Ctrl

I don't know how a RHD FD is setup up, but I did notice one thing I didn't like driving a RHD Alfa Romeo 155 TS last month.

I found out the hard way that I could not signal and shift at the same time since the signals were on the left side of the steering wheel. Having been used to shifting with the right hand and being able to signal with the left at the same time,
I felt totally handicapped as a driver not being able to do something I'd done a thousand times before.

RXcetera

Well, if it's like my Savanna, the signal is on the right side of the wheel... which means you'll be turning on your wipers every time you try to signal in a "regular" car.

As someone who has a RHD RX-7, I cant stand sitting on the wrong side of the car... the attention it gets is very annoying especially when you're stopped beside another car at a light. But that's just me. I'm sure alot of people crave that kind of thing.

RXcetera

Japan Domestic Market

I agree 100%. It's the same situation in the UK. LHD cars imported from germany/france are cheap whereas the same car in RHD commands a premium.

DeAd-EyE

iTrader: (1)

My two cents for what theey are worth are as follows:

1) more FD's in canada the better..more ownership options for potential people and more potential track cars that won't have to be made from cannibalized LHD FD's.
2) In the not too distant future i will own two FD's. One Bone stock restoration/collector grade car which will be LHD. My second car will be a done to the **** with every mazdaspeed/amemiya part imaginable tuner performance car. I will use a RHD car for that since I dont want to cannibalize a good condition LHD car.

Keep the LHD's more or less stock...modify the RHD's to your heart's content is my opinion. RHD cars were made in vastly greater numbers.

thats just my personal opinion...i'm sure 9/10 will disagree.

cheers

HUGH

What?? and miss the chance to get free shipping on my spare parts!! I think its great that the uneducated masses continue to bring in as many rhd cars as possiable. Results in a better chance for me to find parts locally. Keep 'em rollin!!

Alak

iTrader: (9)

I agree. More JDM = POTENTIALLY More Accidents = Potentially many many more parts. Or people just bring over complete crap and scrap it.

I myself wont do RHD for simple reasons:

Seats are Smaller.
Seat doesnt go back as far.
Have to tilt head in some cases to avoid roof.
And being on the RH side of a car in a LHD country can be a pain in the *** sometimes. For example, my arms are not long enough for take out windows....

charr33

Good point. My engine didn't show any of the "problems described" either. Right up until it decided that coolant was more fun to burn than petrol...

Everyone knows the FD engine bay is hotter than hell. Stuff will eventually fail. Maybe not at 88k, (seems 125k is a pretty common number) but it WILL fail.

So here's the deal. Given two cars in a car lot, side by side. One JDM RHD FD for $10,000, and one LHD Canadian FD for $20,000, similar KM's and mods, might as well take the JDM (if you can handle driving on the wrong side of the car...).
That makes sense, and I don't think people are arguing that.

BUT I believe the main point a lot of people are making is directed at the prospective JDM buyers who are saying they cannot afford a LHD FD, and that these "cheap" RHD FD's are the answer to their prayers. If you cannot afford a $20k car, you probably cannot afford a JDM FD either.

Sure if you take $20k and add the cost of a rebuild and reliability mods lets bump it to $30k. And take the JDM car and bump it to $20k. Still a $10k difference, but I think the idea is that anyone who cannot afford a $30k car is likely in a certain income bracket which would not allow them to spend $10k fixing a car. Nor would they be able to buy a second car as a winter beater (unless its a real beater...*cough*...Neo...*cough*...*Mazda3*...)

If money is so tight that $10k makes it or breaks it, then this isn't the car for you. Because you realize that even after you have the motor rebuilt, there is no guarentee that it will not give out 2 years later...Maybe a bad rebuild, or maybe you overheated the engine sitting in traffic in 100 degree weather...

I still say the best deal on a used FD is one that has been recently rebuilt and already has the basic mods on it. You will pay less than a pristine stock FD because collectors want stock, not modded. But if you are not a collector, and were going to mod the car anyways...

I personally don't care if more JDM FD's come to Canada. If I see you driving one, I will waive. But don't buy this car for the sole reason of "because I can".

Oh and don't forget to tack on $90 for the mandatory CAA Plus membership...

Mazdabation

iTrader: (9)

HAHA so true! make sure its the gold membership for multiple tows, gold baby gooooold!

M-SPEC

I think there is a few misconceptions here about JDM RX7s , for some reason many people feel that they are beat up mechanically and have not been cared for at all , that is just plain wrong , like I have said they have a hardcore inspection every 2 years
http://www.navi.go.jp/english/profil...on/block1.html
40% of all Canadaian cars would fail this if they went through it. Some people think they just go down to junk yard to get parts B.S. would you go down to a junk yard to pull a cheap chevy part or just go over to the parts store a buy a cheap brand new part, don’t forget they are a domestic in Japan, some one said the JDM's are like a "knock off".... really I think it is the other way around.
Both imported and local FD's are not the best in reliability but that’s Mazda, it has nothing to do with where it came from, it has to do with how the previous owner took care of it.
I’ve personally imported 8 cars and trucks and can tell you for a fact that every one was in far better shape than most 15 year old cars here, so instead of just speculating and saying they are crap just because they are half the price, ask your self this why are so many people importing them..... it’s not initialD, its not stupid kids, you think banks give out loans for a 15 year old car ..you have to pay cash, do you think an enthusiast sends his cash half way around the world and waits 2-3 months to bring in a POS crappy car.... you all better think again

Alak

iTrader: (9)

Most cars go into auction because they cant pass the mandatory inspection. They are either too far modified, or perhaps in very poor condition. Dont get me wrong, I've seen some fabulous cars come out of Japan in the same condition as it was the day the first owner picked it up.

The misconception is that alot of kids think they can buy a $5000 FD and that everything is alright. That it will be streetable on arrival, in some cases yes. That they can hook up NOS and put a big single on it. I sold my skyline because there were about 30 kids here that did exactly that with skylines. Mine was in wicked condition. But parked next to 10 peices' with more 'mods', it was crap. Theirs were faster and had bigger turbos, etc. But nobody ever notices the duct tape holding the doors on.


I think 9 times out of 10, you get what you pay for.

StarScreaM2k1

Another thing is RHD is more prone to accidents in Canada, especially on a left hand turn. Sometimes i gotta stick my headout the window to make sure. Saving a few grand is great, however with the increased % of being accident prone, insurance with it is harder and sometimes they wont even insure it fully because its a JDM car. Theres alot more hassles as i see it with a RHD Car, the WOW factor is great and all but it does eventually wear off or start to bother you.

Also alot of the FD's that are being imported are 1992's first year of FD's in Japan. I find it ironic that 90% of the cars from Japan are "low KM's" yet drifting and all that is more popular there, it just doesnt make sense. I would figure they have more KM's OR they are pushed harder which the KM's wont tell you, only hearing and driving the car. But thats just aside note. I cant remember there was something i was reading on importing cars and something about Airbags and it was causing alot of ppl to have trouble importing, gotta be careful of that.

I dont have a problem with RHD cars in Canada, just dont be a jackass with them and endup crashing them. I can see how its easier to obtain one of the RHD FD's here based on price over a LHD one, however as alot have already said the maintence alone is a big reason why they shouldnt buy it, the inital buy is cheap but the rest OMG! But i can see how one would wanna go with a RHD FD over a LHD FD for sheer initial price and the "wow" factor, just be ready for the cops to pull you over, they are becoming bigger jackasses with "street racing" and the added fact of bring RHD i can see that becoming a bit of a sign to "hey lets pull him over see if his **** is right" and godforbid you have some mods like an exhaust they gonna have a fieldday!

Ctrl

When I drove a RHD it was on right hand roads (Germany) and I didn't notice a darned bit of difference making left turns. You either know how big the car you're driving is, or you don't....and if the latter, you're a danger to us all.

Smitter

well so far the general consesus seems to be that most guys want rhd jdm fds so they can have more parts availabilty for our lhd fds....i suppose that is one good thing about them

for u guys who say u are buying rhd fds because they are cheaper and u can not afford an overprice lhd fd....u are in for a big shocker when it comes time to pick up the maintenance bills for these cars aswell as just filling them at the pumps.....they require premium fuel remember......mine cost 70 bucks to fill the other day($1.06 per/l) an i will be lucky if that lasts me 5 days......i might get 400kms to a tank of fuel if i a bady the car........but i dont baby it........its way to much fun not 2......

for the people who think its an attraction getter 2 be driving on the rhd side of the car.....think again........people arent in aww when they see that.......its like seeing a kid with no arms.......u are just drawn to look and feel sorry for them..

i do believe the government has some kind of legislation in the works that is soon to ban the importing of these rhd cars? so hopefully u guys who already have them will be exempt from this law....or your 10,000 fd will all but be for the track.

Ctrl

I hope they allow grandfathered cars.

M-SPEC

Smitter , do you really think its poor kids who are importing cars, I’m sure there is lots of 16- 21 year olds with 10-15K in cash sitting around. Your talking about been shocked at the price to fill it up, gas money is cheap compared to how much real tuners spend on their cars my skyline has over 25K worth of parts on it and it still is not close being done.

and NO there is no way if they change the import rule we will not be able to drive or insure our cars that’s absolutely ridiculous, I have no idea where you guys are hearing this from but it is 100% wrong, have a look

http://www.ivoac.ca

I honestly don’t think I will be back to this site, there is just so much ignorance when it comes to JDM RX7s, it really does not make any JDM owner feel welcome here.

so see ya at the track

Smitter

easy m-spec...
any rx7 owner is a friend of mine weather it is rhd or lhd. i clearly said "the general consensus" (not my consensus) i do not know any owners of a rhd rx7.....if i did i might geer him a bit.....but at the end of the day he would still b my friend.......
all the power to u and your abilty to spend money on your rhd cars, but when people post on here that a rhd car is all they can afford (u clearly dont fall into this category) maybe they should think twice about buying and fd.....cause there is alot more to be paid out then the original purchase price...

after 10 mins of looking at the link provided i saw nothing that said the government cant and will not change legislation banning these cars.......u can safety them all u want.....but the most dangerous part about them is the fact that the steering wheel is on the wrong side.......and that cannot be changed

Ctrl

RHD more dangerous? I can only see one scenario, namely, passing on the left in an oncoming traffic lane. Why not just legislate RHD can only pass in a passing lane of the same direction? Problem solved...

To say RHD is more dangerous making left hand turns is to say a LHD is more dangerous making right hand turns,...which is at least 50% of all turns in a LHD.

The whole arguement is bogus.

Terrh

iTrader: (7)

left hand turns in an RHD cars are probably slightly more dangerous, but not much.
Wanna see better? DON'T TAILGATE THEN!

Or, spend $1500 on a dash and steering rack/column, and make yours LHD. woot. I suppose then you "only" save $8500.

as far as good "RHD" websites, gtrcanada.com is probably the best forum for RHD cars, regardless of make and model.


-- Daniel

LHD FD3S owner.

Football22

I am one of the people who said that if it wasn't for a JDM FD that I wouldn't be able to afford a FD. This doesn't mean that I don't have the money for a Canadian FD, its just that between having a office bill, a mortgage, and a truck payment that I couldn't justify spending 14-20grand on a car that I am only going to drive on nice days about 6 months out of the year. But since my car only cost me 8 grand I can justify that, this way if the car does break down I only have 8 grand into a car that I can't drive right away, also this gives me more money to put into the car to try and ensure that it doesn't break down.

I can see where m-spec is coming from. There seems to be alot of people in here that eather lack knowledge of JDM cars and seem to think that they know all, or people that just hate the idea of JDM cars. Although there are a decent amount of people that respect them, it seems like its the people who don't have respect for them that have to voice their opinions. I don't see the big deal, the RHD FD's are going to come over here no matter who buys them. At least with people like m-spec buying the cars you know that the car is going to someone who respects the car and has knowledge of them. Unlike the 90% of the people who buy skylines.

Alak

iTrader: (9)

I think it all boils down to one thing.

Driver/Owner Preferance.

You want a JDM go for it. I wanted one. I had one. And the novelty wore off pretty quick. Would I buy another one? Perhaps if that car was only availiable in RHD (Like a British Motorcar, or Skyline). Or perhaps someday I will have a JDM FD.

If your dumb enough to crash your own car, you had it coming. I know a guy thats on his 4th car. He wrote off a brand new (at the time) STi, A GTR, A 180SX and now I donno if hes even driving.

Im just sick of seeing wrecks that barely pass OOP on the road. And that goes for any make/model. Its like helplessly watching them crush good RX-7's at the wrecking yard.

Boost_Creep

LHD is dangerous making a right hand turn??? huh??? Do you mean a LHD car in Japan making a right turn? If you mean in North America, that makes no sense.

Anyways, what about in an intersection and the opposite traffic is also making a left turn as well. If you are in a RHD car, good luck as being in a LHD already has problems seeing around cars/trucks. When I drove a RHD car I just ended up making 3 right turns. Didn't feel like taking a risk of having a vehicle going through my door or holding up traffic until the light change.

I'm not a fan of RHD but have mixed feelings as I love some of the cars that you can't get here. I would not buy one unless it's a stupid good deal for a car that is not found on these shores (like a Lancia Delta Integrale or Ford Escort Cosworth RS for an example). With that said, it would be in a track/fun car role and not a daily driver.

rx7racerca

iTrader: (1)

I'm for the JDM cars, even though my preference would be for a LHD. They increase the "presence" or awareness of the cars here - I do see more Ferraris than FD's in Calgary - just a couple Sundays back, on a nice day while eating in a restaurant on 17th SW, I saw a Testarossa, a 348tb, and a f430 - not all together, mind you, but over an hour and a half. I don't believe I've seen an FD yet this calendar year. I don't particularly subscribe to the notion that these cars are being bought by "kids" who know them only from InitialD; mainly they seem to be going into the hands of enthusiasts and "in-the-know" types - the great unwashed masses simply aren't aware of the opportunities JDM's represent for GENERALLY, though of course not always, good condition/low km cars - and if it saves 10k over an otherwise comparable LHD FD, I can totally see how a person might think that's money well-saved, given that these cars have a reputation for expensive maintenance and repairs - that would be the thing that makes me most receptive to the idea. And it increases the potential pool of parts cars for damaged and broken cars generally.

RHD does have real drawbacks both in passing on single-lane highways, and LH turns - unlike a right turn, you're turning across traffic. Seeing around a truck for passing without already being across the centre line, or seeing past the car or truck in the opposing left-turn bay to know what's coming straight thru an intersection could be extra-challenging. Not a terrible danger, but definitely something to be aware and cautious of.

TwinJDMSnails

I picked up a JDM Car
main reason.. availability
I couldn't find a FD in Vancouver if i tried.
Its making its way across the ocean as we speak : )
92 Type R - Black on Black
Mazdaspeed exhaust, Rays Engineering Te37s
82,000k

I might be a "kid" to some of you guys at the age of 20, but i pull in around 2300 or so after tax a month, with no bills. Hopefully this will be enough to cover the rx7
worse comes to worse i still have my civic lol

black93RX7

Personally I dont like RHD's and would prefer if they were not imported into Canada.

Mainly because I like having a rare car and hate seeing the market flooded with JDM RHD's.

I have met several people who either have or are planning on buying one. Some of them are younger and probably have no idea what they are getting themselves into.

My car costs $70 to fill and am lucky if it lasts 250km, granted mine is heavily modified, it still doesnt change the fact these cars require alot of care and maintenance.

And by the way, CAA will not tow a modified car, I recomend buying an 18ft trailer, mine has come in handy on many occasions.

I guess Im just selfish and would prefer to keep my car as unique as possible.

Terrh

iTrader: (7)

CAA's towed my modifiied cars several times.