By Andy Lilienthal
You may be well aware of the United States' "25 year import rule" for cars/trucks. A car that was not actually imported into the U.S. for sale has to be at least 25 years old before it can be legally imported. That means that we can now bring in cars made in 1990 and older. Here are five of the coolest non-U.S.-market vehicles you can buy now:
1990 Suzuki Alto Works
For $7,500, you can own this turbocharged kei car. It's got 54,000 miles on it, cold A/C, and an automatic transmission. Located in Iowa of all places.
Source: Omaha Craigslist
1989 Nissan S-Cargo
These little things have always piqued my interest. This kei-sized delivery van is located in Vancouver, Canada and has 84,000 kilometers on the clock. It's powered by a three-cylinder engine mated to an automatic transmission (unfortunately). This little delivery car can be had for $6,000 CAD.
Source: Vancouver Craigslist
1989 Nissan Pao
The retro Nissan Pao has a turbocharged 1.0-liter engine mated to, yes, an automatic trans. This one has 52,000 miles on it and is going for $11,900. Other goodies include retractable roof, aftermarket steering wheels (more than one?), and a front strut tower bar. This puppy is located in Japan.
Source: RightDriveUSA
1985 Honda City Turbo II
The Honda City Turbo II was the company's hot-hatch version of its more pedestrian City. Affedctionaly nicknamed the "bull dog," some City models even came with a stowable moped. No lie. This one does not, but it only has 65,000 kilometers on it. It doesn't get much more classic 1980s Japanese kei car than this. This one is for sale for $9,500 and is located in Richmond, VA.
Source: Japanese Classics
1967 Mazda R360
How cool is this little thing? Believe it or not, this was Mazda's first four-wheeled passenger vehicle. It's got a four-stroke V-engine, two-tone pain, and awesome vintage style. Price? This little guy is $20,917—big bucks for a small car. Plus, it's still in Japan.
Source: Trade Car View
BONUS: 1985 VAZ Lada 2105 (A Bit Bigger)
OK, this one isn't a subcompact, but it's crazy. Also known as the Lada Riva, the 2105 was built in places including Russia, Ukraine, Egypt,, West Germany, and Kazakhstan. This 1985 model is located in the Seattle area and allegedly has a 650 hp turbocharged V6. Yeah, you read that right. The seller is asking a cool $27,000 for this thing. I'd love to see more pictures of this.
Source: Seattle Craigslist
1 comment:
A couple of these look quite interesting, I like the looks of the 1990 Suzuki Alto Works and the 1985 Honda City Turbo II really looks like a winner. The 1967 Mazda R360 is a real charmer (darn cute little thing) too bad it has two strikes against it. Way too expensive plus being in Japan. The 1989 Nissan S-Cargo looks like something you could carry in the back of a Chevy Tahoe as a spare.
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