar width to Supras (1805) and 1-200kg heavier, came out with the same 2JZ-GE as the Na Supra, or the 1JZ-GTE 2.5 turbo (280hp), or the 1UZ-FE 4.0 V8 (265hp).

Edited by GravelBen on Monday 7th July 01:22

[Riknos]

GravelBen said:

Soarers are similar width to Supras (1805) and 1-200kg heavier, came out with the same 2JZ-GE as the Na Supra, or the 1JZ-GTE 2.5 turbo (280hp), or the 1UZ-FE 4.0 V8 (265hp).

Edited by GravelBen on Monday 7th July 01:22

Oooh V8 in a Soarer sounds like fun
Aimed at the American's living in Japan maybe?

[GravelBen]

Riknos said:

Oooh V8 in a Soarer sounds like fun
Aimed at the American's living in Japan maybe?

Certainly more of a cruiser than a sportscar, 1650Kg or so and the V8 was only available with an auto. As Soarers go I believe the manual 2.5 turbo is considered the best drive (and easiest tuning potential) but quite hard to find.

[WildCards]

Galant VR4? 4wd with AYC, 5 speed tiptronic, 2.5 V6 Twin turbo. 1996-1998 Auto versions were 260bhp and 1998-2002 Auto versions were 280bhp. Both feel as fast as each other. Saloon or estate. Well within your budget at the Jap auctions.

Edited by WildCards on Wednesday 9th July 14:34

[horton]

I considered the Galant VR4, however aren't the running costs rather high, due to the AYC?
I can't think of any advantages over a Legacy B4 RSK, but please educate me if I am wrong.

[cptsideways]

horton said:

I considered the Galant VR4, however aren't the running costs rather high, due to the AYC?
I can't think of any advantages over a Legacy B4 RSK, but please educate me if I am wrong.

I'd have a Vr4 over a legacy any day much nicer to drive, though both are equal on the running costs I'd say.

[GravelBen]

cptsideways said:

I'd have a Vr4 over a legacy any day much nicer to drive, though both are equal on the running costs I'd say.

Interesting that you think that, I remember the mag tests when they were both new preferring the Legacy - the VR4 was slightly quicker in a straight line (6.3 v 6.5 to 100km/h iirc) but the Legacy was much better in the corners.

They also drink more fuel than a Legacy, break down more often, and (in NZ anyway) tend to cost more to fix when they do break.

[Riknos]

Judging from speaking from other owners of both (not owned either myself) But the general impression seems to be the scoobie is cheaper to run than the mitsi.