Having watched the market for Japanese cars closely over the past few months, it’s apparent that there’s a real frenzy beginning over some of these cars: 240Zs, early Celicas, Datsun 510s. We’ve included a diverse selection of sales and no-sales from last month’s activity on eBay. We found a number of good-looking, well-preserved, low mileage cars, though some of them didn’t attract the bidding activity we would have expected. As with any type of collector car, though, you’re better off paying the most and getting the cleanest example you can find. All of these cars below have nowhere to go but up...buy now!

I didn’t realize how few of these early Accord Couples were left in this shape until I stumbled upon this upstanding example. The $6,000 Buy It Now price seemed to scare off potential bidders, but I was surprised nobody offered the $3500 opening bid. This is a car that people may not be paying attention to yet in the collector world, but in 5 years it will seem like a steal at around $5k. How many do you see like this?

These Supra Turbos are perhaps the best Japanese GT cars of all time. Their residual values reflect that, as their owners rarely decide to part with them once getting their hands on one. This car, while nicely presented, was an automatic, which makes it less appealing on the used market. What’s it worth? Almost $30k seems acceptable to me, but the owner of this Supra (and the other Supra in this month’s market report, bid to $46,100) thought differently.

I don’t blame the seller for keeping this car – it was gorgeous. In fact, I’ve been thinking an early CR-X Si would be a good car to add to the Motoring J Style fleet. This car, so fresh and nice, is worth $5,000 today, and don’t be surprised when we see cars like this fetching $7,500.

Collector car values often don’t make much sense, and I don’t get the craze over old Land Cruisers. People were dying to bid $20k on this vehicle, yet nobody offered more than $3300 for the 69k-mile CR-X (above), What gives? That said, this was a beautiful Land Cruiser, and the price paid reflected its outstanding condition and presentation. Way cooler than whatever you’d buy new for $22k.

As with the ’77 Accord mentioned above, the high Buy It Now price seemed to turn off potential bidders. If the car was truly as clean and mint as described, it was worth the $6,500. But only with about 25 more really excellent photos attesting to the car’s condition. A no reserve sale would have attracted more bidders. What’s a GSL-SE in this condition worth? I’d say $8-10,000.

Early RX-7s are rapidly achieving “collector car” status long after most of them have been turned into Spec RX7s or junked. Preserved low-mileage originals, like this one, will be worth $5,000 soon. Coming from Texas, it’s probably not rusty, either.

There are none of these left, which is why it amazed me that nobody thought this was worth $850. I guess nobody wanted to go to Canada to drag it home.

Wow, what a gorgeous car this was. Not many Supra Turbos were sold at the end of the line, making this a rare and highly desirable car. Worth $50k+.

This was market price for a car in this condition, but CR-X values will climb as they become more a part of the nostalgia car scene. The black car in Florida was way nicer than this one, but this is about as good a CR-X as we normally see out here in California.

eBay #320094879530 – 1978 Toyota Hi Lux Pickup Custom Dually Crew Cab. Number of Bids: 16. 24 photos. Location: Mason City, Iowa. Manual transmission.  Mileage: 83,735. Red/black. This truck was a real oddball to inspire some 70s nostalgia. Apparently it was a professional conversion done in the U.S., using the original 20R inline 4-cylinder. Body in good shape with good paint, with the exception of a dent on the drivers’ side front fender. Some surface rust. Interior has worn out carpets and generally looks a bit used. Everything works; 83k original miles. SOLD AT: $2,550. Date: 3/29/07.

This was a strange, cool truck. Price paid was a steal, in my opinion – less than the tax and license fees you’d pay on a new truck, and way cooler! And it will go forever.

eBay #200091506399 – 1988 Mazda RX-7 GTU. Number of Bids: 1. 8 photos. Location: Parkersburg, WV. Manual transmission.  Mileage: 81,000. Black/grey. A factory GTU with the 4:10 LSD rear end. Motor/trans/ecu swapped out of a ’92 S5 with 61k miles, as indicated on the gauge cluster. Claimed to drive “as new” with no hang-ups. New aftermarket fuel pump and clutch, among other things. SOLD AT: $1,800. Date: 3/26/07.

FC RX-7s can be a tough sell, because most of them are broken in minor ways or major ones. This car looked like a decent project driver, and was easily worth the price paid. One day, when enough of them have been scrapped, the world will wake up and accept these as collector cars, also.

No bids? I wish I had room to park all these cars. Did $5,000 scare everyone away? Most of the people who buy these cars today are bottom-feeders, and maybe this one was just priced out of their league. Worth the money as an interesting alternative to an MG, Triumph, or what have you.

I don’t get it. Even a truly ratty S600 should be worth $7,000. This looked to be better than that. Why did the bidding stall? Were people extra wary of this seller and his record? The car should have brought at least a $10,000 bid, on a bad day.

Starions and Conquests are becoming rare as hen’s teeth. This wide-bodied car was unfortunately an automatic, but its clean appearance attracted a number of interested bidders. These cars are cult classics and could one day fetch decent money as the first really collectible U.S. market Mitsubishi sports car.

It’s my belief that a truly exceptional Sunchaser should bring $8-10,000. This car is either a daily driver or a restoration project, and ultimately, a very worthwhile one. It wouldn’t take much to make this car nice and presentable. Well bought – a real unique Japanese rarity! But the $5400 Corolla Convertible was better to begin with a probably a nicer car to drive. 

This is one of the most beautiful Japanese sports cars ever produced, not to mention the world’s first rotary sports car. Why it’s worth only 1/5 of a Toyota 2000GT, I don’t know. A more correct and original presentation (original wheels and interior components) would have certainly attracted the $50,000 asking price and perhaps even as much as the $65,000 that the car is reportedly valued at. And to think that my dad passed one up in Germany in 1970 for $1,000!

What do you make of this car? The bid offered doesn’t even begin to cover the cost of its construction, but what the hell would you do with it? Can’t drive it on the street and not much good for anything except the Wednesday Night Drags. A wild car that looked good, but a limited use vehicle for sure.

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