Are we in the Golden Era of RHD Cars? - EP.21

Yo, welcome to Right Hand Drive Guys Podcast.

This is episode 21, the Golden Era.

Golden Era.

The Golden Era.

So, I'm Bobby, this is Aaron.

Hello.

And if you've been listening, rocking with us for the past 20 episodes, and you kind ofgot a background of what we're into, what we're doing, the cars that we're rolling.

But today we kind of want to just talk about the industry itself and where we are kindof in a timeline.

Yeah, yeah, because all this is like kind of based on this timeline, right?

Of these certain cars becoming legal and yeah, actually able to export them out of Japaninto America.

Right.

These cars that we could either A couldn't get or had limited access to.

Or supply has dwindled, you know, and if you're listening to this, you know what we'retalking about, we're talking about this kind of lines, this super ZNS.

Yeah, just all the cool stuff.

Right.

And so, yeah, that's like the, that's why it's the Golden Era because we've had this conversationlike quite a few times about how we are in the Golden Era.

Like right now, all of, you know, the past whatever, eight, ten years you could say,you know, eight years probably something like that in for the next eight, ten max really.

We're kind of in this Golden Era.

Yeah, where again, like, well, yeah, we're like, there's manufacturers remaking parts forthese cars that are older.

Yeah.

And like, yeah, it's just kind of a good time to have one of these cars and they're like,they're available in a sense to be able to be enjoyed.

Yeah.

And actually, they're to an extent.

And so, you know, right now, as we know, this industry's like on up because of this GoldenEra.

Yeah, yeah.

Like everything's like in the green.

Particularly this R34 skylines.

Right.

Yeah, but just like lately for sure.

Yeah, but just period in the sense of like, like you said, these parts, these different,even used parts, demand availability.

Like everything is like on the operate now, you know, companies coming out and making moreaftermarket support, 25 years after the car was released now.

You know, so which is really great.

But there's always like a downside to a Golden Era, which means it has to end.

And so what we wanted to really dive into on this episode was when does that end and like,how does that affect our lifestyle and car scene all around because there is a limitedamount of these cars.

Right.

It's not unlimited.

It's limited because they're not making anymore.

No.

And what.

So what there is that hasn't been crashed hasn't been scrapped has been parted out.

Whatever.

That's all there is.

So there's a limited number of slots in this scene, so to speak, that are even available.

Yeah.

So it is crazy.

Yeah.

And so we're going to go through and when we were talking about it, we were kind of like,you know, what was the earliest like dope import that started coming over here?

You know, what was what year was that?

What car was that?

Did it hit that first 25 year?

Right.

And how did it go?

And so not to say that we like don't do our research, but we don't sit here and like,you know, deep dive for six hours to try to make this extensive list.

Like we're going off our actual knowledge and our opinions and, you know, so it may notbe 100% accurate, but it's solid 88.

Yeah.

It's not bad.

You know, things we've seen that we're into.

So the answer question, I think like mid 80s was like the start, right?

Because that's like AE86 Corolla, you know, the EF Civics, just, you know, the S12 series.

What's the third year of the R32?

The R32, that was 89.

89.

But still the R31 sky right?

That's right.

Those are pretty.

2000 GT or whatever that is.

Yeah.

And, but the thing is right.

So let's just say it was 88, right?

In what year?

So 88.

That's it.

13.

2012.

Okay.

So 2012.

Did you start seeing an influx of like those certain cars over here?

I don't think so.

No, I don't.

I don't even.

And I felt like I was even more in the scene in that sense back in the day.

Like, I would, I thought I would have been seeing them.

Right.

Yeah, just for whether it was like the heavy hitters getting them and building them out likecrazy or just on Craigslist then.

Right.

Like you would have just seen more.

I really don't feel like.

I don't know.

It's kind of weird, isn't it?

Like, because if you think about EG Civics, right?

Yeah.

You know, we always saw them back in the day.

Yeah.

And she had that EG right hand drive EG and he had two, I think, right?

Yeah, believe so.

But regardless, right?

So you'd see them.

They were around.

I had a right hand drive EG, you know, but this was in like OA09, you know, like stuff likethat prior to the actual importation date.

But when they actually hit, I didn't see an influx like you're seeing like the crazy amountof skylines coming through a bunch of supers, a bunch of RX sevens.

Like, right.

I just don't feel like I saw those CR.

I mean, I did see some CRXs, the glass tops and stuff.

But I don't feel like I just saw it like I'm seeing the rest of this stuff.

Right.

It is kind of weird because I don't know.

Maybe it was one of those things back in the day where it was kind of still new.

You know, it wasn't all these people trying to import things.

I mean, there could have been, I don't know.

But was there less availability of those cars like had they like you had mentioned hadthey been all like chopped up and like, yeah, yeah, you know, had they been sacrificed sothat we could have the JDM front end swaps or the right 16.

Because you never, you don't see that often anymore.

Right.

No way.

Like you did do this with whole walls of them.

Remember those like just the front end with.

Complete with fenders, front bumper, like all the lights, like mint and do someone justcut a car in half and you know, you would get that for the engine swap because it hadeverything.

Yeah.

And you know, you would take off what you need and you would scrap the rest of it usually.

Crazy.

You know what I mean?

So like, yes, some of that stuff is impossible to find now.

Right.

You, if you had just kept throwing it in the barn, you could have some fenders, some whateverthat are really quite desirable.

So yeah, I think that's where a lot of, you know, some of these sought after cars wentis to those engine swaps from those importers back in the day when you're buying your SRsor whatever.

Eight motors online.

Yeah, you know, that was coming out of a type R. That was coming out of, you know, a

Soviet.

That was coming out of 180 SS.

Right.

That was that RB was coming out of a skyline.

So like, you know, a lot of these cars have been sacrificed and have been sacrificed fora long time.

Right.

Now that they're actually legal, it's like crazy.

Oh no, what do we do?

And you know, they're like scrambling and getting whatever they can.

But like, but yeah, I think that's where a lot of these cars have went.

Yeah, especially the ones that took way too long to hit the 25 year.

Right.

So they could start maximizing.

But like, we're the, I just wonder, you know, like, where these front end clips, like,were they able to make so much money over here off it that they were sacrificing legitcars?

Like, that's insane.

The few people that I knew that we were into that and worked in that industry back then,like, they would go to Japan and they would buy running driving cars, cut them in half.

And like, you know, pull the parts off and send them back and, you know, fill the containerfull.

Yeah, that's insane.

That like, but you know, back half of the car would have made like so much more off ofhaving the actual car.

Yeah, it's insane.

It is crazy.

It's kind of sad.

So like, that kind of is the thing though, right?

Is so some of these importers shot themselves in the foot.

A little bit, you know, maybe not even themselves, but the future guys in the feet, you know, like,they got the quick money, not the long game, like you said.

But so like, when does this industry slow down?

So to speak, like, what year and what car ends this whole thing?

It's hard saying because it kind of depends on what manufacturer still come out with in thefuture, right?

Right.

To take their focus off these old cars, I guess you could say.

Yeah.

I mean, but because I don't know.

Like so, for example, do you think people in 25 years will be importing FL5 CivicType R's?

Yeah, that's a hard one.

You know, and they were released here, but so wasn't supers and RX 7s and stuff.

So what's the difference?

Like what?

Where does it stop before that to where the FL5's not is like, yeah, is it even in 25 yearslike a car that was like saved by people like that?

Right.

I mean, to us, we're like, I don't know, maybe not, but to the kids right now that we'relike the new co-car that you remember, you know, how those poor memories want.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean, maybe to them, you know, but that's, it's hard saying.

Yeah.

So that's like a thing.

When does it slow down?

My guess is like S2000 is going to be one of the last longer running cars that will continueto be under demand.

Right.

I think so too.

Because that was up into the mid 2000s, right?

Because it was, it was 0, 1 or 2000, whatever.

Yeah.

Until 20 2009.

Yeah.

So that's about right.

I mean, 2025 is first like legal, you know, importation.

Right.

So then if you have eight years after that, I mean, we're well into 2030.

Right.

Also, and then of course, you have the evos and STIs that we're still already here, butare in like demand still.

Right.

Yeah.

It is.

So you still got some of those.

Yeah.

Now, I'm sure there's some Subaru, some STIs and like some special editions of what mean likefor Nissan though, I feel like there's not anything not after.

I mean, there's going to be the GT R and 0 9.

But still, that's not even those are, it's going to be the same design, you know what I mean?

It's like, right.

And it wasn't as limited.

Like, you know, the, there's a bunch of GTRs out there in America, you know, because ofthat body style, not changing.

There's a bunch of them.

Whereas like, for example, evos and STIs, those body style change.

So now there's where way more limited, right?

Because they don't all like kind of like lump together because there's the, you know,whatever, the bug guy, the pock guy, the, you know, and that really splits it up.

But where the GTR, it's like 0 9 to free in 2030, it's exactly.

Exactly.

You know, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So, yeah, I don't see the GTR really being like a major player in like the import game.

Right, right.

Because like when we talk about this, like one of my things I was saying about is like,well, what are these imports going to do when all the hot boy cars are on?

You know, like when they, when there are no more RX sevens, I mean, what are you going tobe trying to flip JDM EVO 10s?

Like, nobody's even going to want those.

Right.

They're getting K cars or whatever there might be.

I mean, yeah, don't get me wrong.

I'm sure there's some, there's some something in there that we're missing.

Right.

Because you know, something if we saw, we'd be like, oh, okay, yeah, I mean, like whatevera Toyota hi-a's like that would be cool.

And those are cool.

Yeah.

And of course they'll have that business like because right, they kept making those.

They just kept getting newer, right?

And they'll just continue to be legal.

But when it comes to the actual car side, right, right, right.

You know, that's what I was going to say, like the performance cars and things like that.

Yeah.

And it's going to be tough.

Like, you're going to have to really love that 350Z or Fairlight DZ or whatever they callit over there.

Yeah.

Well, right.

Why would you even?

Right.

Unless it was so cheap because they're abundant.

Whereas here, there's a lack of them.

Right.

It's done makes sense.

Yeah.

Where, you know, so that's the thing is so what are these dudes do?

Like you said, maybe K cars, maybe, you know, whatever car carriers, maybe the specialtystuff, but like they're going to lose all their models.

Yeah.

You know, all the models that they, because they're going to blow through them right now.

And like that's kind of that.

Yeah.

You probably, like if it, like, and that's probably what maybe some of these bigger dudes inJapan are doing is I would wait, right?

I would let all this go by.

I would let them get legal that people snatch them up and so that they ran out.

Yeah.

And then I would release my supply.

Yeah.

Because then the demand is going to be even higher because everybody's like, oh, dude, youfucking do this.

You know, and now they want one, but they've been sold out for two years.

Yeah.

Dude does a drop of all his limited stuff.

Yeah.

That'd be wild.

I'm sure there's someone out there doing that.

Yeah.

So I think some of these importers are going to have to kind of re evaluate their businessplan at that point.

Yeah.

Absolutely.

And they're going to be able to sling GT STs and, you know, whatever.

Because they just won't be there.

They're all going to be gone.

And like, would be like a trade in use dealership thing.

Like, they're like trying to sell things instead of people personally.

I don't know.

Yeah.

I mean, it's tough because like, they're already kind of scraping from the bottom, like alreadywith some of these cars.

Like, whenever I see one of these dealers get a car that has been legal for a long time,you know, an R32 or something that age, it's like, all right, what's wrong with this?

Why did it take so long to get exported or like whatever it might be?

I'm like, there's got to be something up with this that are not showing.

Yeah.

The only thing would be is if somebody who's a private seller that they bought it from andthey were holding on to it because they wanted to keep their car.

Right.

That's like the only way, really, right?

Because otherwise, if it was just at the auction or out on a lot, it would have gotten scoopedup.

Yeah.

So, yeah, I'm interested to see like where it goes and how they like hold on to it becauseyeah, it's going to be, it's going to start to get tough.

Yeah, I think so.

You know, I mean, right.

Because like, they're going to run out.

And so with that though, right?

Like, you see EK9 sometimes, but you still same thing with the rest of them, right?

Like Honda's really got butchered.

Yeah.

And so, yeah, I think that's really got like the tight, I don't know what it was about theHonda's, but they really just got like scooped right up because Trevor's been looking forEK9 CTR for me just to fun, just keeping his eye on it.

You know, and dude, he just can't, he doesn't see any like if, if they're like, like 220,000kilometers, fucking cage, like all of the stuff, you know, that you don't really wantif you're buying it.

I mean, even when we were in Japan, we didn't really see that many of them.

So for you.

I saw one in the middle of the day, I co-cook and it must have been an old man driving itbecause every single corner was scuffed.

It was door dinged like, and it was like the yellow type R, like, red interior.

I was like, what is going on?

Yeah, like, this is like a rare car.

Yeah.

It's just like some old dude whipping it, but I guess that's kind of, you know, you seethe same thing in the States with American cars that are rare.

People though, yeah.

So is now the time to buy?

If you want one, like, yeah, if you have the money and you want it, like, absolutely, whynot?

Like, what are you waiting for?

Right.

Because that's like the thing, right?

There's, I mean, they're not like still like on this huge uptick, but they're definitelynot like crashing.

So it's like, I don't know.

You know, people talk shit about people buy in R34s and paying X amount for them and saying,you know, this or that, but like, hey, like, they're not making any more of them.

Right.

And if you got the money and want one, like you said, like, who cares?

Yeah.

If it's something you want, like, and you have the money, like, why not, dude?

Right.

Absolutely.

Go for it because, yeah, absolutely.

They're not making anymore.

They're not going to be getting any cheaper if anything.

It's going to be the opposite.

No, for sure.

I believe that too.

Some guys will be like, oh, wait until they come over here.

Price will drop.

I mean, am I saying get on some group on Facebook and buy the first R34 GTTUC?

No.

Don't do that.

Shop around and like, try to get a good deal.

But yeah, that's how I feel about it.

Hit me up.

I'll sell you the one I got coming in.

But no, I mean, yeah, I would say now is the time to buy.

I mean, yeah, like, I mean, really, it's been the time to buy.

Yeah, 10 years ago was the time to buy honestly, but like on stuff, if you had the money, 10years ago and sat on stuff, oh my gosh, there are guys like that.

Yeah.

But so yeah, I mean, when we're talking golden there, like this is the time to really enjoyit, right?

Because just like what happens with everything in its timeline, like right now and you know,as these right supers and arc 7s and SXs, skylines, of course, all become legal.

There will be the most excitement, the most support, the most like interest in them, right?

Because it's like new, you know, just like it is like what we're even talking about withall these other cars.

But when those are 34s drop, they're new, you know, like that can't you have any seen howthe GTTs just like like people are just like buying those left and right now because they'relike new, you know, and it's like exciting.

So the same thing happened when the 32.

Right.

Yeah, yeah, remember.

Yeah, like yeah.

And so it's like these are the times to really enjoy and soak in about the car industry,not be concerned about people charging too much or doing this or that.

You know, it's like no, like if it's not the right price for you, keep it moving.

But otherwise just enjoy, enjoy what we're going through right now because that's whyit's the golden era.

It's not staying like this excitement.

It will just like, it was kind of a low like before this like in the car industry, there'sgoing to be a low after like this whole thing.

Yeah, because there's going to be nothing to like we said, there's nothing to keep itas exciting as like constantly moving, right?

Like when you're seeing these because you can only do so much right right and eitherare only so many cars.

And so we're getting excited.

We see these, you know, M spec nurse like popping out of nowhere like what the hell do youlike this guy who even had this, you know, are these 400 or yeah, yeah, yeah.

And so it's like, yeah, that's going to stop, you know, like those dudes will have maybethey'll pop up every once in a while, but there won't be new guys with them.

Right now really.

So, yeah, when we're talking golden era, it's like this is something you, you reallydo got to enjoy.

What would you say beyond like the R34, the NSX, these things that we've mentioned, whatwould you say is like one of the golden era cars that we still have to come that like maybewe haven't considered.

It's kind of tough.

Yeah.

I know.

I just threw this one at you.

Yeah.

Miannas.

Do you think like do you think that me, I does will be I don't know that that next body styleof me, I does not that like why guess they had like a Mazda speed.

I guess our X a it's her.

Do you think they're not going to be expensive if they come over.

They won't be like the rest of the.

They won't be like that sought after.

Right.

I feel like they're going to be way more niche.

Yeah.

I can't really think of any others man.

It's kind of crazy.

I'm going through my head right now like through every maker and like I can't really thinkof much.

Yeah, it really is because like Nissan has a company after after the R34 and the S15 like thatwhole company took a different direction.

Right.

And it was a whole big thing.

They had to they had to you know, whatever cut cut cost, whatever it might be until the R35came out.

There was nothing from them.

So like, okay, Honda that all they had was.

I mean, don't say it.

No, I'm not even going to say it.

The oh, the oh one.

But until like CTR dude.

Not until like oh six, oh seven when that next generation.

Yeah, that that civic came out where they had a type R maybe.

I mean, those are kind of cool.

I think that you'll see those come over.

Yeah, I think those are getting else because we didn't have them in their adult like Fordor like.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

So I don't know about the the oh one, oh three CTR.

I mean, I think you'll see them because they'll be lower price.

That's what I noticed with them because I have been looking through for EK9s and I noticedthat the that generation CTR is just like cheap.

I'm just like, I mean, be cool.

Take out the motor I guess.

But yeah, so I mean, right, like you said, I mean Toyota didn't have nothing after theSuper.

I can't take it anything.

I mean, maybe the MRS those are kind of cool.

I did see a bunch of those over there.

Yeah.

And like, I don't know as weird, you don't see them at all here ever.

They're kind of forgotten about.

But over there, they're kind of.

Did you see that wide body, Don, Neon, I said, you know, that was insane.

Not to get off topic.

We never get off topic, but this wide body Neon was straight about.

Yes, it was straight out of the 90s, dude.

Like for sure, like somebody left this in a field or wherever for way too long, but itwas just crazy.

Like in Rhode Island, this freaking wide body.

It was wild, dude.

Yeah, that was a mess.

That was some nightmare fuel.

And so, yeah, some people are going to try to take advantage of the gold and there inlike a negative way.

Of course, you know, like we, if you listen to any previous episodes, just about, you know,importers and buying from different people, you know, some people are going to try tokind of scheme it.

You know, to go to speak, you know, but again, if you listen to our previous episode, youjust got to do your research.

Yeah, that comes with everything.

Yeah, don't let the gold in there be turned into like something really crappy because yougot ripped off on a rusted out car, you know, because those are definitely out there.

So actually hold on, speaking of rust, that is also another thing that took a lot of thesecars.

Oh, yeah, specifically the R34s and S15s.

Those definitely have issues with like structural rust and it will destroy the car, but especiallydepending on, of course, where it was, but I mean, Japan is an island.

Right, right.

And just like they're the way they manufacture the cars, they didn't seal a lot of it to cutcost and stuff like that.

So they're way more prone to rust in like the strut towers, the frame rails and all thatstructural type stuff that that's, so that's also what took a lot of these cars.

So be scared of that too.

Right.

I mean, there's, yeah, I mean, there's obviously so many factors between, you know, beingthere, just like all the cars you see get destroyed here.

Yeah.

One way or another, you know, whether it's a flood or if it's an accident or whatever,right, fire radioactive radioactive.

Right.

I wonder what the car count is from Fukushima.

Oh, yeah.

I've seen some videos on YouTube of people going around like that exclusion zone and there'sdefinitely some stuff in there.

Really?

Yeah.

It's kind of sad.

Yeah, I bet.

And so that's the thing, like how many we lose from that, you know, how many have we lostfrom this or that.

So that's the thing is the, our whole point here is like this is a very short period thatwe're living right now that is actually, if you guys like us, this is like the pinnacle.

Right.

Yeah, yeah.

This is like the last climax, right?

It's still still be some, you know, like after, but not like now, you know, and so thatis, you know, probably in part what drew us to even do this podcast was that all of thisactivity right now, all of this stuff, just constantly going on based around theseright hand drive cars with now almost, almost superstars that are involved with them, youknow, Adam L. Z.

Right.

You know, Denofa, all these different guys that are into right hand drive cars that noware becoming almost many little celebrities around it.

It's kind of crazy, right?

Because that really wasn't or couldn't have been a thing 2015 years ago.

However many, you know, maybe on a small scale locally, regionally, right?

But now from all these different media outlets and the availability of these cars, theseguys are just like skyrocketing, which is great for like the industry.

It gets us exposure in a good way, usually, you know, from some of these guys.

Try's out the price of some parts.

It does, it does like contribute to the market in many ways, not just good ways.

Just the price of GANADORS.

Right.

Because all those dudes, yes, they have them on every single car.

So it's like everybody, you know, not everybody but a bunch of guys want them, right?

So it's just crazy how it's really developing during the golden era into this different thing.

Dude, LZ's merge being sold in Zoomeys is like this car is on.

Yeah, like that's like in there.

Like, that was never in there.

That was never even considered.

Like the import car stuff was just like, yeah, okay, whatever.

You know, but now we have like an ambassador, you know, and I'm not trying to like write LZ'sbut or anything.

Whatever, whatever you want to say.

I'm just simply explaining like whether you love Merhade, and like he is an ambassadorfor like some of the stuff that we love and he's getting us exposure.

Yeah.

You know, but yeah, we us, me, I just going to enjoy it.

Yeah, yeah, just like and just watch it all happen.

Try to be as much of a part of it as my life allows.

Yeah.

You know, just in try to make sure that I'm taking a step back and looking at it as a wholeand not just get carried away with like my personal goals and the things I want to do withmy cars, you know, making sure that I'm absorbing the rest of it too, you know, not gettingtunnel vision.

Right.

Hell yeah.

Yeah, I mean, I'm excited.

I'm excited to see how it goes, but I do realize that right now is just it won't be any,not saying it won't be, but it probably won't be any better than this.

Right.

These next few five six, seven eight years.

Does we're going to say these next like five years is going to be kind of kind of wildfor this, that industry like for all these cars coming over.

Yeah.

And yeah, just the kind of the ending of like that are people going to keep buying themlike are here.

People even going to have like 20 like 2030, 2030 was going to be weird.

Yeah, it'll be interesting to see where everything is at at that point.

Hopefully we're on episode 182 or something, you know, at that point, whatever it may be.

I don't know, but yeah, I mean, for now, we'll wrap this up.

We just wanted to kind of just touch, touch on how really lucky we are to be here rightnow.

Yeah, yeah, and just everything lined up.

Yeah, for sure.

Awesome.

So all right, this is episode 21 of RaiHand Drive Guys.

Make sure to follow us at our HD GUIS.

You can find us on YouTube now and all that good stuff.

I'm Bobby.

This is Aaron.

See ya.

Peace.

[CLEARS THROAT]

Are we in the Golden Era of RHD Cars? - EP.21

Nissan R34

Toyota Ae86

Honda CRX

Honda S2000

Nissan Gtrs

Honda NSX

Mazda Speed

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