10 Japanese cars from the '70s and '80s you should snap up now

Japanese cars are finally getting some overdue respect in the mainstream collector car world. A-list collectors are snapping up rare JDM Nissan Skylines, Fairlady Zs, Toyota 2000 GTs and Mazda Cosmo Sports. For the rest of us, there are the cars on this list that were sold new in the U.S., and they remain inexpensive although survivors are getting quite rare. The list is anything but complete, so feel free to weigh in:

1. 1980 Toyota Celica Sunchaser: The second generation Celica shed its mini-Mustang looks (along with a lot of its kitschy appeal) in favor of a less derivative and less endearing look. It was however, a clean-looking and reasonably attractive car. Griffith industries built a small run of targa-roof, soft back window convertibles (along with — believe it or not — an AMC Eagle version). They’re handsome and airy, with a small back seat and a small price tag — four grand seems to buy a nice one. Think of it as a slightly less-stylish but far more reliable Lancia Beta Zagato.

2. 1984-85 Toyota Celica Convertible: Toyota’s first officially sanctioned convertible, the Celica, was built in limited numbers for a year and a half on the on the third-gen Celica platform. The Toyota-quality conversion was carried out by American Sunroof Corporation (ASC). It was a handsome, rear-wheel drive 2+2 convertible that came with optional fender flares and Supra alloys. Production was only about 4,500 total. For such a rare piece, they’re still quite reasonable at around $5,000 or so for a really nice one. We saw a not-hateful example sell for just $2,800 at one of the Arizona auctions last month.

 3. 1982-86

Toyota Supra MK II: The second generation Supra was the point when the Supra started to diverge from the standard four-cylinder Celica. It still shared a fair amount of sheet metal from the A-pillar back (the front end was unique), but with a 161-hp fuel-injected straight-six and great looking alloy wheels (which were shared with the Lotus Excel), the Supra was a very appealing rear-wheel drive performance coupe. MK III and MK IV Supras are already bringing good money, but the MK II is the forgotten Supra and worth a look.

4. 1987-89 Isuzu Impulse: The Impulse was a very quiet masterpiece by the great Giorgetto Giugiaro of Ital Design. Based on the Ace of Clubs show car and sold in other markets as the Isuzu Piazza, like its contemporary the Pontiac Fiero, its looks wrote checks that its chassis consistently bounced. Where the Fiero inherited suspension bits from the thoroughly execrable Chevy Citation, the Impulse went even further down market to the Chevette. Eventually, Isuzu contracted out the suspension sorting to Lotus (which brought with it “handling by Lotus” badges), but this only lasted a short period of time before the Impulse was shifted to the same FWD platform as the miserable Geo Storm.

5. Mitsubishi Montero:

First generation Monteros, while rare today, have an off-the-charts cool factor that comes from real Paris-Dakar rally cred and the fact that they resemble Land Rover Defender 90s and 110s but cost less than a 10th the asking price of the Landy. Known as the Pajero to the rest of the world, rust, neglect and the general ravages of time have made these quite rare. Dodge sold a badge-engineered version of the two-door called the Raider. For the same money as a clapped out Land Rover Discovery that will be nothing but a pack of expensive trouble, you can have a nice early Montero. First-gen Monteros top our list of cheap, cool vintage SUVs.