Excitement builds as 2024 approaches, marking a significant year for JDM car enthusiasts with the eligibility of iconic models from 1999. Bobby and Aaron discuss the anticipated arrival of the R34 GTR, Evo 6, and Silvia S15, exploring their potential market impacts and pricing trends. They also touch on the S2000 and other lesser-known models becoming legal, while reflecting on the vibrant car culture surrounding these imports. The episode captures the thrill of a new era in car importing and the nostalgia tied to these legendary vehicles.
"...ese cars, but they're worthmentioning. The Toyota Celica. The Toyota Celica."
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Welcome back to right-hand drive guys.
I'm Bobby.
This is Aaron.
And this is episode 46 of the right-hand drive guys podcast.
Absolutely.
Wow.
Definitely, definitely becoming an older man here.
We're really growing up.
So we're pumped.
We're pumped.
Are you pumped?
Oh, yeah.
I'm pumped for sure.
And so, what are you pumped about?
We actually just upgraded to a roadcaster duo.
Ah, yes.
So we stepped up our production.
We got some cool little buttons that we can use and really just the obvious, better audioquality than what we had been using.
Right, right, that's cool, man.
So I'm excited about that.
But I'm also excited about the fact that 2024 is now just around the corner.
Dude, right?
It's literally just a few weeks away.
Yeah, we're like at the apex of the corner and we are about to hit 2024.
It's insane.
This is your flew by.
Yes, throttle out.
Let's get it.
2024.
Exactly.
So we're not just kind of excited about what's going to happen for us in 2024.
Right.
That's sweet.
We're definitely excited about what's going to happen within the car community, the importcar community, specifically importing cars.
Yeah, yeah, because every year, you know, as this law is a 25 year law, every year, newcars are eligible to come into the States.
Exactly.
So, I would say that 2024 is a year that so many guys have been waiting for.
X is every day on the calendar, like 24.
There's a count of them.
Yes, literally.
And so, as you said, 2024 is 25 years from what year?
It is 1999.
So 99.
So, wow, that made me feel old.
Yeah.
Dang.
Oh, yeah.
But, yeah, I mean, it's 25 years from 1999.
And, I mean, quite a few legendary cars were birthed in '99.
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, at least certain models, right?
Correct.
Yeah.
And, you know, of course, we all know what the most exciting, just period general consensus,the most exciting car is.
Yeah, yeah.
The 34.
The 34 GTR.
The 34 GTR, right?
Specifically.
It was a big thing for that thing to become the GTT become legal last year or this year,I guess, still.
20, 23.
Okay.
Slow it down, brother.
I know.
I know.
I know.
I'll have the brakes.
Yeah.
But that was a big thing.
And it wasn't even the full year.
It was what probably the first one started to come over mid year, right?
Yeah, exactly.
So, it hasn't been that long, even still.
And I mean, I would say we probably already hit the peak on the GTTs, but we're still,we're not.
The markets all over the place from what I've seen.
Yeah.
It's kind of crazy.
I don't think that, like, those prices and everything of the GTT is over, but I think,I don't think it's going up any further.
Yeah.
Personally.
Right.
But I don't know.
The only market was that.
Right.
Because I mean, all the ones that over here that are legal.
They are, you know, whatever, the first six months, I guess, of production.
Right.
So, there's not that many so people can kind of feel like they can charge a premium.
So, yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, once the gates start opening and they start trickling in, that's obviously going tomake the market fluctuate.
I mean, I don't know.
It's kind of, it's kind of wild to see $40,000 GTTs, you know, pretty much stock.
Yeah.
I mean, end up.
I mean, not even like, well, yours, your model was, you know, a fairly low mileage.
Very clean.
But some of these that I'm seeing for sale, it's like, what are you doing asking that much?
What's going on?
What is happening?
But that's the market.
But that's the market.
It's a blind demand.
Yeah.
It's definitely, this is a great example of that.
And, but back to the GTR.
So, do you think that the GTR's, you know, legalization time when they all start coming over?
Do you think that'll be minimized because of the GTTs did come over first?
Do you think, like, it'll be less than it would have been if the GTRs had came over first?
No, I think, I think it's still a completely different thing.
Like, yeah, I think everybody's going to know.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's not, I don't know.
It's so many steps ahead.
So, I don't even think the GTT market really messes with the GTR market.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Plus the GTR market.
Because, like, that's a very niche car.
Like, if you want a GTR, you know you want a GTR.
Like, if you don't want to pay that premium, you buy a GTT or whatever base model.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, I feel you.
It is two different levels.
Yeah.
So, the 34 GTR January, they can start coming over, I believe.
And so, that'll, of course, be exciting.
My personal 34 that I have, unfortunately, can't come over till 2025.
Boo.
Yeah, I got the later model, but that's all right.
I'm not, like, upset about it.
Right.
I was able to afford it because it was so far out.
Right, right.
I can be patient.
Now, I will, I'm sure I will get a little, little envious of some of the boys that got the99, you know what I'm saying?
Right.
That's cool.
So, but we will start seeing those first generation R34 GTRs come over.
So that's exciting.
And so, another kind of thing that I'm anxious to see with the 34s coming over is how manyof them just get pushed into a garage and just, you know, hit away and how many of you met,you actually end up seeing where, you know, out and about whether it's at the track, atthe event, the show, you know, or just on the streets, period.
I just wonder how people will treat that car.
Yeah.
I mean, I'm anxious to see too.
I hope people bring them out.
Yeah, of course.
I mean, if you think about it, the 34 GTRs that are here legally at the moment under theshow and display and like limited, like the, like the int respect, and the midnight purpleones.
Yeah.
Like, those do bring them, those dudes bring them out to shows.
Yeah, for sure.
And those are like the rarest models and highest dollar, some of the highest dollar models.
Right.
Yeah.
Now, I guess that's definitely true.
I mean, of course, people, because, you know, in those cars, you get the, you know,this level of attention, that's just like so different.
Yeah.
You know, and especially with the 34.
Yeah, because I mean, I can imagine some of the boys with the GTTs that are converted overto, you know, kind of like GTR clones.
I'm sure they get a ridiculous amount of attention right now.
Yeah.
Daily driving.
Those are driving them on the streets.
Right.
Yeah.
And people come up to them, hey, sick GTR.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Someone was bringing that up about how to politely tell people it's not a GTR.
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Well, you know, which, hey, whatever, you got an R34, I mean, yeah, just tell them, I mean,they're still going to be stoked that it's very well drive turbo, like whatever, like,yeah, I mean, people call my 32 GTR time.
I'm just like, hell yeah, man, thanks.
Yeah, yeah.
Whatever, just keep moving.
Right.
It makes no difference.
So, that's cool.
34 GTR.
Evo six.
Evo six.
Evo six is dropping in 2024.
Right.
And, you know, it looks, as everybody knows, it looks similar to the last two models thatcame through.
Right, right.
So, is that going to be a big splash in this market because it's kind of like a littleface lift and, you know, otherwise same car, but going to be a little more expensive.
Right.
I don't know.
Sorry, I'm not too versed on the Mitsubishi's like that, but it's, it's, I don't know, it'sprobably going to, those are still probably going to pull a premium, right?
Because they are the last, like, final editions of that body style and, yeah, true.
Especially like the, the Tommy Maconons, do they have those in the six as well?
I believe so.
Yeah, I definitely think so.
So, yeah, those ones will obviously, any, any special editions of these vehicles,that we're talking about, right?
Definitely, they're going to pull a premium period, you know, just because if they weren'tavailable, you know, of course the GTR and the EVO 6 weren't available here anyways.
Right.
But some of these other ones that will, will speak on were.
And so any kind of upgraded models we didn't receive here, still pull that higher premium,yeah.
So, yeah, the, the EVO 6, the all will drive 4G 6, 3, little Ripper.
Ripper, dude, I don't know.
And from what I've seen on those, the prices, it's not too bad for what you get, right?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Not very reasonably priced.
Yeah.
Compared to especially GTRs, obviously.
Right.
Like, if you look at the two on paper and then look at the price, it's like, okay, yeah,maybe I might get the EVO.
I could probably get some money to it.
Yeah, yeah, that is well.
It's like, holy cow, you probably got five.
Yeah, literally.
It's okay, so it's like, so yeah, I mean, that is, that is a thing, right?
That's a huge like, you know, comparison is that EVO 6, first, the R34 GTR, same years,you know, of course, different motors, still turbo, you know, both all will drive, but,yeah, that is pretty wild, you know, I mean, but again, there's a lot more, butbehind that, then just performance.
Right.
Yeah.
Cool.
So next car, I think it's going to become legal is the Nissan Silvia S15.
The S15.
The final edition of the cool S chassis.
Yeah, that's crazy.
Final, that's wild to really think about that.
This is the beginning of the end for both of, you know, those models, the Silvia andthe Skyline, and, you know, their iconic forms, of course, but like, that is crazy to think,like, this is it.
Yeah, I know, man.
And it's kind of short lived because like, Silvia's, they were 88 to 02.
Dude, we've already had 35 GTRs for that long.
Right.
Like, for that amount of time spent, you know what I mean?
So it's like, things have changed.
Yeah, it has.
We had three generations of a totally cool car in that short period of time.
But like I said, it ends with the S15 and they are legal in 99 and all the way until 2002.
All the way until 2000.
I'm sorry.
They're legal this year or next year until 20, so 20, 27, 27.
So they'll start trickling and then.
Then one thing I was talking to another guy actually about the other day was how the S15sright now are super, you know, comparing them to the GTR.
Right.
They're super undervalued right now.
Like you can get S-spec, S15s for a pretty low price if you're going to, you know, do theconversion, but you can still get spec ours for a pretty good price, just like what we'retalking about with the EVO.
Yeah.
I mean, I think I've seen on top ranks website, they're Japan stock that, you know, roughly30K or so.
You can get a spec ours.
Yeah.
Pretty well set up at the spec are.
So I mean, you're getting at least right now.
You're getting four S15s to every R34 GTR ish.
Right.
You know, I mean, it's got to be crazy.
They're all depending, but.
And that's like the top model of the S15s, right?
Is the spec are.
Yeah.
You know, they didn't really have anything beyond that.
I mean, they did have like a tech version, but they were in a, they weren't, they went theopposite way.
Right.
And so the spec are is the one that comes with the DET.
Right.
Correct.
And the six-speed transmission as well.
Yeah.
So I mean, that's dope.
I think the S15s, the ones that haven't been, you know, slid around over there, which I'm sureis hard to find.
Right.
Oh, I don't know.
I don't know the production numbers on the S15, but I just assume spec are it's not likean insane amount.
You know, I'm sure it's not just a few, but, right.
You know, I mean, in that sense, I am a little surprised that these aren't going for 40,45.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I mean, they're becoming legal.
Right.
Right.
100%.
And yeah, I mean, they, they're kind of plagued with the same issues as like the 34s aswell with like the strut towers rusting out and like, you know, the firewall rusting outas well, just because of, you know, I guess Nissan's practices back then and how they applytheir seam sealer and whatever it might have been.
There's susceptible to rust.
Moistur gets trapped in between these pieces of metal and ends up rusting it from the insideout.
And that's where a lot of S15s got taken out.
Imagine is that?
And yeah, drifting for sure a bunch of them got used up.
I mean, I just remember at Evisoo, like there was an S15 there and the entire back had beensmashed in and so many times that it just got cut off and like the front end was all janky,but like you could tell it was an S15 by the windows and so.
So, but it was just crazy.
Like how many hundreds and hundreds of those just got smashed up like that probably?
Right.
Yeah.
And just scrapped or whatever the case may be.
I mean, yeah, I'll be interested to see how I mean, I personally would love to have awhite one out of all of the S chassis models.
The S15 is my favorite.
Yeah.
The S14 like behind us is sweet.
I would get the kooky if I was ever going to get an S14, but S15 is just, I don't know.
It just was always just that iconic Sylvia for me.
Yeah.
You know, but yeah, I'll be excited to see him come over see see how the prices go.
Maybe scoop one up from Trevor and get it over here.
Yeah, there's sick cars.
Yeah.
No, they definitely are.
Nothing beats an S15 or the vertex kit.
Yeah, well, yeah, with some dope wheels for show.
So those three were pretty much the Japan exclusive models.
We might have one more, but I think that was pretty much it.
Yeah, I think so.
Like everything else, we got some sort of version of the states as far as cool cars go.
So the S2000.
The S2000.
The AP one.
I think this is cool, depending on what the I personally don't need an S2000.
So I don't really look into them over there.
Yeah.
Depending on the prices over there, that this could be great for some guys that I've wantedto get into an S2000.
But with the I think this is kind of the same type of thing is with the the Supra.
It's a weird thing, man.
With the Supras, the left hand drive models are like, or sorry, the right hand drive modelsare like the red headed stepchild and the left hand drive models are like the king.
It's in that market.
It's like so strange.
It is weird.
I don't know.
It's because they got so many more.
Yeah.
I think it's kind of like one of those like rare any type of things.
But yeah, like with the S2000.
Like.
I don't know how that goes to.
I don't know if all the guys look at it like that.
Yeah.
Are the USDM ones going to be more expensive or less because there wasn't enough differencesfor the JDM model to be like superior?
Yeah.
I mean, dude, I remember 10 years ago or so.
You could get a pretty rough running and driving decent, rough and shape decent as inreliability.
It's 2000.
You could find one for 6K.
Yeah.
It is wild.
It is.
It's seven K.
And you know, still put wheels on it.
It still fix the little issues and it's still a nice car.
Yeah.
Like, that's nothing.
You can't find one of those for that price at all now.
They're all 15K and above usually.
Like I haven't seen one for under 10K in years.
Yeah.
No, it's they've definitely just scooted right up there.
Crazy.
So, from what I've seen, like people like stacked, they'll post S2000s every now and again.
The prices are pretty much the same as they are in America with a much nicer example.
Right.
Oh, okay.
I see.
Like, you know, it's lower mileage.
It's not faded.
It's not beat up in any sense.
It's like a nice car for the same price.
And it just, I don't know.
It is, it's like you said, it's kind of like with the super is how the left hand drive modelsalways sell for higher than the right hand drive.
Right.
So, I mean, yeah, I'll be, you know, pretty interested to see like how that goes to, right?
And once they start really getting over here and like, you know, quite a few guys havethem.
Right.
And then they start floating around the market.
Where does, where does that end up?
I mean, I don't know.
I would take a right hand drive S2000.
Yeah.
Yeah.
S2000s are sick.
Like, last one I got to ride in was Albo's on the Togay.
Oh, yeah.
So, obviously, that's a cool example.
Yeah.
For sure.
But it ripped, dude.
It made all kinds of cool noises and yeah, and that handled awesome.
Like, it was, I mean, he does it all the time, obviously, but like, it was like, hedefinitely struggled to keep up with him.
Yeah.
You okay?
That were those his tail lights.
What?
Yeah.
So, yeah.
The S2000, I love that car.
Can't wait to see him out and about.
And yeah, we have a few more of just what's going to become legal.
Maybe not like a lot of guys are going to run out to grab these cars, but they're worthmentioning.
The Toyota Celica.
The Toyota Celica.
The Toyota Celica.
Like, what's that body style that become?
Is that period?
Like, no, they had old Celicas.
So, this must be what?
The one we got in the States.
Oh, okay.
Yeah.
Whatever, 992000.
It's all your friends raised them out.
Yeah.
Like, they had, I don't know.
I feel like they had rising, rice or tell lights from the factory.
Yeah.
You know.
Yeah, they like, we're trying to get younger people's attention at that time.
Another Toyota that's becoming legal is the MRS, the W30.
So we got these in the States and I feel like pretty underrated car if you're in a gripdriving.
Yeah.
Like, you never see these around anymore.
I feel like like, no, not really.
You never really saw them around when they were new.
No, I agree.
When we were in Japan in the spring, we saw these everywhere.
Yeah.
I remember seeing one at some rest stop and it had like the sick GT wing on it.
It's full kit, lowered, had some nice wheels and it was like, whoa, this is cool.
Yeah.
And they do good.
And they do have like, you know, the JGTC body kits where it has like the hood scoop onthe back kind of similar to the NSX.
Very similar to that and they have K-Swap kits for them.
Yes.
You underrated car if you're looking into modifying and going grip driving.
Yeah.
No, for sure.
If you're into the mid engine thing too, especially convertible.
Yeah.
I mean, like, it's cool.
I mean, and again, yeah, that auto cross grip driving, you know, small tight belt cart,you know, it's definitely a sweet car.
I first kind of thought that car was cool.
Back in the first and second fast in the furious movies, they had one of those in the streetrace.
Yeah, yeah.
The first one and then in the scramble in the second one.
And I was like, you know, at that point in like life.
So to speak, I was like, dang, what is that?
Right.
And then I see it in one of the magazines in the body kit section, you know, and then whatever.
Yeah, yeah, I always thought that they were pretty cool once you modify them, stock theirlike, yeah, they're a little.
Yeah, if you leave it stock, the bumpers are very, yeah, it just doesn't do much for itself.
But like the JGT C1, the ones that auto box sponsored.
Yeah.
I think that was in a few of the Gran Turismo games.
Like, that looks sick.
Right.
And I don't know.
It's kind of like a, you could kind of look at it as a budget in SX.
Yeah.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
A little bit smaller, but you know, it's mid engine.
Kind of looks similar-ish, but yeah, yeah, I feel like.
You get the idea.
Yeah, many, yeah, yeah.
So also, so 2024, you know, we got some of these major players.
We got a few, you know, lower end cars, so to speak, that are coming through.
But Canada does 15 years, right?
Yeah.
So this is why, you know, because I know that some people in their heads have been like,well, what, like, why are these cars already over in Canada?
Right, right.
You know, you see Skylines for sailing Canada, so be as for sailing Canada.
For the longest dude.
Oh yeah.
Like even back in the day, it was like, what?
I had like, how?
How?
How?
You know, and so then you come to learn, oh, okay, Canada has a 15 year law instead of25.
Right.
So it's 10 years on us.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, they get to rust around up there before they come.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.
And so that's pretty interesting.
And so there's a car to that becomes legal in 2024 over in Canada.
Yeah.
Kind of mentioned this earlier that the 35 R35 Skyline GTR becomes 15 year legal forCanada.
Yeah, Canada.
So that means you can import an '09.
Yeah.
Or yes, an '09 R35.
It confused me there for a second because I'm like, wait, yeah, it's like, well, 35.
Yeah.
And so you can have a JDM R35 over there, not sure what the differences are beyond the steeringwheel.
I don't know.
I don't know much beyond that either.
And I kind of wonder what that's going to do to pricing for the market in the States forthose because I don't know.
I mean, do people come from Canada to YGTRs over here?
I could see that.
If they, I mean, where else are they going to go and get them?
Like, I guess in Canada, but yeah, you just go across the border and you have a biggerselection.
Right.
And they're, I feel like those have already kind of hit rock bottom on their prices forthose.
They're not getting any cheaper.
Right.
I mean, the O9s have kind of bottomed out from what I feel unless you find that one stealof a deal.
This is a deal of a deal on 35.
Yeah.
There's a far a few between, but they're out there.
Yeah, but they are usually your spin in 50k regardless for a 35.
Quick story on that, right?
There was this guy where we're from and he won a 35 from, I can't remember the YouTuber.
It was just a six or something.
Just a six.
That's right.
It's just a six.
He had a raffle and it was one of his personal cars.
Yeah.
And so he wins this 35.
And you know, when people join these raffles, they don't expect to win.
They don't have the money to necessarily put into the GTR once you put some on it.
So yeah.
Anyway, as long as we're short, this guy, this guy had made this car a mess from when thisYouTuber had it for the six months of this guy had it had made it a mess.
He listed it.
I immediately hit him up.
Got the 35 for 35.
Yeah.
That was that was one of those steal of a deals.
It was a 2012 or something with, I don't know, a black edition.
Yeah, with 100,000 miles, maybe.
Had a midnight purple wrap.
Yeah.
And so anyways, we fixed it, ripped it.
Yeah.
In it and moved on.
Yeah.
That's one of those things, right?
Like you can find the steal of a deal.
But I don't know what type of steal of a deal is they having Canada.
So yeah, maybe importing one of those or some of those would be a good little move forsomebody up there, which I'm sure they're already.
Yeah.
I just, I just imagine that, I mean, we got so many of those in the States.
Yeah.
I remember at one point, Nissan had like a program where they would lease them to theiremployees for mad cheap, like ridiculously cheap.
So you would see these cars like out everywhere around Nashville, like everywhere.
Yeah, but just all the employees were like, oh yeah.
Yeah.
And then those bonds had to move on.
Like the cars had to turn over.
Yeah.
That is pretty crazy of some people that build on demo cars.
Yeah.
Hundreds of them.
Like probably thousands really.
Like, dude, there was a lot of them every, dude, everyone that worked for Nissan, eitherthey had one of their homie did.
Right.
Yeah.
That's crazy.
All the time back in the day.
It was kind of crazy to think about.
So there is a ton of those already over here.
Yeah.
I wonder how many they kept in Japan.
Right.
Yeah, be cool to know those numbers.
We could look them up.
So yeah, I mean, 2024, it's going to be dope.
Besides, you know, what's happening in the car community, the cars that are coming in,going to be some real good ones.
You'll start, you'll start seeing them all over Instagram soon enough.
I'm sure.
Yeah.
It is the beginning of the end.
It is.
Yes.
Yes, yes.
This is for the most part, like right now is the peak.
It's so dope to be involved in it.
Yeah.
It's involved in it in a long time, but like to really still be here right now duringthat kind of golden hour.
So to speak of this all happening, 2024 is like that year for the most part.
So I'm looking forward to it.
Got to enjoy it because you can't stop it.
You know, you can't slow it down so you have to enjoy it while it's happening.
And so episode 46, is it 2024?
Is it?
Is it?
We're excited.
We hope you are too.
If you're looking for a Christmas gift for your buddy, for your girl, the word of bed,whatever, hit us up, rhdgus.com.
Use code rhdxmas for 20% off.
And for now, I'm Bobby.
This is Aaron.
Peace.
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