Was just talking about this with a friend, the 90s were peak car culture. Even today where we all are just trying to relive the 90s. That includes import and domestic. We had some great cars in that time frame.
@@CRAPO2011 don’t know about that, only thing going on interesting now is maybe the mopars? 90’s to early 2ks muscle cars are coveted atm. Crazy ass prices for a fox body, ws6, maybe not so much the Camaro, c6 is also a hot ticket now. If we go a little earlier like 1980, then we got all the g bodies etc. I was a domestic kid at the time, car scene was awesome for the domestics. In my opinion it outshined the imports. Now adays these cars suck ass, so many nanny devices, bloated, heavy and over priced. What I would say is peak now is engine management systems. Blows me away how infinitely better they are now than anything we had back then.
Road and Track “You can thank the original Acura NSX for a lot of things: It put Acura on the map in the U.S.; it forced Ferrari to clean up its act with the F355; it started the "VTEC just kicked in, yo" thing, and the list goes on. The NSX also apparently had a profound effect on one Gordon Murray, the mastermind behind the McLaren F1. If you're a fan of the F1-and if you're reading this website, you are-you should probably thank the NSX.”
@ColinStevens The sad thing about the LFA it came a few years too late. It reached the perfection Lexus was aiming for just for it to fall short in the market because of how long it took to hit production.
*AE86* *It's a nice car. Rear wheel drive, lightweight and the 4AGE sounds amazing.* *Guess what? A Miata will do everything an AE86 does for a fraction of the cost.*
Nah they both expensive for me because my country’s car prices are driven to tree And best thing yet I cannot find AE86 that isn’t a rally car and miatas don’t just exist, only the nc and what comes after it
These days an AE86 here in Ireland costs the same as my 2018 GT86, so overpriced in that regard but I do respect the AE86, it’s a very significant car.
It makes me laugh how some idiots compare current cars with those of the 90's or older, man of course they are not fast cars anymore, I wouldn't mind driving a 300hp car from the 90's, because nowadays everyone is obsessed with the horsepower.
Missing the viper (non gts) and terminator cobra, terminators were grossly underrated on power. Only reason I mentioned that Cobra is because you did mention a couple JDM cars touching into the early 2000s
I mean the NSX went to 05 well past its prime and the 3000GT 99 ; Supra 98 ; 300ZX 96 ; RX7 95 versus 03. That car was really cool. An IRS Mustang with a supercharger. I kind of reminds me of a more realistic SuperStallion that was pranced out in the 90s that had me in awe before the more uninteresting metro Mustang came and the GM cars died aside from the Corvette. First gen Vipers were pretty poor cars, but the second gens produced an actual car that I love (never been in an RT though). It was so flawed in so many ways and brute forced its way in comparos versus the 993 turbo. Terminator, C5 Z06, and the GTS were a solid way to close out that 90s engineering era. I miss seeing those cars racing at the tracks. I think a questionable sports car I'd want to toss into the fray (but I get why I'm one of probably 5 people) and probably my personal favorite would be a Panoz Esperante.
I have never lusted after a 90s era Mustang, Camaro or Corvette. I simply do not want them in my garage. However I have always fancied the FD, NSX, GTR and Supra. I think the global market agrees
If you look at the E36 M3 it's rly sad that you guys in the states got such a slow version of the car due to cost reduction from BMW. the Euro Version with the 3.2l engine has ~320hp and is a whole different animal.
why? gas prices are cheap here we were driving modded v8s while you had to do the best you could with 6s. Im sad your gas prices are so high as to prohibit you from driving cars with 8 cylinders....😅
@@sportfuryman if you say so.... but you do know that there are some benefits of having a smaller,lighter engine do you? Also there were plenty enough European V8,V10,V12 or even W12 engines around. But hey I'm sick and tired of the present car culture and I won't start and arguement with you. Cheers
I think you nailed certain things like reengineering the cars for the mandatory OBD-II in 1996 and the yen to dollar that caused drastic price increases in the early 90s and the end to the era that gave us crazy value like the LS400. The LT1 fourth gens don't seem to stack up until the LS1 came around in 1998. It's kind of unfair to compare the C4 from the early 80s to the JDM cars which blitzed America. The leap from C4 (a car I loved to the C5) is pretty remarkable. Looking at the actual performance the Supra traded blows with the C5 and the NSX outperformed both it was noted as having exceptional brakes at the time). I'd say the NSX was the car that transformed exotics and in a way was the GT3. As it stretched past 98 the price rising from $78 to I remember 104kish in 03 was a bit silly. It was the car that was stubbornly Honda in engine tech rather than turbos. 300ZX was a fine comfortable car (partial to the 2+2) myself to stretch the rear a bit and move the gas tank fill. 3kgts were remarkable but in a techy nerdy kind of way, but I thought they were good-looking cars, especially in the final year. The only two sports cars on the list to me are the NSX and RX-7. Having lived with an FD for a decade, it is amazingly difficult to find a replacement, but it's much happier at the track and a bit rough on the street. Never had a GTR and have spent little time in one so can't really comment on that. The remarkable thing is '89 R32, '89 Z32, '90 3kgt, '92 Supra, '92 Rx7. If we just had that one more year of the cars at affordable levels before the SUV explosion I imagine sales might have been a bit better. In reality, even F-bodies and all sports car sales were falling during this time period.
totally agree with your comment! The NSX transformed the world of sportscars and it was anyway built to compete with posches and ferraris on a track. If you like roadsters, the S2000 might be an option, it's fron't mid engines, revs to 9000k and double wishbone all around like the FD. Also the chassis is as rigid as a coupe thanks to the x-frame monocoque.
@@binskee677 S2K seems like the most obvious option. Driving the girlfriend's supercharged ND is a really good car, though I preferred her non-SCed ND to be honest. EPS is a little bit a turnoff for me and the ratio is too fast and gearing too short for me being used to 90s cars. I'd like to try an NC out to see how it fits.
dude, he just compared hp numbers that is totally bullshit, drive one of the 90's mustangs on a track and then a RX-7 the 90's american cars were total trash cars with a big engine sitting on the front axle
@@binskee677 LOL, you mean, exactly like Craig did. Guy owned 90s Mustangs AND had plenty of experience with RX-7 and obviously a multitude of other JDM sports cars.
*All I hate in the community are these jdm fanboys (9-12) year olds who think a Supra mk4 ,gtr r34,rx7 fd are the reason why there the best Japan cars they are all over the Internet pop car culture etc and becoming so hype out that there manufactured and there slick performance are so good back in the 90s/2000s and now fanboys are comparing over a different hypercars/super cars like the Bugatti Chiron/sports koenigsegg Jesko,agera r even a dodge demon hell cat And some that there favorite movies where f&f 1,2,Tokyo drift and a thriller anime called initial d. For me my favorite jdm sports car is the Nissan 300zx because it’s cheap and rare sometimes*
Why do you give a sh1t what some 9 year olds think? Your rant falls pretty flat being that you're hung up on pre-teens. If a 9year old tells me a car is as fast as iron man, ok cool, they're 9 for fvck sake.
Dude, im from Alabama and car culture here has always loved japanese cars. I think it was a silent well-known fact they were special for some reason BUT THEN in 2011, we got this BEACON of light that firmly cemented what we already knew. This movie called 200MPH released and we were like fuck it, we gotta sell some kidneys and get us some Toyoda Supers.
I miss the day's of getting them for under 5k here in canada, I don't know why I passed on r32 and r33 gtr's and mk4 supra's.......fucking hind sights a bitch. Now I'm just stuck with my 97 Eclipse GSX as my only dream car I've been able to acquire.
I still wouldn''t call these cars overrated. They are overpriced based on supply and demand. Much of the reason they're touted as overrated is simply the passage of time and cheap HP that became prevalent in the 2010s. Just like I wouldn't call a classic 72 Daytona overrated, neither are these. They're now in the category of collectible neo classics and their performance is irrelevant to value.
Nobody would ever compare a Daytona to a tuner car. Yes, they're overrated. They weren't 7 years ago before BaT but now they are. The nsx is the only one that makes sense.
@@LOVE-VIBES-X-PROJECT-CARS how about a hakosuka GTR compared to an R35 GTR. What about a 2000GT compared to an a90 Supra? Are you starting to notice a trend? Comparing 20+ year old performance to a modern car is just outrageously moronic.
@@Und34d_R .....nothing about your counter argument makes sense. Who tf is comparing one of the rarest low number cars in the world to 90s cars. And I never said anything about modern day performance. Hell I never mentioned performance in general 😂
@@LOVE-VIBES-X-PROJECT-CARS it’s comparing an old car that is “slow” by modern terms but insanely expensive because it’s collectible, to a newer faster cheaper option than offers better performance. I wouldn’t expect someone who’s dishonest as yourself to be able to conceptualize the idea that advances in technology make cars faster, but people still pay more for old cars for different reasons.
I wouldn’t say these cars are over rated, it’s just that some of these cars have been ruined due to the current trends. Negative camber, wings bigger than a garage door, Lamborghini type scissor doors on cars that don’t benefit from it, fake vents, looking fast but not ACTUALLY fast, etc. I’m all for wrapping your car, but there’s a limit to that too. Just don’t overdo it.
Two of my friends had these in the 90s. Among my group we had 2 300ZX, 1 Supra, 3 240SX, 2 Integra, 1 CRX, several Civics, 1 Mustang GT, 1 Mazda MX6, 1 Mazda MX3, and dad cars of the day. What a group!
@@colind7678 hes saying yes you can beat a Ferrari with a supra, sure its funny But the engine has been invested in thus making more sense to buy a Ferrari
@Nolesy You don't need to spend 150K into a Supra to beat a Ferrari. That's where the numbers don't make sense. Hell, my AWD, turboed, motor swapped Honda maybe has 30K into it, including buying the car, will beat some Ferraris.
@@colind7678 I know this, Fast and furious fans know this Even a 10 year old with a 4 speed hard off the pavement pretending he'd have dads charger because hes got initial suprise knows this But everyone thinks Harrys cost a zillion bucks because Brian bought the shop
Didn't know the NSX was so expensive im US. The atraction on this car was how it performed on par against some Lambos and Ferraris, but much cheaper in Japan. It has less horsepower but the aluminium structure allowed it to run and turn well
@@xXYannuschXx after everything is said and done Craig is still an American Car enthusiast, meaning 0-60 above all else and no torque must mean no fun. Drive those 90s American cars around a track then take an RX-7, NSX, S2000 etc for the same track and see. And by track I do NOT mean a straight line. American „Motorsport“ is a joke to every European and Japanese person and it’s for good reason. I get good laughs from American car journalism ✌🏻
Oh yeah? It couldn’t have anything to do either people the classic cars now in 2025, and a lot of people in their 40s and 50s have the money for them now. It’s no different than all the dad’s when I was a kid buying up their high school muscle cars.
If you find a low mileage mk4 supra and buy it for 100k then be prepared to put almost 80k into it the break lines will be dried out and you have to worry about rust underneath the windows and possibly a bad fuel tank
Nailed it CL. Same age as you and drove all of them except the R34. The ZR1 Vette wins everyday in my book, and I’m going to own one some day instead of the Supra I used to have.
In terms of performance American cars have always had the best value for power. The only downside was a) quality, and b) for people outside the US since they only really sold American performance cars IN America
Poorly. Far better off in a Evo. You Americans got bloody unlucky there. My mates and I used to abuse Evo 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 regularly here in New Zealand. You could pick them up for sub 10k nzd all over the place.
@@izzy031096 Tell me about it. As a hardcore WRC fan and Japanese performance car enthusiast, it was HELL growing up with no Lancer Evolutions or WRXs. We didn't get out first WRX until 2002 and the Evo came out the following year... and even then, they were watered-down, neutered versions of their glorious Right Hand Drive models sold in Asia, Europe, and the island nations.
@@Holmesson I feel for you bro. If it makes you feel any better we thrashed the shit out of them down here and drove them how they were supposed to be driven, very aggressively on b-roads. Still to this day, one the best cars I’ve driven was my mates WRX type RA with all the good bits on it.
@@izzy031096 This explains the heavy investment Americans made in aftermarket performance for the GSX and GS-T cars. I remember reading that the early Gen1 Eclipse cars (89-93?) with pop up headlights had a short block that was incredibly stronger than any other model in the years after it was replaced with a more affordable factory version. Is there any truth to this?
Lusted after all these cars as a kid and teen, was lucky to have a best friend who was equally immersed in the car culture of the time. All the hours we spent talking about them, playing Gran Turismo, reading our magazine subscriptions, car shows, going to dealerships just to see one on the showroom, etc, etc, etc. Wish I could go back to the late 90's and live there forever.
All you look at our numbers, how much cheeseburgers you can get for $10. Come on, man..... a car is more than just your Fast n' Furious how many horsepower you can squeeze out of it style. It's about the feel of a car, the drivability, the refinement, how it behaves going into a corner/mid-corner/exit, how a car behaves under braking, balance of the chassis...... it ain't all just straight line (boring btw). And calling an NSX overrated? Yeah, I'll take Senna's opinion over yours. You can Google him.
Which is why real racers laugh at Fast and Furious BS. I’ve never been able to make it all the way through any of the movies, laughable garbage that is nothing like reality or real racing.
Not only that. Google “How the Original Acura NSX Was a Huge Influence on the McLaren F1”. Here’s an interesting quote…”Engineering documents shown in the BBC documentary How to Go Faster and Influence People: The Gordon Murray F1 Story (seen at 47:00) reveal that the Ferrari F40, Lamborghini Countach, BMW M1, Porsche 959, and the Bugatti EB110 among others were benchmarked for the F1. That the NSX stood head and shoulders above the others is high praise for the Honda.” Oh, you mention Senna and don’t forget about Zanardi as well.
I lived in Japan for most of the 90s. I saw Supras, NSXs, GT-Rs, and FD RX-7s just rolling around on the street all the time, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Back then, I said to myself that I would one day own at least one of these 4. Today, I have a Lexus SC400, which -- despite being waaaaay cheaper today than they are -- is actually my first choice to daily drive.
I was a teenager and graduated high school in the 90s and thanks to Gran Turismo I fell in the love with imports. Where I lived of it wasn’t a truck or a Mustang or Camaro no one cared. I bought a cherry 1991 240 SX SE as a graduation gift to myself and it was only $2500. I have fond memories of the imports scene in those days
90s were great cause boomers were in their 40s. So they had the money to burn and still wanted fun. Now suvs are doing well cause they are at that age.
Underrated: The MKIII Supra (the same one you wanted in F&F 1) I've been shocked how damn good the car is and how good it looks inside and out. It gets as much attention as a Lambo these days and it's a complete blast to drive. Despite being around 3,500lbs, she's the best handling car I've ever driven by far and the prices are fairly reasonable if you can find a good one. I assume they will be "classics" by the end of the decade.
@Erik W Bro, almost no one can afford an MKIV. It's still a supra and personally I think the 1989+ plus taillight and center section are just rad, but I do like the unified 80's/90's "taillight strip" look that goes across the whole bumper. I put custom LED boards in mine, it's like Cyberpunk 2077. As for being rare, technically it's not, but I've only seen two others in my entire life and even at car shows I go to I've yet to see one. Everyone talks about them or loves it, but no one actually owns one.
@Erik W Yeah I feel that. Also the MkIII went up a lot in value since 2018. They aren't exactly cheap anymore for a nice one and used parts are through the roof even since I bought it.
@Erik W Yeah I sold my 94' camry (though it only had 73K miles and was super clean) for almost 5 grand this year. My 01' GT-S Celica is going to cost me $10K with 142K miles and she still needs work. The market is absolutely insane and my timing on getting into to JDM is awful lol.
@Erik W No That's a really good price if you got a clean spyder. They are super pricey now. My MKIII Supra was $8K I think it's funny you ribbed on the MK3 Supra because the spyder is the the most hated on MR2, but hell I have almost the same car with the GTS. I think you'll love the hell out of it if it has the 2ZZ. Never remotely owned an engine that revs out to that EXTREME and the valve lift. I wanted my 2nd car to be an MR2, but the prices on MK1-MK2s are out of this world.
Great video. The 1990s where really the peak of Japanese Cars both all the sportscars mentioned and luxury cars. U had the Mazda Cosmo for an example and the first Lexus the LS 400 but sadly most of the cars where developed right before Japan ran into a very very bad recession in 1991 that they never really totally recovered from. known as the lost Decades. I have had a Toyota 1993 Corolla Gsi-16 coupe liftback myself and the build quality was impeccable did 230k to 260k Kilometers without a single problem only replaced Shocks and such in 2015-2021 In Norwegian conditions.
Tbh you could argue that the Japanese cars performance was underrated. Because they were held back at least to some extent by the gentleman's agreement. Yea they all underrated their numbers but you could Definintly get more out of the engines. But we go with the hard numbers from the time lol.
People massively exaggerate how high the “gentlemen’s agreement” power figures are. Really they made like 10-20bhp over what they were suppose to which back then was substantial but now we have cars like the new Zupr4 making more to the wheels than it’s rated at the crank. Not to mention nobody keeps these cars stock anyway so it really means nothing.
If he actually used the “brochure” numbers there’s multiple cars on his list that are 276hp, not 300+. And it’s clear to see his bias toward the gtr (being the only one he really points out the gentleman’s agreement on, and also listed at 330 against the Supra 320.)
@@AcquiredPrawn49 Sure if he used the Japanese Brochures. All but the GT-R were available here in the US with the HP he stated. He’s from the US and once again the GTR was never sold here so that’s why he mentions the gentleman’s agreement.
I like your video but I disagree on the performance statement you made. You listed acceleration performance which was never the stronghold of those JDM Cars most of them were built for cornering with no AmericanMuscle listed in here can hold a candle to them. I have owned a 96 Mustang GT, 91 nsx and 87 rx7 turbo, and while I feel like the Mustang had good get-up-and-go there is no way I could have ever driven it at the same speed than the two others on windy roads. Now I am from Europe originally which drag race was never a prevailing type of racing compared to here. Since you've driven a lot more of those cars than I have how do you feel about their handling
Thank you for saying that it's worth what someone will pay. Tired of having to hear people talk about what's over priced and what's not, seems to be a projection of their limited budget for the most part.
The NSX rips are kind of funny, purely looking at 0-60 and 1/4 times? Yep, have fun in your Mustang. The car is much much deeper than that. and even as a huge Porsche guy, let’s not fool ourselves, the NSX made Porsche, Ferrari, and every other true performance company (not muscle car, drag racing….although The Corvette finally woke up and went mid engine….30 years later) take notice. If one is going to gloss over the mid engine, aluminum body, double wishbone suspension, variable valve high revving (normally aspirated) engine, incredible shifting, NSX just because of 0-60 times, the NSX isn’t the car for you. That being said, if you know much about the NSX, a guy Named Gordon Murray (you may have heard of him) and a Car named the McLaren F1, I think I tend to respect Mr Murray’s opinion of the NSX and he put his money where his mouth was, and still it today. But going back to the NSX performance, it outperformed the much higher priced Ferrari 348, the Porsche 964 (247hp) and Lotus Esprit. Yep, there were muscle cars that were quicker, as was the Supra and a slightly tuned 300zx twin Turbo. But those cars were also quicker than the other MUCH more expensive euro sports cars listed above. In the late 80s and through the 1990s I grew up in a home than had, in chronological order….Merc 190 2.3-16v (wish he would have bought the E30 M3 instead) 911, 300zx twin turbo (tuned by Jim Wolf), Acura NSX, BMW E36 (tuned by Dinan), and CLK55. Out of ALL of those cars, the NSX was the most “special” and it’s not even a close comparison. There was an Indycar driver at the time that we knew that just sold his 300zx TT and got an NSX. Asked why he did it, since his 300 was quicker and made more HP, etc. His answer was pretty simple, “the NSX feels like the closest thing to my race car”. The American cars back then drove like absolute crap, especially braking, Corning and handling. Drag racing? Nope, but the quality was absolute crap.
Good topic. I was a 90s kid so I was a little too young to understand the car culture back then. Too busy playing N64 and riding my bike at the time. Ahh those were the days.
Well, that M3 is not a very good comparison in your chart. Because you are talking about the U.S. market E36 M3 which was trash. It only had 240 hp and 236 lbs.ft. of torque which is correct. The European M3 made 321 hp and 258 lbs.ft. As you are just talking about U.S. market cars I get your point. Just wanted to clarify for other people that BMW built a better car for us Europeans 😂
The thing that broke the Supra mystique for me is when I found out that a turbo 2JZ weighs about the same as a Ford Boss 429 engine. It’s still an amazing piece of engineering, but power density for displacement doesn’t really mean anything if it doesn’t have power density for mass. It reminds me of a comparison I saw between the LS7 and the 4.4 V8 in the then-new M3. The BMW made about the same horsepower from 4.4 as the Chevy did from 7. But the Chevy was physically much smaller, much lighter, made much better torque, and got better mileage and emissions. So which was the better engine? 🤨
I got my drivers license at 16 in 1976. My first car was a Toyota Corona that my dad gave me. It was gutless and the engine rattled... but it ran. My first car that I bought was a 71 AMC Hornet SST, then a 66 Chevelle Super Sport (should never have sold that one), 64 Mercury Comet Caliente, 71 Impala convertible 427, 71 Challenger 340. Then I bought a used Toyota Cressida with the non turbo six... that thing was fast for a sedan! Now I have a 14 CTS-V coupe... and a 99 Mazda Protege. The V is a beast but the Mazda is low miles, all manual 1.6 liter and I have to say, after lowering it it is a blast to drive. Not fast but it goes around a track really, really well. Power isn't everything. BTW I think you overrated the 0-60 time on the Camaro. I drove some of those and they were rather slow.
@@ACommenterOnTH-cam YEah, I get it. Me too.. sometimes. My V has enough mods to be pushing almost 800 HP off the last dyno sheet. I get it, I do but my point was sometimes cheap is fun too. The Protege was $1800 with 41K miles on it and with only a few hundred dollars in mods it is quite fun to drive on a twisty course. Different kind of fun but not everyone can afford an R34... or a CTS-V. I DO wish I could find a turbo kit for the Mazda though. She just too old for a kit...😩
The fast and the furious really fluffed up 90s JDM cars to where they are now. All arguably great cars but vastly over priced due to movie hype and perceived cheap modding costs at that time. Folks to this day still believe they can spend 30k on a JDM or Euro and put a little over 10k to 15k in mods into the car and gap Bugattis and Ferraris like a walk in the park. Thank you fast and the furious... 😮💨 Our American cars did very well for that time it's a shame pretty much all of the American muscle has literally disappeared in favor of electric vehicles. The buyers market dictates what will be sold and consumed but lets keep some of our muscle car history in full form at a low capacity for willing buyers.
Interesting discussion. Only disagreement i have is performance isnt just 0-60 and 1/4 mile times. The whole point of the NSX was to prove that a balance of HP, handling, weight, and braking could compete with cars with more power...... and it did.
My mom got a brand new turbo Supra in 1995 . I was just getting out of high school at time . I was so stoked she was getting it . All my friends said exactly what you where saying “ why doesn’t she get a corvette “. The answer to r that … we have to drive Toyota/Lexus my family has been the south east importer of TOYOTA since 1969.
Craig showing some love for the 300ZX! Got mine 16 years ago and will never let her go. Anyone looking to get into a JDM car, they're miles behind the others in price still...finicky and a pain to get up to good running condition, yes, but a great looking car and fun once you get all the basic maintenance squared away. Still a head turner to this day, I always get compliments on it.
3:05 it depends, Craig. An rhd turbo AT was 12000 euros a few years ago in Europe. You could get r32 gtr's for 6000 and r34 gtr for 25000. Looking back with these prices, yes they were cheap.
One car I wish you would have included was the Buick Grand National and the T-Type. GNXs were pretty exclusive. Grand Nationals weren't circuit racers but I remember how badass they were. I somehow convinced a dealership salesman to let me drive a brand new one in 1986 when I was 18. I honestly think the salesperson knew I couldn't buy it, but wanted an excuse to drive it. On another note, what is your opinion on the 80s Dodge Daytona Turbo 2s and Chrysler Lasers?
I was into the American muscle scene when the f&f came out so as a matter of pride I , (and many others like me) were very competitive with the Japanese market cars. We had some strong contenders, the ram air Trans Ams and Camaro SS were rated at 320hp and dynoing nearly that at the wheels. Heck, muscle mustangs and fast Ford's magazine famously ripped a 12.9 quarter in an ls1 SS. When the c5 came out in 97 it was world beating on track and strip. Domestics had some strong contenders back in the day. It still amazes me the domestics from that time go so comparatively cheap now.
As much as I love the JDM cars of the era, the best bang for the buck going BACK THEN (pre-2003) was the LS1 Z28. If you want a few more ponies while saving a few pounds, pony up a few extra grand for the SS. If you wanted the ultimate in attitude, the WS6 Trans Am was the hot ticket. Mine ran 13.2 bone stock.
Where did you get the sound effects from when the specs and pictures are moving and changing? I noticed they're exactly the same as the ones from NFS Underground
Gordon Murray “"The moment I drove the 'little' NSX, all the benchmark cars-Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini-I had been using as references in the development of my car vanished from my mind," said Murray. "Of course the car we would create, the McLaren F1, needed to be faster than the NSX, but the NSX's ride quality and handling would become our new design target."
Hello and greetings from Germany. I liked how you made an objective look on the cars. Of course, for car enthusiasts it is difficult to be objective. So in my opinion you did a good job here. But from my point of view there is something missing. Japanese and European cars are manufactured with a high focus on cornering ability. Usually in the USA there are long straights. But that's not the case in Europe or Japan. Straights are usually short comared to roads in the US and there are a lot of corners in every thinkable condition. As are the racetracks. You know, sports cars are built with the knowledge from race cars. And that is the main reason why European and Japanese sports cars are high priced. The engines and the suspension of the cars were more complicated as for example in the 1994 corvette. The 3000gt for example had not only a 4 wheel drive but also 4 wheel steering. I see that in nascar or drag races, something like that is not needed, but take a look at the nurburg ring or suzuka race track. I think that explains the high price gap between '90s US muscle and import sports cars. Still, thank you for that video!
I owned 2 sn95 cobras. First one was a 96 Red Coupe, Second was a White 98 Coupe. I was stationed in 29 Palms at the time. I use to run those cars wide open, through the endless desert roads. Very stout engines. They will take all the abuse you can throw at them. I would smoke all the other GT’s on base lol. So many good memories. That feels like a different lifetime ago.
he mentions performance alot, but what he actually seems to mean is drag racing in a straight line, those ugly american v8s were cheap for a reason, look bad, built quality is poor, and performance even more shocking , get them on a track vs the skyline and you'll see why they are worth a bit more money , sit in one and you'll see why they are worth more money, america just doesn't produce decent cars when it comes to the rest of the world
I love my rx7. I like the way it drives better than all the other jdm legends I’ve been fortunate enough to drive them all. The car was made till 2002 tho and the 95 was the worst year because it got updates in 96-98 and more updates in 99-02. America only got 93-95
I like the way Mazda engineers design their cars. That less is more concept lost on other manufacturers. Currently driving a 2016 MX-5 Club soft top at 2320 pounds the ability to drive this car & have it communicate what is happening at the wheels - incredibly fun. All 155 HP in my relatively stock Miata is over half of what these JDM cars were producing but as a daily drive - not a garage queen - the Miata is hard to beat overall.
Out of curiosity, how would you rate a '96 Escort Cosworth? 230-ish horsepower, all-wheel drive, 2900lbs, and 0-60 in 5.7 seconds... I know that tuners are now getting over 1000hp versions with various upgrades... but i'm curious what you think..
Probably “overrated” because you can just buy a shitty ass WRX and pretend you’re cool. These arguments are all really dumb. Buy old cars for a reason.
I don't think we had those in North America. The Cosworth was in a category with the WRX Impreza and Audi or other rally cars like Lancer. Definitely a rare car and a collectible.
@@Blue84Stang he didn't have experience with the Cosworth so he didn't mention it. Pretty difficult to ask someone's opinion on something to compare with hands on experience when they never had it. If he did then I apologize but I feel like he would mention it if he did and it was worth mentioning
Bravo! I owned some 15 JDMs Acura Integra 2x TSX Mazda3 626 Accords 3xs Civics 4xs and Eclipse 3xs Infiniti G20T Today dive Eclipse Spyder Won 3 best of shows and entered 1st ever Import Nights Pomona CA
No matter how you put it, the MK4 A80 Supra was overrated, and expensive. And was not much popular in the 1990s, or alone didn't sell decently throughout the decade(the MK3 A70 Supra which is the third generation Supra is the best selling Supra as of current). Also, the RZ Trim Supra A80 with the 2JZ GTE had its hands full against other vehicles that costed a few thousands less...such as the "base" C4 Corvette of the 1990s while stock! Not counting the ZR1 C4 Corvette, nor the then-new C5 Corvette with it's then-new LS V8
@Erik W Also what he didn't mention is that the 2JZ series engine didn't start in the MK4 A80 Supra first, it actually first started in the Toyota Aristo which is also the Lexus GS. And the Supra MK4 literally came from the Lexus SC 400/SC 300. The 300 already had the 2JZ series engine, while the 400 had the V8 1UZ as the top choice engine over the 2JZ
It's hard to believe I bought a car, in 2022, for the same price of a Supra, 25 years ago, and got over a 100 more hp. When people complain about the price of new cars, I point to that 😂
When it comes to performance handling fit finish and reliability it has to be Japanese. Market price is where it seems to tip and for some people that's a deal breaker for value (overrated). If you want the best you usually have to pay for it. Like he says R34 is pretty much perfect. Now I want one too.
@@k00lkidz4 it's not wrong lol if you sit inside of one you'll notice the fit and finish is not even close. Gaps are huge and uneven. Nevermind the power to handling is so unrefined because USDM cars were aiming for engine HP for dragstrip or straight line off the light racing and not for S curve switchbacks. Go ahead and fall off a mountain in a Corvette. They're cheaper for a reason cool guy
@@nonename7869 Agree with the JDM quality over American cars. Just remember one thing - the Japanese got educated in making quality cars after WW2 by an American sent there to put them back on their feet - { William Edwards Deming (October 14, 1900 - December 20, 1993) was an American engineer, statistician, professor, author, lecturer, and management consultant. Educated initially as an electrical engineer and later specializing in mathematical physics, he helped develop the sampling techniques still used by the U.S. Department of the Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He is also known as the father of the quality movement and was hugely influential in post-WWII Japan. He is most well-known for his theories of management. } Too bad Deming didn't work in the American Auto industry to teach what quality in manufacturing means. BTW I drive a 2016 MX-5 soft top as a daily driver built in the Hiroshima Mazda plant & its been a quality sports car in every way.
@@ag4allgood wow!!! Thank you for this education and sharing the history. I always enjoy deepening my knowledge and fully appreciate that. I actually feel like the Japanese culture is one of perfection so his teachings were well invested into that society. And yes, Japanese brand doesn't mean made in Japan so congratulations on knowing the difference. Mazda is probably the most underrated Japanese brand since Subaru has risen from the Rally Car fame.
@@nonename7869 What Demings did was set Japan as the quality car manufacturing Capital of the World. These quality sports cars would not exist if there was no Corollas / Celica's / MR2s / WRXs / Civic Sis / Preludes / Integra's at the lower prices of these cars. All of these lower priced cars gave a higher quality car with a fun to drive feeling. THAT is a hard to quantify but if looking at Consumer Reports the owners satisfaction is always much better for Japanese branded cars. Subarus have been amazing 4 wheel drive vehicles.
Having never driven any NSX, I feel like the new version would be a better value, especially if prices of the old cars keep going up to where they're comparable. You'd get a nicer, faster car.
@@k00lkidz4 they weren't over rated because they were cheap when they came out first and they are still fairly cheap compared to other jdm cars now.i live in Ireland and you can get an s14 for around 20k.rx7's are about 50k and skylines are over 100k,bit of a difference 😂
back then if you wanted one car to do sports, cruise and commute, and you wanted to do it reliably, then it's the Japanese. If you wanted the sports car to do sports and nothing else, then yes you'd have a Corvette for the weekend and a Malibu (97 COTY yay). But since you'd have to buy 2 cars to do what the Supra did, you paid more than the Supra to live your American life. BMW M3 was an enticing option but everything was turned to 80% or so of the supra experience back then.
15:14 I feel Craig should have mentioned (for the sake of it) how the US E36 M3 was so badly detuned at 240hp. The EU cars came with 320hp, Which is inline with the other cars of its time.
Was just talking about this with a friend, the 90s were peak car culture. Even today where we all are just trying to relive the 90s. That includes import and domestic. We had some great cars in that time frame.
Id say domestic peak dayys is now. Japnese sports cars were in rthe 90s
@@CRAPO2011 don’t know about that, only thing going on interesting now is maybe the mopars? 90’s to early 2ks muscle cars are coveted atm. Crazy ass prices for a fox body, ws6, maybe not so much the Camaro, c6 is also a hot ticket now. If we go a little earlier like 1980, then we got all the g bodies etc. I was a domestic kid at the time, car scene was awesome for the domestics. In my opinion it outshined the imports. Now adays these cars suck ass, so many nanny devices, bloated, heavy and over priced. What I would say is peak now is engine management systems. Blows me away how infinitely better they are now than anything we had back then.
90s sport cars has characters and spirits, nowaday people only wants EV shits, so gay period.
@@kalei43 I think early 2000s were better for american and european cars but 90s were definitely peak for japanese cars
90's was peak everything
The import scene in America in the mid to late 90's was a special time. The American car companies got caught being lazy.
Road and Track “You can thank the original Acura NSX for a lot of things: It put Acura on the map in the U.S.; it forced Ferrari to clean up its act with the F355; it started the "VTEC just kicked in, yo" thing, and the list goes on. The NSX also apparently had a profound effect on one Gordon Murray, the mastermind behind the McLaren F1. If you're a fan of the F1-and if you're reading this website, you are-you should probably thank the NSX.”
@ColinStevens The sad thing about the LFA it came a few years too late. It reached the perfection Lexus was aiming for just for it to fall short in the market because of how long it took to hit production.
I remember in the 90's seeing tons of mustangs, trans ams and Camaros. But at the price points at the time, I see why.
I have a 90 Camaro and it's fun even though it's natural and full stock no turbos (it supports though)
I'm loving the NFS2 graphics and sounds. That takes me back
Totally 90s
*AE86*
*It's a nice car. Rear wheel drive, lightweight and the 4AGE sounds amazing.*
*Guess what? A Miata will do everything an AE86 does for a fraction of the cost.*
facts lol
And randle better too 😂
Nah they both expensive for me because my country’s car prices are driven to tree
And best thing yet I cannot find AE86 that isn’t a rally car and miatas don’t just exist, only the nc and what comes after it
These days an AE86 here in Ireland costs the same as my 2018 GT86, so overpriced in that regard but I do respect the AE86, it’s a very significant car.
@@ShanesAutos the GT86 costs less than the AE86 here in the states- it's disgusting.
It makes me laugh how some idiots compare current cars with those of the 90's or older, man of course they are not fast cars anymore, I wouldn't mind driving a 300hp car from the 90's, because nowadays everyone is obsessed with the horsepower.
Missing the viper (non gts) and terminator cobra, terminators were grossly underrated on power. Only reason I mentioned that Cobra is because you did mention a couple JDM cars touching into the early 2000s
I mean the NSX went to 05 well past its prime and the 3000GT 99 ; Supra 98 ; 300ZX 96 ; RX7 95 versus 03. That car was really cool. An IRS Mustang with a supercharger. I kind of reminds me of a more realistic SuperStallion that was pranced out in the 90s that had me in awe before the more uninteresting metro Mustang came and the GM cars died aside from the Corvette. First gen Vipers were pretty poor cars, but the second gens produced an actual car that I love (never been in an RT though). It was so flawed in so many ways and brute forced its way in comparos versus the 993 turbo. Terminator, C5 Z06, and the GTS were a solid way to close out that 90s engineering era. I miss seeing those cars racing at the tracks. I think a questionable sports car I'd want to toss into the fray (but I get why I'm one of probably 5 people) and probably my personal favorite would be a Panoz Esperante.
You missed the title.
JDM Currently it is about damaging engines for fame.
@@ArthurSperotto no just following along what was being compared in the video to the so called grail cars.
I have never lusted after a 90s era Mustang, Camaro or Corvette. I simply do not want them in my garage. However I have always fancied the FD, NSX, GTR and Supra. I think the global market agrees
If you look at the E36 M3 it's rly sad that you guys in the states got such a slow version of the car due to cost reduction from BMW. the Euro Version with the 3.2l engine has ~320hp and is a whole different animal.
why? gas prices are cheap here we were driving modded v8s while you had to do the best you could with 6s. Im sad your gas prices are so high as to prohibit you from driving cars with 8 cylinders....😅
US or Europe BMW are overpriced trash...
@@sportfuryman if you say so....
but you do know that there are some benefits of having a smaller,lighter engine do you? Also there were plenty enough European V8,V10,V12 or even W12 engines around. But hey I'm sick and tired of the present car culture and I won't start and arguement with you.
Cheers
@@sportfuryman What???? We also have V8, and way more V10 and V12 and W12 than you xdddddd
Due to our 25 year rule, I have been seeing Euro spec E36 M3s appear in the US. The problem is the price. Most places are asking $30K and over!!
I think you nailed certain things like reengineering the cars for the mandatory OBD-II in 1996 and the yen to dollar that caused drastic price increases in the early 90s and the end to the era that gave us crazy value like the LS400. The LT1 fourth gens don't seem to stack up until the LS1 came around in 1998. It's kind of unfair to compare the C4 from the early 80s to the JDM cars which blitzed America. The leap from C4 (a car I loved to the C5) is pretty remarkable. Looking at the actual performance the Supra traded blows with the C5 and the NSX outperformed both it was noted as having exceptional brakes at the time). I'd say the NSX was the car that transformed exotics and in a way was the GT3. As it stretched past 98 the price rising from $78 to I remember 104kish in 03 was a bit silly. It was the car that was stubbornly Honda in engine tech rather than turbos. 300ZX was a fine comfortable car (partial to the 2+2) myself to stretch the rear a bit and move the gas tank fill. 3kgts were remarkable but in a techy nerdy kind of way, but I thought they were good-looking cars, especially in the final year. The only two sports cars on the list to me are the NSX and RX-7. Having lived with an FD for a decade, it is amazingly difficult to find a replacement, but it's much happier at the track and a bit rough on the street. Never had a GTR and have spent little time in one so can't really comment on that. The remarkable thing is '89 R32, '89 Z32, '90 3kgt, '92 Supra, '92 Rx7. If we just had that one more year of the cars at affordable levels before the SUV explosion I imagine sales might have been a bit better. In reality, even F-bodies and all sports car sales were falling during this time period.
totally agree with your comment! The NSX transformed the world of sportscars and it was anyway built to compete with posches and ferraris on a track. If you like roadsters, the S2000 might be an option, it's fron't mid engines, revs to 9000k and double wishbone all around like the FD. Also the chassis is as rigid as a coupe thanks to the x-frame monocoque.
Most American cars are not forced, the Corvette c4 and c5 are mostly naturally aspirated.
@@binskee677 S2K seems like the most obvious option. Driving the girlfriend's supercharged ND is a really good car, though I preferred her non-SCed ND to be honest. EPS is a little bit a turnoff for me and the ratio is too fast and gearing too short for me being used to 90s cars. I'd like to try an NC out to see how it fits.
Of all those cars, I'd love to have an '97 NSX-T with pop up headlights, and 6spd. You don't need to go fast when you look that freakin' good!
it matters to me
well on a track you'll be the fastest of those don't worry ;)
I like how you said the NSX weighed 3200 pounds “back then”. Unfortunately, due to inflation, they now weigh 7,000 pounds. 😮
Put them fatties on Jenny Craig diet.
It’s cuz they reintroduced it as a new model a decade later
I love the objective approach, and since you’ve actually owned some of these it seems much more authentic.
dude, he just compared hp numbers that is totally bullshit, drive one of the 90's mustangs on a track and then a RX-7 the 90's american cars were total trash cars with a big engine sitting on the front axle
@@binskee677 LOL, you mean, exactly like Craig did. Guy owned 90s Mustangs AND had plenty of experience with RX-7 and obviously a multitude of other JDM sports cars.
The "toggle" sound from the need for speed menu when cars show up in the video = priceless
*All I hate in the community are these jdm fanboys (9-12) year olds who think a Supra mk4 ,gtr r34,rx7 fd are the reason why there the best Japan cars they are all over the Internet pop car culture etc and becoming so hype out that there manufactured and there slick performance are so good back in the 90s/2000s and now fanboys are comparing over a different hypercars/super cars like the Bugatti Chiron/sports koenigsegg Jesko,agera r even a dodge demon hell cat And some that there favorite movies where f&f 1,2,Tokyo drift and a thriller anime called initial d. For me my favorite jdm sports car is the Nissan 300zx because it’s cheap and rare sometimes*
Why do you give a sh1t what some 9 year olds think? Your rant falls pretty flat being that you're hung up on pre-teens. If a 9year old tells me a car is as fast as iron man, ok cool, they're 9 for fvck sake.
Dude, im from Alabama and car culture here has always loved japanese cars. I think it was a silent well-known fact they were special for some reason BUT THEN in 2011, we got this BEACON of light that firmly cemented what we already knew. This movie called 200MPH released and we were like fuck it, we gotta sell some kidneys and get us some Toyoda Supers.
Yeah I was in high school in early 2000’s so we all drove cars from the 90’s. I miss my FD RX7 so much, and it was so much fun
I miss the day's of getting them for under 5k here in canada, I don't know why I passed on r32 and r33 gtr's and mk4 supra's.......fucking hind sights a bitch. Now I'm just stuck with my 97 Eclipse GSX as my only dream car I've been able to acquire.
if you are talking straight line performance yes us wins . track corner abilities/build quality have to give it to japan.
Yup. Some people car about turning and not just beating a guy light to light.
I still wouldn''t call these cars overrated. They are overpriced based on supply and demand. Much of the reason they're touted as overrated is simply the passage of time and cheap HP that became prevalent in the 2010s. Just like I wouldn't call a classic 72 Daytona overrated, neither are these. They're now in the category of collectible neo classics and their performance is irrelevant to value.
Nobody would ever compare a Daytona to a tuner car. Yes, they're overrated. They weren't 7 years ago before BaT but now they are.
The nsx is the only one that makes sense.
@@LOVE-VIBES-X-PROJECT-CARS
@@LOVE-VIBES-X-PROJECT-CARS how about a hakosuka GTR compared to an R35 GTR. What about a 2000GT compared to an a90 Supra? Are you starting to notice a trend? Comparing 20+ year old performance to a modern car is just outrageously moronic.
@@Und34d_R .....nothing about your counter argument makes sense. Who tf is comparing one of the rarest low number cars in the world to 90s cars. And I never said anything about modern day performance. Hell I never mentioned performance in general 😂
@@LOVE-VIBES-X-PROJECT-CARS it’s comparing an old car that is “slow” by modern terms but insanely expensive because it’s collectible, to a newer faster cheaper option than offers better performance. I wouldn’t expect someone who’s dishonest as yourself to be able to conceptualize the idea that advances in technology make cars faster, but people still pay more for old cars for different reasons.
"Overrated jdm sport cars" all of then are 😂
I wouldn’t say these cars are over rated, it’s just that some of these cars have been ruined due to the current trends. Negative camber, wings bigger than a garage door, Lamborghini type scissor doors on cars that don’t benefit from it, fake vents, looking fast but not ACTUALLY fast, etc.
I’m all for wrapping your car, but there’s a limit to that too. Just don’t overdo it.
If your sick of the car options include... wrapping it
Around a pole
Will never forget seeing a z32 300zxtt for the first time
I saw one recently near the Kremlin in Moscow, it was yellow and in pretty nice condition. They're cool cars.
I wanted a 300ZXTT when I graduated high school. And I bought one last year and am loving it!
Two of my friends had these in the 90s. Among my group we had 2 300ZX, 1 Supra, 3 240SX, 2 Integra, 1 CRX, several Civics, 1 Mustang GT, 1 Mazda MX6, 1 Mazda MX3, and dad cars of the day. What a group!
I can't remember where I saw it, but I love the take
"Oh your $30,000 Supra you dropped $150,000 into is slightly faster than a $100,000 Lamborghini"
Those numbers don't make any sense.
@@colind7678 hes saying yes you can beat a Ferrari with a supra, sure its funny
But the engine has been invested in thus making more sense to buy a Ferrari
@Nolesy You don't need to spend 150K into a Supra to beat a Ferrari. That's where the numbers don't make sense. Hell, my AWD, turboed, motor swapped Honda maybe has 30K into it, including buying the car, will beat some Ferraris.
@@colind7678 I know this,
Fast and furious fans know this
Even a 10 year old with a 4 speed hard off the pavement pretending he'd have dads charger because hes got initial suprise knows this
But everyone thinks Harrys cost a zillion bucks because Brian bought the shop
Didn't know the NSX was so expensive im US. The atraction on this car was how it performed on par against some Lambos and Ferraris, but much cheaper in Japan. It has less horsepower but the aluminium structure allowed it to run and turn well
The NSX made all of the exotics go back to the drawing board. So many reasons to list, but those that know, know. It isn’t all about 0-60
@@KosmicHRTRacingTeam I feel like this entire video was about power and 0-60 times.
@@xXYannuschXx after everything is said and done Craig is still an American Car enthusiast, meaning 0-60 above all else and no torque must mean no fun. Drive those 90s American cars around a track then take an RX-7, NSX, S2000 etc for the same track and see. And by track I do NOT mean a straight line. American „Motorsport“ is a joke to every European and Japanese person and it’s for good reason. I get good laughs from American car journalism ✌🏻
The funny thing is all of these cars are over rated because of Fast and Furious. Mainly the first two movies.
Oh yeah? It couldn’t have anything to do either people the classic cars now in 2025, and a lot of people in their 40s and 50s have the money for them now. It’s no different than all the dad’s when I was a kid buying up their high school muscle cars.
If you find a low mileage mk4 supra and buy it for 100k then be prepared to put almost 80k into it the break lines will be dried out and you have to worry about rust underneath the windows and possibly a bad fuel tank
Brake*
Nailed it CL. Same age as you and drove all of them except the R34. The ZR1 Vette wins everyday in my book, and I’m going to own one some day instead of the Supra I used to have.
Comparing a ZR1 vs a 20+ year old car. Sounds reasonable. Maybe you should consider people buy different cars for different reasons.
@Erik W yup that overhead cam GM motor is one of a kind. Especially when built by mercury, and designed by lotus.
In terms of performance American cars have always had the best value for power. The only downside was a) quality, and b) for people outside the US since they only really sold American performance cars IN America
and handling, chassis engineering and the whole suspension construction (not in every car but the cars in those price range)
Dont forget about handling. The Camaro and Mustang he mentioned both still had solid rear axles. These cars handled horribly.
@@xXYannuschXx yea i drove one, never again. The new mustangs are much better but european and Japanese cars from the 90's are still way ahead imo.
@@xXYannuschXx except the Corvette C8, it's a masterpiece!!
I wonder how the Eclipse GSX stacks up against that lineup of 90s sports cars.
Stock? Not well.
Poorly. Far better off in a Evo. You Americans got bloody unlucky there. My mates and I used to abuse Evo 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 regularly here in New Zealand. You could pick them up for sub 10k nzd all over the place.
@@izzy031096 Tell me about it. As a hardcore WRC fan and Japanese performance car enthusiast, it was HELL growing up with no Lancer Evolutions or WRXs. We didn't get out first WRX until 2002 and the Evo came out the following year... and even then, they were watered-down, neutered versions of their glorious Right Hand Drive models sold in Asia, Europe, and the island nations.
@@Holmesson I feel for you bro. If it makes you feel any better we thrashed the shit out of them down here and drove them how they were supposed to be driven, very aggressively on b-roads.
Still to this day, one the best cars I’ve driven was my mates WRX type RA with all the good bits on it.
@@izzy031096 This explains the heavy investment Americans made in aftermarket performance for the GSX and GS-T cars.
I remember reading that the early Gen1 Eclipse cars (89-93?) with pop up headlights had a short block that was incredibly stronger than any other model in the years after it was replaced with a more affordable factory version. Is there any truth to this?
i like the the need for speed SFX, keep doing more of those!
Lusted after all these cars as a kid and teen, was lucky to have a best friend who was equally immersed in the car culture of the time. All the hours we spent talking about them, playing Gran Turismo, reading our magazine subscriptions, car shows, going to dealerships just to see one on the showroom, etc, etc, etc. Wish I could go back to the late 90's and live there forever.
All you look at our numbers, how much cheeseburgers you can get for $10. Come on, man..... a car is more than just your Fast n' Furious how many horsepower you can squeeze out of it style. It's about the feel of a car, the drivability, the refinement, how it behaves going into a corner/mid-corner/exit, how a car behaves under braking, balance of the chassis...... it ain't all just straight line (boring btw). And calling an NSX overrated? Yeah, I'll take Senna's opinion over yours. You can Google him.
Which is why real racers laugh at Fast and Furious BS. I’ve never been able to make it all the way through any of the movies, laughable garbage that is nothing like reality or real racing.
Not only that. Google “How the Original Acura NSX Was a Huge Influence on the McLaren F1”. Here’s an interesting quote…”Engineering documents shown in the BBC documentary How to Go Faster and Influence People: The Gordon Murray F1 Story (seen at 47:00) reveal that the Ferrari F40, Lamborghini Countach, BMW M1, Porsche 959, and the Bugatti EB110 among others were benchmarked for the F1. That the NSX stood head and shoulders above the others is high praise for the Honda.” Oh, you mention Senna and don’t forget about Zanardi as well.
NSX handled like a beast though, didn't it? And FD took more boost without many internal mods unlike standard engines. Also, where are the MR2s?
I lived in Japan for most of the 90s. I saw Supras, NSXs, GT-Rs, and FD RX-7s just rolling around on the street all the time, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Back then, I said to myself that I would one day own at least one of these 4. Today, I have a Lexus SC400, which -- despite being waaaaay cheaper today than they are -- is actually my first choice to daily drive.
I was a teenager and graduated high school in the 90s and thanks to Gran Turismo I fell in the love with imports. Where I lived of it wasn’t a truck or a Mustang or Camaro no one cared. I bought a cherry 1991 240 SX SE as a graduation gift to myself and it was only $2500. I have fond memories of the imports scene in those days
90s were great cause boomers were in their 40s. So they had the money to burn and still wanted fun. Now suvs are doing well cause they are at that age.
Underrated: The MKIII Supra (the same one you wanted in F&F 1)
I've been shocked how damn good the car is and how good it looks inside and out. It gets as much attention as a Lambo these days and it's a complete blast to drive.
Despite being around 3,500lbs, she's the best handling car I've ever driven by far and the prices are fairly reasonable if you can find a good one. I assume they will be "classics" by the end of the decade.
@Erik W Bro, almost no one can afford an MKIV. It's still a supra and personally I think the 1989+ plus taillight and center section are just rad, but I do like the unified 80's/90's "taillight strip" look that goes across the whole bumper. I put custom LED boards in mine, it's like Cyberpunk 2077.
As for being rare, technically it's not, but I've only seen two others in my entire life and even at car shows I go to I've yet to see one. Everyone talks about them or loves it, but no one actually owns one.
@Erik W Yeah I feel that. Also the MkIII went up a lot in value since 2018. They aren't exactly cheap anymore for a nice one and used parts are through the roof even since I bought it.
@Erik W Yeah I sold my 94' camry (though it only had 73K miles and was super clean) for almost 5 grand this year. My 01' GT-S Celica is going to cost me $10K with 142K miles and she still needs work. The market is absolutely insane and my timing on getting into to JDM is awful lol.
@Erik W No That's a really good price if you got a clean spyder. They are super pricey now. My MKIII Supra was $8K
I think it's funny you ribbed on the MK3 Supra because the spyder is the the most hated on MR2, but hell I have almost the same car with the GTS. I think you'll love the hell out of it if it has the 2ZZ. Never remotely owned an engine that revs out to that EXTREME and the valve lift. I wanted my 2nd car to be an MR2, but the prices on MK1-MK2s are out of this world.
Only problem is that damn 7mgte
Great video. The 1990s where really the peak of Japanese Cars both all the sportscars mentioned and luxury cars. U had the Mazda Cosmo for an example and the first Lexus the LS 400 but sadly most of the cars where developed right before Japan ran into a very very bad recession in 1991 that they never really totally recovered from. known as the lost Decades. I have had a Toyota 1993 Corolla Gsi-16 coupe liftback myself and the build quality was impeccable did 230k to 260k Kilometers without a single problem only replaced Shocks and such in 2015-2021 In Norwegian conditions.
4age or 4afe?
@@izzy031096 4AFE 1.6L 113HP
@@Infernal_Elf Wonderful engines! As reliable as they come.
Tbh you could argue that the Japanese cars performance was underrated. Because they were held back at least to some extent by the gentleman's agreement. Yea they all underrated their numbers but you could Definintly get more out of the engines. But we go with the hard numbers from the time lol.
People massively exaggerate how high the “gentlemen’s agreement” power figures are. Really they made like 10-20bhp over what they were suppose to which back then was substantial but now we have cars like the new Zupr4 making more to the wheels than it’s rated at the crank. Not to mention nobody keeps these cars stock anyway so it really means nothing.
@@CadexLaw precisely. Anyone who's driven any generation GTR for example, will know they're extremely underwhelming in the power department.
If he actually used the “brochure” numbers there’s multiple cars on his list that are 276hp, not 300+. And it’s clear to see his bias toward the gtr (being the only one he really points out the gentleman’s agreement on, and also listed at 330 against the Supra 320.)
@@AcquiredPrawn49 Sure if he used the Japanese Brochures. All but the GT-R were available here in the US with the HP he stated. He’s from the US and once again the GTR was never sold here so that’s why he mentions the gentleman’s agreement.
@@TurboNFRStwoK if you’re gonna compare the JDM cars, compare the JDM models for all of them, or only talk up the USDM models for better comparison.
I like your video but I disagree on the performance statement you made. You listed acceleration performance which was never the stronghold of those JDM Cars most of them were built for cornering with no AmericanMuscle listed in here can hold a candle to them. I have owned a 96 Mustang GT, 91 nsx and 87 rx7 turbo, and while I feel like the Mustang had good get-up-and-go there is no way I could have ever driven it at the same speed than the two others on windy roads. Now I am from Europe originally which drag race was never a prevailing type of racing compared to here. Since you've driven a lot more of those cars than I have how do you feel about their handling
Thank you for saying that it's worth what someone will pay. Tired of having to hear people talk about what's over priced and what's not, seems to be a projection of their limited budget for the most part.
0:35 i’d recognize those sound effects anywhere, Need for Speed Underground / Underground 2 !!!
The NSX rips are kind of funny, purely looking at 0-60 and 1/4 times? Yep, have fun in your Mustang. The car is much much deeper than that. and even as a huge Porsche guy, let’s not fool ourselves, the NSX made Porsche, Ferrari, and every other true performance company (not muscle car, drag racing….although The Corvette finally woke up and went mid engine….30 years later) take notice. If one is going to gloss over the mid engine, aluminum body, double wishbone suspension, variable valve high revving (normally aspirated) engine, incredible shifting, NSX just because of 0-60 times, the NSX isn’t the car for you. That being said, if you know much about the NSX, a guy Named Gordon Murray (you may have heard of him) and a Car named the McLaren F1, I think I tend to respect Mr Murray’s opinion of the NSX and he put his money where his mouth was, and still it today. But going back to the NSX performance, it outperformed the much higher priced Ferrari 348, the Porsche 964 (247hp) and Lotus Esprit. Yep, there were muscle cars that were quicker, as was the Supra and a slightly tuned 300zx twin Turbo. But those cars were also quicker than the other MUCH more expensive euro sports cars listed above. In the late 80s and through the 1990s I grew up in a home than had, in chronological order….Merc 190 2.3-16v (wish he would have bought the E30 M3 instead) 911, 300zx twin turbo (tuned by Jim Wolf), Acura NSX, BMW E36 (tuned by Dinan), and CLK55. Out of ALL of those cars, the NSX was the most “special” and it’s not even a close comparison. There was an Indycar driver at the time that we knew that just sold his 300zx TT and got an NSX. Asked why he did it, since his 300 was quicker and made more HP, etc. His answer was pretty simple, “the NSX feels like the closest thing to my race car”. The American cars back then drove like absolute crap, especially braking, Corning and handling. Drag racing? Nope, but the quality was absolute crap.
and Gordon originally wanted a Honda engine in the McLaren F1 but Honda said no
Craig "these jdm cars are overrated" my brother you made them overrated
I am glad that you aren’t just another old guy saying carb’d muscle cars were the pinnacle of automotive engineering
No, thank God, very refreshing
Good topic. I was a 90s kid so I was a little too young to understand the car culture back then. Too busy playing N64 and riding my bike at the time. Ahh those were the days.
I was a 90s kid but was around cars a lot.
The US spec e36 M3 did not had the proper M3 engine we received here on Europe. In Europe the car had 286 HP and later got the 3.2L with 320 HP.
Well, that M3 is not a very good comparison in your chart. Because you are talking about the U.S. market E36 M3 which was trash. It only had 240 hp and 236 lbs.ft. of torque which is correct. The European M3 made 321 hp and 258 lbs.ft.
As you are just talking about U.S. market cars I get your point. Just wanted to clarify for other people that BMW built a better car for us Europeans 😂
Yup and even at that time it was named the “best handling car in the world” by some.
Of course it makes a good comparison if he's comparing it to other cars that made it to the same country. Get a grip
The thing that broke the Supra mystique for me is when I found out that a turbo 2JZ weighs about the same as a Ford Boss 429 engine. It’s still an amazing piece of engineering, but power density for displacement doesn’t really mean anything if it doesn’t have power density for mass. It reminds me of a comparison I saw between the LS7 and the 4.4 V8 in the then-new M3. The BMW made about the same horsepower from 4.4 as the Chevy did from 7. But the Chevy was physically much smaller, much lighter, made much better torque, and got better mileage and emissions. So which was the better engine? 🤨
ENOUGH!!!! WE GET IT!!! Y'all have been on this "JDM overrated" bandwagon since 2015💀
I don’t really think the Supra is overrated considering the outrageous power potential it had. The r34 and trueno come to mind.
99.9% of people who buy cars new don't give two shits about the "potential"
I got my drivers license at 16 in 1976. My first car was a Toyota Corona that my dad gave me. It was gutless and the engine rattled... but it ran. My first car that I bought was a 71 AMC Hornet SST, then a 66 Chevelle Super Sport (should never have sold that one), 64 Mercury Comet Caliente, 71 Impala convertible 427, 71 Challenger 340. Then I bought a used Toyota Cressida with the non turbo six... that thing was fast for a sedan! Now I have a 14 CTS-V coupe... and a 99 Mazda Protege. The V is a beast but the Mazda is low miles, all manual 1.6 liter and I have to say, after lowering it it is a blast to drive. Not fast but it goes around a track really, really well. Power isn't everything. BTW I think you overrated the 0-60 time on the Camaro. I drove some of those and they were rather slow.
@@ACommenterOnTH-cam Mine is 105 HP but the car handles well and I can get 115 MPH out of it, just not quickly.
@@ACommenterOnTH-cam YEah, I get it. Me too.. sometimes. My V has enough mods to be pushing almost 800 HP off the last dyno sheet. I get it, I do but my point was sometimes cheap is fun too. The Protege was $1800 with 41K miles on it and with only a few hundred dollars in mods it is quite fun to drive on a twisty course. Different kind of fun but not everyone can afford an R34... or a CTS-V. I DO wish I could find a turbo kit for the Mazda though. She just too old for a kit...😩
Base Camaro's had V6's and prior to the '98 facelift there were two V8 options, the widely regarded as gutless 305(5L) and the LT1 350(5.7L)
The fast and the furious really fluffed up 90s JDM cars to where they are now. All arguably great cars but vastly over priced due to movie hype and perceived cheap modding costs at that time.
Folks to this day still believe they can spend 30k on a JDM or Euro and put a little over 10k to 15k in mods into the car and gap Bugattis and Ferraris like a walk in the park. Thank you fast and the furious... 😮💨
Our American cars did very well for that time it's a shame pretty much all of the American muscle has literally disappeared in favor of electric vehicles. The buyers market dictates what will be sold and consumed but lets keep some of our muscle car history in full form at a low capacity for willing buyers.
Nobody is buying electric vehicles, let's be real.
Americans wants trucks and SUVS.
When someone tells me that they want to buy a good looking but crappy quality car, I tell them to just get the scale model of it.
Interesting discussion. Only disagreement i have is performance isnt just 0-60 and 1/4 mile times.
The whole point of the NSX was to prove that a balance of HP, handling, weight, and braking could compete with cars with more power...... and it did.
My mom got a brand new turbo Supra in 1995 . I was just getting out of high school at time . I was so stoked she was getting it . All my friends said exactly what you where saying “ why doesn’t she get a corvette “. The answer to r that … we have to drive Toyota/Lexus my family has been the south east importer of TOYOTA since 1969.
Great video! I miss a lot of the 90's FF nuggets . The Mazda mx-3 1.8 V6. The Nissan nx2000, so many back then.
Recognition for the unsung NX2000 🔥
Some of my favorite cars on this list... but he needs to add about a half second on most of the 0-60 times. They are extremely optimistic lol.
Man I miss the 90's, what an awesome time that was.
Craig showing some love for the 300ZX! Got mine 16 years ago and will never let her go. Anyone looking to get into a JDM car, they're miles behind the others in price still...finicky and a pain to get up to good running condition, yes, but a great looking car and fun once you get all the basic maintenance squared away. Still a head turner to this day, I always get compliments on it.
That engine looks like a headache to work on, but a nice car nonetheless
@@interceptingfist5682 absolute PITA 😂 completely over engineered with quite a few useless things that’s most owners delete
3:05 it depends, Craig. An rhd turbo AT was 12000 euros a few years ago in Europe. You could get r32 gtr's for 6000 and r34 gtr for 25000. Looking back with these prices, yes they were cheap.
One car I wish you would have included was the Buick Grand National and the T-Type. GNXs were pretty exclusive. Grand Nationals weren't circuit racers but I remember how badass they were. I somehow convinced a dealership salesman to let me drive a brand new one in 1986 when I was 18. I honestly think the salesperson knew I couldn't buy it, but wanted an excuse to drive it.
On another note, what is your opinion on the 80s Dodge Daytona Turbo 2s and Chrysler Lasers?
Man the mr2 didn’t make the Japanese list? they too have gone up a lot!
I was into the American muscle scene when the f&f came out so as a matter of pride I , (and many others like me) were very competitive with the Japanese market cars. We had some strong contenders, the ram air Trans Ams and Camaro SS were rated at 320hp and dynoing nearly that at the wheels. Heck, muscle mustangs and fast Ford's magazine famously ripped a 12.9 quarter in an ls1 SS. When the c5 came out in 97 it was world beating on track and strip. Domestics had some strong contenders back in the day. It still amazes me the domestics from that time go so comparatively cheap now.
Because they’re trash
As much as I love the JDM cars of the era, the best bang for the buck going BACK THEN (pre-2003) was the LS1 Z28. If you want a few more ponies while saving a few pounds, pony up a few extra grand for the SS. If you wanted the ultimate in attitude, the WS6 Trans Am was the hot ticket. Mine ran 13.2 bone stock.
Where did you get the sound effects from when the specs and pictures are moving and changing? I noticed they're exactly the same as the ones from NFS Underground
Overrated because of you, and a little movie called fast and furious.
Gordon Murray “"The moment I drove the 'little' NSX, all the benchmark cars-Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini-I had been using as references in the development of my car vanished from my mind," said Murray. "Of course the car we would create, the McLaren F1, needed to be faster than the NSX, but the NSX's ride quality and handling would become our new design target."
Hello and greetings from Germany. I liked how you made an objective look on the cars. Of course, for car enthusiasts it is difficult to be objective. So in my opinion you did a good job here. But from my point of view there is something missing. Japanese and European cars are manufactured with a high focus on cornering ability. Usually in the USA there are long straights. But that's not the case in Europe or Japan. Straights are usually short comared to roads in the US and there are a lot of corners in every thinkable condition. As are the racetracks. You know, sports cars are built with the knowledge from race cars. And that is the main reason why European and Japanese sports cars are high priced. The engines and the suspension of the cars were more complicated as for example in the 1994 corvette. The 3000gt for example had not only a 4 wheel drive but also 4 wheel steering. I see that in nascar or drag races, something like that is not needed, but take a look at the nurburg ring or suzuka race track.
I think that explains the high price gap between '90s US muscle and import sports cars.
Still, thank you for that video!
“Were not going to talk aboit subjective stuff” proceeds to talk almost entirely about subjective stuff. Lol
Did you just use the sound effects from Need for speed when changing screens :D my man!
It's very interesting how the price compares. Yet in the U.K. The American cars were about 40% more expensive.
I also think we got a more powerful M3.
I owned 2 sn95 cobras. First one was a 96 Red Coupe, Second was a White 98 Coupe. I was stationed in 29 Palms at the time. I use to run those cars wide open, through the endless desert roads. Very stout engines. They will take all the abuse you can throw at them.
I would smoke all the other GT’s on base lol. So many good memories. That feels like a different lifetime ago.
he mentions performance alot, but what he actually seems to mean is drag racing in a straight line, those ugly american v8s were cheap for a reason, look bad, built quality is poor, and performance even more shocking , get them on a track vs the skyline and you'll see why they are worth a bit more money , sit in one and you'll see why they are worth more money, america just doesn't produce decent cars when it comes to the rest of the world
When will you print ECLIPSE apparel?
How do they compare on a road course? Love the channel!😊
Its funny how people complain about modern sports cars being too expensive when these cars are extremely overpriced for the time.
I love my rx7. I like the way it drives better than all the other jdm legends I’ve been fortunate enough to drive them all. The car was made till 2002 tho and the 95 was the worst year because it got updates in 96-98 and more updates in 99-02. America only got 93-95
I like the way Mazda engineers design their cars. That less is more concept lost on other manufacturers. Currently driving a 2016 MX-5 Club soft top at 2320 pounds the ability to drive this car & have it communicate what is happening at the wheels - incredibly fun. All 155 HP in my relatively stock Miata is over half of what these JDM cars were producing but as a daily drive - not a garage queen - the Miata is hard to beat overall.
Out of curiosity, how would you rate a '96 Escort Cosworth? 230-ish horsepower, all-wheel drive, 2900lbs, and 0-60 in 5.7 seconds...
I know that tuners are now getting over 1000hp versions with various upgrades... but i'm curious what you think..
Probably “overrated” because you can just buy a shitty ass WRX and pretend you’re cool. These arguments are all really dumb. Buy old cars for a reason.
I don't think we had those in North America. The Cosworth was in a category with the WRX Impreza and Audi or other rally cars like Lancer. Definitely a rare car and a collectible.
@@nonename7869 it wasn't... But, the R32/R34 weren't really, either...
@@Blue84Stang he didn't have experience with the Cosworth so he didn't mention it. Pretty difficult to ask someone's opinion on something to compare with hands on experience when they never had it. If he did then I apologize but I feel like he would mention it if he did and it was worth mentioning
waiting for the roasting video of cars so i can see how bad my turbo acura legend gets picked on!!!
Great video! You make view like Need for Speed HotPursuit 2 game hahaha the car selection menu when you look at the car specs nice 👍🏻 I love it
Now that's a high quality one! Great job, Craig! 👌
The good thing is nobody wants the cars that I want but that's also the bad thing because there's none around.
NFS2SE graphics and music 👍
Even if you kept in on the america side, it would’ve made total sense to mention the eclipse 2g
When the dealer markup a car 15k and someone buys that’s car is it now worth that markup price because someone was willing to pay it ?
I love this world and how everyone gets the same chances and we all experience the same. We are all equal. What a wonderful world!
Bravo!
I owned some 15 JDMs
Acura Integra 2x TSX Mazda3 626 Accords 3xs Civics 4xs and Eclipse 3xs Infiniti G20T
Today dive Eclipse Spyder
Won 3 best of shows and entered
1st ever Import Nights Pomona CA
No matter how you put it, the MK4 A80 Supra was overrated, and expensive.
And was not much popular in the 1990s, or alone didn't sell decently throughout the decade(the MK3 A70 Supra which is the third generation Supra is the best selling Supra as of current).
Also, the RZ Trim Supra A80 with the 2JZ GTE had its hands full against other vehicles that costed a few thousands less...such as the "base" C4 Corvette of the 1990s while stock! Not counting the ZR1 C4 Corvette, nor the then-new C5 Corvette with it's then-new LS V8
@Erik W Yep. Truth
@Erik W Also what he didn't mention is that the 2JZ series engine didn't start in the MK4 A80 Supra first, it actually first started in the Toyota Aristo which is also the Lexus GS. And the Supra MK4 literally came from the Lexus SC 400/SC 300. The 300 already had the 2JZ series engine, while the 400 had the V8 1UZ as the top choice engine over the 2JZ
It's hard to believe I bought a car, in 2022, for the same price of a Supra, 25 years ago, and got over a 100 more hp. When people complain about the price of new cars, I point to that 😂
The only reason I would trade my FD for any other Japanese sports car would be so I could sell it for more and get another FD with some spare cash.
When it comes to performance handling fit finish and reliability it has to be Japanese. Market price is where it seems to tip and for some people that's a deal breaker for value (overrated). If you want the best you usually have to pay for it. Like he says R34 is pretty much perfect. Now I want one too.
Wrong, american cars from the Era were far better. Especially for the used prices today
@@k00lkidz4 it's not wrong lol if you sit inside of one you'll notice the fit and finish is not even close. Gaps are huge and uneven. Nevermind the power to handling is so unrefined because USDM cars were aiming for engine HP for dragstrip or straight line off the light racing and not for S curve switchbacks. Go ahead and fall off a mountain in a Corvette. They're cheaper for a reason cool guy
@@nonename7869 Agree with the JDM quality over American cars. Just remember one thing - the Japanese got educated in making quality cars after WW2 by an American sent there to put them back on their feet - { William Edwards Deming (October 14, 1900 - December 20, 1993) was an American engineer, statistician, professor, author, lecturer, and management consultant. Educated initially as an electrical engineer and later specializing in mathematical physics, he helped develop the sampling techniques still used by the U.S. Department of the Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He is also known as the father of the quality movement and was hugely influential in post-WWII Japan. He is most well-known for his theories of management. } Too bad Deming didn't work in the American Auto industry to teach what quality in manufacturing means.
BTW I drive a 2016 MX-5 soft top as a daily driver built in the Hiroshima Mazda plant & its been a quality sports car in every way.
@@ag4allgood wow!!! Thank you for this education and sharing the history. I always enjoy deepening my knowledge and fully appreciate that. I actually feel like the Japanese culture is one of perfection so his teachings were well invested into that society. And yes, Japanese brand doesn't mean made in Japan so congratulations on knowing the difference. Mazda is probably the most underrated Japanese brand since Subaru has risen from the Rally Car fame.
@@nonename7869 What Demings did was set Japan as the quality car manufacturing Capital of the World. These quality sports cars would not exist if there was no Corollas / Celica's / MR2s / WRXs / Civic Sis / Preludes / Integra's at the lower prices of these cars. All of these lower priced cars
gave a higher quality car with a fun to drive feeling. THAT is a hard to quantify but if looking at Consumer Reports the owners satisfaction is always much better for Japanese branded cars. Subarus have been amazing 4 wheel drive vehicles.
Having never driven any NSX, I feel like the new version would be a better value, especially if prices of the old cars keep going up to where they're comparable. You'd get a nicer, faster car.
As a rotary guy the Fd being best bang for buck is a win, taking care of that engine is no problem
No S-chassis talk… disappointed 😔
A nimble fully loaded S14 kouki msrp was $22,000
He's talking about overated cars
@@user-sk4wf3ve6z and s chassis aren't overrated 😂
@@k00lkidz4 they weren't over rated because they were cheap when they came out first and they are still fairly cheap compared to other jdm cars now.i live in Ireland and you can get an s14 for around 20k.rx7's are about 50k and skylines are over 100k,bit of a difference 😂
@@user-sk4wf3ve6z s chassis are still slower than 4th gen camaros, which you can get from 5-10k USD
Brand new car back in 1995 for $40k? Terrible value for money
Same car in 2023 for $300k? Oh yeah, take my money
That intro, felt like I was again 9 playing need for speed
back then if you wanted one car to do sports, cruise and commute, and you wanted to do it reliably, then it's the Japanese. If you wanted the sports car to do sports and nothing else, then yes you'd have a Corvette for the weekend and a Malibu (97 COTY yay). But since you'd have to buy 2 cars to do what the Supra did, you paid more than the Supra to live your American life. BMW M3 was an enticing option but everything was turned to 80% or so of the supra experience back then.
15:14 I feel Craig should have mentioned (for the sake of it) how the US E36 M3 was so badly detuned at 240hp. The EU cars came with 320hp, Which is inline with the other cars of its time.