DUNCAN JDM IMPORTS REGISTRATION
DUNCAN JDM IMPORTS PLUS

How else do you explain the sudden accumulation, in an industrial park on the fringes of Christiansburg, Virginia, of 700 or so vintage Japanese-market vehicles? And not just the ones you’d expect-the coveted Nissan Skylines, Honda Beat convertibles and the like. Might be worth about $40,000.The whole scene would almost make more sense if Gary Duncan were certifiably nuts. MG RV8: Many examples of the final version of the MGB went to Japan. Japanese wagon: About $10,000 can put you in a wagon from Nissan, Toyota or Subaru.Īutozam AZ-1: Gullwing doors and supercar lines for about $25,000.įire trucks: How about a pint-sized fire truck for less than $10,000? Honda Element: Top prices for Honda’s box on wheels have bounced back into the low teens. Lexus SC 430 convertible: Figure about $50,000 for a Japanese Benz SL. Toyota Land Cruiser: Trucks are hot, and about $20,000 buys a Japanese-market version. Honda CRX: The Japanese version received twin-cam power prices are in the teens. Suzuki Cappuccino: A 660cc-powered roadster usually sold in the teens. Mazda Cosmo: Where the original Cosmo can fetch six figures, the ’90s version sells in the teens. Honda Beat: Mid-engine layout, a top that goes down, and prices starting around $10,000. Nissan Figaro: Retro styling over ’90s running gear, with prices starting around $10,000. Gary Duncan, owner of Duncan Imports & Classics, offers a few other favorites for more modest budgets. Put it up there with other Japanese classics that can now fetch six figures: the Datsun 240Z, 1969-’72 Nissan Skyline GT-R and Toyota 2000GT.īut not everything rare and Japanese has to cost so much. Subaru didn’t offer this model stateside, making it a holy grail among fans of Japanese performance cars. Someone just paid more than $300,000 for a 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B STi, one of approximately 400 examples built to commemorate the brand’s third-consecutive World Rally Championship. phenomenon, as he’s seeing the same happen overseas. And then there’s always the internet.Ī caution from Duncan: Rising prices on used cars aren’t just a U.S. This can vary depending on the make and model, with some being served by their own cottage industries here in the U.S. Specialty insurance companies should welcome them, too, he adds. “Surprisingly, there are a lot of lenders who love these cars,” Duncan notes. “Each state is a little quirky,” Duncan reports, adding that shoppers should do their due diligence.

DUNCAN JDM IMPORTS REGISTRATION

However, the car registration process can vary. “I want you to see them as pure as I bought them,” he adds.Įach car sold by Duncan Imports comes with a Virginia or Tennessee title. That’s the twin-turbo, all-wheel-drive monster that dominated touring car racing for years.ĭuncan figures he has imported close to 3000 of these pre-owned Japanese cars so far and tends to keep about 500 cars in stock-some in Christiansburg, Virginia, and the rest just outside of Nashville. His menu tops out around $50,000, the going rate for a ’90s Nissan Skyline GT-R. Duncan usually has about a hundred Figaros in stock, ranging from less than $10,000 to about $40,000. Or you could go small with a 660cc-powered kei car, mini pickup or retro-styled Nissan Figaro. Starting at about the same money, you can also buy a 1980s or ’90s Toyota Century, the brand’s version of the traditional luxury sedan: V8 power, chrome bumpers, plush interiors and all of the electronic aids possible using the day’s technology.

Instead of sporting a V8 under that long hood, however, this one’s rotary-powered. Then Duncan offers many models never officially imported-for example, a ’90s-era Mazda Cosmo, Japan’s take on the pony car.

In addition to right-hand drive, you’re likely to find options and configurations not sold here: maybe more power, maybe just that je ne sais quoi. The first group features Japanese-market versions of stateside favorites like the Honda CRX, Subaru WRX, Toyota MR2 and Mazda RX-7. “They’re inexpensive, they’re rare, they’re unique,” he notes, “and they’re in the price range where you’ll never lose money.” “I have always loved them.”ĭuncan’s Japanese-market offerings fall into two camps, with examples from both regularly priced at the lower end of the collector car market. “I just love the Japanese people and love the Japanese products,” Duncan tells us.

Once a car has celebrated its 25th birthday, it can legally be imported stateside.

DUNCAN JDM IMPORTS PLUS

In addition to that Honda franchise, today’s lineup covers Acura and Mazda plus Ford, Dodge, Lincoln, BMW, Audi, Jeep, Ram, Hyundai and more.īut five years ago, Duncan launched a new venture: selling Japanese classics from overseas. Back in the day, they handled icons like Studebaker and Rambler, MG and Triumph.

Duncan jdm imports