Dealer Classics: JDM Smörgåsbord In Saitama – Round Three

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– Posted on August 5, 2025

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It’s been a minute since we’ve checked on our good friends at Flex Auto Review, who have an impressive roster of classic cars in their forecourt near on the outskirts of Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture – just outside Tokyo, in other words. Let’s take another tour of this JDM wonderland, shall we?

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I’m not always able to find out the prices for these beauties, unfortunately. Take this 1967 Toyota Crown Deluxe, for instance. It can be traced on the web and some information can be gleaned – it’s a manual transmission car, for instance. It has also been sold, but I cannot find out how much for, nor what the asking price was.

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This 1984 HiAce, on the other hand, I managed to catch with its sticker still on. Just a reminder on Japanese retail math: the big red number is the price in yen, as multiplied by 10,000. So this HiAce is a ¥1.79m vehicle, which is equal to a smidge over US$12k (as of exchange rates in early August).

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Cool 1985 Sprinter Carib. Couldn’t find a trace of that one anywhere – might be a local car just using the garage facilities, or it might belong to a staff member.

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This mildly modified 1977 Celica GT Liftback could be yours for ¥3,596,000 (US$24,300). Tempted?

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Personally, though I do have a thing for Celica Liftbacks, I would be rather more partial to its neighbour, a stunning dark green ’73 Corona Mark II 2000GSS Coupé. At just under ¥3m (US$20k), it’s a little cheaper, too.

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In the (small) kei car section, a sublime 1970 Honda N360 could be found. Just ¥1.3m (US$8700) for this little bundle of high-revving joy.

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For ¥500k more, i.e. a total of US$12k, one could opt for a 1966 Subaru 360. The photos where the car doors are opened were taken in July, when heat and humidity gets pretty unbearable here.

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There are always a number of Fairlady Zs in Flex’s inventory. At the equivalent of US$26k, this one is fairly affordable…

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…but this substantially modded ’82 car with Weber carbs is up for grabs at ¥4.5m, or just over US$30k.

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Solex carbs for this ’78 model – just a little cheaper than the red one.

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There were very few genuine GT-Rs on the Kenmari (4th generation) Skyline. This ’76 car is not one of them, but it’s apparently a very good approximation. At ¥11m (over US$74k), it’s one of the most expensive cars I’ve seen here.

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Not sure how much this 1983 RS-X Coupé cost its new owner. The enigmatic Iron Mask strikes again!

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Finally, a C10 Skyline that’s not pretending it’s a GT-R. Unfortuntely, this ’71 6-cyl. saloon has a few ugly aftermarket bits, but nothing that a decent classic Nissan specialist couldn’t fix.

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A flawless 1974 Gloria 230 hardtop saloon with automatic transmission for the equivalent of US$18,200? Surely someone will snap this beauty up in no time.

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No idea how much this late ‘70s Gloria 330 hardtop was selling for, but it’s interesting to compare the design with the 230 that preceded it.

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No pricing info on this 1979 Sunny, either, but we do know it has a 1.4 litre engine and only 75,000km on the clock. Barely run in, for a 45-year-old Datsun.

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Zero info on this circa 1970 Datsun 1500 pickup, but what a beauty!

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The overwhelming majority of cars on the forecourt are domestic, but Flex do have the odd import – especially VWs. This clean-looking 1970 Beetle could be purchased for under ¥1.8m (a little over US$12k).

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This ’73 bus also looked very clean. No idea about price, but Flex’s website is currently listing a fairly similar-looking T2 (a 1971 model) available for ¥3.8m (US$25-26k)…

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First-generation Type 2s are much more sought after, of course. This 1965 seven-seater is fitted with A/C and does look pretty cool, it must be said. Yours for around US$32k.

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It’s extremely difficult to figure out the model year for these Debonairs, given that they were sold for over 20 years (1964-86). This is a 1980 car, apparently with an original interior.

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Last, but certainly not least, we find a mint condition 1973 Galant GTO with a twin-carb 2-litre engine mated to a 5-speed manual. A steal at ¥2.48m (under US$17k)!

 

That’s it for this edition of the Saitama Smörgåsbord. What’s your pick of the parking lot? I’d be tempted by the Honda and the Debonair (though that interior colour would be hard to live with), but realistically the Gloria 230 would probably be my choice.

 

Related posts:

 

Dealer Classics: JDM Smörgåsbord In Saitama (Round 1)

Dealer Classics: JDM Smörgåsbord In Saitama – Round Two

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