10 Japanese Sports Cars That Actually Aren’t As Good As People Think

For Japanese manufacturers, the ’80s were effectively their golden age. They produced some of the best sports cars and product quality was at an all-time high.

In a market flush with research and development cash and chock-full of innovation, everyone developed at least one flagship sports car. With innovation comes risk though, and to compound matters, the economy slowed down. So, after getting burned one by one, these manufacturers stopped making exotics sports cars.

Just because a car looks sporty, doesn’t mean it is a sports car, and just because it is “JDM certified” doesn’t mean it is any good.

Related: The 1988 Honda Prelude Is The Cheap JDM Legend You Need In Your Collection

10/10 Nissan Silvia

The only discernible difference between the S14 Silvia and the 240SX is the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine found under the hood of most Silvias.

Getting the more powerful engine will only serve to exacerbate the already evident handling woes, which might be great for drifting, but not much else (one of these cars pictured is a 240SX and the other is the Silvia, not much difference).

9/10 Toyota Supra

The only thing the Mk4 Supra really has going for it is that lovely 2JZ inline-6. Today, that engine can be had cheaply and easily online, and there is no need to even go junkyard diving for it, let alone getting a whole car for it.

The rest of the car is sub-par. It came with a cheap typically ’90s interior, lifeless handling, and the vast majority came with a power sapping slushbox. It was always a GT car, and wasn’t really a sports car to begin with, as it was pretty heavy and came with more luxury focused features.

8/10 Nissan Fairlady Z

As much as the Fairlady, or 350Z to everyone else, is a great nod to affordable sports cars, that’s all it is, a nod. It isn’t all that affordable and it isn’t all that good either.

Power figures will always be middling, but that VG30 will go on forever. Power isn’t really the biggest issue though, it’s the cheap chintzy interior that just doesn’t belong in any relatively modern car.

Related: Why The New Nissan Z Is A Return To The Fairlady’s Of Old

7/10 Toyota Celica Supra

Effectively, the only folks who will buy one of these are misinformed JDM enthusiasts who believe the Supra name meant something in the ’80s.

This generation Celica was competing with sporty looking cars like the Iron Duke Camaro. Hence, power was never the focal point, nor was handling, apparently. It was and still is pretty awful.

6/10 Mazda RX-7

Although the venerable Wankel has so much going for it, yet, it seems destined to crush any manufacturer that places any trust in its design.

In the early ’90s, this was an advanced car with sequential turbos, a contemporary design, and every feature you might have wanted on your early ’90s sports car. Today, all those electronics only serve to compound the already maintenance-heavy rotary engine. It isn’t the least reliable Japanese car though, that honor belongs to its replacement.

5/10 Mazda RX-8

Although there is no official title (why would there be?), the RX-8 is widely regarded as the least reliable car to ever come out of Japan.

It is now one of the very few affordable JDM cars, and regularly fool enthusiasts into purchasing what they think is the bargain of the century, only to find out first-hand why these cars have such a reputation. Yet, even though we know we shouldn’t, just like a moth flies into the light, we still want one…

4/10 Datsun 280ZX

At the time, Datsun or Nissan thought they were making the car everyone wanted. It was less powerful, a little bigger, but still more economical, and mostly equipped with an automatic.

In hindsight, 140 horsepower is rather limp. Everyone who knows Nissans and Datsuns knows these cars are awful. Unfortunately, many enthusiasts get them confused with the 240/260Z cars that came before and end up with a sad pile of disappointment.

Related: 5 Car Mods That Prove You’re A Racer (5 Modifications Everyone Should Do To Their Cars)

3/10 Mitsubishi Eclipse

The Eclipse exhibits just about everything that was wrong with the ’90s. Quality was low, wiring was plentiful, and failures were many.

At best, they were affordable sports cars. Unfortunately, thanks to their guest appearance in one of the most famous film franchises, they are no longer affordable, and they have become popular “ricers.”

2/10 Mazda MX-5

For several years there simply wasn’t a better two-door sports car to buy, because there weren’t any other two-door sports cars.

Much has changed, and the latest MX-5 has a lower power to weight ratio than most hatchbacks, and leans heavily on its reputation for sales, with a glaring lack of innovation.

1/10 Toyota Corolla AE86

After being pretty much anonymous for decades, a few old videos started circulating of these cars sliding around Japanese roads, and suddenly they became part of folklore.

It is the original drift car, not the first car to get drifted, but the first car that could get tuned cheaply and go sideways without much trouble at all. Unfortunately, further than that, there really isn’t much to it, and does not justify its price tag today. For the same money, you will be able to get a used all-wheel drive Focus RS, a way better performance car, unless JDM is life.